WSGA Blog

Garbedian on Golf: D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Hank Haney has made the weeks of speculation official by telling Tiger Woods, "Hey, it's not you, it's me...", and "we're just going in different directions..." and finally, "I think we should see other people..."

Divorce is never a pretty thing and this one will most likely not be the last one for Tiger Woods in 2010, but it is a significant one as for the last six years Haney has been the go to guy when things were out of focus or off kilter. Now the big question is, who will be the guy at Tiger's beck and call in 2010 and beyond? More on that later.

The real crux of the matter is that Haney, a proud man who is one of the game's best instructors, has had enough of the second guessing and sometimes mindless criticism that comes along with being associated with the World's Number One player, especially when the World's Number One player can't seem to find a fairway, green or make a putt. The heat is magnified even more when said player brings a boatload of bad press on himself, takes months off and then returns, of all places, at the season's first major, followed by TOUR stops at Quail Hollow (MC) and TPC Sawgrass (WD).

There is no question that the sink hole Tiger Woods has dug for himself, also dragged down a number of others associated with him. People have been critical of serial enabler Mark Steinberg, Tiger's right hand man from IMG. There have been numerous others who have asked, begged and told Tiger to dump bagman Stevie Williams. Yet there are other factions that have just as loudly and boldly said that Hank Haney had to go.

Well, now Haney has disassociated himself from the Woods camp as part of the entourage and make no mistake, the two have been successful working together. In fact over the last two years, Woods has been more consistent and been in contention on a far more regular basis under Haney's watch than he had prior to when the 54-year old instructor came on board.

And for all the "we're not working together, but we're still friends" talk that has come out of both camps, I don't buy it. There is nothing casual about a working relationship at the TOUR level. There are expectations, there are long hours, there is the constant second guessing and sniping that comes with the territory. There are always the Monday morning quarterbacks who boldly proclaim that if they worked with Tiger they could "fix him".

At the TOUR level, instructors work with highly trained athletes and from my standpoint, so much more of it is mental rather than physical. There is no question that Woods has won Majors and TOUR events using different swings crafted and developed with the cooperation of others, but at the end of the day, it's all on Woods to make things happen and when it doesn't. it's back to the range, back to square one.

Jack Nicklaus, who will forever be linked with Woods as TW's boyhood hero and benchmark, worked with Jack Grout and every spring the two would start from ground zero (grip, stance, posture, alignment, etc...) in rebuilding Jack's fundamentals for the upcoming season.

In this day and age of technological advancement, in teaching methods, in equipment, in fitness and nutrition, in agronomy and of course, speculation and opinion, there will always be someone, somewhere, saying something about Woods and how they know better.

For Woods, the next instructor to come on board has been rumored to be Sean Foley. Foley works with Hunter Mahan and Sean O'Hair on TOUR and was seen walking the practice round at the Players with Mahan, O'Hair and Woods fueling speculation that Haney was indeed on his way out and while that grillroom door was closing the Foley one was opening.

I cannot imagine that Woods will be without an instructor for long, whomever that may be. It is time, in my opinion to make some changes and there have been times when the nuances that Haney has incorporated into what Tiger was doing with his swing have not worked. News flash, that is almost always the case, not everything works all the time. As with amateur and elite players of all levels, it's not what happens when you hit it good that matters, what matters is, do you know where it's going when you miss it and can you manage that miss? Right here, right now, Woods, under Haney can't seem to keep it on the planet and even though what Haney is telling T-Dub may be correct, especially for the World's Number One player, sometimes the same message needs to come from a different source.

So now for Woods and Haney, like so many other relationships, it's time to move on. Where they will be down the road will be one of the more interesting subplots in a 2010 season that has been dripping with subplots. Will it be better? Maybe, eventually. For now, the only thing it will be is different and that isn't always a bad thing in a breakup.

Garbedian On Golf: Numbers

Golf if nothing else is a game of numbers.  There are magic ones of course, the 300-yard drive, 58, the score shot by Ryo Ishikawa in Japan on Sunday, 18 greens hit in regulation.

There are other more infamous numbers now as well with one of them being revealed over the weekend in the New York Daily News, 120.  Or is it 121.

That is the number of women that Tiger Woods has alleged cheated with during his five-year marriage to Elin Nordegren according the National Enquirer.  500 or more is what Joslyn James thinks the tally is closer to.

