Yet another Tiger Woods Sunday meltdown has pundits, fans, and players alike wondering if the former No. 1 will ever get his mojo back. His Sean Foley swing looks pretty solid these days, but his inability to get the job done on Sunday raises questions about the direction Tiger is moving. Lee Trevino, who has never been afraid to voice his opinion, thinks the answer to Woods's woes is pretty simple -- go back to Butch Harmon. 

"I would call a Realtor in Henderson, Nevada, and I'd find out where Butch lived and I'd buy the house next door," said Trevino, appearing on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's Galloway & Company on Monday afternoon. "I'd go over and ring the doorbell and say, 'Hi, neighbor,' and get back with Butch. That's exactly what I would do."

As everyone knows, Butch Harmon and Tiger worked together from his amateur days until 2002, during which time Eldrick bagged eight majors while completely dominating the game of golf. And as everyone also knows, Harmon currently coaches Phil Mickelson, who has beat up on Tiger in recent years, including last Sunday. Harmon has tightened Phil's swing in a -- no pun intended -- major way. According to Trevino, winner of six majors during his career, it's time for the two former friends to "bury the hatchet," and get back together. 

"I'm sure there's bad blood there, at least that's what I've heard," Trevino said. "I haven't talked to Butch in years, so I don't know how he feels with Tiger and I don't know if Tiger is too proud to ask for the help and if he asked for help if Butch would give it to him. But I think they speak to each other when they see each other at tournaments. If they do that, I don't see why two grown people can't sit down. He's all messed up right now."

Donald, Westwood, McIlroy and Kaymer are top seeds in Match Play event 

The qualifying period for the WGC-Accenture Match Play is now over and the field is pretty well set. No's 1-4 in the world, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer will grab the top seeds in each of the four brackets, while Ernie Els, who was on the outside looking in at 65th in the world, has just managed to slip into the tournament via Phil Mickelson's decision to skip the event. Other big names who were not so lucky include Ryan Moore at 67th, Robert Allenby at 68th, and Charles Howell III at 70th. 

Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who just won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic by holding off Westwood, moved up to 60th in the world from 119th to earn his first bid in the prestigious event. Nicolas Colsaerts also played well this past weekend and managed to grab the final 64th spot, knocking Ernie Els temporarily out of the field. Other notables who qualified for the Tucson event include Kevin Na at 62nd, Matteo Manassero at 61st, Jim Furyk at 59th, and Tiger-slayer Robert Rock at 58th. 

Tweet of the Day

 

Butch Harmon criticized his former student Tiger Woods for hiring caddie Joe LaCava away from Dustin Johnson. Harmon, who is now Johnson's swing coach and had recommended that Johnson hire LaCava, said Woods should have asked Johnson's permission to speak with LaCava about the job, which has been vacant since Woods fired his longtime caddie Steve Williams in July. On Sunday, Harmon told Sky Sports he was "shocked" by the move.

"The thing that bothered me the most was T.W. not calling Dustin and asking if he could talk to Joe. That's the way it's done. I'm a little disappointed with the way Tiger handled it. But I'm not surprised."

But Tiger’s camp has a different version of the story, stating that LaCava reached out to them. LaCava corroborated this story on Woods's website.

“I contacted Tiger and Mark [Steinberg] because this is a unique opportunity to be part of something very special. Tiger and I have been friends for a very long time, and I know what he can do. I want to thank Dustin for the opportunity to work with him, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

According to Lawrence Donegan of The Guardian UK, the Johnson-LaCava partnership wasn't a perfect fit.

This comes as no surprise to those close to LaCava, who was apparently telling friends at last month's US PGA Championship in Atlanta he had quickly become disillusioned with life on the fairways with Johnson. The caddie is a well-rounded individual, an old-school type who found it hard to come to terms with his young employer's free-wheeling style on and off the course. In short, they were a bad match.

