The 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard

[Rick Martin]

This was Tiger's reply to Rory: "He told me to get my finger out of my ass and win this week.

HUMBLE, Texas (AP) Rory McIlroy sent a text message to Tiger Woods on Tuesday, congratulating him on winning at Bay Hill and taking over the No. 1 world ranking again.

Woods responded by telling McIlroy to get going and win this week's Houston Open. A victory would put McIlroy back at No. 1, a spot he held for 32 weeks before Woods' latest win.

McIlroy says losing the top ranking allows him to focus on his game. He's had a rough start to the year, with the low point coming when he walked off the course at the Honda Classic. He wants to build on the 65 he shot in the final round at Doral and says "everything's great" with his new clubs. McIlroy signed with Nike in the offseason.

Golfworld/GolfDigest

---------- Doesn't seem like it, but that's as close as I've ever seen TW give another player a compliment. Guess since they both work for Phil Knight, he felt he needed to give Rory some encouragement.

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by sacm3bill

I thought the same thing, but now it occurs to me - lots of the footage is delayed by a bit (you know how they're always saying "and just a moment ago, at #8..." when they cut to a different golfer)...  So I wonder if they already knew he had hit the ball in the water when they made that comment and put the graphic up. (They clearly had the graphic ready, so I'm sure they'd been monitoring the possibility or actuality of a double by Fowler all day.)

What made me suspect this is they just cut to a shot in the Tavistock Cup where the announcer comments, "His caddy just said 'It'll definitely get there'..."  just prior to the golfer then hitting his tee shot and the camera tracking the ball as it comes up short in the water. That was clearly a case of the announcer knowing it was going to go in the water.

So maybe not a jinx, just good TV editing. (Either way, sucks for Fowler keeping that streak alive with only 3 holes to go.)

hrmm, never thought of it from that angle but makes sense.

several people said he choked earlier in the thread.  i don't think that was a choke at all, it was probably his slightest mishit all day in terms of where it struck on the club.  the angle was spot on.  it's just unfortunate there was water there in front of the green; in fact if water wasn't there he would have still had a likely birdie.  he had at least 7-8 other approach shots in the round that were far worse misses, though he was able to save par on them because they didn't end up quite as catastrophic a place as the water.  i think all around he played well...unfortunately the turn of events on that hole made it look worse than it really was.

though really even if he made the eagle, you have to assume TW was going to make the birdie anyway which wold have still put Fowler one behind.  so even in a best case scenario i only think Fowler was going to finish in solo 2nd...T3 and +1 for the round is not that bad even with the triple.

[schigara]

Originally Posted by Paradox

the whole athletes cursing thing is funny to me.  Media, TV, fans all want mics stuck to every athlete all the time so they can feel like an "insider" but they don't seem to stop and think about what they might end up hearing.  Athletes are people, and people get frustrated in the heat of the moment when passion is very high.  I could care less about it and think anyone whining should be shot down quickly.  If its not in a direct interview(excluding something like NASCAR) then it shouldn't be an issue, ever.

Thank you.  Anyone who is offended by words needs to grow a backbone.

"There are no bad words. There are bad feelings and bad intentions but the words, themselves are neutral."  ~George Carlin~

[Zeph]

You can call it what you want. Rickie hit two balls in the water either way.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Stretch

Ha!

[Deryck Griffith]

I think Ricky played great alongside Tiger yesterday.  I actually take what happened on 16 with a glass half full approach.  He knew he needed to birdie (there was a HIGH chance Tiger was going to) and he went flag hunting and missed his target by a smallish margin which tells me he was going for the win against Tiger and I give him credit for that.  Shows the young guy has guts and I appreciate that as a fan.  I am sure Ricky took a lot from yesterday which will benefit him in the future.  For these young guys, it's a process in learning how to win.  Not everyone can be Tiger Woods.  Most have to fail, and sometimes fail huge to learn what they need to learn in order to succeed in the future.

The second shot to me was moot...he knew his chance was gone after the first ball in the water and his focus was clearly gone on that second shot.

[14ledo81]

Originally Posted by schigara

Thank you.  Anyone who is offended by words needs to grow a backbone.

Well, if my children were nearby and someone was swearing (in a public place), I would grow a backbone and ask them to stop.

