Breast cancer survivor Maggie Collins is in the pink

She had less hair than Roger Clemens, but more balls. "A dozen balls to start with, and I got down to one!" says Maggie Collins, who played last year's Golf.com World Amateur in scattershot fashion, racing to Myrtle Beach from her oncologist's office in Greensboro, N.C. Collins was in the midst of a grueling round of breast-cancer treatments at the time: surgery, chemo, (legal) steroids, radiation. Her doctor gave her a week's reprieve to play in one more World Am, her seventh.

"I didn't play well. Couldn't hit it very far," she recalls. "Just far enough to get in trouble."

Collins, 60, played hatless and hairless, her chemo-bald head "as pink as a baby's butt," calling attention to her plight. She told anyone who'd listen that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, but diagnosis can be the beginning of a round that ends well.

"I actually loved having no hair. When it rained, I had a good hair day."

The 18-handicapper was so relentlessly upbeat that pretty soon she had fans, including co-workers back in Greensboro, where she works as a nurse. A few shaved their heads to look more like Maggie. By January 2010 she'd gotten more than 1,000 get-well cards. So she threw a party to thank family and friends. More than 300 showed up. It sounded more like 3,000 cheering when the hostess danced the South Carolina Shag with her oncologist.

Now she's back for her eighth World Am, decked out all in pink, with pink nails and a full head of hair.

"Got a clean bill of health so far, and I'm getting my strength back. Driving it 170 again instead of 120—far enough to get in even more trouble."

After disappointing rounds of 97 and 98, she shot 91 on Wednesday. Calling the day "better than hardcore 24/7 nausea," Collins says she won't be in contention but won't leave town empty-handed, either.

"I won a dozen balls today. Hit one good at the ninth hole and won the long-drive prize." — Kevin Cook

(Photo by Erick W. Rasco/SI)

At World Am, father and son's love for game commemorated in parent-child competition

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The last words Mark Lemke heard from his boy, Cory, came in a voice mail:

"Got us a tee time Sunday over at Spencer," Cory said of their home course in northwest Iowa. "Gonna kick your butt."

Cory would have, too. The kid had game. A couple years earlier, at what is today the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship, Cory, then 15, became the youngest entrant to win a flight and qualify for the final round. He wound up tied for eighth overall—not bad in a field of 3,000-plus golfers—and a few years later went on to play golf at Simpson College outside Des Moines.

Anyway, the phone message. Soon after leaving it, Cory borrowed a friend’s motorcycle, but not a helmet, and zoomed off to a car show not 20 minutes from their home. He never made it. Somewhere along the way Cory lost control of the bike and slammed into a van. Doctors pronounced him dead the following morning.

Mark was devastated. He had lost not only his son but also his golf partner. He was regretful too for never having trumpeted his son’s many golf accomplishments. So he wrote to Rick Reilly, then a columnist at Sports Illustrated, who in turn told Cory’s story to millions of SI readers.  

Cory is also commemorated annually here at the sprawling World Amateur through the Mark & Cory Lemke Parent-Child Championship, a tournament within the tournament that pits parent-child tandems in a four-round net event. (The reigning champs are Sonny Hallman of Lake City, S.C., and his daughter Tanica Bell of Erie, Pa., who posted a 569 in 2009. Stay tuned for this year’s winners.)

"It meant the world to Mark to have Cory’s name on the tournament," says Brad Lemke, Mark’s brother, who is in Myrtle Beach this week not to compete but to help spread the word about the parent-child event. "I told him I’d do my best to keep it going."

You’ll note that Mark’s name is also now attached to the tournament. That’s because of another sad ripple in the Lemke story: Mark’s death, after a battle with brain cancer, in February. Brad says his brother would never have wanted his name on the tournament—he was the modest type—but, really, what better way to honor a father and son who found kinship through golf?  

"They just loved it," Brad says.

Two Amateurs Paired with Roger Clemens on Tuesday

Brian Wursten from Mesquite, Nev. and Jason Howell from Chesapeake Va. got a surprise Tuesday morning when they found out that Roger Clemens was joining their group at the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach.

More Coverage from the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship

Sandbagger's Hell at the World Am

Along a back hallway of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, past the ballroom as the evening’s entertainment goes through a sound check and around the corner from the hitting bays where the Dave Pelz Short Game School has set up shop, five guys sit in a room—putty colored walls, busy industrial carpet, fluorescent light. Their faces lit by the glow of computer screens, they speak not in any recognizable language but instead sound like they’re auditioning for the lead role in “A Beautiful Mind.”

“Flight 10 we got one who played to a 10.4 differential though she’s a 13.6, one in 21 probability.” The one man standing on the other side of the table takes this information in, nods thoughtfully and shuffles through a stack of papers. 

This is Boot Hill for sandbaggers.

Truth & Rumors: Tiger set his sights on T54 at Deutsche Bank Championship

Sure, Tiger Woods still wants to win the Deutsche Bank Championship this week, but to stay alive in the FedEx Cup playoffs he needs to finish at least T54, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

Woods currently ranks 65th in the standings with 734 points. A year ago, Chad Campbell was the last man into the BMW Championship with 816 points.

