Alan Shipnuck's Mailbag: Paula Creamer, Tiger's club throwing and U.S. Open venues

"Now that Wie is getting all the attention again, I am wondering why Paula Creamer gets such short shrift? She is young, gorgeous, a winner, and from all accounts a fun and well-liked person. But Wie wins one tournament and she is viewed as the savior of the game? Is it just because she hits it further? I really do like the LPGA, and hope to see the two of them go head-to-head often. That to me is what will bring in attention, not if Wie repeats of Annika's dominance. Your thoughts?"

I like Paula Creamer as much as the next guy, but I think a couple of things are keeping her from a larger crossover stardom. She hasn't won a tournament in 14 months, so there's that. Not only has she failed to win a major in her otherwise excellent career, but she's also shown a distressing habit of coming apart mentally when she's had a chance. She let the Lorena Ochoa Invitational get away and it was irritating to watch Paula pout about it between the ropes. I think she still needs to grow up a little bit. Wie may be younger but she's been through so much drama I think she's tougher. You definitely diagnosed one factor in the more widespread interest surrounding Wie: Creamer is a short hitter who plays a pretty boring percentage game. Nancy Lopez once told me that for an LPGA player to become a superstar she has to look like a woman but hit the ball like a man. That's Wie, not Creamer. But each of these talented, telegenic players can push the other to greater heights. There hasn't been a really great LPGA rivalry since Annika-Karrie around the turn of the century. Wie-Creamer potentially has a lot more to offer.

"Alan - any comment on the Tiger club-throwing incident? He threw it into a crowd and could have injured someone. If this goes away quietly, it will prove it's still a society for the privileged."

My colleague Michael Walker has a hilarious take on this episode that I wish I had written. Obviously Tiger screwed up, but he didn't mean to tomahawk his club into the gallery, it just slipped out of his hand during a more conventional bit of pique. I think most of us would like to see Woods stop dropping f-bombs and slamming clubs – it's unbecoming and a little tacky. But you can't have it both ways. What makes Tiger the greatest winner in all of sports is how hot he burns on the inside, and it his ferocious competitiveness that produces such riveting theater. He's got his flaws, but Woods is a class act and we're all lucky to have him in our sport. (Imagine if Allen Iverson was the world's top golfer.) So I can live with Tiger's occasional lapses, even at the risk of being mocked by Michael Walker.

Alan Shipnuck's Mailbag: Drugs in golf, Tiger, Phil, Stricker and more

"Drug Barron, sorry, Doug Barron hasn't made a cut all year on the Nationwide Tour. What the heck was he taking? Mogadon?" -- Paul Mahoney

That's a funny line, but I know Tim Finchem isn't laughing. I, for one, am glad someone finally got caught, which is proof that the Tour's drug-testing program works. Of course there are pro golfers taking performance-enhancing drugs. They cheat on their wives and their taxes, but they're not going to indulge in a little chemistry that could significantly boost their careers, just because it's a game of honor, etc.? I never bought that argument.

The most interesting aspect of the Barron suspension has been the reaction of other players and various Tour apologists. They have offered Barron's pudgy physique as proof that he couldn't possibly have been using PEDs. This is so silly. A lot of baseball players who were juicing were pitchers. They didn't want to get yoked; they wanted to help their bodies recover. Might a golfer who hits 500 balls a day be looking for the same help? PEDs don't necessarily make you bigger and more muscular, they just provide extra endurance.

If that means more 400-pound bench presses, then yes, you're gonna wind up looking like Barry Bonds. But if all that athlete is doing is hitting a bunch of golf balls, then he can still look like Doug Barron, even while breaking the rules.

"Does Tiger have a set tradition after winning a tourney? Is there champagne on the plane...does he give his wife $100k? What goes on after a win?" — Mitchell Page

Yes, there is a tradition. He goes to sleep, wakes up the next morning at 5 a.m. and begins practicing for the next tournament. The 2007 PGA Championship is instructive. The week before, Tiger won at Firestone, in Akron, Ohio. By the time he finished all the interviews and ceremonies it was after 7 p.m. The next morning at dawn he was on the first tee at Southern Hills in Tulsa, about a thousand miles away. That's the kind of dedication that makes him Tiger Woods.

