When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
A video crew for Masters.com received exclusive access to Tiger Woods’ Sunday practice around and the official site has shared an edited package. Unfortunately it’s more glossy than meaty so it’s tough to tell much about his game, though he’s definitely taking an aggressive lash at the ball. The course was closed to all other media and spectators.
Tiger Woods heads to the course (Geoff Shackelford)
As promised in celebration of 4/4/22—a Triple quadrilateral, this one is open to all to sample as we begin a busy week in Augusta.
But you better be ready to fork over eight figures given the starting bid of $25,000 already has things nearing $600k with two weeks to go.
It’s quite a story:
In the 12 years since they first surfaced in the collector market in our 2010 auction, the Tiger Slam irons have been displayed privately in a Houston office complex - appreciated only by the occasional visitor with a passing interest in golf. Over the past several years, we have repeatedly pleaded with Brock to let us showcase them to the world. Yes, the collector market has matured a lot since the dark days of 2010. But it was never about the money, even though these clubs will likely reset the record books. Instead, it was about timing. When was the collector market finally ready to appreciate the value of the very best golf collectibles, and ready to appropriately appreciate Tiger Woods and his position in history.
After winning the 2001 Masters Tournament, Tiger held all 4 Major Championship titles at the same time - what we now call the Tiger Slam. 7 weeks later, at the Buick Classic at Westchester Country Club in New York, Titleist Director of Player Promotions Rick Nelson and Titleist VP of Player Promotions Steve Mata delivered to Tiger Woods the new set of irons and wedges that Titleist made for him. Tiger decided to put the new clubs into play that week, so Nelson brought Tiger's old clubs to the Titleist Tour Van to verify the specs of the new clubs would match his current gamers. Tiger then put those new clubs into play for the first time during the Wednesday Pro-Am that week. And the old clubs? The ones just used to complete the greatest feat on a golf course since Bobby Jones' Grand Slam in 1930? Tiger gave the clubs to Nelson and Mata, and Mata brought them home with him. It was widely known at Titleist, within Tiger's camp, and within the industry that Mata owned the Tiger Slam irons before he infamously put them up for auction in 2010.
The so-bad-you-can’t-take-your-eyes-off-it “mixed reality” has earned less-than-glowing reviews after Sunday saw NBC asked Tiger to watch this grand idea. Tiger pretty much ignored seeing some strange combo of C3PO, Oscar and a 24 handicapper in his place. He was a good sport but focused more on the NBC call at the time.
Something tells me this would not have gone over as well with Jack Nicklaus. He might not have gone all Tom Brady on the tablet, but I’m not seeing him grasping the point of the exercise. And in that sense, he’s not alone.
After the rough cut version Tiger was subjected to, The Gold Man was plugged into today’s setting, providing this kind of glorious crowd apathy:
Here is the full chat with Mike Tirico aired in its entirety thanks to the awful Players week weather.
Strong stuff here from AP’s Jim Litke on Tiger Woods going into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The best ones have the hardest time letting go. Woods wouldn’t be the first G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All-Time) to push the envelope.
“One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50,” is how Michael Jordan ended his Hall of Fame induction speech. Knowing laughs erupted on every side of him.
“Oh don’t laugh,” he said. “Never say never.”
Woods can’t walk a golf course at the moment, so he eschewed empty boasts or self-deprecating jokes, and it’s hard to imagine he would show up at the first tee just for the sake of playing. But Jordan and Jack Nicklaus and even Muhammad Ali said almost the same thing and all of them came back in search of one more transcendent run, one more moment when they felt like the king of the world.
“I was never going to be denied,” Woods said around mid-speech Wednesday night, recalling the moment he’d inherited his father’s passion for the game. “I loved it. I had this burning desire to be able to express myself in this game of golf.”
A plaque isn’t going to change that.
An emotional speech from the get-go focused on his early past far more than his adult years. Undoubtedly proud beyond words after daughter Sam’s lovely introduction, Woods paid tribute to his parents and the people who helped him early in his career. He even thanks all the great caddies. There’s hope Stevie!
What I loved most? That it was a bit disjointed and all over the place, but the memories and anecdotes shared were from the heart.
Of course I blame Tim Finchem. My latest Quadrilateral with a healthy preview for all.
But at least Marion Hollins is going in and Tiger should be interesting.
Wednesday’s induction ceremony is set for Jacksonville International’s Terminal A, aka the Global Home, with a one surprise presenter (Sam Woods for Tiger Woods) and one total non-surprise (Davis Love for Tim Finchem).
