Mickelson beats Tiger to the range Tuesday morning

MARANA, Ariz. – At 6:30 a.m., in the cool pre-dawn darkness, a message was sent from Phil Mickelson to Tiger Woods.

With swarms of photographers waiting for the arrival of the world's No. 1 player on Tuesday morning at the range, the first person to arrive was Mickelson's caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay. He set up Mickelson's clubs and two bags of balls in the middle of the hitting area.

"This is pretty interesting," he said, gazing at the members of the media.

Mickelson walked through the crowd as daylight was starting to break over the hills. He immediately started to get loose by swinging his pitching wedge and hitting some half-swing shots.

A few minutes later, the clicks and murmurs began about 40 feet behind him. Woods had arrived. Mickelson never looked back to acknowledge Tiger's entrance, and Woods didn't walk over to say hello to Mickelson.

About a minute later, Butch Harmon hustled through the crowd and took up a position behind Mickelson.

Fifteen minutes later, as Tiger walked with caddie Steve Williams to the first tee to begin his practice round, Phil had sent his message — everyone's following you, Tiger, but I'm here and working just as hard as you are.

Watch the scene unfold in this quick video shot as Tiger arrived at the range.

Tiger Tracker  | Photos: Tiger returns to PGA Tour |  Phil Mickelson Homepage 

(Photo: David Dusek/Golf.com)

Butch says Tiger risked legacy by playing US Open

Ex-coach Butch Harmon said Tiger Woods took a huge risk by playing the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines last June on his injured knee, according to an interview published in The Bangkok Post. Despite Woods’ imminent return to the PGA Tour, Harmon said Woods’ goal of surpassing Jack Nickalus’ record of 18 major wins will be in jeopardy if Woods doesn’t make a full recovery. (Woods has won 14 major championships.)

Harmon, who was fired by Woods in 2002 after coaching Tiger for 10 years, said Woods took a huge risk in playing through the pain barrier last June, undergoing knee surgery a week later, although he expected his former pupil to make a full recovery.

"We hope that what he did by playing at the US Open with a broken bone and a problem with the cartilage in his knee, we hope that doesn't take away his chances to win it (the record), but we don't know," Harmon said in an interview.

"We'll have to wait and see. It's either the most phenomenal feat ever in the game of golf or not a very smart thing if he played and he doesn't come back healthy," he added.

"I'm of the belief that he's going to be fine, he's going to be stronger than ever. The game needs him back and we all want to see him back."

Harmon also said Woods would probably have to change his swing in the future to relieve pressure on his left knee. Still, Harmon wouldn’t bet against his old boss.

"I would think so [that Woods would make a swing change], to be honest with you. It's the fourth operation on the same knee and this is the most extensive that they had to do," he said. "But then again he's Tiger Woods—he's the greatest player that's ever walked on this planet."

Butch, others chime in on Stevie's comments about Phil

The fallout from Steve Williams's comments about Phil Mickelson probably won’t subside until Tiger Woods answers reporters' questions at his Chevron World Challenge on Wednesday. It will likely go something like this: “I’m disappointed, it’s been dealt with, I respect Phil, Stevie is my caddie, next question. I said, next question.”

But if Woods doesn’t want to talk about Stevie-gate, he’s pretty much the only one. Most prominent of the many commentators taking Williams to task is Woods’s former coach Butch Harmon. Now working with Mickelson, Harmon said he was shocked to hear what Williams said about Mickelson.

"I can't believe he said what he said. I think it's deplorable he would say something like that," said Harmon, adding that he was "extremely upset."

"Golf is a game of honor and integrity and that was a very uncalled for remark. I don't think it's any reflection of what Tiger thinks of Phil Mickelson."

Harmon added that Williams would likely get a personal reprimand from Woods.

"I would have loved to have heard a recording of the conversation between (Williams) and Tiger. I worked with Tiger for 10 years and I can tell you he wouldn't have been very happy with that."

Lawrence Donegan, The Guardian (UK) reporter who got Williams to confirm an initial report of his comments about Mickelson at a New Zealand charity event, asks what would have happened if another player's caddie had badmouthed Woods in the same way. The answer, Donegan writes, is obvious:

What we do know, however, is that when the world No. 1 returns after injury sometime in the new year Williams will be at his side, as ever. No doubt some will find this to be a commendable act of loyalty on Woods' part but in truth it will be the ultimate act of contempt for a fellow professional, Mickelson.

If that sounds too apocalyptic, then ask yourself this: what would have happened if Mickelson's caddie, or any caddie working for a leading professional, had publicly insulted Woods in the same manner? The answer, of course, is the caddie would have been fired on the spot.

The Canadian Press somehow finds a way to relate all this to hockey, pointing out a double standard in sports where Dallas Stars left winger Sean Avery is suspended for politically incorrect remarks while Williams is left free to speak his mind. (The writer, Tim Dahlberg, favors sanctions over free speech.)