"I live near Madison and want to know if Steve Stricker is that nice all the time or does he have a side of him that is a jokester or less serious than we see him on TV? I mean, come on, is he that humble all the time?" -- Stuart

Unfortunately, yes, which means there's nothing salacious or controversial to write about the guy. Stricker might be the nicest human being on the planet. The only group of people who are gossipier and cattier than Tour wives are Tour caddies, and I've never heard anyone from either of these tribes say a single bad thing about the guy. I think we're all gonna have to just accept that Stricker is the Mother Theresa of golf.

"Tiger and Lefty seem to be getting along better lately. Is this just my imagination or are they starting to respect each other more?"  -- Roy

You know what Tiger respects? Achievement. When Phil blew him away on Sunday at the Tour Championship, that definitely got Tiger's attention. But no question their bond has been strengthened this year. It began with Amy Mickelson. Don't forget that Woods lost his dad to cancer. After Amy's diagnosis, Tiger sent Phil a number of heartfelt text messages that touched the Mickelsons deeply. Throw in their co-starring roles at the Presidents Cup, and this year has definitely brought Tiger and Phil closer together.

"At one stage Stack and Tilt seemed to be all the rage on Tour. Lately it seems to be fading out, especially after they lost Aaron Baddeley (who happened to be on the cover of their expensive DVD). What's the verdict on Tour? Has it been exposed as just another silver-bullet gimmick or does it still have a devoted following?" -- Marc 

A little of both, actually. As noted by another reader, Mike Weir has also jumped off the bandwagon. He and Baddeley both struggled with the driver during their S 'n T days. It's a swing that promotes a pretty steep swing plane, which can lead to solid contact with irons but inconsistency with the big stick. Beyond that, you have to remember that Tour players are lemmings. As soon as something seems to work they'll all try it, whether it's the Claw or Twitter or saucy tennis players. Then something new comes along and many players move on. When Dean Wilson wins the Masters, S 'n T will surely enjoy a comeback.

"What are the chances that we can get a game together where we have all of these super young guns pitted against each other on live TV for some serious cash? I'm thinking 21 and under here so it would be Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa, Rickie Fowler, Danny Lee and Jamie Lovemark. It would be quite a show featuring the future of the sport. And just think of the potential ramifications—it could start a MUCH needed rivalry that golf needs to make itself more relevant." -- Michael

This is the best idea I've heard in a while. Maybe this batch of youngsters could bring the Skins Game back from the dead. The problem with golf is that the compelling head-to-head matchups we crave happen so rarely. With their varying home bases and exempt status, the above Fab Five will only be in the same field a handful of times next year. The chances of even a couple of them showing up on the same leaderboard is remote. The made-for-TV spectacles have always focused on the same tired big names, but someone—Golf Channel? Golf.com?—should organize a series of Wonderful World of Golf style matches with all these intriguing young talents. Will it happen? I doubt it, but we can dream.

"Same question I ask every week: Why does only Tiger and no other player wear bright red on Sunday? Happy for anyone to tell me. Must not be Alan." --  JC

JC, I was hoping you would take the hint, but apparently not. So once and for all: Tiger wears the red shirt because his mom, Tida, did some kind of Thai-style voodoo and discerned that red is Tiger's "power color" and therefore he should wear it on Sundays. Once he won a few times, a tradition was born. It is funny how he has taken ownership of the color. I remember when Luke Donald wore red on Sunday at the '06 PGA when he was paired with Tiger. Polo had scripted Donald's outfits weeks in advance and he chose not to deviate. A lot of folks took that as him being uppity, which is ridiculous—it's just a shirt! A funny post-script was the Monday playoff at Torrey, when Rocco busted out red, assuming that Tiger would wear his only on Sunday. Wrong. Woods wore red for a second day in a row, and when he saw Rocco at the range before the round he muttered, "Nice shirt." Only in Tiger's universe can you talk trash about a guy's sartorial selection.