Pace-of-play woes at Solheim Cup
While this year’s Solheim Cup might go down as the most exciting edition of the biennial event, very few people wanted it to go on any longer. The prescribed pace of play was an extremely generous 5 hours and 20 minutes. On Day One alone, three out of four afternoon matches exceeded that timeframe. John Huggan of Golf Digest Woman has the details:

“It wasn't pretty but it was definitely ponderous. A huge factor in the slowness being the much-criticized need of so many players to have their caddies line them up for both full shots and putts. It is surely time for that time-consuming and often-pointless practice to be outlawed.”

Obama and Clinton tee it up
President Obama and former President Bill Clinton played golf at Joint Base Andrews golf course in Maryland on Saturday. According to USA Today's David Jackson, Obama said that he and Clinton discussed various strategies for creating jobs as they played.

During a speech last night to the Congressional Black Caucus, Obama said he and Clinton talked about creating jobs, as well as Republican opposition to higher taxes on the wealthy to finance a new jobs plan.

"They say it kills jobs -- oh, that's going to kill jobs," Obama said. "We're not proposing anything other than returning to the tax rates for the wealthiest Americans that existed under Bill Clinton."

"I played golf with Bill Clinton today," Obama said. "I was asking him, how did that go? Well, it turns out we had a lot of jobs. The well-to-do, they did even better. So did the middle class. We lifted millions out of poverty.

In a written statement, the White House said Obama and Clinton played for about four hours and were joined by Clinton’s longtime aide Doug Band and White House Chief of Staff William Daley. No scores were disclosed.

Tweet of the Day

The Kraft Nabisco champion’s jump into the water at Mission Hills’ Dinah Shore course is one of the great traditions in sports, but it took an unhappy turn Sunday when Stacy Lewis mother was injured during the leap, according to The Desert Sun newspaper.

Then came the victory leap into Poppie's Pond, where Lewis was joined by her parents, Dale and Carol, her younger sister Janet and her caddie, Travis Wilson.

One problem. Carol Lewis injured her leg sometime during the leap and watery celebration.

LPGA officials confirmed that Stacy's mother was taken to Eisenhower Medical Center for evaluation. Stacy Lewis showed concern for the injury in her post-round press conference.

“I'm not really sure. I haven't been able to check on her yet, but I guess she hurt her leg, so hopefully she's OK,” Stacy said.

Butch Harmon says Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood unlikely to win Masters

Butch Harmon told The Irish Times that Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood lack the world-class short game needed to win at Augusta National.

Harmon told The Irish Times: “Rory hits the ball from right to left, so that’s the good news,” suggesting that McIlroy’s draw shape off the tee will benefit him on several holes, “but I’m not sure his short game is of the quality of some of the other players.”

Harmon, coach of reigning champion Phil Mickelson and the man who helped four-time winner Tiger Woods shape his game to the particular challenges of the Augusta National course, said the same flaw is undermining McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood in his attempts to land his first major championship.

“Lee struggles around the greens – although he was leading going into the final round last year – because his short game lacks imagination.

“To win at Augusta you have to have enormous creativity and imagination.

So who does Harmon like this week? Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney and of course his prize pupil Mickelson.

Mickelson masters product placement on eve of Masters week

After winning the Shell Houston Open on Sunday in resounding fashion, Phil Mickelson gave all the credit to his Callaway golf clubs.

This week is a great example of why I believe in 2004 signing with Callaway was the best decision I ever made for my career. Because when I had a bit of an issue, the head of R & D flew out, and because I've been experimenting with a couple drivers, he wanted to make sure I had the right ones. Brought the backups. I drove it great all week. It's a great example of why I feel that was the best decision I've ever made for my career, and I went on to win this week. And so I'm just very appreciative to the commitment they've made to me and that I get to be with them.