That means Woods needs to pick up at least 82 points at the TPC Boston -- equivalent to a tie for 54th. A top-50 finish likely guarantees safe passage.

Remember, though, these are projections for a moving target. If enough players below Woods get hot this week, that target number could rise.

Woods did win over the Las Vegas sportsbooks with his T12 finish at the Barclays, his first top-20 since the U.S. Open. He’s now listed at the favorite at TPC Boston this week, according to SportsUntapped.com.

If the odds for this weekend’s Deutsche Bank Championship, the second round of the FedExCup playoffs, are any indication, Vegas is regaining its faith in Tiger Woods. Tiger’s the 7/1 favorite to win the tournament. In a bit of a surprise, the next-best bet is no longer world number two Phil Mickelson (16/1), but Steve Stricker at 11/1. Stricker is ranked fourth in the world, and second in the FedExCup standings.

Meet the New Phil
Young, talented, good-looking player with hard-luck losses in majors becomes a fan favorite. Yup, Dustin Johnson reminds The Newark Star-Ledger’s Steve Politi of someone.

...golf fans love the snake-bitten loser, especially one who handles defeat with dignity and grace as Johnson has. The frustrating near-misses in majors made Phil Mickelson a bigger star than he’d ever be had he gone out and won a U.S. Open in his early 20s.

Johnson plays right-handed, but in many ways, he has become Lefty Light. He started the day in the final pairing, and with Woods an afterthought and Mickelson missing the cut, D.J. became the crowd favorite.

“It was a Phil and Tiger feeling out there, with people four deep along the ropes,” said Blake Smith, one of his agents. “It’s amazing how much people have embraced him.”

Stray Shots
Stories we saw while wondering why after 14 holes our golf cart looks like Starsky and Hutch have been on an all-night stakeout in it...

A golfer in Southern California started a 12-acre blaze when his shot from the rough hit a rock, which caused a spark, which ignited the rough. (Story -- delivered with unnecessary snark -- from the OC Weekly blog.)

You’ll never believe this, but The Desert Sun is reporting that Michelle Wie’s win at CN Canadian Open was beneficial to the LPGA.

If you’re wondering why in the world Roger Clemens played in the Golf.com World Amateur Championship in South Carolina after being arraigned on charges of lying to Congress in Washington, D.C., his wife Debbie said, "[The tournament] was planned before the other thing happened." Yup, the Rocket must love Golf.com. (Via The Sun News)

And, finally, Tiger Woods is NOT buying an apartment in New York City, despite rampant reports, according to CNBC's Darren Rovell. Why would Tiger need a place in the city when he can always crash at his pal Derek Jeter's place?

Ouch! Competitor still loves World Am despite opening-day mishap

Some say the opening hole of a tournament is the most challenging for an amateur golfer.

Jim Stryker might argue that the second hole is the one that can really jump up and bite you.

That's because the 68-year-old retired accountant was struck in the forehead by his playing partner's second shot on the 11th hole at Quail Creek Golf Club, his second hole of the day, during the opening round of the Golf.com World Amateur Hadicap Championship on Monday.

"It knocked me right to the ground," Stryker says. "But then I got right back up again."

After hitting his tee shot into the right rough on the 475-yard par-5, Stryker, a 27.2-handicapper, pulled his second shot near the tree line on the left, jumped in his cart, and buzzed up ahead of his playing partners to look for his ball. Moments after hopping out to begin his search, Stryker's competitor yanked his own approach shot -- and Stryker never saw it coming.

"It hurt," Stryker says. "And I've got to replace my glasses."

The glasses may have saved him from a more serious injury. Stryker was immediately taken to a hospital, where he collected several stitches. (He's not sure how many, but he invited me to try to count them. I declined.) He also received a CT scan, and, once the tests came back clean, a lift back to Quail Creek. With a tournament official riding shotgun, Stryker finished his round more than eight hours after his opening tee shot. He shot a 101.

At 82, former jockey Fred Wirth has found his competitive outlet on the course

By William Nack

Last Sunday at noon, with the sun ablaze in the South Carolina sky, a diminutive former jockey named Fred Wirth--all 5-2 and 112 pounds of him-- teed up a golf ball on the driving range at Whispering Pines Golf Course, addressed it with his homemade 48-inch driver, drew the mighty club back, and... thwack!

The ball sailed straight down the range, and bounced to a stop about 20 yards short of the 200-yard mark. "I never was a long hitter," said Wirth, placing another ball on the tee. "Never much over 220 yards, and I used to tail my drives until I made my own driver here. This is my anti-slice club. See how the head is set on it? Yes sir, I made this club. I sent off for the components, the shaft and the head, and made it in my garage. I make all of my own clubs. With this driver I can now hit a draw, like this"--crunch!--"or I can hit it straight, like this."

Pow!