The truth is closer to 350 million, more than likely the amount that Elin will get in the divorce.

Woods looked completely distracted in posting a 7-over par 79 in Friday's second round of the Quail Hollow Championship, missing the cut and heading out of town.  It was a round with no fire, no spark, no grind it out until the end.

In fact it was a very un-Tiger-like round.  2/14 fairways, 11/18 greens, 34 putts and nines of 36 and 43 to miss the cut by eight shots.  Or are there more rounds like this on the horizon?

Maybe it's just me, but don't you think if you're the best player in the world, you'd be able to find a driver that you can put in play?  Is it mental, is it physical?  I find it intriguing that Woods now works with Hank Haney who battled with driver "yips" for some time.  Can you catch it?  Does Hank ever say to Tiger at some point, "You know, it didn't take Ray Ramano this long to get what I'm trying to tell you..."

When Tiger was working with Butch Harmon it just had a different feel to it, this whole thing of being a control freak and "owning" your swing so that you don't "need" anyone doesn't make sense to me.  It is always good to have another pair of trained eyes watching your swing so that if you are doing something it can be detected and corrected.

But Tiger will NEVER (absolutes are an addict/rehab thing) return to "Butchie", especially since he is working with and helping improve Phil Mickelson.

The truth is, Tiger Woods has pinned himself into a corner and the only way to get out of it is to come out swinging.  The only problem is, with the way he's swinging right now, there's no telling where the double cross is going to end up.

Garbedian On Golf: Awesome

What a great weekend it was for the game of golf. Truth be told, Youth is served and it's dished out in huge, satisfying portions.

Rory McIlroy not only won the Quail Hollow Championship on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina, he dominated. Things like that can be said when you make the cut on the number and then proceed to leapfrog the entire field on the weekend with rounds of 66-62 to close it out, winning by four shots over Phil Mickelson.

McIlroy's course record setting 10-under par 62 featured six 3s on his card over the final six holes. The 20-year old from Northern Ireland posted the best rounds of the day on both Saturday and Sunday to finish at 15-under par 273 and collect $1.17 million.

What can you and I learn from someone who will be celebrating his 21st birthday on Tuesday? As cliche as it sounds, take it one shot at a time, stay out of your own way and believe in what you're doing. How many times have you (or I) given up on a round instead of plowing through and making things happen. That doesn't mean being reckless, what that means is making the most of the situation at hand with the talent you have.

On the other side of the world Sunday, 18-year old Ryo Ishikawa, another of the youngster's on the horizon, became the first player on a major tour to shoot 58 in winning The Crowns in Togo, Japan. For Ryo it was his seventh career Japanese Tour title and the win was worth $255,000.

Ishikawa was bogey free on the day and improved his score by 13 shots from his Saturday 71. For the record, Ryo posted 12 birdies against no bogeys on the par-70, 6,545-yard Nagoya Golf Club course.

It just goes to show that with everything that has been going on in the world of golf over the last few months, both on and off the golf course, the game appears to be in good hands, being held in an interlocking grip and swinging fearlessly right on the flag. And on Sunday the good news came from the play of two shining bright stars, each halfway around the world from each other, on the golf course.

The Kids are Alright.

Garbedian on Golf: The Masters

"So, who do you like at The Masters?"

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've been asked this question as of late. There are several intriguing players who could win The Masters, but in all reality there is only one Great player and several very good ones.

Of course, the golf course and the weather forecast will have a bearing on the outcome, but if both are perfect I have to go with...well, we'll get to that in a bit. Let's look at the cast of characters.

Ernie Els has resurrected his career this year with wins in back to back starts at Doral and at Arnie's Place and while at one time he stated he would like to unseat Tiger Woods as the World's Number One Player, it simply isn't going to happen. Ernie is 40 and we might be in the midst of his last good run. The career Grand Slam is a more realistic ring to grab for as the Big Easy would only have to be the last one standing at two events on the playing calendar. To unseat Woods atop the World Rankings, Els would have to be good if not great every week he teed up wherever in the world he was for weeks on end. With a scaled down playing schedule and a bigger focus on his family, I don't see EE grinding it out for weeks at time on Tour to make a run at Number One happen.