Hockey, which tolerates muggings on a nightly basis and has never felt the need to be politically correct, was so offended by a few words that Avery was sent packing after playing only 23 games of what was supposed to be a four-year stint with the Dallas Stars. When last heard from, he was at an undisclosed location undergoing treatment for anger management issues.

Golf, which regards itself as the ultimate gentleman's sport, has apparently left it up to Tiger Woods to decide the fate of his caddie. That's perhaps appropriate because Woods yields far more power in the sport than PGA commissioner Tim Finchem.

But let’s give the last word (for now) to Steve Elling of cbssports.com, who looks at friendly Mickelson and his caddie Bones Mackay and then at the standoffish Woods and Williams and wonders if caddies and players start to resemble each other the way dogs and their owners do.

It never dawned on me until this serve-and-volley exchange began how much the respective caddies and players are alike. Mickelson and Mackay are approachable, if not even affable, often handing out autographs and goodies to fans for hours. Meanwhile, Woods and Williams are there to kick ass and take down names, not write the latter on pieces of memorabilia for eBay hawkers.

It's sorta like the old saw about dog owners. Fat guys buy jowly bulldogs and high-maintenance rich chicks buy poodles. You know, because dogs often mirror the personality and appearance of the owner.

Tiger Tracker | Tiger's Enemies and Rivals | Tiger's 2008 Season | Phil's 2008 Season

Els looks to next major after Open woes

SOUTHPORT, England — As he stood by the 18th green at Royal Birkdale on Sunday, Ernie Els admitted that he lost any chance of winning a second British Open title three days earlier, on Thursday afternoon.

That was when the 2002 Open champion covered the last nine holes of the first round in an abysmal 45 strokes for a round of 80, his worst ever score in his favorite major championship.

"I played myself out of the tournament, going nine over in nine holes," Els said. "How do you come back from that?"

You don't. But Els gave a good account of himself nonetheless. It's a testament to the South African's resilience that he might still find himself inside the top ten by day's end. On Sunday Els shot a one-under-par 69, the second time he has broken par in brutal winds since his horrific first round. He made two birdies against just one bogey to finish at 12 over, good enough to tie for seventh.

"At least I managed to break par twice. I can look forward to the next major," Els said. "I'm doing quite a few things right. It was just a battle out there. It's been a tough week but at least I gave it my best shot."

Els will go to Las Vegas to work with coach Butch Harmon in advance of next month's PGA Championship at Oakland Hills near Detroit, an event he has never won. "I've got one major left and I'm going to work my tail off," Els said. "I'll go and see Butch this week and sort out all the doubts I have in my technique. Then hopefully I'll be able to really compete."

"I'll get ready for the next one," he added. "It's a good thing it's in two weeks time."

Angry Els Rues Missed Chance at Open

SOUTHPORT, England—This Open Championship has turned into Groundhog Day for Ernie Els—different day, same story. Saturday marked the third straight day that the South African has walked off the 18th green at Royal Birkdale with his frustrations boiling over.

On Thursday he signed for an opening round of 80, his worst ever in the British Open. Yesterday he bogeyed the last to fall to 9-over-par for the week, causing him to angrily slam his putter into his bag and also slam the door of the scorer's hut. Today Els signed for a round of 74 and admitted that his chances of winning a second Open crown had been all but blown away in the strong winds.

"I said this morning if I could break par or stay where I was I would be maybe four off [the lead]," Els said. "I think if you're four, five, six over you still have a chance to win."

Finishing two hours before the leaders teed off, Els stood a seemingly insurmountable 14 strokes off the lead held by K.J. Choi.

The 2002 Open winner blamed his woes this week on a sloppy short game and announced that he's heading to Las Vegas to work with coach Butch Harmon. "It's been a frustrating week on the greens, and when you're not making putts it's more frustrating. There's been a lot of missed opportunities, a lot of missed putts," he said.

"I'm going to see [Harmon] for two days in Vegas and work on the short game and get it sharp. I think I'll start scoring then as it's been a tough year up to now."

Since winning the Honda Classic in March, Els has posted just two top-10 finishes, a T-6 at the Players Championship and a T-9 at last week's Barclay's Scottish Open.

(Photos: Jon Super/AP)

Daly still angry over Harmon's 'drunk' comments

SOUTHPORT, England – John Daly says he's more Mild Thing than Wild Thing these days, and he's still steamed at Butch Harmon, who cut ties with Daly earlier this year after reports of Daly drinking in a Hooters hospitality tent during the PODS Championship in Tampa in March.

Harmon told the Associated Press that "my whole goal for [Daly] was he's got to show me golf is the most important thing in his life. And the most important thing in his life is getting drunk."

Daly's response Wednesday to their coach-student split: "[Harmon] needs to stay as far away from me as possible."

Daly is at Royal Birkdale this week for the British Open, a tournament he won in 1995. Asked whether his "lifestyle issues" are making it more difficult for him to get sponsors' exemptions into tournaments, Daly took aim at his former coach.

"Most of that stuff started with Butch Harmon," Daly said. "His lies sort of destroyed me for awhile. He should be a real man and get his facts straight."

