This picture looks nothing like a bunker I’ve ever seen!

Yeah, the players must follow all defined rules… but there was clearly course maintenance/rule writing negligence here… it looked nothing like a bunker, and if fans are standing inside the bounds of the course, it needs to be clearly marked.

I think their argument about not being able to keep up with all the bunkers, and therefore deeming them all hazards, is contradictory. If you can’t keep up with the over 1,000 bunkers, you can’t expect the players to.

With Tiger Woods sucking his way to his worst-ever golf score as a professional at the Bridgestone Invitational, and Phil Mickelson doing his familiar gag routine with the top ranking within his grasp, the golf world may have turned its lonely eyes to the wrong couple of stiffs.

Cheesehead. Steve Stricker, currently stacked up as fourth-best in the world, could well end up as the world’s No. 1 with a win at this week’s PGA Championship in his home state of Wisconsin.

At 43, Stricker has two wins this season and has climbed the rankings leaderboard heading into the PGA Tour’s last major at Whistling Straits in Kohler. And, with Woods’ game AWOL, second-ranked Mickelson swooning each time he has No. 1 in sight, and No. 3 Lee Westwood on the DL with a torn calf muscle, Stricker may well be the guy to dethrone Tiger from his 258-week run as the world’s best.

Hacker. By now, you know that Woods hacked his way to 78th place — one golfer from DFL and 30 strokes behind winner Hunter Mahan — at last week’s Bridgestone event. Mickelson, for his part, coughed up a giant 8-over 78 hair ball in his final round at Firestone Country Club to finish in a tie for 46th.

Woods flailed from the beginning on a course he had demolished, winning seven of nine previous tourneys at Firestone Country Club. Phil “The Thrill,” who needed a fourth-place finish to obtain the cherished top spot, was just one off the lead after two rounds and still within striking distance after 54 holes.

Reality bites. Then the real possibility that he could, after so many aborted attempts, finally grab the gold ring sunk in and swamped Mickelson’s golf game.

“If I keep finishing ahead of them every week eventually it’ll [becoming No. 1] happen, but the problem is there’s guys behind me that will pass me because I’m not playing well enough right now,” Mickelson told reporters following his by-now predictable Sunday meltdown.

“I’ve got some work to do to get my own game sharp,” Mickelson added. “It’s important with this last major coming up next week that I try to get this thing turned around here in the next three days.” 

Lost. As for Woods, he’s just lost, from fairway through green. He can’t find a swing, his formerly crisp approach shots sail who knows where, and his putter has quit for the season.

With stats like last in the Bridgestone field in fairways hit (22 of 56), only 35 of 72 greens in regulation, his worst score in relation to par (18-over), and his highest final-round score as a pro (77), and the golfer himself seemingly mailing in his Firestone appearance, perhaps it’s time for Woods to take a cue from Sergio Garcia and disappear.

Apparently, however, the still top-ranked golfer won’t follow Garcia’s plan to take a two-month furlough after the PGA Championship. He will play in next week’s final major of the season and announced he would tee it up in the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai in November.

Playoffs?! Playoffs?! Another lousy showing at Whistling Straits, however, and Woods won’t be around to help Boston’s Deutsche Bank Championship stay afloat.

Woods began the week at 111th on the FedEx Cup points list but nosedived, along with his erstwhile game, to 119th, more than 1,000 points behind leader Ernie Els. With the TPC Boston tourney reportedly in dire financial straits, the last thing organizers need is the loss of its cash cow, one Eldrick Woods.

At this point in his struggles, however, the Deutsche Bank, and even The Barclays, the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoff, are not even on Woods’ itinerary.

“I’m just going to get ready for Thursday [at Whistling Straits]. I need to be ready for Thursday,” Woods said in a post-Bridgestone press conference.

Ryder Cup. Woods also fell from ninth to 10th in Ryder Cup points, five places below the immortal Jeff Overton and four behind Anthony Kim, who struggled around Firestone in his first event since thumb surgery. Not a very encouraging outlook for a U.S. Ryder Cup team that would include Tiger.

“Not playing like this, definitely not, not playing like this,” Woods said of his desire to play in Wales in October. “ I mean, I wouldn’t help the team if I’m playing like this. No one would help the team if they’re shooting 18-over par.”

While he said he could “turn it around” before the biennial competition began, Woods sounded like a golfer in need of a clue and a break.

“It’s been a long year,” he said. “It’s been a long year.”

