Former Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band drummer Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez, who quit the band because he "didn't blindly follow Bruce," will be backing up a different boss next week in San Francisco, Ian O'Conner of ESPN.com reports. Lopez was on the bag yesterday for Mark McCormick, a 49-year-old New Jersey club pro, who posted a 36-hole score of 4 under par to pick up one of the four spots up for grabs in the U.S. Open field at the Olympic Club. Unfortunately for Lopez, that means a week off from his current lounge act, License to Chill.

"Vini's the real celebrity out here," McCormick said. Lopez said he would cancel his band appearances to travel to San Francisco with his man. The drummer they called Mad Dog has been a longtime caddie and caddie master in Jersey, and he wants a piece of the big time.

"When you're on stage at Giants Stadium with Bruce," Lopez said, "the lights are on us and it's total darkness in the crowd. You don't see the people, you hear them. At Olympic, you'll see everyone. The people are right there."

The caddie wants to see Tiger and Phil more than the drummer wants to see the Boss. "Bruce calls and says, 'Hey Vini, I haven't seen you in a while, so why don't you come down and hang out?'" Lopez said. "Bruce calls me when he needs me."

After looping for McCormick the last 22 years, looks like Lopez will at last stop hiding on golf's backstreets.

Sabbatini, Levin among notables who failed to qualify for U.S. Open

So you know Davis Love III and Casey Martin are headed back to Olympic for next week's U.S. Open. But it's the morning after, and it's time to count casualties from Sectional Qualifying, which wrapped up at nine courses yesterday. (The last two -- in Oregon and Tennessee -- are slated to finish up in the next couple days.)

At the top of the heap is Spencer Levin, who followed up a disappointing Sunday in Ohio with a disappointing Monday in Ohio. Both Levin, currently ranked 61st in the world, and Memorial runner-up Rory Sabbatini posted two-round scores of 5-over, five shots out of the playoff at even par.

Sabbatini and Levin weren't the only notables on the wrong side of the cut line in a stacked Columbus qualifier. Big names who won't be at Olympic include Camillo Villegas, who delivered the dreaded, always mysterious NC ("no card"), Ricky Barnes, who withdrew after carding a first round at 1-over, Ohio-native Ben Curtis, who finished two shots off the qualifying score, and Ryan Moore, who finished three strokes out.

To see who else survived the scrum, head over to the USGA for results from every qualifier.  

Tahoe casino sets odds on celebrity golf event, makes Romo favorite

Coming to a bookie near you: Tony Romo (5/2) is the favorite to win the American Century Celebrity Golf Champion next month in Tahoe, according to The Sacramento Bee. For those who bet on stuff like that. Or those who care. Longer shots: Charles Barkley, Kevin Nealon, Dennis Haysbert are coming in early at 500-1. So you're saying there's a chance...

And finally...

"America's Finest News Source" (i.e., The Onion), is doing our job for us with this Tiger headline: "Tiger Woods Back Again After Being Back From Being Back. Or, you know, making fun of us. We earnest folks at Golf.com stuggle with snark.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has tried to qualify for three U.S. Opens, but he won’t be making a fourth try in 2012, according to ESPN Dallas.

Romo said he has elected to skip the May 14 local qualifier at Old American Golf Club in The Colony.

According to the USGA’s Web site, Romo was listed in the upcoming field, but the quarterback said the application to play in the event was not made by him.

Romo has attempted to qualify for the U.S. Open numerous times and reached the sectional qualifying in Houston two years ago. He did not make it out of local qualifying last year.

Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said Romo made the right decision:

Romo, like many other football players, plays a lot of golf in the off-season. It has never caused him to miss any team-related or football-related activities.

Romo's and the Cowboys' struggles late in seasons and late in games when it matters most invite criticism, and he is roundly criticized for playing golf.

Everyone knows Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers don't eat, sleep and drink football in the off-season.

Of course, they have title rings that give them the benefit of the doubt.

Romo doesn't.

That's why this little decision to forgo an attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open should not be brushed aside. This is a big deal for Romo and the Cowboys. Never mind that the decision could also partly be brought on by Romo becoming a new father in the past couple of weeks. 

Retired Naval officer says Tiger wouldn't make cut as Navy SEAL
Tiger Woods didn’t like former coach Hank Haney’s allegation that Woods considered quitting golf to become a Navy SEAL, but it caught the eye of retired Naval officer Michael K. Bohn. In a provocative essay for the McClatchy-Tribune News Service, Bohn takes a serious look at the driven, intelligent and physically gifted Woods as a Navy SEAL candidate.

I served with SEALs in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War in a support unit that repaired their boats. We called them the “snake-eaters” because they were tough guys who could live and fight in the jungle. I worked with them ashore and have friends who were SEALs. Their unmatched capabilities at “SEa, in the Air and on Land (SEAL)” -- think Osama bin Laden’s death -- are equaled by their integrity and preference for recruits, who, as one former SEAL put it, are “good citizens.”

Also, I occasionally have reported on PGA Tour events and have observed Tiger on the golf course and in press conferences. Sure, he’s fit and mentally tough, and his focus can burn holes in the side of a ship. But SEALs tell me that 80 percent of making it as a SEAL is from the neck up. While I marvel at Tiger’s brilliance in golf, I have formed a less glowing assessment of his personal traits.