Fred Couples has been ultra hot on the Champions Tour where his length is a huge advantage. That distance edge, combined with his recently soothed putting stroke has amounted to a torrid start on the Senior Circuit, three wins and a second. Can Boom Boom carry that kind of momentum down Magnolia Lane? If Couples was to win one more major, The Masters is his best shot and this would be his best chance.

Steve Stricker has a win already this season on the PGA TOUR and has been ranked Number Two in the world, still Augusta is a place where Strick is still getting comfortable. His ability to keep things moving forward with his short game is virtually unmatched at the PGA TOUR level. If Augusta National is playing fast and Stricker can be solid from tee to green, his silky smooth putting stroke just might be the difference in adding a major title to his resume. Think about it, wouldn't it be fun to serve beer and brats at the Champions dinner?

It's hard to tell what Phil Mickelson will do next, but there is definitely something going on there. To wrap up 2009, Philly Mick was as on top of his game as he ever had been in his stellar career. This season, not so much. A lot of stop and starting, a lot of hurry up and wait. Maybe being on the grounds at Augusta National is what Lefty needs to get the juices going again and just play golf.

Angel Cabrera, like Els, is halfway to the career Grand Slam, the big question is, which one will get there first? Or better yet, will either of them get there? Cabrera won the 2009 Masters using the old Jack Nicklaus formula of staying around and taking advantage of other players mistakes (Chad Campbell & Kenny Perry). When the dust settled, Cabrera had the second major title of his career. Ironically, Cabrera, not known as a "great" putter, has won his majors at Augusta National and Oakmont, not exactly easy places to the roll the rock.

Is it conceivable to think that an Anthony Kim, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy or even Michael Sim will discover the patience and game that is needed to notch their first major championship win? How about Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood or Charl Schwartzel from the other side of the pond making a splash for four days in Georgia? It's funny how no one really talks about Sergio Garcia in regards to the majors anymore. Certainly if Garcia, one of the best from tee to green, can find some magic with his flat stick he could sneak in and finally claim the major that everyone thought he would have had already.

Over the opening two rounds of the Masters there will be names and stories up and down the leaderboard that will delight those on the property and those watching wherever, but the 800-pound gorilla in the room will of course be, Tiger Woods.

From the press conference on Monday, April 5th to the opening tee shot on Thursday with whomever he's paired with (my educated guess is Fred Couples and Steve Stricker) to his play on the weekend (what, you think he's going to miss the cut?) to his final hole out on Sunday, regardless of who the winner is, the 2010 Masters, for better or worse, will be remembered as the Major Championship that Tiger came back at. And if he's in contention over four days, or even over the weekend, the ratings, the attention, the buzz will be off the charts. This could and most likely will be one for the ages.

So with all that written, who do I like? I like the young guns, McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa, Dustin Johnson, Alvaro Quiros, Schwartzel, Kaymer and others to have their Masters moments. I like Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson, Geoff Ogilvy, Tim Clark, Ben Curtis, and Garcia to contend. I like Westwood, Mickelson, Cabrera, Stricker and Els to be among the elite at the top of the leaderboard. I like Tiger Woods to win it all. He wasn't going to come back until he was ready. Working with Hank Haney (who had to be thankfully dragged away from Ray Romano) in preparation shows that he's not just there to get the 2010 season started, he's putting the band back together and it's time to hit the road.

Your personal life, no matter how off the hosel it is, is your personal life, but this, this is business and no one has proven to be better at taking care of business on the golf course over his career than Tiger Woods.

Garbedian on Golf: Are You Sure

Are you sure that Tiger Woods has not played so far on the PGA TOUR in 2010. No matter what golf website I go (and some will include this one as well), there is a new Tiger "story".

The latest two focus on a "new" mistress, the Joslyn James Texts from Tiger and the latest, Tiger sneaking out of town to play 36-a-day at Augusta National in his ramp up towards the 2010 Masters.

Enough already, get on with it, play some golf, let's see what you got and maybe what you don't. I know that you've won 14 majors and now have 15 reported mistresses and with the Major Championship line-up the way it is stacked you have a very definite shot at evening that up.

