He's Back... Tiger Woods Returns Next Week

plez sez: "Pssst. Hey, Phil Mickelson, I don't want you to lose your lunch, but it is being widely reported that Tiger Woods plans to return to tournament play next week in Tucson, Arizona for the Accenture Match Play Championship. As you know, he's been off healing from surgery on his left knee for the past eight months after winning his fourteenth major title in a playoff at the US Open on his one good leg. Yeah, that tournament where you barely showed up and he won it on one leg. And get this, he plans to defend the title he won last year at the Accenture Match Play Championship!"

The entire golf industry from players, tournament organizers, sponsors, fans, broadcasters, and anyone with even a marginal interest in the sport is hailing his return. In essence, NO ONE has watched any golf since he limped off the green at the US Open with that big ass trophy. He limped badly over the final few days of the U.S. Open, later saying the swelling was so bad at night that he couldn't see his knee cap. A week after winning, he had reconstructive surgery, the third operation on his left knee in five years.

Television ratings have been in the crapper through the last two majors, the Ryder Cup, and the FedEx Cup. Everyone - including plezWorld - is anxiously awaiting the return of Tiger Woods... well, I'm not sure Phil Mickelson is jumping up and down with the prospect of returning to his losing ways against one Tiger Woods.

"He was ready to go weeks ago," Stuart Appleby said at Riviera. "I don't think he needs to do a couple of laps around the track. He'll be on that horse and he'll be whipping it."

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plez sez: i can't wait... i really can't! i know the guy who won the masters also won the british open, but his name escapes me. and i have no idea (and really don't care) who won the ryder cup nor the fedex cup... if any sport needs an asterisk, it is golf for all of the trophies it has passed out in the past eight months since tiger took a break from kicking their collective butts!

i'm overdue for some real competitive magic from the man who is TIGER WOODS! i can't wait!

~ ~ Citations ~ ~

Read the golf.com article about Tiger's return to golf.

Read the ESPN.com article about Tiger Woods ending his eight month layoff.

Read the AJC.com article about Tiger's return to golf.

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Quote of the Day - 2008 British Open Style

"I just hope they've taught the engraver how to put an asterisk on the [Claret Jug]. Then everyone will know what the tournament was all about."
- Geoff Ogilvy, one of the favorites in the PGA British Open, talking about the absence of Tiger Woods due to his recovery from knee surgery for a torn ACL.

The 2008 British Open kicks off today at Royal Birkdale and most of the buzz is about who isn't there. Tiger Woods is sidelined for the remainder of the 2008 PGA Tour due to his recovery from surgery to repair a torn ACL and healing stress fractures in his left leg. He's won two of the past three British Opens and has four top-10 finishes in the past five years. He won the US Open a few weeks ago on a gimpy left leg.

There will be one remaining major after this weekend, the PGA Championship. Woods won it in 2006 and 2007 and finished tied for fourth in 2005.

So, in review, Tiger Woods came in second at this year's Masters, won this year's US Open, he has won three of the past four, and four of the past six British Opens and PGA Championships. The guy defines winning in sports, because he goes out for four rounds beginning with a field of over 125 golfers. So his absence opens winning the Claret Jug (the trophy for the British Open) to just about anyone on the Tour who owns a golf bag!

Phil Mickelson, recognized as the second best player behind Woods, refused to mention his name as he got his game face on for a run at his first British Open championship. When asked about Wood's absence, Mickelson is quoted as saying, "I am working hard to get my game ready for this week, and I've practiced hard. I've developed a good game plan for this event, and I am excited to compete against whoever is in the field." When asked if he could say anything in particular about Woods, Mickelson retorted, "Oh, I'm sure I could!" [Laughter]

But Mickelson could never bring himself mentioned Tiger's name!

Ernie Els, another top contender for the championship, was very frank, "I'm not overly disappointed that he's not here as a player. [There are 30 to 40] players... [that now] have a chance. I think he's so far ahead in the race, we've kind of sagged back a little bit."

And Jim Furyk had a more philosophical approach to a Tiger-less major championship, "It's just kind of a chicken attitude to walk up and say, 'Well, he's not here; now I've got a better opportunity.' In reality, that's probably true. But to look at it that way, I'd have a tough time waking up in the morning looking at myself in the mirror if that's the way I was thinking."

Read the entire ESPN.com article about how Tiger Woods is still stalking the field at the British Open here.