The new book exposes a good bit of the inner Tiger, so I have compared his character strengths and weaknesses, as described by Haney, to the profile that the Naval Special Warfare Command uses to assess potential SEAL candidates. In my view, Tiger would have whiffed.

Romney says Obama plays too much golf
It’s been the favorite sport of many 20th century presidents, but Republican candidate Mitt Romney said that President Barack Obama is playing too much golf, according to CBS News.

"I must say I scratch my head at the capacity of the president to take four hours off on such a regular basis to go golfing," Romney said during an interview with conservative radio host Bill Cunningham, who asked Romney about Obama's more than 90 rounds of golf since becoming president. Romney added, "I would think you could kind of suck it up for four years, particularly when the American people are out of work."

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Had a nice day at Newbury today.@CaroWozniacki and I met Her Majesty The Queen and had a nice chat. Great experience!

— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) April 20, 2012

Keeping his promise to participate in the Tim Tebow Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic less than a week after his Masters victory wasn't the only good deed done by Bubba Watson this past weekend. Bubba also brought a gift for his buddy Tebow—his player's badge from Augusta National that just so happened to be emblazoned with the number 15, according to Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union.

“I knew I’d see Tim in a week,” Watson said. “I told my caddie, I’m going to keep it unopened, and I’m going to hand it to him. I just felt like I should give it to him. It’s his football number, and I thought he might want it more now that I won."

“It was very special,” Tebow said. “He didn’t have to do anything like that. He’s just an amazing guy. He’s been so supportive of me and my foundation. He really cares about giving back and making a difference. He has a huge platform, and I think it will continue to increase, because he’s so real. He’s so genuine.”

Watson said he always intended to play in the charity event, despite his busy schedule after winning the Masters.

“I’m honored to be here,” Watson said. “I’m honored that he asked me to play in it. It’s for a great cause. It has a great champion with great character in Tim Tebow, so why would I not be here?”

Evel Knievel's son hopes to qualify for U.S. Open

The late Evel Knievel made a name for himself with his daredevil antics on a motorcycle. Now his son, Kelly Knievel, is looking to make his name on the golf course, setting his sights for the U.S. Open according to a tweet from the USGA.

Kelly Knievel, the 51-yo son of daredevil Evel Knievel, has filed a US Open entry. Knievel is an amateur from Las Vegas, with a 0.6 Index.

— USGA U.S. Open (@usopengolf) April 13, 2012

Kelly Knievel is an accomplished player. Last May, he fell in a playoff to 17-year-old Taylor Montgomery for the Southern Nevada Amateur, according to Ryan Ballengee. He also is a past winner of the Las Vegas City Amateur title.

His father also played golf, sporting a single-digit handicap before his death in 2007. Here's hoping the U.S. Open doesn't become Kelly's Snake River Canyon.

Cart path prompts two holes-in-one at high school tryout

Two freshman golfers notched nearly identical hole-in-ones during their tryout for their high school golf team, reports Tom Mix of the West Central Tribune. Brandon Winter and Collin Larson both aced the 140-yard, par-3 hole No. 4 at Rose Creek Golf Course in Fargo, N.D., using 9-irons during a qualifying round of team tryouts.

That's right—same club, same hole, same day.

“In all my 22 years of coaching, I don’t know if I’ve heard anything like that happening,” Fargo Davies coach Steve Kennedy said. “I can’t recall any of my players ever hitting a hole-in-one in practice or during a tournament. I know some of them had holes-in-one, but never during high school. Then to have two in one day on the same hole, it was exciting.”

Adding to the madness, both players hit nearly identical shots—coming up short, only to receive a helpful kick from the cart path.

“When I saw it bounce up and start rolling, I was just hoping I would get close,” Larson said. “Then when it dropped in, I couldn’t believe it.” 

Winter’s shot was equally as bouncy and exciting. 

“It was kind of surprising, because the first couple holes didn’t go my way,” Winter said. “Right away when I shot it I kind of looked up, so my shot went kind of crazy. It bounced off the cart path, it rolled in and I just didn’t know what to do so I just stood there.”

The aces were the first for both youngsters. No word on whether they made the team, though. 

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#1 again without touching a golf club this week....I wish it was that easy!

— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) April 15, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three-time major champion Vijay Singh is likely to miss the U.S. Open for the first time in 15 years after he failed to show up for his tee time this morning at Brookside Country Club.

The former World No. 1 player was scheduled to tee off this morning at 8:10 a.m. in a 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier.

Despite winning two PGA Championships, a green jacket and 34 PGA Tour events, Singh has fallen out of the top 50 in the world and had no choice but to try to qualify for the U.S. Open and the British Open.

According to the BBC, Singh has also withdrawn from British Open qualifying. Singh was scheduled to tee it up this week at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, but there is no word yet if he has withdrawn. Singh, who is ranked 61st in the world, would qualify for the U.S. Open if he finished first or second in Memphis, according to The Associated Press.

On Sunday, Singh shot a 65 on Sunday to finish T37 at the Memorial Tournament.

According to the Associated Press, it is unlikely that Singh will be offered a special exemption into the Open by the USGA:

    Singh has played the last 67 majors, the longest active streak in golf. A year ago, he was given a special exemption to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, but USGA executive director Mike Davis has said no special exemptions were likely to be awarded this year.