Mickelson went on to say that his financial situation improved dramatically after opening a checking account at Barclays Bank, that he never felt more rested than after sleeping on the comfortable beds at the Crowne Royal Hotel, and that KMPG accountants are the reason he was finally able to pass Tiger Woods in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Piazza, Clemens don’t re-hash 2000 World Series at golf tournament

Mike Piazza and Roger Clemens crossed paths at Michael Jordan’s charity golf event in Las Vegas over the weekend, but no clubs were thrown, according to The New York Daily News.

Clemens was paired with Ken Griffey Jr., and the two of them put up a good fight, but were no match for Wayne Gretzky and Drew Brees. Gretzky puffed on a series of cigars throughout the day. Clemens kept his sticks in an orange Texas Longhorns bag and changed shirts after nine holes.

And the Rocket never threw anything at Mike Piazza. The two old rivals occasionally mingled at the tees on the Shadow Creek golf resort, as play was bottlenecked by the modest pace of Julius Erving, one hole ahead of them, paired with John Smoltz.

"It's way behind us," Clemens said, when asked about the notorious bat-throwing incident from the 2000 Subway Series.

Tweets of the Day

  @stewartcink: The Masters is the unofficial beginning of SWAG season.

 

 

@StuatAppleby: Just reading the GA bible. Notes I've taken over the years.

 

 

@ZachJohnsonPGA: My locker mate. The great Billy Casper! An awesome champion and better man!

 

@TheAnnaRawson: I need some major help in this final. altho its hard to beat a lingerie shot!! Hottest Female Athletes | Men's Health

Would Tiger ever go back to Butch?

Tiger Woods will tee it up this week at Doral in search of his first professional victory since the 2009 Australian Masters. His game has been erratic (to put it mildly) since his April 2010 return from a sex scandal, and it's impossible to watch Woods today without wondering if he'll ever regain his old form. But would Woods ever return to Butch Harmon, who worked with Woods for eight years before Tiger fired him in 2002? Golf World's Jaime Diaz speculates ... and says we shouldn't hold our breath.

There are many reasons that probably will never happen, but the biggest is not Woods' pride. As good as his swing performed from 1999 to 2002, it wasn't perfect. Harmon's fix for Woods' most persistent flaw -- getting "stuck" by having his hips outrace his arms on the downswing -- was to slow his hips down. It worked: Woods' control off the tee was never better and he was plenty long.

But fast hips are an essential gift employed by the great ball-strikers, and Woods was not satisfied with having to suppress his athleticism. He wanted a swing that allowed him to move his body as fast as he wanted without a loss of control. Woods went to Hank Haney with the expectation that putting his club on a better plane would do just that. But as well as Woods played with Haney, he never truly conquered getting stuck.

Under Sean Foley, Tiger is attacking the problem with new information. Although his results haven't been consistent, he believes the quality of his good shots are better than ever. But what's becoming increasingly apparent is that Woods' problems are more mental than mechanical.

Bear Trap shows its teeth

The 15th, 16th and 17th holes at PGA National, otherwise known as the Bear Trap, derailed many pros last week at the Honda Classic. How bad was the carnage? The Orlando Sentinel's Jeff Shain tweeted this report:

* 60 balls in the water at No.15
* 25 at No.16
* 65 at No.17

Add it up and that's a staggering 150 balls in four days. I double-checked, and it turns out these are not highlights from last week's Honda.

Caddie experiences other side of the game

As the full-time caddie for Zach Johnson, Damon Green's day job involves calming his pro's nerves in tense situations. But on Sunday at the Coors Light Open, Green was playing his own ball as a competitor and got a taste of final-round pressure.

Holding a one-shot lead in Sunday's final round of the 49th annual Coors Light Open at Fort Myers Country Club, Green snap-hooked his drive on the par-5 18th hole into the canal and settled for bogey, losing by a shot.

"Just hit it. That's what [Johnson would have] been telling me to do," said Green, 50, long known as one of the best players among PGA Tour caddies. "It's just a bad swing at the wrong time."