Read a similar article in the New York Times here.


plez sez: geoff ogilvy hit the nail on the head, the british open is up for grabs for one reason and one reason, only: Tiger Woods ain't there!

phil mickelson is still going to piss his pants if he sees a tall, slim Black guy in the crowd while trying to tee off or sink a crucial putt. ernie els is going to spend all weekend trying to steal that second place spot from mickelson... and jim furyk is probably having a hard time looking in the mirror this morning, because he knows that this year will be his best opportunity to win the British (Tiger will be back next year).

the british open and the pga championship will both be missing the greatest golfer to pull a driver out of the bag. and they'll be missing plezWorld as well, since i doubt whatever drama mickelson can generate will be enough to make me spend anytime watching the proceedings, i'll just catch up on the Internet each night.

like Barry Bond's 756th home run ball, the 2008 British Open Claret Jug needs one of these:

Tiger Shuts Down Remainder of PGA Tour

Tiger Woods announced that he is going to have surgery on the left knee that gave him so many problems during his successful run for his fourteenth major golf championship. Apparently, he ruptured his ACL in 2007 while running at his home in Orlando after the British Open. He decided not to have surgery at that point, and he went on to win five of the next six events he entered (through his Target World Challenge in December).

In addition to the ruptured ACL, he also has a stress fracture on his tibia!

So, he will not be competing in any tournaments for the remainder of 2008, missing the British Open and PGA Championships for the first time of his illustrious career. Tiger Woods is the engine that drives the PGA Tour, without his presence, the Tour is little more than an amateur contest.

Read the entire ESPN.com article about Tiger Woods here.


plez sez: i had no idea his knee was that messed up... a ruptured ACL and a double stress fracture in the tibia!!!

the Legend of Tiger Woods continues to grow... he was runner up at the Masters and played a 19 hole playoff to win the US Open! this guy is without peer in his sport... and the next guy on the list is a DISTANT Number Two. without Tiger Woods, the PGA Tour is a joke... is phil mickelson, sergio garcia, ernie els, and a cast of 150 golfers provide even half of the excitement of ONE Tiger Woods?!? will sponsors be lining up for the remaining majors? will television viewers be rearranging their schedule to watch even one round of Tiger-less golf this summer?

Tiger's left knee has shut down the PGA Tour for the remainder of 2008!

Tiger's Fourteenth

Fighting off the effects of surgery on his left knee, nineteen more holes of Torrey Pines, and a determined and pesky foe, by the name of Rocco Mediate, Tiger Woods held on to win his fourteenth major title: the 108th PGA Tour United States Open.

After an unspectacular the fourth round on Sunday afternoon, the playoff round was full of high drama: Woods took a three stroke lead to the tenth hole, only to have Mediate bounce back to take the lead with three straight birdie holes (13, 14, 15). Tiger had to sink birdie putt on the 18th hole of the playoff round to continue the match. It took one more hole and a wayward tee shot by Mediate for Woods to finally seal the deal.

This had to be the most fun and most nerve-racking round of golf that I've ever witnessed. By the 18th hole, I as half rooting for Mediate (who would've been the oldest golfer to win the US Open at 45 years old and this would've been his first major) and half cheering for Tiger (who was in the hunt for his 14th major - only four behind Jack Nicholas - while playing with a sore knee).

Tiger has won the Masters 4 times, the US Open 3 times, the British Open 3 times, and the PGA Championship 4 times. He's the man!

I have a lot of respect for Mediate who played the weekend of his life. He faced down Tiger Woods in a head-to-head battle that came down to one putt. And Tiger Woods added one more accolade to his stellar career. Thanks guys!

PGA US Open Playoff with Tiger

Doing what he does best, Tiger Woods took Rocco Mediate to a playoff after Sunday's action at the 108th United States Open.

Woods took the US Open lead with an eagle on the 18th hole on Saturday. He quickly surrendered the lead with a double bogey on the first hole on Sunday. And didn't regain a share of the lead until a birdie on the 18th hole on Sunday.

Playing solid, yet unspectacular golf, throughout the fourth round on Sunday, Tiger was never more than two strokes out of the lead. His sore left knee provided the most theater during the round as Tiger grimaced his way through the eighteen holes.

Rocco Mediate - who has never won a major golf title - bounced into the clubhouse with a one stroke lead over Tiger Woods and his playing partner, Lee Westwood. Both made it to the 18th green with a long putt opportunity for a birdie that would take Mediate into a playoff.

Westwood's birdie putt fell short and he had to settle for par and second place.

Then it was Tiger's turn with a 15 foot putt.

Tiger examined the green like a surgeon looking for the proper place to make his first incision. He stood at his ball and took a few practice swings. Then addressed the ball in the total silence of the gallery. He struck the ball... it bounced along the smooth greens seemingly wanting to veer away from the hole, yet compelled and willed into the hole by the advancing footsteps of Tiger Woods.

That little white ball rolled in... and plezWorld damn near fainted!