Oh, yes. Fred Wirth, of Louisville, KY, also happens to be 82, and while he doesn't look a day older than that, he still moves about with the purpose and energy of a man half his age. Wirth was in Myrtle Beach this week to compete in the World Am of golf--the World Amateur Handicap Championship--an event that he has been attending nearly every year since 1985. Wirth says he has won his flight--the level at which he plays, based on his handicap and age--five times over the last 25 years, and he is accommodating his advancing age by making longer clubs and playing as much as he can.

"I play every day, as long as it's not raining," he said.

He has learned that much in life is quite relative. "The only thing now, with my age, is I can't hit it off the tee with the guys who are only 75," says Wirth. "Those younger guys can hit it 50, 75 yards farther than me. I can't hit it 220 anymore. I go 180 yards straight and I'm happy. I'm here because I love to compete. I like the challenge, the competition, and you meet a lot of nice people here from all across the country, all over the world. "

Tour changes pro-am rule after Furyk flap

NORTON, Mass. -- Jim Furyk has 15 wins and nearly $50 million in career prize money on the PGA Tour.

Now he has a rule made in his honor.

A week after Furyk was disqualified for showing up late to his pro-am tee time at the Barclays, the Tour abandoned its rule that automatically DQ'd players for pro-am tardiness, effective immediately.

According to a statement released by the Tour on Tuesday: "Hereafter, should a player be late for his pro-am starting time, the situation will be handled as a matter of unbecoming conduct. Such player will be required to participate in the remainder of the pro-am round and may be required to perform additional sponsor activity. A player who misses his pro-am obligation in its entirety will still be ruled ineligible for the tournament unless he has been excused in accordance with the provisions of the regulations."

Furyk, who has won twice in 2010 and was third in FedEx Cup points entering the Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club, said he missed his pro-am time because the alarm on his cell phone didn't go off. He was pleased to hear of PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem's announcement.

"I am glad the PGA Tour has changed the rule surrounding my disqualification from last week's Barclay's Championship," Furyk said in a prepared statement. "Pro-Ams are an integral part of our success out here on the PGA Tour, but I'm extremely pleased that Commissioner Finchem and the Tour staff has reacted swiftly and modified the rule."

Furyk will start this week's Deutsche Bank Championship in eighth place in the FedEx Cup standings.

The most memorable application of the Tour's now defunct pro-am rule was at the 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Unaware of his correct pro-am tee time, John Daly showed up late to the course and was disqualified. Ryuji Imada and Nick O'Hern, who were alternates for the pro-am but not on site to take Daly's place, were also booted from the tournament.

Roger Clemens tees off at Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship

Hours after his arraignment in U.S. District Court, Roger Clemens arrived in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to participate in the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship.

More Coverage from the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship

World Am Entrants Befuddled by Par-6 Hole

CALABASH, N.C. -- Nobody asked me what I shot today. All they wanted to know was: "How did you do on the par 6?" That's because I played my first round at the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship on the Farmstead Golf Links, a Myrtle Beach track known for its 767-yard finishing hole. A hole that starts in South Carolina and ends in North Carolina. A hole that answers the question: What does the course designer do when his preliminary routing ends three hundred yards short of the clubhouse?

First Disclosure: I didn't play the 18th from the tips. I'm in a "mid-senior" flight this week, mid-senior being a euphemism for "60-plus." That meant we got to play No. 18 from the gold tee, a mere 647 yards from today's hole location. The architects, Willard Byrd and Dave Johnson, could have built a good par 3 between me and the black tee. Or a Costco.

Second Disclosure: I missed the "Welcome to North Carolina" sign. A club employee told me it was somewhere along the concrete cart path that runs down the right side of 18. "Just before you get to the second cloverleaf," he joked.

Third Disclosure: I played No. 18 like a wuss. A drive of about 250 yards cleared the fairway bunker but left me in the first cut of rough on the right. From there the hole curved left -- and then left, and then left some more -- around a body of water, the fairway getting progressively narrower until it resembled a turfed causeway. Recognizing that any boldly-struck ball might veer toward the hazard, I hit a 7-iron to the widest part of the fairway, laid up again with a 9-iron over the corner of the lake, and then smacked an 8-iron to the front of the green. That sounds like a lot of swings -- it was practically a straight flush in clubs -- but I was on in regulation.

One of my playing partners wasn't so lucky. The lake swallowed three of his Titleists, and he had to drain a 20-footer to salvage an 11.

Final Disclosure: I three-putted from 50 feet for a bogey 7.

Did I like the hole? Yes. It was so much fun that, like the guys who designed it, I didn't want it to end. But I wasn't that impressed with the cart path.

It needs a Cracker Barrel at the 200-yard marker.

More Coverage from the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship

Truth & Rumors: Cheating scandal on LPGA Tour?

Hey LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, we have some good news and some bad news. The good news? Michelle Wie, aka the Chosen One, got her first win of the year, and she looked like she might want to win a few more. The bad news? You have to deal with an alleged cheating incident on your Tour with possible racial overtones.

Ryan Ballengee gives a complete account of the incident on his Waggleroom blog. The undisputed facts are these: South Korean players Shi Hyun Ahn and Ilmi Chung were disqualified on Thursday at the CN Canadian Open.