Green, who finished 17th in Champions Tour qualifying last fall to earn conditional status, won a pair of pro-am events this winter. But Sunday's final round was his first in about 15 years with a gallery - even if only a fraction of tour crowds.

"This is good to be out playing in front of people. I really hadn't done it since 1996," Green said. "I handled it pretty good. I would have liked to have finished her off. That was kind of frustrating."

Tweet of the Day

Ian Poulter went to a doctor for an allergy test. Naturally, he tweeted his diagnosis.

@IanJamesPoulter: So funny I'm allergic to every type of grass apart from 1 quality effort that. And All trees apart from 3. Chuffed to pieces

Tiger Woods, who recently lost the No. 1 ranking he held for more than five years after a winless 2010, said in an interview with the BBC that he’s gone through slumps before and he hopes to start winning soon once his new swing changes take hold.

"I'm rebuilding my game, making a number of different swing changes. I've done this before. I had lean years with [former coach] Butch Harmon. I won the Masters in '97, changed my swing - then went from the middle of '97 to the middle of '99 with only one win.

"It's a matter of staying the course, believing in what I'm doing and eventually when it kicks in hopefully I'll win some tournaments."

Woods also said that winning more major championships than Jack Nicklaus is still his goal. Woods has 14 major championships, while Nicklaus won a record 18.

"It's a career. It took Jack over 20 years and I haven't been playing that long," he reasoned. "No-one has done better than Jack with 18... at the end of the day, hopefully I'll have more than 18 major championships.

"I'm only 34 -- Ben Hogan didn't start winning his [majors] until after my age - all nine of them - so I'm looking forward to it."

Woods admitted it had been a "tough 12 months" following revelations about his private life but stated: "I'm in a much, much better place.

"I'm much happier, much more balanced. I've gone through a lot and thank God I did, because I needed to put my life back into an order and a balance.

"It was rough going, but boy I'm glad I'm at the spot I'm at now. It feels good."

Golf-ranking guy defends No. 1 system after Butch Harmon criticism

The Official World Golf Rankings have replaced Lisa Pavin’s Ryder Cup fashion choices as the most-criticized subject in the game since Lee Westwood replaced Tiger Woods as No. 1 despite hardly playing since August. Butch Harmon weighed in Monday, saying the “system sucked” and that PGA Championship winner Martin Kaymer should be No. 1. In an interview with Reuters European Tour statistics expert Ian Barker defended the ranking system, which uses the previous two years of results to rank players.

"What Butch is effectively saying is that the rankings should be done over a shorter period. "If we just prepared it on the points won so far this year Woods would not be in the top 50 and Martin Kaymer would be comfortably the world number one," Barker, the European Tour's director of information services, told Reuters.

How Lee Westwood got in No. 1 shape

We always thought Lee Westwood trained like one of those boxers who switches to light beer before a big fight, but James Corrigan of The Independent (UK) talks to the fitness guru behind Westwood’s remarkable run to the top spot.

The Englishman's fitness coach is also seeing his stock rise still further as the reports continue to emerge of the expert with the power to rebuild the multi-million dollar man.

Except labeling Steve McGregor a mere "fitness coach" is a bit like calling Ross Brawn "a mechanic". As Westwood himself points out, what McGregor preaches has "a lot more to do with science than sweat". Since his moment of self-realization on a range four years ago – "I looked at Tiger, Ernie, Phil and Retief and said 'I am way too heavy'," – Westwood has been transformed, shedding almost three stones and seven inches off his waist. The scientist judges it in different terms.

"In the four years we've been working together he's probably lost more than 50 per cent in body fat, which is a big mass," McGregor told The Independent yesterday.

Stray Shots: Stuff we saw while thinking that Shanghai probably has lots of great spots for a young professional golfer and his posse to have fun...