This whole whirlwind of Ari's in, no he's not, first the 15 minutes from the TPC to apologize to a close group of friends and business associates which comes on the Friday of the Accenture Match Play, to the dueling five-minute "it's in the police report" (note: it's NOT in the police report, that's why the question was asked) one-on-ones with The Golf Channel (Kelly Tilghman is NOT going to pummel him hard and inside with fastballs) and ESPN, which ended up taking air time from Jim Furyk's victory at the Transitions Championship.

Now we have word that there will be something that everyone wanted from the start. Tiger Woods will meet the media at Augusta National at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday, April 5. For the first time since this whole crazy mess began with an SUV accident in November at Isleworth Tiger is going to be seated before the golfing press and say what?

Nothing.

He hasn't said anything so far and I doubt that he is going to say anything now. If you've seen the Feb. 19th video and the two five-minute shorts, it is obvious he has no intention of saying much of anything. What can he say?

For example, if I was there asked, "Tiger, two questions here, first, what happened on the night of November 27th that left you lying in the street, away from your vehicle that had run down an innocent fire hydrant and attempted to move a tree? Second, it's not in the police report, so what really did happen?

He's not going to answer that. He's also not going to answer about his treatment (sexual, vicodin, ambien, etc), past, present or future since it is considered by the Woods camp as an on-going matter. He's not going to talk about the state of affairs with his wife, Elin, as that has already been labeled a "private matter".

Are you sure he's suddenly going to open up and tell everything that happened and answer every question? Nope, not a chance. So really, what is the point? The media center at Augusta National is only going to have golf people in there who cover the sport in some way, shape or form. Do you think that for a minute anyone would risk being blocked out from the Woods camp in the near or distant future, regardless of how little a chance anyone actually has gaining private or even semi-private access to Woods?

I'm a fan of Tiger Woods the golfer. I'm disappointed in all that has transpired simply because he has shown himself to be something far different that what he actually is. He lied to his family, his sponsors, the TOUR and he needs to make things right with each of those groups. He doesn't owe me anything. I don't care about the details, sordid though they be. I care about the golf. Get on with it already, enough with the games, the non-pressers, the five-minute shorts, the rules, the entourage, and the manipulation and massaging of the story, because if the golf isn't great I won't care about that either.

Garbedian on Golf: It's About Nothing

One thing is crystal clear, Tiger Woods is NEVER, EVER going to talk about the night of November 27th and what caused him to be in shorts, t-shirt and no shoes playing bumper cars with his Isleworth neighborhood in his Cadillac Escalade.

And the other thing he is NEVER, EVER going to speak of is what he is doing in rehab. Is it prescription medication? Is it sex rehab? Is it a combination of the two? Doesn't matter, he's not going to speak of it and the facility certainly isn't going to speak of it.

Still, it appears to be the same controlling Tiger as it has been from the start. Tom Rinaldi from ESPN and Kelly Tilghman from the Golf Channel were each granted separate five-minute face-to-face one on ones with the World Number One golfer and basically got nothing. Did you think that Tiger would spill the beans with either of these two?

If you haven't seen either of the two "interviews" then you should, but I believe what you'll come away with is that the two are basically the same. Some pushy questions that weren't going to get answered. But, here are some of the highlights.

Tilghman did a great job out of the gate framing the first question to ask how things got "so out of control" and Tiger answered that he quit meditating (did we know that Tiger meditated? No, that's part of what makes this answer so sweet. By pretending to reveal a little bit of what we did not know previously, it seems that we are being let into the "private" side of Tiger''s life. We're not. Only Tiger knows if he was meditating and even if he did stop, what has that got to do with anything?) and he quit being a Buddhist (again, has nothing to do with the answering of the question but supposedly gives you an inside glimpse into Tiger's private life, one he doesn't want to talk about now).

In going over the transcripts again and again it's obvious that Ari Fleisher has done a great job in prepping Tiger for not only the questions, but the follow-ups and most importantly, the answers that Tiger gives.

For example when Tilghman asks, "How did you crash the car?"

Tiger responds with, "I wasn't going very fast, but unfortunately, I hit a few things."

Answers the question without answering the question. Brilliant.

I like Kelly Tilghman, she's a pro, prepares well. I don't think the whole thing with her in the tower always works, but she is very good in studio, knows the game and does her homework.

I say this because she brought up to Tiger the issue of what Earl Woods would have said to his son about his "transgressions". It was a good place to go. Tiger is NOT going to talk about his treatment plan, where he will be undergoing therapy or who his medical professionals are. Going back to "Pops" was a brilliant theme, especially when limited to a 5-minute interview.