[Via examiner.com]

The U.S. Golf Manufacturers Anti-Counterfeiting Working Group reports that on May 20, 2010, the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) issued formal arrest warrants charging two shop owners with selling counterfeit golf equipment at the Shanghai Longhua Apparel Market.

PSB officers conducted simultaneous raids of three golf stores, A Liang Golf, Hao Bei Golf and Orient Golf, and seized more than 630 counterfeit golf clubs, 1,540 counterfeit golf balls, and a number of counterfeit accessories from the golf stores and the shop owners’ residences. The seized goods were illegal copies of authentic products made by all of the Group’s members.

According to information provided to the PSB by the Anti-Counterfeiting Group, the retail stores also conducted online sales of golf equipment through Taobao.com. In an attempt to retrieve the sales records of the online stores, PSB officers visited Taobao headquarters in Hangzhou shortly after the retail store raids. Records indicate that since the opening of the three online stores one year ago, sales of counterfeit golf equipment totaled approximately $30,000. The PSB has now frozen the accounts of the three “online” shops. This enforcement action was conducted after complaints were filed with PSB by the Anti-Counterfeiting Group.

Looking for something other than a new tie for your dad this year for Father’s day? Artist David O’Keefe offers up a little Caddy Shack work that even Bill Murray has a copy of. Here is what David had to say about his inspiration:

“The original painting was a commissioned piece for Steve Garske, the CEO of Par Aide, who wanted all the characters from the movie in one painting. Steve had seen my tribute to the Godfather, and contacted us about doing a similar painting, but with the cast of Caddyshack.I was going to put them on the nice, perfectly manicured grass of the golf course but I decided to put them in the rough. I thought it fit the characters better, plus I wanted to hide stuff in the plants and trees. I hid the name of my wife, Janice, in the flowers. It was a fun painting to do, partly because of the movie itself and partly because it’s an outdoor scene and you have the full spectrum of light and then you have golf, which is the most colorful sport and garish, especially in the late ’70s. It was supposed to be a movie about Danny Noonan, but then Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield totally took the movie in a different direction. I only left a few cast members out and I put the main four characters front and center. I was totally finished and getting ready to varnish it and I had the lightning in, but not the bishop. I watched the movie again and decided I had to put the bishop in.”

If you are interested, prints can be purchased at his website.

Maybe Jerry Rice should have stuck to football.

The Hall of Fame receiver was disqualified from the Nationwide Tour event Friday in Mill Spring, N.C., because his caddie used a range-finding scope to check yardages. The disqualification came a day after Rice shot a 92, the highest round ever since the BMW Charity Pro-Am began in 1992.

“A rookie mistake that I made,” Rice said with a smile. “So I got DQed.”

Rice announced after a second-round 82 that he’s done competing on golf’s Triple-A circuit.

“Because I can’t commit to golf the way I want to, this is probably my last Nationwide Tour” event, Rice said. “These guys, they’re working their butts off, and they deserve to be out here.”

The error by his caddie means that Rice won’t take part in today’s third round, the last before the celebrity event cuts the field for Sunday’s finale.

Rice was in violation of Rule 14.3, which prevents competitors from using a yardage measuring device. His caddie checked the yardage scope several times during the round at The Carolina Country Club.

Rice was told in the scorer’s tent after improving to an 82 at Bright’s Creek Golf Club. The BMW Charity Pro-Am is played over three courses in North and South Carolina. “It’s OK,” he said. “I had a great time meeting friends and seeing fans.”

Rice made his tour debut last month at the Fresh Express Classic in Hayward, going 83-76 to miss the cut. Rice had hoped to make major strides at the BMW.

[Via mercurynews.com]

Callaway Golf announced the introduction of the Odyssey ProType 82 Putter, a limited edition design inspired by the same model Phil Mickelson used to win his third Green Jacket. Only 82 right-handed and 82 left-handed ProType putters will be available for purchase in the United States.

Beginning May 10 at 11:00 a.m. ET, those interested in owning one of these limited edition putters can sign up to be eligible for purchase on a first-come basis at OdysseyGolf.com. Each of these 164 individually numbered, limited edition putters features a green highlight on the sole, a nod to Mickelson’s win at Augusta earlier this month.

The ProType 82 features Odyssey’s new White Ice insert, with a Tungsten weight behind it, along with a single white sightline that stretches from the face of the putter down the back flange-a look requested by Mickelson himself. These limited edition PT 82 putters will also come with a Phil Mickelson Limited Edition headcover and a Black Series grip, identical to what the four-time major champion used to win at Augusta.