If you’re keeping score at home, Jiyai Shin has taken over the No. 1 ranking from Cristie Kerr after finishing fourth at LPGA Hana Bank Championship in South Korea. Kerr had held the spot for one week after taking it from Ai Miyazato in a preview of what’s coming on the men’s tour. (Via UPI)

Will Wears, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, is competing in the Pennsylvania state golf high school playoffs. Wears is a sophomore at Greater Latrobe High School. (Via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

The PGA Tour has taken over operations of San Francisco’s storied Harding Park municipal golf course, and city and Tour officials are expected to announce the course’s new name on Wednesday: THC Harding Park TPC Harding Park. (Via The San Francisco Chronicle)

 

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – Moments after the golfers left the practice green this morning, Sean Foley, the man many people assume will become Tiger Woods's next swing coach, walked behind Butch Harmon, Woods's coach for eight years.

"Hey Hollywood!" Harmon called out to Foley, who turned around and smiled under the low brim of his visor.

Foley walked over to Harman and said, "Man, I've got a good one for ya." The two men then lowered their voices and had a five-minute discussion.

They never raised their voices above a whisper, but at one point Harmon put his arm around Foley's shoulder. Harmon is not only in the very unique position to advise Foley on what coaching Tiger Woods is like, but also about effectively coaching several top players at once. His stable includes Phil Mickelson, Nick Watney, Stewart Cink and Dustin Johnson. Foley is currently coaching Sean O'Hair, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose and Stephen Ames.

As Foley walked toward the clubhouse, Harmon called out to him, "Hey, how about a match with my four versus your four ... and we get to do the announcing. HA!"

Related: Follow David Dusek on Twitter  | Facebook

According to The New York Post, Zev Chafet's new biography of conservative stalwart Rush Limbaugh reveals that he tentatively sought out a presidential pairing last year, only to be rebuffed by the Golfer in Chief.

"You guys are both golfers," Chafets told Limbaugh. "Would you play a round with the president and show the country that there are no hard feelings?"

"He's the president of the United States," Limbaugh told Chafets. "If any president asked me to meet him, or play golf with him, I'd do it. But I promise you that will never happen. His base on the left would have a s--t-fit."

"How about letting me ask?" Chafets said.

"Go ahead," Limbaugh said. "Nothing will come of it."

Chafets writes that he reached out to Obama adviser David Axelrod, "whom I know slightly," but Axelrod didn't return calls. Then Chafets spoke to "a very senior Democratic activist with whom I'm friendly" who said he would convey the message. A day or two later the adviser responded, "Limbaugh can play with himself." Chafets wouldn't name the aide or say whether the quote was directly from Obama.

While I would love to see Obama and Limbaugh (a purported 16-handicap) teeing it up, I can't blame the President for turning down the request. Rush doesn't exactly seem like the kind of guy who would stop talking in your backswing.

VIDEO UPDATE: Limbaugh responds to Page 6 report.

Unanswered questions in Erica Blasberg's death

When dealing with an epically heartbreaking event like the death of 25-year-old LPGA player Erica Blasberg, it's tempting to write, "what more can you say?" and just try to move on. But the truth is that, somehow, we know as little (or somehow seemingly less) about her tragic last day than we did on Sunday, when her body was discovered at her home in Nevada. Christian Red from The New York Daily News gives the latest update on the investigation, which is startlingly low on details after this much time.

The sudden death of a beautiful young LPGA golfer remained shrouded in mystery Tuesday, when her father said he has serious questions about how she died.

"At first glance, it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it," Mel Blasberg told the Riverside Press-Enterprise in California. "Either way, I lost her and it's impossible to deal with."

Erica Blasberg, a 25-year-old two-time All-American from the University of Arizona, was found dead Sunday in her two-story, three-bedroom home in Henderson, Nev.

"She died on Mother's Day. [Her mom, Debra Blasberg] didn't get the phone call, so she knew something was wrong," the golfer's aunt, Ilene Osinski, told the Daily News. Police won't say how she died.

Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul called it "a death investigation." He wouldn't say who placed the 3 p.m. 911 call.

In a more personal look at the effect this tragedy is having, The New York Times' Karen Crouse talked to some of Blasberg's comrades and competitors yesterday.