When ESPN's Tom Rinaldi opened up his 5-minute session with Tiger he began with a great question about what the difference was between the man who left Augusta last year and the one who is about to return.

And then the questions about the night of November 27, which Tiger better get used to hearing, because it seems that everyone is going to ask.

Rinaldi went very personal. Asked Tiger about the accident, what caused it, talked about the "depth" of Tiger's infidelity.

He did ask about what Tiger was in treatment for and on all of these questions Tiger answered with the "private matter" clause.

While Tilghman went with the Dad angle, Rinaldi went with the marriage and wife tack and got some decent yet not surprising answers.

Overall, it seems the same. There will be NO new information from the Woods camp on the last four months and once the golf begins, any conversation that is not about golf is going to be answered, or will be answered with the "private matter" defense.

I guess my question would be, "When are we going to see the changed Tiger Woods? The one who addressed an intimate gathering of "close friends and associates" on Friday, February 19th from the TPC Sawgrass to tell us that he's a changed man. The one who told Kelly Tilghman in response to one of her questions that he's "trying to become a better person each and every day."

I don't see it. I'm not in the inner circle, don't need to be. After each of the interviews I almost half-expected to see a slate come up with "This has been an Ari Fleisher production" tag on the back end.

There is no emotion, there is no depth. I don't need to know all the details, I don't need to see the guy crying, but it still looks so robotic, so scripted. I mean, even the setting. Standing there, toe-to-toe, don't like the question, I can turn and dash out of there. When asked about the car crash on November 27 the response was, "It's all in the police report", yet there are few people that I've spoken with who believe that it IS all in the police report. I'd like to ask the police if they are satisfied with all the answers they did or did not get at the scene and afterwords about the crash.

It just still seems so controlled to me and if it does now, imagine what it will feel like at Augusta National. This isn't going to be a Golfing Celebration that Tiger is back, it's going to feel very squeezed, very tense.

And if you think that the questions that were asked on a Sunday afternoon in March left you wanting, wait until Masters Week, when we get to see if Tiger really is a changed man on the golf course and if that's a good thing.

Garbedian on Golf: Finally

So now we know. Tiger Woods will be teeing it up for the first time in 2010 at Augusta National at The Masters.

Ironically, I wrote something last night which won't get published given the circumstances of today and in making some calls, texting a few people and trading emails, one of the issues I discovered with Tiger making his debut at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, was the fact that the grounds are not nearly as secured as they are at Augusta National.

It would have been relatively easy for TMZ or the National Enquirer, or you and me for that matter to find a house on the course, pay an outlandish amount of money, rent it and then give Tiger a really hard time from behind the ropes. That won't be the case at Augusta National. First, no housing. Oh yes there are cottages on the property but they aren't for rent during Masters week and will be used for other things during the tournament.

Still, Tiger coming back at Augusta leaves the door open for the question of how many events he'll play in for the rest of the season. Tiger historically since the turn of 2000 averaged only 17 starts per year. Right now in 2010 he has already missed three events that he normally plays in (Torrey Pines, WGC Accenture & WGC CA Doral) and with today's announcement, he will miss a fourth, Bay Hill. The easy math shows that what's left for Tiger to play in and what he "normally" plays in are the following:

1. The Masters (April 8-11)
2. Quail Hollow Championship (April 29-May 4)
3. The Players (May 6-9)
4. The Memorial (June 3-6)
5. US Open (June 17-20)
6. AT & T National (July 1-4)
7. British Open (July 15-18)
8. WGC Bridgestone (August 5-8)
9. PGA Championship (August 12-15)
10. The Barclays (August 26-29)
11. Deutsche Bank Championship (September 3-6)
12. BMW Championship (September 9-12)
13. The Tour Championship (September 23-26)

The total comes to 13 events, two short of the TOUR minimum requirement. Now in a conversation I just had with a PGA TOUR official the only thing that would affect Tiger in not playing the TOUR minimum of 15 events are; he cannot vote on Player of the Year and the PGA TOUR would have to sign off on a conflicting non-PGA TOUR event if Tiger wanted to play in it.