The key details, including a new “trophy” for the World Golf Hall of Fame inductees made by Tiffany & Co. The ceremony will be carried live on Golf Channel at 7 pm ET:
World Golf Hall of Fame Announces Presenters for 2022 Inductee Class:
2022 Inductee, Susie Maxwell Berning (Judy Rankin)
2022 Inductee, Tim Finchem (Davis Love III)
2022 Inductee, Tiger Woods (Sam Woods)
Induction Ceremony to Air Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET (Live on Golf Channel) and
Feature New Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Trophy Designed by Tiffany & Co.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (March 8, 2022) – The World Golf Hall of Fame has announced the individuals who will serve as speech presenters for the 2022 inductee class during Wednesday evening’s live ceremony airing at 7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel:
2022 inductee – Susie Maxwell Berning (Presenter: Judy Rankin, Hall of Fame member)
2022 inductee – Tim Finchem (Presenter: Davis Love III, Hall of Fame member)
2022 inductee – Tiger Woods (Presenter: Sam Woods, daughter)
*Marion Hollins will be recognized posthumously as the fourth member of the 2022 class*.
Emmy-nominated golf personality David Feherty will serve as host of the live ceremony, which will take place on the eve of THE PLAYERS Championship and originate from the PGA TOUR’s ‘Global Home’ headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The addition of these four individuals will bring the total number of Hall of Fame members to 164.
In addition to honoring the 2022 induction class, the ceremony will recognize Peter Ueberroth and the late Dick Ferris, as recipients of a newly created lifetime achievement to honor their contributions to the sport. Renee Powell also will be honored for her spirit in advancing diversity in golf, as the inaugural recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company.
Sanford Health, Kohler Co., Southern Company and Rolex each will serve as official partners of the 2022 induction. As part of the ceremony, the Hall of Fame also will publicly display its iconic new induction trophy for the first time. Designed by Tiffany & Co., the arc of the trophy handle embodies the golf swing and represents the global nature of the sport.
The ceremony will take place in Northeast Florida for the first time since 2013, with most recent ceremonies held in California (2019), New York (2017) and Scotland (2015).
World Golf Hall of Fame 2022 Induction Class
Susie Maxwell Berning (Competitor)
Despite not taking up golf until age 15, Susie Maxwell Berning quickly took to the sport. Upon turning professional in 1964, she earned LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors. An 11-time LPGA winner, she also captured four major championships, including the U.S. Women’s Open three times (1968, ’72, ’73). She remains one of only six women to have won the U.S. Women’s Open on at least three separate occasions.
Tim Finchem (Contributor)
While commissioner, Tim Finchem worked to ensure that giving back was part of the fabric of the PGA TOUR’s business model – as evidenced by the TOUR and its tournaments raising more than $2 billion in charitable contributions during his tenure. He also was instrumental in founding the First Tee to empower kids with life skills through golf, and he led the creation and execution efforts around signature pillars in professional golf, including the FedExCup, FedExCup Playoffs and the Presidents Cup.
Marion Hollins (Contributor)
A visionary golf course developer/architect, Marion Hollins became a pioneer of the sport. A standout golfer who won the 1921 U.S. Women’s Amateur, she would shift her attention by contributing to the development of the Monterey Peninsula into a golf mecca. She made significant contributions to Cypress Point Club, and then founded and oversaw the development of Pasatiempo Golf Club. Later – in collaboration with Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie – she provided her influence on the development of Augusta National Golf Club.
Tiger Woods (Competitor)
Over the course of his career Tiger Woods has won a record-tying 82 PGA TOUR events, along with 15 major championships. Unforgettably, Woods accomplished the “Tiger Slam” in 2000-’01, becoming the first golfer since Bobby Jones (1930) to hold all four major titles at one time. He also is a two-time winner of THE PLAYERS Championship and became the first two-time winner of the FedExCup. Outside the ropes, Woods’ TGR Foundation has supported more than two million students around the world.
Breaking free from the whatever rage-inducing nonsense he’s watching to take in the third round Genesis Invitational telecast, Peter Kostis attempted to equate Fuzzy Zoeller’s pithy, racist “fried chicken or collared greens or whatever they serve remark with Tiger Woods telling Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo that he was looking forward to the sushi at this year’s Champions Dinner.
Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion and has signaled he’s likely to serve sushi.
At the 1997 Masters, Zoeller infamously said, "So you know what you guys do when he gets in here? Pat him on the back, say congratulations, enjoy it. And tell him not to serve fried chicken next year .... or collared greens or whatever the hell they serve."
