That was last June.  As part of his rebuilding process, Green vowed to return to competitive golf.  That moment has come, as he will compete on the Champions Tour again this week at the Legends of Golf Tournament in Savannah, GA.  He’ll be partnered with Mike Reid, but both men know, it’s not about winning.  It’s hard to tell that to a professional golfer at any point, but Green, playing with a prosthetic from knee down on the right leg, is admittedly a changed golfer from the accident.  His average drive is more like 250 instead of 300 and his ball striking is no longer tour caliber.  And no body cares.   I for one, can’t wait to see him compete, Check Local Listings.

Photo from Palm Beach Post

Click Here to Read an Archived Article from Palm Beach Post

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Can Tiger Woods Win his 5th and Toughest Masters Yet?

Click Below to hear the newest edition of the Pros N’ Hackers podcast where we kick off the spring with our annual Masters Tournament Picks.  I have a feeling Tiger might get mentioned among them.

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Looking for a Owner

Masters Week might be the finest golf week of the year.  Not only  is spring in bloom and professional golfers just hitting their competitive stride for 2010, but us viewers long to be taken back to the holes that we’ve come to know, from each and every angle throughout the years.  That’s what makes The Masters unique among the majors. Like typical Tour events, It’s played at the same course  year after year.  You really find yourself drawn into the action so much more.

So who is going to win this year?  Tiger is the biggest story in the world, no matter who wins the damn thing.  Yet this editors feeling is the Stewart Cink is in line to win his first green jacket. Tiger slips into the top 5 with a nice Sunday round. What do you think of that people?

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7th Hole at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, VA

Congratulations to several Middle Atlantic courses for solid rankings in Golfweek Magazine’s Best Courses you Can Play, state rankings. In Virginia, the Homestead’s Cascades Course again won the top honor, but kudos to Blue Ridge Shadows, our friends over in Front Royal are ranked 4th in Virginia.  Also making these rankings for the first time was Laurel Hill, who deservedly placed 10th.

In the state of Maryland, Bulle Rock Golf Club again took home top honors. They were trailed closely by last year’s runner up, Lake Presidential Golf Club in Upper Marlboro.

Pennsylvania came with a surprise, as Bedford Springs Resort Course brought home top honors this year after a large renovation and restoration project.  Second place goes to Nemacolin’s Mystic Rock Course.

In Delaware, Bayside Resort GC came out on top. Baywood Greens, a Pros N’ Hackers favorite rounded out the top five.

Local State Rankings

Virginia

1. Homestead Resort (Cascades), Hot Springs (No. 47 (c)
2. Highland Course at Primland, Meadows of Dan (m)
3. Royal New Kent, Providence Forge (m)
4. Blue Ridge Shadows, Front Royal (m)
5. Golden Horseshoe (Gold), Williamsburg (m)
6. Riverfront GC at Harbor View, Suffolk (m)
7. Homestead Resort (Lower Cascades), Hot Springs (c)
8. Bay Creek GC (Nicklaus) Cape Charles (m)
9. Kingsmill (River), Williamsburg (m)
10. Laurel Hill, Lorton (m)*

Maryland

1. Bulle Rock GC, Havre de Grace (m)
2. Lake Presidential GC, Upper Marlboro (m)
3. Links at Lighthouse Sound, Ocean City (m)
4. Whiskey Creek, Ijamsville (m)
5. Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay  (River Marsh), Cambridge (m)
6. Greystone, White Hall (m)
7. Worthington Manor, Frederick (m)*
8. Musket Ridge, Myersville (m)
9. Rum Pointe Seaside Golf Links, Berlin (m)
10. Queenstown Harbor (River), Queenstown (m)

Pennsylvania
1. Bedford Springs Resort, Bedford (c)
2. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort (Mystic Rock), Farmington (m)
3. Olde Stonewall, Ellwood City (m)
4. GC at Glen Mills, Glen Mills (m)
5. Wyncote, Oxford (m)
6. Hershey CC (West), Hershey (c)
7. Tom’s Run, Blairsville (m)*
8. Hershey Links, Hummelstown (m)
9. Jack Frost National, Blakeslee (m)*
10. Raven’s Claw, Pottstown (m)

Delaware
1. Bayside Resort GC, Fenwick Island (m)
2. Deerfield Golf & Tennis Club, Newark (c)
3. White Clay Creek, Wilmington (m)
4. Back Creek, Middletown (m)
5. Baywood Greens, Long Neck (m)

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The 11th hole at Augusta National Resembled a Ski Slope this Winter

Rarely do I just get the urge to pack up and leave my beloved Middle Atlantic.  Yet after years of offering me brief winter respites of golf. This off season was the worst on record.  I’m not sure that I even know how to effectively swing a golf club anymore, and that’s why I hate winter.  Granted, we don’t live in the coldest city in the world, but it sure felt like it this season.