So Tiger will begin his 2010 season in Augusta, Georgia at The Masters. The broadcast loser in all this is The Golf Channel. They would have had Tiger right in their own backyard at both the Tavistock Cup, which they are broadcasting, and at Bay Hill for Arnie's event, which they have the first and second round broadcast rights for. Now, they will have a lot of speculation and opinion on Tiger's present and future from a whole host of able bodies both on the set and in the field. The broadcast winner in all this is ESPN and CBS. ESPN has first and second round coverage, coming on the air at 4:00 p.m. Eastern both Thursday and Friday, April 8th and 9th. CBS has third and fourth round coverage over the weekend and what a weekend it will be if Tiger is in the mix.

So the bottom line in regards to competitive golf is that it's Tiger's World and the rest us, including the TOUR, the sponsors, the events, the fields, well, we're all living in it and the first rotation of 2010 begins at Augusta National.

Garbedian on Golf: TIGER TIGER TIGER

Anyone notice that there is a PGA TOUR season going on out there? Ernie Els wins down in Miami at Doral in a WGC event and on the same weekend finishing a day later on Monday due to weather issue, PGA TOUR rookie Derek Lamely claims the TOUR stop in Puerto Rico and yet some how, some way, the talk always circles back to when Tiger Woods will return to the TOUR.

I've seen and heard it from Brandel Chamblee on The Golf Channel, Andy North on ESPN, Steve Stricker is quoted on a website, as is PGA TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem. One thing is for certain, the anticipation only grows minute by minute, day by day.

Friday, March 19th prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern is the deadline for Tiger to commit to the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. However, if Tiger doesn't commit to Arnie's event, he still could stroll to the tee at the Tavistock Cup on Monday since it is not an official event and he doesn't have to tell anyone that he's either playing or not playing in the event.

Same is true for The Masters. Tiger doesn't have to commit to The Masters. He could literally show up on Thursday prior to his tee time, take a few swipes on the range to loosen up, stroke a few putts and then head to the first tee for his tee time. There is no pre-registration for The Masters as the PGA TOUR requires for its events.

So once again Tiger controls the action. If he plans on playing sooner rather than later, he can do so at Tavistock on Monday without having to say a thing and then do the same thing at Augusta, but that doesn't mean that he's coming back. And if he is coming back at The Masters, what then for the rest of his 2010 PGA TOUR season? When and where will he play? Will he only play in the four majors? Will he play a "full" schedule, which for Tiger would be roughly 17 events? And if he does play 17 events, which 17 events will they be? He's already missed two WGC events, one in Arizona, where he actually made an appearance by scheduling his non-press-conference-press-conference during Friday morning action of the Match Play, then most recently at an event where he has great success, in Miami at Doral. With those two, plus Torrey Pines off the books, where will Tiger "make up" or "add" three events?

If Tiger does play at Augusta and that is the first of an "average" season for Tiger, the rest could look like this (in seasonal order):

The Masters (April 8-11), Quail Hollow (April 29-May 2), The Players (May 6-9), The Memorial (June 3-6), US Open (June 17-20), AT&T National (July 1-4), British Open (July 15-18), World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational (August 5-8), PGA Championship (August 12-18). That would conclude the regular season with nine (9) regular season events and then toss in the four (4) playoff events at The Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship and the TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, that brings the total to 13 events, two shy of the minimum the TOUR requires.

So then, who would get a surprise visit from the Number One Ranked Player in the World?

Well, if his season is to start, it would make more sense for it to start at Arnie's event for more than the obvious reason, he needs to add two tournaments to his total to get to the minimum of 15 events. With the AP event, its now 14. Still need one to make the grade and the lucky event just might be the HP Byron Nelson Championship, May 20-23. It's the perfect window of opportunity in that it sits a week after the Players and a week before the Memorial. Plus it has one of the all-time greats in the title of the event and it's an event where Tiger has won in the past (1997).

Now the big question is, and I've asked, is Tiger exempt from the 15-event rule? I'm still waiting for an answer, but on the PGA TOUR you get a two-year exemption for your first win in a season and then should you be fortunate enough to win another event in the same season you receive an additional year for each win. So when Tiger, for example, wins six times, as he did in 2009 that would add up to seven years of exemptions. And that would be for just the 2009 season meaning he is exempt, again using just the 2009 season, through the 2016 season.