Ahn and Chung were playing with Danielle Downey. On the final hole, both Ahn and Chung hit their ball into the fairway. Each played shots into the green, with Ahn missing the green and Chung hitting it in regulation. Each player made par. Then the incident turns into a rules problem.

Here’s where things get interesting. Long-time LPGA caddie Larry Smich -- attributing the account to what he "heard" --  said on his Life on Tour blog that when Ahn hit her par putt, she noticed that she had played the wrong ball and talked with Chung in Korean, after which both players went into the scoring tent and signed their cards. Smich also says that Ahn told her caddie, “You didn’t see anything.” (Ahn’s caddie last week was a temp who usually loops on the Nationwide Tour, according to Smich.) Waggleroom’s Ballengee looked into the story further, and found out that Smich’s source for the story was Ahn’s caddie. Ballengee, who’s on this one like Bob Woodward with sunscreen, also spoke to a second source who said that Downey’s caddie was going to blow the whistle on Ahn and Chung before the two women fessed up:

This is a very serious allegation and it is not the first time that Smich has speculated about Korean players cheating on the LPGA Tour. He has been accused of having a vendetta against Korean-born players. On Saturday evening, Waggle Room learned that it was Ahn's caddie who told the story direct to Smich but may not be willing to share details publicly for fear of being shunned in the golf community.

We have learned of a second account of the situation. The second account is all the same until the green.

When Ahn and Chung realized what had happened, Chung's caddy approached Downey's caddy and said, "We have a bit of a problem, but I'm not saying anything." Downey's caddy went into the scoring tent. Ahn and Chung signed for their scores. Downey's caddy was prepared to turn in Ahn and Chung, which then prompted their seeking of LPGA officials for a ruling and their certain disqualification.

The LPGA is investigating the incident, according to CBS Sports.com's Steve Elling.

LPGA communications chief David Higdon confirmed Sunday morning to CBSSports.com that the tour intends to interview all the parties involved and then mull a possible course of action. “We have treated this situation very seriously, and have or will speak to all principles involved,” Higdon said in an email Sunday morning. “Yes, we are looking very closely at it.”

More to come, we’re sure…

Stray shots
Some things we noticed while thinking that four is an awful lot of wild-card picks for a 12-man team. The U.S. Ryder Cup team reminds us of our favorite poker game, Russian Revolution, where all red cards are wild.

The New York Times' Larry Dorman says Tiger has strengthened his case for a Ryder Cup captain’s pick with his play at the Barclays, if, you know, he isn’t already on the team.

Rival Jiyai Shin paid Michelle Wie a nice compliment after being unable to catch Wie in the final round of the CN Canadian Open. “Michelle is growing up," Shin said. "I'm only two years older than her, but she's maturing. She was great [Sunday] and it was fun to watch her win. Her shots are steady. A few years ago she was up and down. But not anymore." " (Via The Winnipeg Free Press)

The New York Daily News’ Hank Gola wonders whether Phil Mickelson’s window of opportunity to claim the No. 1 ranking has slammed shut. He also questions Mickelson blowing off his post-round press conferences at the Barclays, noting that Woods got roasted for doing the same thing here last year: "Considering that he's a Barclays spokesman --- he did fulfill a corporate obligation later -- and that Woods was roundly criticized for blowing off the media twice at last year's Barclays at Liberty National, it's rather bad form." 

Finally, Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Jon Tattersall has a great plan for how Team USA can win the Ryder Cup in Wales this October: "Casey and Rose are available and would probably want to beat Monty right about now!!!"

Welcome to the Golf.com 2010 World Amateur Handicap Championship

Three thousand six hundred golfers, 72 holes of intense stroke play competition, an 18-hole championship playoff, nightly parties and entertainment. It may sound like the U.S. Open from qualifying to conclusion, but the GOLF.com World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is an event unlike any other.

Golfers from all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries flock to Myrtle Beach, S.C., every year to participate in a tournament that provides the ultimate golf experience. Now in its 27th year, the World Amateur allows everyone from scratch golfers to 30+ handicappers to test their nerves and competitive resolve.

The tournament, which uses an intricate handicap formula to level the field, is open to all golfers –- men, women, young and old -– with a certified USGA handicap.

The World Amateur features six competitive divisions, ranging from men and women 49 and under to the super seniors (70+). Within the divisions, golfers are flighted by closely grouped handicaps. The event features between 60 and 70 flights and the winner of each advances to the Flight Winner’s Playoff, an 18-hole shootout that determines the World Champion.

Throughout the week, Golf.com will bring you the sights and sounds from this unique event. For more information, visit the tournament's official site, and check back throughout the week for scores, scenes and updates as the field narrows and champions are finally crowned.

Truth & Rumors: LPGA Hall of Famer denounces Ground Zero mosque

We normally don't like to mix politics with our pull hooks here at the Press Tent, but when an LPGA legend posts a scathing manifesto on her public Facebook page, it's hard not to take notice. Carol Mann, who won 38 times on the LPGA tour, last week used her Facebook page to post a rant against the controversial mosque that Islamic leaders hope to build near Ground Zero. Wrote Mann:  

Let the Muslims erect their worship centers in other countries that are not Christian. Go away — soon! 