Photo: Wireimage.com (Barron); Getty Images (Woods, Mickelson)

Tiger Woods finally arrives at Tour Championship

After staying in Orlando and missing Tuesday's practice session, Tiger Woods was out early Wednesday at East Lake to prepare for the Tour Championship. After hitting a few balls on the range, Woods strolled over to the first tee with Canada's Mike Weir. He did not sign autographs, denying the horde that bolted after him. Woods and Weir were scheduled for nine holes of practice before Tiger's press conference.

Phil Mickelson, who spent time alone in the locker room on Wednesday morning, was scheduled to play later in the day. He sent his caddie out Tuesday to scout the course.

Wet weather has plagued the Atlanta area over the past week, but the sun was out Wednesday, leaving Tour officials optimistic. The 72-hole event will decide the winner of the $10 million FedEx Cup.

Amy Mickelson returns to golf at Torrey Pines

Phil Mickelson's plans have been day-to-day since he returned to the Tour after taking time off to be with his wife, Amy, who is battling breast cancer, but hopefully things are looking up for the couple. Amy made her first appearance back in the golf world on Monday at the LPGA tournament at Torrey Pines. Pictured below with WNBA President Donna Orender, center, and astronaut Sally Ride, Amy was at the course to represent the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation at a golf clinic.

(Photo: Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

New York's love affair with Mickelson continues at Liberty National

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Phil Mickelson grew up in San Diego and went to school at Arizona State, but he's become the New York area's favorite golfer.

An incident in the middle of the first fairway at Liberty National Friday morning shows why.

After making five bogeys through his first eight holes, Mickelson made a 61-foot putt from the fringe on the 18th (his ninth) for a birdie. The crowd roared and high-fives were exchanged as Phil strode to the first tee. He then crushed a 335-yard drive that stopped in the fairway, 51 feet from the pin.

As his playing partners — Kenny Perry and Lucas Glover — sized up their approach shots from near the 100 yard marker, a fan called out to Mickelson, "Hey Phil, I thought you were Kenny!"

Phil turned toward the fan and laughed along with the crowd.

Then, with his left thumb in his pocket, he subtly extended his left middle finger downward and kept laughing.

The fan that had yelled out to him, along with the dozens of fans braving the rain alongside the fairway, exploded in laughter.

Mickelson totally understands and accepts the New York sports culture. He's always played a go-for-broke style that is exciting to watch, and his disappointments (Winged Foot), family challenges (wife Amy's breast cancer) and triumphs (Baltusrol) have humanized him in their eyes. The ribbing on the first hole Friday was good-natured, and Phil knew it. Like the guys at your club, sports fans around here love to jab with athletes they consider friends. By playing along, Mickelson shows that he's one of the guys.

The athletes New Yorkers really don't like are either ignored or taunted. The difference is not subtle — just ask Sergio Garcia.

Mickelson followed that drive up with a stubbed chip that stopped six feet from the hole and his birdie putt missed. What had seemed like the start of a Mickelson run turned out to be a disappointing par.

But regardless of his score, one thing is certain: Whether he's wearing pinstripes (as he did today) or not, Mickelson is an adopted New Yorker.

(Photo by Rich Schultz/AP Photos)

Time to Make the Waffles for Phil Mickelson

Get ready for the flop-shot breakfast (one fried egg atop a waffle) and the bunker blast breakfast (waffle with sausage gravy). Phil Mickelson is trying to buy more than 100 Waffle House franchises in the Southeast, according to his news conference at the WCG Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

Wendy Lee of The Tennessean newspaper first reported Mickelson's interest in buying a Nashville-based franchisee out of bankruptcy last week: Mickelson's group, GS Acquisitions LLC, has offered $20.2 million in cash and payments over time for the 105-restaurant group that spans four states.