Now, Tiger has 71 PGA TOUR titles along with 14 major championships. The 6 wins he earned in 2009 are more than some players have in a lifetime of playing on TOUR. Is it realistic to think that the TOUR would keep Tiger on the sidelines for not playing in enough events in a calendar year, especially after going out of their way to make TPC Sawgrass available for the non-presser presser in February? Especially since they NEED him to start swinging the sticks and moving the needle once again.

The only person that can control this non-information that is coming out day by day is Tiger Woods. Ironic that for the TOUR'S two winners this week, Ernie's schedule doesn't change all that much and for being a first time winner on TOUR, Derek Lamely's fuzzy schedule has come fully into focus with more big-name events and opportunities to take advantage of.

But for now, as great a story as The Big Easy coming through at the CA Championship at Doral to break a two-year victory drought, or Derek Lamely coming from behind in Puerto Rico to register his first PGA TOUR win, the 800-pound gorilla in the room is still when and where is the World's Number One going to tee it up and get this show on the road?

When indeed.

Garbedian on Golf: Tee Time

Amazing to think that there is a PGA TOUR season going on, because as I watch the action and follow the touring professionals, I still wait to hear the latest on when Tiger Woods will return to competitive golf.

And the latest is that not only is Tiger Woods back on the range at Isleworth knocking off the rust and working on his swing, but he is doing it with Hank Haney now on the lawn with him.

I'm all for finding yourself, getting yourself back together, figuring it all out, but at some point you've got to move on with your life and get back to your "job". And for Tiger that "job" is playing championship golf on the PGA TOUR and in the four Major Championships.

Every one of us has issues that we are dealing with and yet we still have to go to the salt mine and head down the shaft. There are bills to pay, commitments to keep, things to do that have to get done. I don't know that any of us have the cushion of millions of dollars in the bank and a spot in our industry to come back to if we wanted or needed to take some time away to figure our issues out.

There has been speculation on when and where Tiger will return to competitive action. My belief has always been a week long golf fest that features the Tavistock Cup, Monday and Tuesday, March 22-23, followed by the Arnold Palmer Invitational beginning on Thursday, March 25th.

Tavistock is really just a glorified, put on a pedestal, club championship between the ultra gated communities of Isleworth and Lake Nona. But the fascinating component is that real PGA TOUR players reside at both clubs and so there can be some real fireworks on the course. Of course, for Tiger to play in this event, it would signal that he is more than close to form and that the 2010 season is about to get a boost of its own.

But Tavistock doesn't count, from an official standpoint. It will be nice to get some swings in a tournament setting, have a little friendly competition going on and see what exactly, if anything, Tiger has lost during these last few months.

The real test will be at Arnie's event, but for that to be a factor, the date that you're looking out for is Friday, March 19, 2010. Tiger will have to commit to Arnie's event no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern on March 19th to be included in the field. Once the PGA TOUR publishes the field list, we'll know if Tavistock is in play and much more importantly, if Tiger is back in play for the rest of the PGA TOUR season.

Keep in mind, Tiger doesn't play a whole lot of events in a PGA TOUR "season". For example, over the last ten years, from 2000-2009, Tiger averaged playing in 16.9 events per year on TOUR and over that same ten year stretch, Tiger also averaged 6.4 wins per season. On the 2010 schedule, if Tiger does commit to playing in the Arnold Palmer Invitation presented by MasterCard, Tiger will have 24 regular season events remaining in his year, along with four PGA TOUR Playoff events and, just for kicks, five Fall Series events. So realistically, Tiger has 28 regular season and Playoff events remaining in 2010, more than enough to make a statement (with probably more depth than his non-presser in Orlando last month). A bigger statement from Tiger will be if he commits to an event or events that he traditionally has not played in the past. Part of honoring the part of his non-presser where he stated he need to be more respectful towards the game.

Sidebar: You know it was funny, I was listening to Sirius/XM in the car and they had a promo running for 60/20 sports with James Carville and Luke Russert and Russert asks Carville his reaction to the February 19th Woods non-presser and Carville responds with a "who cares, he didn't commit a crime, you have one skill, play golf, for pete sakes, go out and do it already..."

Funny thing is, in the state of Florida, Adultery is a crime and is considered a second degree misdemeanor, so Carville is incorrect in his statement in regards to Tiger committing a crime. Tiger did commit a crime and it is punishable for up to 60 days in jail, where I'm pretty sure they don't have a golf range or Hank Haney hanging around.