But we weren’t alone, Florida was down right chilly and snow and ice storms blanketed the once salvageable Georgia and Alabama and even Texas winters.  Golf was in so much of a freeze,  It was enough to snow over golf’s beacon, Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

Regardless of whether you agree with global warming, there is no denying that the reverse is actually happening.  I long for my Florida winters, where playing golf any week of the year was an acceptable activity. While I slowly work off the rust and hope to build a game again by the fall, I wonder if I’ll ever get any better.

Not being able to get my hacks in is like hell freezing over, and next winter, you might not find me in the same spot.  I can’t keep starting and stopping like this if I’m ever going to improve.

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100 Holes at the Mash?

The First Tee of Montgomery County uses golf as a platform to educate our youth about how to use golf as a vehicle for success.  The National First Tee creed is Respect, Perseverance, Honesty, Integrity, Courtesy, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, Confidence and Judgement, all traits that golf emulates.

The First Tee also stands for fun, and that’s sure to be had on June 21 at Blue Mash Golf Course.  It’s the 2010 Golf Marathon, where you are challenged to complete 100 holes in a day.

You’ll tee off at 7am, but first you’ll have raised pledges for the number of holes that you will attempt to play. All proceeds will go to benefit the First Tee of Montgomery County, and all they ask is that you raise a minimum of $25 per hole played  or a maximum total of $2500.  It’s as simple as that.

There will be good times, great prizes for the top fundraisers and the individual who plays the most holes, and breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided throughout the day.

For more information and an event brochure CLICK HERE

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With all of the circumstances, this prepared statement is long overdue.  Though you would expect that this was a difficult task.  Tiger Woods took the podium at PGA TOUR Headquarters, Friday, and delivered a well prepared statement, with moments that ranged from robotic to anger filled to sorrowful.  It was an exercise in humility for the games greatest player.  That is why I respect his wishes to take no questions.  He’s right to accept no questions on the topics in the future.  His crime is one between he and his wife, and of little business to anyone else.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

TIGER WOODS: Good morning, and thank you for joining me. Many of you in this room are my friends. Many of you in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me or you’ve worked with me or you’ve supported me.

Now every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.

I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife Elin and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, there are some things I want to say.

Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss; however, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.

I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused to those of you in this room. I have let you down, and I have let down my fans. For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally. My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners.

To everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors, sponsors, and most importantly, the young students we reach, our work is more important than ever. Thirteen years ago, my dad and I envisioned helping young people achieve their dreams through education. This work remains unchanged and will continue to grow. From the Learning Center students in Southern California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington, D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives, and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.

But still, I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you. I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did. I am embarrassed that I have put you in this position.

For all that I have done, I am so sorry.

I have a lot to atone for, but there is one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.

The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did is not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.

I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.

I was wrong. I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me.

I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’ve done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It’s now up to me to make amends, and that starts by never repeating the mistakes I’ve made. It’s up to me to start living a life of integrity.

I once heard, and I believe it’s true, it’s not what you achieve in life that matters; it’s what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count.

Parents used to point to me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.

It’s hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days from the end of December to early February, I was in inpatient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I’m facing. I have a long way to go. But I’ve taken my first steps in the right direction.

As I proceed, I understand people have questions. I understand the press wants to ask me for the details and the times I was unfaithful. I understand people want to know whether Elin and I will remain together. Please know that as far as I’m concerned, every one of these questions and answers is a matter between Elin and me. These are issues between a husband and a wife.

Some people have made up things that never happened. They said I used performance enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false. Some have written things about my family. Despite the damage I have done, I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did not do these things; I did.

I have always tried to maintain a private space for my wife and children. They have been kept separate from my sponsors, my commercial endorsements. When my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. However, my behavior doesn’t make it right for the media to follow my two and a half year old daughter to school and report the school’s location. They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family, please leave my wife and kids alone.

I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know above all I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That’s where my focus will be.

I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don’t realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.

As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I’ve learned that’s how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture and the players in the field this week for understanding why I’m making these remarks today.

In therapy I’ve learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centered so I can save the things that are most important to me, my marriage and my children.

That also means relying on others for help. I’ve learned to seek support from my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who are seeking help. I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don’t know when that day will be.

I don’t rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game. In recent weeks I have received many thousands of emails, letters and phone calls from people expressing good wishes. To everyone who has reached out to me and my family, thank you. Your encouragement means the world to Elin and me.

I want to thank the PGA TOUR, Commissioner Finchem, and the players for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.

Finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.

Thank you.

Click Here to Watch the Full Tiger Woods Statement

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As everyone knows, the USGA instituted a new rule on groove shape.  And while most players have decided to abide by the rules, several, including Mickelson, have experimented with 15-20 year old wedges that somehow, under lawsuit, are exempt from the USGA ban.

Read all of the Scuttlebutt Here

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