The practice range is where the women of the L.P.G.A. Tour gather early in the workweek to exchange gossip and girl talk. It is their water cooler, a usually festive place where beautiful swings compete with buoyant personalities for attention.

A pall hung over the range at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove on Tuesday as competitors in this week’s Bell Micro L.P.G.A. Classic struggled to accept that Erica Blasberg would not be blowing through like a welcome breeze.

After hitting a few shots, Irene Cho stood with red-rimmed eyes and talked about the plans she had made with Blasberg, her best friend on the tour, to meet for dinner the night before Blasberg, 25, played for a spot in the field during Monday qualifying.

They had confirmed plans in a phone conversation last week, but Blasberg never made it. She was found dead on Sunday afternoon after the police responded to a 911 call from Blasberg’s suburban Las Vegas home.

“I think everybody is kind of shocked,” Cho said.

Crouse's piece also includes an interesting fact that seems to have gone unreported elsewhere. Blasberg's agent has stated that her bags were packed to attend this week's tournament in Alabama, but Irene Cho's caddy (who was supposed to be on Blasberg's bag Monday) says she received a text from Blasberg in the middle of the night on Saturday/Sunday, saying that she wouldn't be coming. 

Also, Stephanie Wei at "Wei Under Par" has an LPGA memo regarding a memorial service and tribute to Blasberg tonight at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Needless to say, we will be covering this story as respectfully as we can over the coming days and weeks. Our thoughts are with Blasberg's family as well as her friends and colleagues on the LPGA Tour.

Tiger to work with Harmon? No, not that one, the other one

Call me a latte-sipping, arugala-eating, East Coast liberal elitest, but I just couldn't get enough of The New York Times this morning. Bill Pennington, writing for their On Par golf blog, has an interesting suggestion for where Tiger might look in his search for a Hank Haney replacement.

And while Woods’s former and highly successful coach, Butch Harmon, is being mentioned in every story about the Haney/Woods split, it is hard to imagine any scenario that puts Woods and Harmon in a player/coach relationship again. One, Woods does not admit mistakes all that often, and two, Harmon is currently being paid to help Phil Mickelson usurp Woods as the No. 1 player in the world.

So there’s just a bit of conflict of interest there.

Others, like the Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, who has been incisive on the deteriorating Woods golf game in recent weeks, suggested that Woods start visiting a different Harmon, Butch’s brother Billy. There are three Harmon brothers, all of them noted golf teachers, as was their father, Claude. Another brother, Dick, died unexpectedly in 2006 and at one time tutored Fred Couples, Lanny Wadkins, Jay Haas and Lucas Glover, who went on to win the 2009 United States Open. Craig Harmon is the well-known pro at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester.

This isn't the first time I've heard Billy Harmon mentioned as a good coaching candidate for Woods, but Pennington's reasoning is interesting, in that it goes beyond just coaching ability. Pennington suggests that Billy, who is the most affable of the three Harmon brothers, might not just instill a change of swing, but also a change of attitude from the suddenly morose No. 1 golfer.

With the likes of Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els and Robert Allenby in the chase, you weren't the only one who was surprised by Ben Crane's victory in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. So, too, was Crane, who up until now has been best known for being golf's poster boy for slow play.

Seriously, Crane two-putted the final green, holing a three-footer, and still didn't know he'd won. Take it from Mick Elliott of AOL Fanhouse:

That's when Crane turned quizzically to caddie Joel Stock, looking very much like a man suddenly realizing his pants were on fire.

"You know, I did not know that I had won when it was over," Crane said. "I didn't know who was playing well. I didn't know what was really going on in front of me. I had no idea what was going on. I'm thankful I didn't. Someone said, 'one-shot lead' when we were going to the last hole, so I thought he might be right."