Sidebar: Speaking of Haney, the new Haney Project with Ray Romano is certainly much different from the previous incarnation with Charles Barkley. With Romano we get to see more of what it would be like to actually work with Haney for an extended period of time. There wasn't much of that with Sir Charles. The other thing that is of note is that Ray Romano is a head case. This is one of the best instructors in the world at his craft, why would you question him? In the most recent episode, I agree with Haney when he said that improving your game will take as long as you think it will take. If you believe that you can incorporate what the strategy is quickly, you will, and if you don't you won't. The power of the mind is such a wonderful thing.

So the next due date on the calendar, regardless of the press clippings, quotes and sightings in regards to Tiger will be Friday, March 19, 2010 by 5:00 p.m. Eastern. If Tiger is in on Arnie's event, we'll all know it then.

In the mean time, if you haven't already, start stretching and getting loose as with the warm temps outside the season cannot be long behind.

Garbedian on Golf: What we Know, What we Don't

So the latest reported news is that Tiger Woods is back from a week long rehab stint in Arizona and has begun his workout and fitness regimen as well as starting to hit golf balls.

What does this mean for the world of golf? Well, for starters it means that Woods is closer to returning than we may have been led to believe when we last saw the Striped One. That would have been at the Non-Press-Conference-Presser held at the TPC Sawgrass on Friday, February 19th.

At that time during the Non-Presser, Woods stated that he hoped to return to golf and he would not rule out sometime during this year. It is the Chinese year of the Tiger on the calendar and it is the Majors year of the Tiger on the calendar as well.

If Tiger Woods was ever going to make an assault on the 18 Major Championships that Jack Nicklaus has, this would certainly be a key period of time as three of the four majors are venues that Tiger has dominated.

Knowing Augusta National, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews as well as Tiger does gives him an advantage as he's won at all three venues. The wild card in the deck is Whistling Straits. How amazing would it be to not only have Tiger come back, but have him come back to Wisconsin, where his professional career began in 1996, and have him not only win at Whistling Straits, but to have him tie Jack Nicklaus with 18 majors AND win the Grand Slam. What would that do for his legacy? How far in the mirror would that put his "transgressions".

Now I know that chances of any of the above are very slim, but face it, with Tiger, he is the only one where you think of these things and ponder, even for a second, that it could happen.

Certainly Tiger's handlers, the same folks that you brought you the Non-Presser, have made Tiger aware of two very key points. One, he is the World's Number One Golfer and as such, he needs to play. Two, once he is playing, the more events he is in, the further the conversation will be drawn away from what happened in November of 2009 (see how long ago that sounds already?).

The timing is set for playing in the Tavistock Cup, the ultra club battle between Lake Nona and Isleworth, on March 22-23 (to be televised by The Golf Channel in what will most likely be their most watch programming ever). Follow that up by the debut of Tiger Woods on the PGA TOUR at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard on March 25-28th (the most watched Non-Major ever).

But the real key date is Friday, March 19th. Woods would have to commit to the API by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, March 19th to play in Arnie's event. Which only makes sense. Bay Hill is right down the street from Isleworth. It's Arnie's place and really is anyone going to mess with the King's event? So from that standpoint, Stevie Williams should have little to do in the way of threatening anyone who doesn't like what his man has done in the past and who wants to voice their displeasure at close range.

So once again in 2010 it could be Tiger Woods using a Friday during a PGA TOUR Event (Transitions Championship) to potentially upstage the TOUR and turn the focus right back on him and with it, on the game of golf.

IN THE MEAN TIME

A reminder that this weekend, March 5-7 is the Journal Sentinel Golf Show at State Fair Park. I will be broadcasting LIVE from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on ESPN Wisconsin (AM 540) but you have the chance and are in the building, by all means, please stop by and say Hi.

Garbedian on Golf begins it's sixth season Sunday, April 4th and will run for 26 weeks every Sunday morning from 7-9 a.m. on ESPN Wisconsin (AM 540). Garbedian on Golf is brought to you by The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Mike Juneau's Brookfield Buick GMC and the Wisconsin State Golf Association.

Looking forward to seeing you there and getting the golf season underway.