Mann is entitled to her opinion of course, but you have to wonder if it's wise for a grand dame of the LPGA, who has worked diligently to promote women's rights and the game in general, to take such a hard and public stance on such a hot-button issue. As Stephanie Wei, who has posted a screen grab of Mann's Facebook page on her blog, notes of the golfer: 

...It seems rather extraordinary that an ambassador of the World Golf Hall of Fame, which is supported by all of the world’s major golf organizations, including the Asian Tour, the European Tour, Golf Writer’s Association of America, International Assoc. of Golf Administrators, Japan Golf Tour Organization, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA Tour, The R&A and the USGA, would carry such a view...

And what does the World Golf Hall of Fame think about one of its three special ambassador’s stance?

“It’s Carol Mann’s personal website, so we’re not going to comment,” Jack Peter, the Hall of Fame’s Chief Operating Officer, told this site in a phone interview. 

Personally, I'd be more interested to know what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thinks. According to Wikipedia, Mann counts the Muslim hoops icon among her closest friends.

Monty's captain's picks fuel alleged betting scam
The British will bet on anything: dart matches, political elections, whether Kate Winslet would cry when accepting an Oscar at the 2009 Academy Awards (8-15 odds called for waterworks). So perhaps it should come as no great surprise that Colin Montgomerie's captain's picks for the 2010 Ryder Cup have sparked a juicy gambling controversy in the UK. Seems an insider with knowledge of Monty's picks (which the captain will announce Sunday) may have already spilled the beans, according to James Corrigan of The Independent:  

The Tour investigated and talked to the betting exchange Betfair. In the wake of that controversy, George O'Grady, the [European Tour] chief executive, said: "We can't really believe anybody in the committee room has used this information ... but we are appalled that someone inside that room has perhaps inadvertently leaked it. The entire committee is concerned to make sure that nothing like that ever has a chance of happening again."

Naturally this news has Britain's betting parlors on edge. It's no different than an insider-trading scam, like when a commodities broker gets early word about a crop report. (Just replace corn and jicama with Karlsson and Jiminez.) At writing, SkyBet has Padraig Harrington (1-10), Paul Casey (2-9), and Luke Donald (4-9) as the three favorites to earn one of Monty's selections, but if the leak is confirmed, all bets undoubtedly will be off.

"We don't want to leave ourselves in a position whereby we can have our pants pulled down by potentially unscrupulous insiders chasing a quick buck," said a Ladbrokes spokesman yesterday.

A sentiment the European captain can no doubt empathize with.

Tiger's back! (Or is he?)
If you felt a sudden jerk sometime late yesterday morning, that was the moment Tiger Woods signed for a 65 during the first round of The Barclays, shifting the universe back on its axis. Overstatement? Not according to some news reports that seem to suggest that the old Tiger — after one impressive round — is back. Thankfully, David Whitley at AOL Fanhouse is here to set us straight:

Not so fast, Tiger fans. Your man will be back, but Elin's ex-man hasn't suddenly been transformed by a dissolution document. If that's all it took to succeed, John Daly would have won 30 majors by now.

All Thursday's round did was confirm that Woods' massive reservoir of ability is still there. But golf and mental rehab are too complex to declare that Tiger's been cured of all that's been ailing him.

We've had these false alarms before. Remember the third round at the U.S. Open? He shot a 31 on the back nine, capping it with a bombs-away approach shot on the final hole that had the gallery screaming.

The next day – pffffttt.

I actually thought Tiger was back after his first round of the year -- remember that Thursday 68 at the Masters? Given the incredibly trying circumstances, I'd rank it among his best five rounds of all time. Of course, Tiger wasn't back, not by a long shot. And chances are he's not back this week either. He's still got 54 more holes to play.

Just wondering...
How much golf would the president have played if it hadn't rained on his vacation?

 

2010 Barclays: Round 2 Live Blog

Golf Magazine's Alan Bastable live blogged the second round of the Barclays.

Leaderboard | Photos: Round 2 | Course Profile | TV Schedule

6:00 p.m. That's it for me. Enjoy the weekend, though something tells me Tiger won't.

5:55 p.m. Wild occurrence at 16, where Senden knocked a relatively simple greenside bunker shot through the green and into a bush. One unplayable lie, a pitch shot and a couple of putts later, he had made a double-bogey 6. Senden drops to 6-under. Day is the solo leader at 8-under.  

5:50 p.m. Ernie made the cut!

5:48 p.m. Michelle Wie made a hole-in-one yesterday at the Canadian Women's Open. Here's a depressing sidebar: It was her eighth, and she hasn't even finished college. How many do you have?

5:40 p.m. With his stellar play in 2009, Steve Stricker seemed a near-lock to win a major. Today? Questionable. He's at 3-under for the week.