“I’m very excited that the designers at Odyssey have produced this limited edition putter with the same design as my gamer,” Mickelson said. “Tournaments are won and lost on the green, which is why I rely on Odyssey technology. Our design team gives me the best chance to win. Odyssey’s winning results on tour are a testament to their engineering capabilities.”

Each of the 164 individually numbered, limited edition ProType 82 putters will be available at an asking price of $500.

Tiger Woods and his longtime swing coach are parting ways.

Haney announced on his website that he will no longer be working with the embattled golf star.

“I have informed Tiger Woods this evening that I will no longer be his coach,” Haney announced on Hankhaney.com Monday evening.

Haney has worked with Woods for the past six seasons.

Haney called his time as Woods’ coach “my best days in professional golf.” He stressed that it was his decision, and not Woods’, to move on.

“Tiger Woods and I will always be friends,” Haney writes, “but I believe that there is a time and place for everything and I feel at this time and at this place in my life I want to move forward in other areas.”

Haney said he wished his former pupil well in golf and “in finding peace and happiness in all aspects of his life.”

“Tiger knows that if he ever needs me in anyway, whether it be with his golf or just as a friend he can always call,” Haney writes.

Before Tiger, Haney worked with Mark O’Meara. Woods and Haney started working together after Tiger had a falling out with previous coach Butch Harmon.

How Do You Celebrate a Masters Win? If You’re Phil Mickelson, You Celebrate By Going To Krispy Kreme Wearing Your Green Jacket!

Phil Mickelson received a $1,350,000 payout for his 2010 Masters win. It looks like he spent some of that prize money at a Krispy Kreme Drive-Thru.

A Phil Mickelson Krispy Kreme photo popped up on Twitter, showing Mickelson and his family at the Drive-Thru of the donut chain. The catch: Mickelson was wearing the Green Jacket he won at the 2010 Masters.

You would think he might be more delicate with what is the most coveted prize in golf, but Mickelson seemed confident that he wouldn’t spill any coffee or donut filling on his green jacket. Even if he did ruin his Green Jacket, he’s got two more at home.

The image of Phil Mickelson at a Krispy Kreme will no doubt endear him even more to golf fans. Mickelson’s image has gotten a major boost from his Masters 2010 win. Several stories have been written praising Mickelson for being a down-to-earth family man, a pleasant contrast to embattled golf star Tiger Woods.

“Now Phil Mickelson reminds all the people who think golf doesn’t matter when Tiger Woods isn’t winning that there can actually be a better story, even at this Masters, than Woods. And sometimes the story is still one of the best and oldest in sports: Good guy wins.” -nydailynews.com

Mickelson’s good guy had taken a hit due to persistent rumors that he had illegitimate child and wife Amy Mickelson had an affair with Michael Jordan. Those sensational Phil Mickelson rumors appear to be false.

The truth about Mickelson may be something much more mundane. He could just an average family man who likes to eat Krispy Kreme donuts in his mini-van with his family.

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Acushnet Company, manufacturer of Titleist, announced Monday that it won a jury verdict in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in its golf ball patent dispute with Callaway Golf Co..

Callaway asserted that previous generation Titleist Pro V1 golf balls had infringed on four patents originally owned by Spalding and subsequently purchased by Callaway Golf. The jury agreed with Acushnet’s position that the patents in question are invalid.

“We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision, and we hope that this finally brings this long standing dispute to a close,” said Joe Nauman, executive vice president, Corporate and Legal, Acushnet Company.

It appears that Groovegate is over.

Ping chairman and CEO John Solheim announced Monday that Ping will waive its rights that prevent the PGA Tour from prohibiting the use of Ping Eye 2 irons and wedges that do not meet the Condition of Competition from being played at Tour events.

The waiver goes into effect March 29 and applies to the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour. As the request of the U.S. Golf Association, Ping will also apply the waiver to the U.S. Open in June. The PGA Tour will then adopt a Condition of the Competition that does not provide an exception for the Ping Eye 2 irons made before April 1990.

“John Solheim and Ping had a terrific opportunity to do something very positive and significant for the game of golf and we very much appreciate his willingness to take this action,” said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem.

Said Solheim: “We’re thankful for Commissioner Finchem’s understanding of our position and his role in helping bring about this resolution. We all believe it is in the best interests of golf. It levels the playing field on the PGA Tour and resolves a very unfortunate situation that we predicted would happen when the USGA first proposed the new groove rule more than two years ago.”

Ping and the PGA Tour stated the waiver does not take all Eye 2 irons and wedges out of player’s hands as Ping has made versions of the wedges with grooves that conform to the new rule. Those clubs remain eligible for use.