When you watch this week’s Genesis Invitational you may notice first hole signage sporting “100”. It’s a TGR Foundation tribute to Charlie Sifford, the namesake for the annual sponsor’s invitation going this year to Aaron Beverly. Sifford would have turned 100 this June.
Tiger Woods explained the tribute in the pre-tournament press conference Wednesday.
TIGER WOODS: Well, Charlie was a person, he was a pioneer. I mean, he was the person that he broke down the Caucasian clause that was part of the Tour. I think that he should have been the first person to ever play in the Masters but unfortunately that didn't happen after his win here in the Los Angeles area at Rancho Park. Charlie was the grandfather I never had. He was -- to me, he was Grandpa Charlie. I would see him at Firestone every year. I was telling Aaron over here that I would get these yellow teletexts in my locker every time I had a chance to win a tournament and I'll summarize it by saying "go out and win." If you guys know Charlie, it wasn't exactly in those words but that was the summary of it. Grandpa Charlie was fantastic. It was great to have President Obama award him the Medal of Freedom before he passed.
You know, I named my son after Charlie, he meant that much to me and my family. My dad would never have been able to play the game of golf, he would have never taken it up if Charlie hadn't broken down the Caucasian clause. It's very important for us to honor what he has done, has meant to this great game of golf. To have Aaron here be a part of it, he'll talk here in a little bit, what he's doing, what he's going through, for him to be part here at Riviera.
I just asked him, what do you do on the first hole. He said, "I'll pipe it 200 right down there and hit it right on the green." Oh, yeah, that's what I used to think, too. I remember when I hit my first tee shot there, I hit my little 3-wood out there, I looked like the size of a 3-wood, but it was neat to be a part of that first tee shot.
You look back at that tee shot, okay, every great champion has basically from the '40s on has hit that tee shot. You see photos of Hogan and Nelson and everyone after that, subsequent after that, all hit that tee shot. You can't lengthen that tee shot, it's not going anywhere. The clubhouse is in the same spot, the same road, the same cart path, same everything. It's an iconic tee shot and it's one that Aaron will always remember. And then us having the flag have 100 on it, that means that much more because of what Charlie has meant to this event, to me and the great game of golf.
undoctored image of john daly from the full send podcast
GolfMagic.com’s Andy Roberts listened to John Daly on the Full Send podcast so we don’t have to and shared a key exchange. The topic was Tiger’s jab at John Daly for taking a cart and a purported apology from Woods at the recent PNC Championship dinner.
Sitting behind a beer, ashtray for his diabetes-assisting cigarettes and a plate of fried chicken, Daly offered this regarding Tiger:
"Yeah, but he didn’t know the facts because the media, ‘the media’ (sarcastic gesture) didn’t tell him I had diabetes and I had a bad two knees and my hips out and all this stuff," Daly said on the podcast.
"He apologized to me at dinner the other night. I mean, he’s fine. I love Tiger."
You know John is right. No one could look at him sitting there smoking, drinking and looking like a man just a few years under 100 and know he’s unwell.
He’s also right about “the media” having a key job to do: to probe and delve into the personal health records of pro golfers to help keep Tiger Woods informed of what ails them. You know, because Tiger reads so much media and just adores privacy breaches.
It seems Long John is also claiming he was one of the few people to text Tiger after his most recent car accident. Daly sent an eloquent missive.
He added: "Look, I was the only guy that texted him going through all this. Besides JT (Justin Thomas) and a couple of other players, when he had that wreck, I was the first one to say ‘Hey man, get better and do good.’
"And at the dinner, when I was Santa Claus, he says, ‘Man, thank you so much for the texts. It means a lot to me.’ And that meant a lot to me."
But if he had to thank you for the texts there’s a strong likelihood this means he never responded in the first place. No? Yes?
Anyway, I’m sure the vast media entourage covering PGA Tour Champions action will do better in the future by making sure to probe for every detail of Daly’s health issues. This will keep Tiger better informed and the media will be doing its job in John’s world.
And Heaven knows, Tiger could not have otherwise known of Daly’s issues.
If you’d like to subject yourself to more torture, the interview synopsis on YouTube should give you some idea what kind of time waste you’re in for:
Epic show this week boys. Legendary golfer John Daly sits down with Bob, Kyle, and Salim at the original Hooters in Tampa, FL. to cover everything from John’s partying stories, beating Tiger Woods with his son, loving “Daddy Trump,” and much more.
You were warned:
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