5:35 p.m. Before the Golf Channel switched to the Barclays, I caught a little of the U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay. The USGA has taken a lot of heat for setting up the Washington muni at 7,700-plus yards, but I must say it looks GREAT on TV -- water views, native grasses, a freight train rumbling through. Looking forward to seeing the big boys play it when the Open visits in 2015.

2010 Barclays: Round 1 Live Blog

Golf Magazine's Mike Walker live blogged the first round of the Barclays.

Leaderboard | Photos: Round 1 | Course Profile | TV Schedule

6:00 p.m. Time to call it a day at the Live Blog. Golf Magazine's Alan Bastable will be here with you at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

5:56 p.m. Cynical reader Shoshana wonders: Chances that there's a "delay" tomorrow so that Tiger's tee time is closer to when the TV coverage starts?

And impugn the integrity of the storied FedEx Cup playoffs?!?! How dare you, Shoshana? Considering how long it takes players to get through a round these days, Woods' 12:10 p.m. tee time means we'll see a lot of him on the Golf Channel tomorrow.

5:54 p.m. Mickelson misses another birdie chance between 5 and 15 feet on 17 and stays 1-over, proving that the Golf.com Live Blog has the smartest, most insightful readers in the game. The host is another story.

Tiger Woods' Round 1 at Barclays: Live Blog

No. 18, Par 4, 470 yards

Tiger puts an exclamation point on his round of the year so far with a birdie on 18 to finish with a 6-under 65.

That's it for now. We'll be back at 3 p.m. for the Golf.com Barclays Live Blog. See you then.

No. 17, Par 5, 594 yards

Tiger makes par. His 5-under total has him tied for the lead with Ryan Palmer and Brian Gay.

Elin Impostor?

An Elin Nordegren look-alike -- who clearly isn't her -- has been following Tiger's group at the Barclays all morning and getting a lot of attention from the galleries.

Hole 16, Par 4, 422 yards
Tiger hits another 3-wood that splits the fairway. His approach just clears the right-front bunker, and he rolls his putt from the fringe about 18 inches past the hole. "I'll take care of that," Woods says and taps in another par.

Phil calls Furyk's disqualification 'ridiculous'

Phil Mickelson said the PGA Tour rule that disqualified Jim Furyk from the Barclays tournament for missing is pro-am is “ridiculous.” 

“Well, the rule itself applies to only half the field,” Mickelson said Wednesday at the Barclays tournament in Paramus, N.J. “So if you're going to have a rule that does not apply to everybody, because not everybody played the pro-am, you cannot have it affect the competition.”

Mickelson said that the Tour should find another penalty for missing a pro-am.

“It can't be disqualification if it only applies to half the field,” Mickelson said. “So this rule -- it's not protecting the players. It's not protecting the sponsors. It applies to only half the field and yet it affects the integrity of the competition.”

The rule has been in place since 2004 and Mickelson said he has voiced his displeasure with it in the past.

“I cannot disagree with it more,” Mickelson said. “I have no idea how the commissioner let this rule go through. It's ridiculous. I made my viewpoint very clear to him, yes.”

In fact, Mickelson said he suggested a rule change where a player can opt-out of one or two pro-ams each year in exchange for stopping by the hospitality tent or attending a dinner. He said he was only 1-for-22 on his suggestions for pro-ams, but that one was adopted

“I thought that that also included if you missed your tee time you were able to make it up by going to the hospitality tent Thursday or Friday, which is why I was so shocked that [Furyk] ended up being DQ'd because I thought that was included in that rule change,” Mickelson said. “That was my one.”

Mickelson was at the center of a similar controversy in 2007 when he missed a pro-am at the Byron Nelson because bad weather prevented him from flying to Texas the night before. The Tour excused Mickelson’s absence, but many players thought Mickelson ought to have been disqualified from the tournament.

Tiger Woods says he's worked more with Sean Foley but hasn't changed swing yet

On Wednesday at Ridgewood, Tiger Woods mostly answered questions about his divorce, but a few golf questions snuck into the conversation as well.

Woods, who parted ways with swing coach Hank Haney in May, stirred speculation at the PGA Championship when he was seen working with Sean Foley, a teacher whose clients include Hunter Mahan and Sean O'Hair. Woods said he and Foley have continued to spend time on the range.

"I worked with Sean two times at home," Woods said. "We worked on the same stuff that we worked on at the PGA. And it's just a matter of getting it more solidified."

Asked if he'd decided to change his swing, Woods said nothing was certain yet.

"I still haven't officially done it yet," Woods said. "Just because this would be the fourth time I changed my golf swing since I've been on the PGA Tour, and I did some with Butch and with Hank and this would be my fourth one with Sean. So it's an undertaking that I have to wrap my head around because it's going to take some time."

Photo: Woods and Foley on the range at the PGA Championship. John Biever/SI

Furyk doesn't get Mickelson leeway, Tiger returns to Jersey and Chambers Bay fights back

DQ'd and PO'd
The big story this morning is Jim Furyk getting bounced from the Barclays, the PGA's first FedExCup Playoff event, for sleeping through his alarm and missing his pro-am tee time. This is a pretty well-known rule, and it's very closely enforced--I distinctly remember when John Daly was disqualified for the same infraction at Bay Hill (which, in a bizarre turn of events, also got two other Tour players ejected from the tournament). So at least everyone's held up to the same standards, right? Waggleroom's Ryan Ballengee isn't so sure.