Lee further reported that Mickelson and his two associates aren't just potential Waffle House owners--they're also fans:

GS Acquisitions became interested in buying the SouthEast Waffles franchise because all three men enjoy eating at Waffle House, though none of them has any restaurant experience, [GS executive Terry] Pefanis said. Pefanis said the men saw a good business opportunity based on the restaurant chain's location in the Southeast region and recent profits.

Mickelson said Wednesday that GS Acquisitions remains interested in the deal, but nothing is final yet.

"I hope it goes through," Mickelson said. "I intended to be quiet with this, but I guess with the bankruptcy courts my name kind of stuck out."

Phil Mickelson will play WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

The PGA Tour announced news today that golf fans have been waiting for:

"Bridgestone Invitational fans will be excited to learn that Phil Mickelson will return to action at Firestone Country Club, his first tournament start since the U.S. Open in June."

His wife, Amy, and mother, Mary, are both being treated for for breast cancer. Mickelson withdrew from the British Open, citing his wife's health, and was taking a break from competitive golf to focus on his family.

Coming just a week before the PGA Championship at Hazeltine, it will be interesting to see if Mickelson now commits to playing that event as well. At Bethpage, before competing in the U.S. Open, Phil said that he didn't foresee coming back to competitive golf before August. "We won't know our treatment schedule after surgery until about a week or two, until we have some other tests done."

Mickelson has played in each of the 10 previous Bridgestone Invitational events and his best performance at Firestone was a tie for second in 1999.

Phil Mickelson: I should be able to return soon

Lefty stopped by Fox & Friends Friday and answered some questions about Tiger's on-course temper ("If he's struggling while we're playing together, it's okay.") and Tom Watson's British Open run ("It would have been one of the most inspirational stories in all of sports.").  And while he hasn't played recently, he says his wife is doing well, and he should be able to return to golf soon. 

At the very least, you have to watch to check out his seriously snazzy suit.

Phil Mickelson says wife and mother are doing well

While the golf world focused on Turnberry, Phil Mickelson was back in the states taking care of his family, including his wife and mother, who are both battling breast cancer. On Thursday he shared good news about them on his Web site.

"My mom had surgery yesterday [Wednesday]," he wrote on philmickelson.com. "She was very brave and everything went well. We should get her pathology in a week and we are all optimistic. It meant so much to me and Amy to be there with her."

His wife, Amy, had surgery on July 1. "Amy is doing very well," he added on the site. "The best news so far is that the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes, which improves our chances of beating this in the short and long term. We’re awaiting one test result that will influence Amy’s treatment plan."

The Mickelson's announced in May that Amy had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and then in July that his mother was also battling the disease. The announcements were met with an outpouring of support from PGA Tour players and fans alike.

"The waiting and wondering sometimes can be the most difficult part, but [Amy] has a very positive attitude and has handled all of this with her usual grace. I'm so proud of her," Mickelson said on his site. "The prayers, notes, articles, e-mails, texts, and packages get us through every day. We feel the support all around us. Our gratitude is hard to put into words."

He withdrew from the British Open, citing his wife's health. This was the first major championship he has missed since the Masters in 1994, when he broke his leg skiing. His last tournament was the U.S. Open at Bethpage, where he finished tied for second. There has been no word on when he might return to the tour.

Mickelson's shoots bittersweet 69 in first round of U.S. Open

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Sentimental fan favorite Phil Mickelson went straight to the practice green after firing a one-under-par 69 in the first round of the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black on Friday, and it was easy to see why.

Mickelson missed a short birdie putt on the par-3 third hole, similar-length par putts on the sixth and seventh holes, and then failed to convert on a roughly 12-foot birdie chance on his final hole, the ninth. In retrospect, he hit the ball so well that 69 may have been the highest score he could have shot.

Still, Mickelson was in red numbers, which is no small accomplishment on a U.S. Open course. And while he trailed first-round leader Mike Weir by five shots, he also led Tiger Woods by five.

After hitting seven of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation, and taking 31 putts, Mickelson did not speak to the print media after his round. Instead, he prepared for his second round, which was scheduled to start about 5:35 p.m.

(Photo: Simon Bruty/SI)