The US Open will be decided by an eighteen hole playoff on Monday:

The front nine will be broadcast by ESPN beginning at 11:30 AM EST

The back nine will be broadcast by NBC beginning at 2:00 PM EST

The DVR is already set!

Tiger's on the Prowl (Again)

A mere eight weeks after knee surgery, Tiger Woods shook off the first round rust where he ended seven shots behind the leader, Rocco Mediate, on Thursday at the PGA Tour US Open. On Friday afternoon at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods showed why he is "Tiger Woods," by capping the back nine with five birdies. He ended the day with a 68 and is now only one stroke behind the leader, Stuart Appleby.

Read the New York Times article on round two here.

Read the ESPN.com account of round two here.


plez sez: i started playing golf the same year that Tiger Woods won his first Masters. i'm not very good at the sport, but i do enjoy watching it... whenever Tiger Woods is playing. his high level of expertise and confidence is awesome, and his ability to win is unparalleled in the world of sports.

to my way of thinking, he's not only the greatest golfer who's ever lived, he's easily the greatest athlete who's ever lived (sorry Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan)!

I look for round three to be Separation Saturday, where Tiger - and possibly Appleby - pull away from the field with an insurmountable four or five stroke lead. Those two will duel it out on Sunday afternoon with Tiger Woods hoisting yet another trophy from a major. And just think, Woods hasn't played in a tournament since the Masters!

Phil Mickelson grew up in San Diego and Torrey Pines is considered his home course. He was paired with Tiger Woods on Thursday and Friday. As if on cue, Mickelson faded on Friday, ending with six bogeys in his round of 75. He is seven strokes off of the lead. As he ages through his prime golf playing years, it is looking more like Mickelson will end up being a sad footnote in the career of Tiger Woods.

Quote of the Day - April 8, 2008

"Rest assured that men like Senator McCain will be the goal and the men that my two young boys will emulate and admire. You can have your Tiger Woods, we've got Senator McCain."
- Army Staff Sergeant David Bellavia introducing John McCain at a rally on Tuesday, February 8, 2008

The Hotline asks "What's with the Tiger Woods Comparisons?"

Read the entire Hotline article here.


plez sez: i'm wondering how Tiger Woods comes up in a political comparison involving Barack Obama, unless all bellavia (and the other hacks who got a good laugh out of his cheap one-liner) consider Tiger Woods (and by extension, Barack Obama) to be little more than the "black guys" in their respective areas of expertise.

this country STILL has an issue with race.

13: Tiger Woods Wins 2007 PGA Championship

I spent all afternoon following Tiger Woods through the final 18 holes of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Well, I followed it on the television (CBS had excellent coverage).

I only watch golf tournaments when Tiger Woods is playing. Like most casual observers, the only golfer I really know about is Tiger Woods and he just happens to be the best at it. Yeah, I know the names of some of the others (Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, etc.), but none of them have the charisma, star power, nor THE GAME of Tiger! He's usually unflappable and just wins! To my way of thinking, he is easily the best golfer who's ever lived: he has no peer in the game, every week, he is playing to win, he's made more money than anyone else, he's won more tournaments than anyone else, and he's won more majors at his age than anyone else. Jack Nicklaus was really good, but he wasn't even close to being Tiger good!

The other reason I follow Tiger Woods is that he was the reason I got my first set of golf clubs back in 1997. At work, I was being pressured by my boss to learn how to play golf. A few months after Tiger won his first Masters, I got a set of clubs for my birthday, took some lessons, and have been a casual (VERY CASUAL) golfer ever since. Tiger Woods is the one athlete who single-handedly transformed a sport and brought it to the masses (ugh! I'm one of the masses!). It is no longer a sport for rich white men to play at all-white country clubs, I've found it to be a fun and challenging endeavor that anyone can enjoy!

Tiger Woods entered today's championship round with a 3-shot lead over Stephen Ames (yeah, the guy he thumped "9 & 8" in last years Match Play Tournament after he uttered some crap about Tiger being beatable)! He held off formidable charges from Ernie Els and (until today, a no-name golfer named) Woody Austin. Both pulled within 1 stroke before Tiger birdied the 15th hole and put the championship away. The only way he could've lost would've been to double-bogey the last hole (like Phil Mickelson at last year's US Open and Sergio Garcia at this year's British Open)!

Read the ESPN article on Tiger's win here.

This win gave Tiger his 13th major and puts him on track to pass Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 majors within 3 or 4 years. He won 2 majors (British and PGA) last year, won one (PGA) this year, but also came in 2nd place at this year's Masters and US Open. Barring an injury or a life event that takes him away from the game during the summer, I guess that Tiger will win at least 2 majors for the next 3 or 4 years, with him passing Nicklaus in 2010.