The PGA Tour has announced that Jim Furyk - currently sitting in third position in the FedExCup standings - has been disqualified from this week's first round of the Playoffs at The Barclays for missing his 7:30 pro-am tee time by five minutes. The disqualification is the set penalty for tardiness for these pro-am outings...

While I completely understand keeping non-members out of the Playoffs, this seems a bit unjust. Furyk will be impacted for four weeks because of this disqualification and his alarm clock not working. On a regular event, the penalty seems more appropriate - it has just a week's worth of impact (though longer for a guy who is on the verge of certain money list thresholds).

For a Playoff event - a major-lite Tour stop - to have a pro-am seems a little out of whack, but acceptable. To cause a guy to have such a severe penalty in his quest for $10 million, though, seems unconscionable.

Phil Mickelson missed his pro-am tee time for the Byron Nelson Championship in 2007 due to poor weather blocking his plane from making it from Alabama to Dallas-Ft. Worth's Love Field the night prior. Mickelson took his time getting to Las Colinas in time for the pro-am, but was not disqualified by Tour officials. That set off an uproar of anger about the exemption.

Somehow I had completely forgotten about that Phil exception (and how peeved a lot of Tour pros were about it). Unfortunately, I think this is a case where two wrongs don't make a right: the Tour was outrageously foolish to allow Phil to play in that tourney in 2007, and they'd be just as out of line letting Furyk play this week, because, as Dustin Johnson will tell you, a rule is a rule is a rule. That said, this rule is stupid, and they should figure out a way to change it...fast. The Tour relies on pro-ams for support, so I understand why they're so sensitive about players taking their responsibilities seriously, but there are options short of DQs that can keep the players in line. How about a fine, somewhere between $10,000-$100,000, or, even better, a percentage of their earnings from the tournament (so the better they do, the more they lose)? That way if players don't show they'll be plenty hurt, but they'll have the opportunity to earn their keep come the weekend. Still, Furyk might want to consider investing in a travel alarm clock.

Welcome back, Tiger
As a proud son (and current resident) of the Garden State, I take a lot pride in our most prized resources: overflowing cranberry bogs, copious lower-back tattoos and, of course, renowned championship golf courses. The PGA Tour returns to the jewel of Bergen County this week, Ridgewood C.C., and the local media has rolled out the welcome mat to all of the Tour's stars. Well, almost all of them...

Tiger Woods is back in New Jersey — which means certain people should be alerted. Women, in general. Perkins’ waitresses, strippers and porn stars, in particular. And, of course, given the condition of his golf game, any fans at the Barclays Classic standing near a tree along a fairway.

Woods is officially single now, with the price of his freedom — or was it Elin’s? — a reported $100 million. And while that, along with his struggle to right his career, might have the crowd at Ridgewood Country Club abuzz, forgive us if we’re not excited about his appearance in Paramus. After all, the guy has treated the state like it’s one big waste bunker.

When he was playing in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol in 2005, Woods was upset when a local golf pro accidentally parked in his reserved spot. Then at the height of his superstardom, he played most of his practice rounds at dawn, before fans were allowed on the course. When caddie Steve Williams committed an infraction during the first round of the tournament, Woods refused to disqualify himself.

He signed only a handful of autographs that week — when Phil Mickelson won the tournament and the hearts of New Jersey fans — and when his Sunday round was over, Woods high-tailed it out of town. Even though there was a chance he could have been in a Monday playoff, he couldn’t get out of New Jersey fast enough.

Last year, when the Barclays was played at Liberty National, Woods criticized the greens and called the course “interesting” — which is PGA-speak for “What a dump.” Again, autographs, or any interaction with fans, were rare.

And now, he’s back in the Garden State. Oh, joy.

It should be pointed out that the Star-Ledger, while a relatively well-respected journal, may hold a bit of a grudge against Mr. Woods. It was their reporter who tattled on Stevie Williams, saying the caddie stepped on Tiger's ball in the 2005 PGA Championship, an accusation that Woods and Co. vehemently denied. That having been said, there's no doubt that New Jersey is Mickelson territory at the moment, as is the entire Tri-State area. This week will be a good test for the "New Tiger" we've been hearing so much about. If he can keep a smile on his face, keep nodding his head and keep signing his name, he may win back the favor of some of the most boisterous fans in golf. Oh, and shooting under par wouldn't hurt.

Nothing Amateur About Chambers Bay
With all the attention the Barclay's is getting this week, the always fun U.S. Amateur is getting (typically) overlooked. While the tournament itself is great, there's some added excitement this year as it's being held at Chambers Bay, site of the 2015 U.S. Open. Here's a take on the course setup from Golfweek's Sean Martin, who sees danger for the amateurs this week...and the pros in the years to come.

Ten feet. That’s often the difference between a great shot and a bad one at Chambers Bay.