The facts of his behavior at the PODS, according to Daly, were that there was a rain delay on Thursday and he was near the Hooters tent, so he decided to wait it out there, where he drank only Diet Pepsi. While in the tent, he was invited to meet with Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden. Meanwhile, his regular caddie Peter Van Der Reit was suffering from a stiff neck. So when play resumed, Daly asked Gruden to caddie for him the rest of the way, to build interest for the tournament and the fans, Daly said.

"Then Saturday afternoon I missed the cut and [the tournament organizers] asked me if I'd go to the Hooters tent," Daly said. "Yeah, I had a couple beers, but big deal, I also signed about a thousand autographs."

Daly claims that he did talk to Harmon by phone after the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and that Harmon apologized and retracted his comments. However, Harmon later said that he stood by everything he said.

"I told him that he had no one to blame but himself, that 'until you start realizing that you're the cause of all this and get some help, you're going to continue to have problems.' I told him I would be glad to help. But I wasn't going to retract anything that I said," Harmon told ESPN.

Working on the Birkdale driving range Wednesday, Harmon responded to Daly's latest comments.

“John keeps denying that all of his problems are his own doing,” Harmon said. “He needs to take responsibility for his actions.”

Daly said injuries -- not drinking -- are the true source of his struggles on the golf course. His doctor told him not to play this week, Daly said, because he has tendonitis in his left elbow. He also recently had calcium deposits removed from his right hand. But despite these ailments, Daly said his two weeks of practice in Arkansas prior to coming to England were the most time he's been able to dedicate to his game in the last couple years. Even injured, he said he feels he's close to playing good golf again.

The two weeks of practice in the sun also gave Daly a pretty deep tan. Asked about it, he laughed that "it's pretty hot in Arkansas and I can take my shirt off there and no one cares."

(Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

A Stroll to Savor

The funny thing about attending golf tournaments for a living is that you often don't get to watch much golf. I've spent many, many tournament days doing interviews behind the 18th green, or in the locker room, or on the driving range, or in the parking lot. Basically, everywhere but the golf course.

The Masters, blissfully, is a different experience. No matter what my work demands may be I always make time for long strolls around the grounds. Augusta National is, to me, the best spectating course in the world, because of its beauty, the strategic drama of the holes, the rolling terrain that provides perfect vantage points and the eight decades the club has spent fine-tuning every aspect of the fan experience. I set out today in the early afternoon and spent five glorious, sun-drenched hours soaking up the Augusta National experience. It was even better than I remembered.

Having written a long story about Adam Scott for our Masters preview, I wanted to watch him play a bit. I caught him on No. 9, moments before he holed a gorgeous bunker shot for birdie to get back to one over par. It was a nice moment for both of us. I followed Scott's powerhouse group -- playing partners: Retief Goosen and Paul Casey -- onto the back nine and was immediately rewarded for having left the press tent, as I bumped into Butch Harmon at the 10th green. He now has Phil and Ernie in his stable but the kid he calls "Scotty" will always be his favorite pupil. "Butchy-san" (as Scott calls Harmon) brought me up to speed on Scott's rough start, three bogeys in the first five holes. "It takes balls to fight back the way he has," Harmon said.

Inexorably, I wound up hanging out in the heart of Amen Corner. If you position yourself in just the right spot you can have a view of the approach shot into 11, the dazzling sweep of the natural amphitheater that frames the 12th hole, and then all the action on the rollicking do-or-die par-5 13th.
I watched a series of stellar groups go through, including the likes of Phil, Ernie, Vijay, K.J. and Sergio. The best shot I saw was courtesy of Andres Romero, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite players. On 13 he lost his drive to the right but went for the green anyway, ripping a long-iron off the pine straw through the trees onto the green. Serious juevos.

After the big boys went through the Corner I strolled over to the bleacher behind the 15th green, which also affords a view of the par-3 16th. These two watery holes demand bold shotmaking, and it's as good a spot as there is on the course. As the twilight turned golden and long, evocative shadows began creeping across the course. I followed the last groups up the hill toward the clubhouse. Once again a jaded scribe had been turned into a fan, at least for a few hours. For me, that is the real magic of Augusta.

(Photo: John W. McDonough/SI)

Els to make it official: He's with Harmon

Ernie Els, a longtime student of David Leadbetter, will confirm later this week that he has changed swing coaches. He is the latest Butch Harmon convert on the PGA Tour. After the two were seen working together at the CA Championship in Miami last month, Els's camp called it a one-off and denied any official partnership. Harmon, too, declined comment, but as he was waiting to board his flight from Atlanta to Augusta on Monday, the coach was asked again about Els. While Harmon emphasized that the coaching change was a delicate matter, he confirmed it's official.

Harmon said Els had grooved some surprisingly bad habits into his swing (too narrow, too open at the top), especially considering the Big Easy, with his famously languid swing, won just last month.

"I said, 'How did you win Honda?'" Harmon said. "He said, 'Smoke and mirrors.'"