Still, Crane insisted victory did not register until final-group playing partner Ryuji Imada made it official. "He goes, 'Congratulations,' and I go, 'Did I win?' " Crane said. "He kind of looks at me. I said, 'Did I win the tournament?' He's like, 'Yeah.' "

The funny thing was, the guys who didn't win got almost as much attention as Crane. The most noteworthy story belonged to Aussie Allenby, whose chances of winning vanished when his 7-iron approach shot air-mailed the green at the 14th hole. It was the dreaded flyer shot that everyone has been talking about -- a ball jumping farther than normal off the face of the club from the rough due to the new grooves.

On ESPN.com, Bob Harig focused on Allenby's wayward shot:

"I think it's still going," the Aussie said disgustedly afterward. "It's going for a surf."

Allenby was kicking himself for blowing his second chance at victory in two tournaments -- in both, a "flyer" cost him. He was very much in favor of the new rule in place this year that limits the space in grooves -- the intended consequences now biting Allenby twice.

"I think, if you really look at it, it's cost me two tournaments, definitely," Allenby said. "I was in the groove. And feeling ready to do it today. It was such a shame that it happened... You know what, I don't have a problem with it (the rule). Obviously, two shots have cost me two tournaments. But at least they're costing me tournaments."

Meanwhile, fellow Aussie Michael Sim (perhaps the leader of the up-and-coming-young-stars group) astonished the CBS telecast crew by not going for the par-5 18th green in two when he trailed leader Ben Crane by one shot. Instead, Sim played it safe, laid up and made a par, allowing Crane to win with a routine par.

No writers took Sim to task, but Brent Read let Sim explain himself in The Australian

"I think I could have got there, but I had to hit it flush, and I wasn't swinging that well and just decided to lay up to a comfortable number. I felt like I hit a great shot, landed in a perfect spot. I just had too much spin on it. I'm sure a lot of guys probably did the same on that last hole today... I won three tournaments last year on the Nationwide Tour, and it was just different out there today. You know, you're out there to try and win your first PGA Tour event, and I felt like I handled myself pretty good after getting off to such a rough start. I felt like I struggled with my swing, especially today and yesterday. It was a mentally tough week. So to finish in second place, (I'm) extremely happy."

Hometown hero Mickelson didn't get the job done in the final round, either. He shot 73 and dropped from fifth to 19th. His final-round charge never materialized after he opened with three straight bogeys. As the San Diego Union-Tribune pointed out, it was the ninth straight year he failed to win his hometown event and, coincidentally, it's been nine years since the South Course was remodeled by Rees Jones. The Union-Trib's Phil wrapup:

“Yeah, I would like to play better out here,” Mickelson said when asked if he’s frustrated by the victory drought here. “I’ve struggled on the course since it’s been redesigned, but everybody’s got to play it. I just haven’t played it as well as others. I still look at this tournament with a great fondness... I know where I want to go with my game. It didn’t feel as bad as the score reflected. I’m looking forward to L.A. I’ve had some good results there in the past."

Adding to yesterday’s frustration was that Mickelson’s coach, Butch Harmon, came to Torrey Pines for some pre-round work and Mickelson said he had a “good warm-up session.”

“He was so amped up and excited to play he almost was like a racehorse in the gate, biting at the bit to get out,” Harmon said. “To me he was so ready to play that he almost put too much pressure on himself. He was so anxious, more than anything. But he’s fine.”

Tiger Woods's ex-coach Butch Harmon says that he expects Woods will return to golf this year, likely before the Masters Tournament in April, according to a Reuters report.

"Those who say he won't play again are crazy," Harmon said in an interview with Sky Sports on Friday.

"People who say he probably won't play this year, I don't really believe that (either). If you want to put a timetable on it, I'd say you may see him in Florida before the U.S. Masters (in April)."

Woods is in self-imposed exile from the game following revelations late last year of his extramarital affairs. Harmon coached Woods for ten years until they split in 2002.

More Tiger Woods: Complete Scandal Coverage | Life in Pictures | SI Covers

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)