NCAA champ Scott Langley hit 4-iron to Chambers Bay’s par-3 15th hole during Tuesday’s second round of stroke play at the U.S. Amateur. The left-hander pulled it 10 feet right of his target, then watched his ball bound through the green and into a bunker. Had Langley hit his mark, his ball would’ve funneled down a slope and likely ended up close to the hole.

“It’s like playing golf in my driveway,” Langley joked about the firm conditions at Chambers Bay...

Chambers Bay’s fast, firm conditions, and extreme putting surfaces, are driving players wild at the U.S. Amateur. The conditions are exacerbated by the course’s extreme undulations and lack of rough, which can cause balls to bound more than 50 yards away from a player’s target.

Most players are paying the young course compliments, but some are leaving with a bad taste in their mouth. This is an important week for Chambers Bay, the three-year-old links-style course along the Puget Sound. This year’s U.S. Amateur, the first national championship here, is a dress rehearsal for the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.

The scoring average for the 156 players who played Chambers Bay on Monday was 79.87. Three players broke par at Chambers on Monday, with Augusta State’s Patrick Reed leading with 68. Seventy-nine players shot 80 or higher Monday at Chambers Bay. That’s more than 50 percent. Five shot in the 90s, including two 95s.

Martin is quick to point out that, while certainly tough, he's not ready to call the conditions unfair. So far it sounds like the players aren't doing too much complaining either (at least not outwardly), but I think we can all agree that amateurs tend to be a little less ornery than Tour pros when it comes to course conditions. Still, I'm excited about the possibility of a U.S. Open course that really fights back. It's not like Pebble and Bethpage Black are pushovers, but relying on weather and deep rough is old hat at the Open--fairways and greens so hard you can bounce a stone off them? Rough so thin it couldn't stop a feather? Now we're talking U.S. Open golf. Is it 2015 yet?

Jim Furyk DQ'd at Barclays for missing pro-am tee time

Talk about a tough boss.

Jim Furyk was disqualified from the Barclays tournament at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., after he overslept and missed his 7:30 a.m. pro-am tee time Wednesday. The PGA Tour said the disqualification was normal under the circumstances. 

“It’s a standard rule, but it’s not something that happens a lot,” a Tour official said.

Furyk said he set his alarm on his cell phone and that his phone lost power overnight. He arrived at the course at 7:35 a.m. with no chance of reaching his pro-am group for the 7:30 a.m. shotgun start.

"I'm kicking myself," Furyk told the Associated Press. "I have a way of climbing into situations that are all my fault."

Furyk, who rushed to the course so quickly that he showed up without his socks or belt, said it was the second time he had been late for a pro-am. The PGA Tour adopted its disqualification policy for missing pro-ams in 2004.

“A long, long time ago I got there a little late at Bay Hill," Furyk said. "The alternate filled in for me for two holes and then I just stepped in and played the rest of the way. In seventeen years, twice.”

PGA Tour Rules official Slugger White said that Tour officials were looking for Furyk Wednesday morning for a half-hour before his tee time.

"I was with his caddie Mike Cowan (Fluff), and he asked me if I had seen him and I said ‘No, we are looking for him,’" White said. "I asked [Cowan] if he had seen him and if he had tried to call him and he said, ‘I have tried to call him but the phone won’t ring. I tried and it wouldn’t ring through.' When things like that happen sometimes you think the worst. Thank goodness that wasn’t what it was."

White said that he kept looking for Furyk and trying to call him until he saw Furyk by the Ridgewood clubhouse.

"He said, 'Disqualified?' and I said, ‘Yes, I’m sorry,'" White said. "He said he woke up at 7:23 and he got here in 12 minutes. His starting tee was No. 11 and that was about 7:36 a.m. or so when I talked to him we had already sent the alternate out. It was Marc Leishman."

White called the disqualification "unfortunate."

"Knowing Jim as I do and we all do, he handled it extremely professionally and put all of the blame on himself," White said. " He is a really good guy, but my hands are tied. I am sure he will recover quite nicely next week and jump right in there again."

Furyk said he was disappointed to miss the first event of the FedEx Cup, especially since he is third in FedEx Cup points, behind only Steve Stricker and leader Ernie Els.

“What is the worst part of it? There are a lot of worst parts," Furyk said. "It is a great golf course. I was looking forward to the event. I’m third in [FedExCup] points, so to possibly severely hurt a good year, it depends on how I play the rest of the way, but to hurt a good year after putting myself in that position. I played my heart out all year, so to then limit myself to one less event than the rest of the field…”

Still, Furyk didn't complain about the Tour's decision.

"The rules are the rules," he said.

Although Furyk will miss his chance to compete for the $1.35 million first-place prize this week at the Barclays. he is not in danger of missing the next event of the FedEx Cup playoffs. His third-place standing in FedEx Cup points means he will advance to the next event, the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass. The top 100 players after this week move on to the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second round of the $10 million FedEx Cup playoffs.

*UPDATE: The PGA Tour amended its statement to say that Furyk was "ineligible" for the Barclays due to missing the pro-am, not "disqualified."

(Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)