[Dave2512]

With all the obscenity on TV and in the media, reality shows, news, you name it, I don't think it's possible to shield children from it. Not saying it shouldn't be a concern but Tiger is the least of our worries when it comes to that. Simply looking at google images for a science project would likely turn up some explicit porn. To say nothing of what kids hear from other kids at school. A few well known "salty" words during a golf tournament pale in comparison. For better or worse we've become desensitized as a society. I'm not shocked or offended to hear someone drop an f-bomb in public.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

Well, if my children were nearby and someone was swearing (in a public place), I would grow a backbone and ask them to stop.

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by Dave2512

With all the obscenity on TV and in the media, reality shows, news, you name it, I don't think it's possible to shield children from it.

though really, how many children do you think are watching golf on TV?

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

Well, if my children were nearby and someone was swearing (in a public place), I would grow a backbone and ask them to stop.

i had a guy do that to me at a world series game.  i thought jeez, if you are that offended maybe you should have thought twice before taking a kid to a drinking event.

Originally Posted by Deryck Griffith

The second shot to me was moot...he knew his chance was gone after the first ball in the water and his focus was clearly gone on that second shot.

he could have saved par and taken a tie for 2nd, more $$.

[Deryck Griffith]

Originally Posted by tuffluck

he could have saved par and taken a tie for 2nd, more $$.

That's the problem with golf.  I think Ricky legitimately wanted to win and felt he had a realistic chance....so much so that he was distraught enough to lose focus on the second shot.  I commend him for that

We need more people on the PGA Tour striving with all they've got to win vs. playing "just good enough" to cash checks.

[tuffluck]

Originally Posted by Deryck Griffith

That's the problem with golf.  I think Ricky legitimately wanted to win and felt he had a realistic chance....so much so that he was distraught enough to lose focus on the second shot.  I commend him for that

We need more people on the PGA Tour striving with all they've got to win vs. playing "just good enough" to cash checks.

true, he was playing to win for sure.  but no matter his intentions before that shot, he needed to regroup and could have likely saved the T2 or at least solo 3.  he just couldn't regain that focus.

quite honestly if it was me i probably would have hit the third ball in the water too i would have been so upset at that point.

[Rick Martin]

Re: obscenities.

When did golf lose its label as being the gentleman's game?

Got to learn self control - no throwing clubs, yelling GD-this, and MF-that, and flipping off spectators.

This isn't the NFL, NBA, MLB.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Rick Martin

Re: obscenities.

When did golf lose its label as being the gentleman's game?

Got to learn self control - no throwing clubs, yelling GD-this, and MF-that, and flipping off spectators.

This isn't the NFL, NBA, MLB.

I'm guessing when they started having hundred-thousands of dollars and now million dollar purses as a professional sport.

Yes, golf should still be a gentleman's game in that we display proper adherence to the rules and integrity.  However, I do not long for the days of yesteryear when it was a "gentleman's game" meaning that only the rich, privileged aristocrats or elites played it and they wore suits/ties on the course.  It is now a million dollar sport that is played by highly competitive people ( of all backgrounds and personalities ) trying to make millions of dollars.  I believe, quite simply, that the stakes involved have a huge impact on the emotions that go into playing the game.

[Dave H]

Ha, yeah, good point. At this point last year we thought Tiger was back, but we remember how he performed at the Masters. I personally don't think he is performing well enough to win the Masters, but I'll still be supporting him.

If Tiger is not playing well enough to win, then who could possibly win? This just in: TW has won 3 times so far this year and it's still March.

[14ledo81]

though really, how many children do you think are watching golf on TV? i had a guy do that to me at a world series game.  i thought jeez, if you are that offended maybe you should have thought twice before taking a kid to a drinking event. he could have saved par and taken a tie for 2nd, more $$.

Are you telling me that if I don't want my children listening to vulgar language (in public), I can't take them to a baseball game? Because its a "drinking event"?

[walk18]

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

Are you telling me that if I don't want my children listening to vulgar language (in public), I can't take them to a baseball game? Because its a "drinking event"?

How long are you going to try to shield him from the real world? Just teach him to act better than the person swearing. You can't go around trying to control how others speak.

[Rick Martin]

so now NIKE wants to rub our noses in TW's success - implying that by winning, all previous indiscretions, misbehaviors will be forgotten?