Tiger Woods, Tony Romo stuff USO care packages for the troops

Before teeing off for the AT&T National pro-am on Wednesday, Tiger Woods and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo stopped to stuff care packages for the troops overseas.

Woods, who's father, Earl, was in the military, has made honoring servicemen and women an important part of his tournament, which is hosted near the nation's capital. Lockheed Martin, who sponsored the USO Care Package effort, also is hosting 30,000 military and family members during the event.

"Having the service men and women out there makes for such a special week," Woods said. "We should all say thank you to them personally and shake hands and be very appreciative what they do in putting their lives on their line to all of us."

During the tournament, golfers, volunteers and spectators will also be able to contribute to the cause by stuffing care packages in a tent near the third green. USO care packages typically contain items like shampoo, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, wet wipes, playing cards, non-perishable snacks, drinks and a personal message of support.

“Tiger Woods’ recognition of troops’ service and sacrifice is important, and we are proud to help the AT&T National bring morale-boosting activities to local service members, and more essential support to those stationed overseas," said Sloan Gibson, USO president.

If you are interested in sponsoring a care package ($25), you can do so at uso.org.

(Photo: DVids)

Vijay Singh drops Stanford logos at AT&T National

Vijay Singh has been spotted at this week's AT&T National without the logos of Stanford Financial, according to CNBC's Darren Rovell.

Singh had been wearing the logos on his shirt and visor as recently as last week at the Travelers Championship despite the accusations that Allen Stanford ran an $8 billion ponzi scheme. Stanford has pleaded not guilty to a 21-count indictment.

Last week, Singh made headlines when he offered to help pay Stanford's bond, but federal rules would not allow it since Singh is not a U.S. citizen.

Tiger Woods: Michael Jackson was greatest entertainer ever

Tiger Woods was born in California and lives in Florida, but he decided to hold his PGA Tour tournament — this week’s AT&T National — in Washington, D.C. At the tournament press conference, he was asked about the PGA Tour’s new groove-rule change, the local hubbub over his pro-am partner, Dallas QB Tony Romo, and his missed putts at the U.S. Open at Bethpage. Normal questions for Woods the professional golfer.

But whether you're turning on the radio or walking down the street, you can't escape news of Michael Jackson’s death this week. And so it was Tuesday as Woods talked about Jackson’s death and his impact as an entertainer.

A reporter asked, “Tiger, few people have ever achieved worldwide recognition to the extent of you. Michael Jackson, I probably would put in that category. Were you a Michael Jackson fan and any thoughts on his passing so young?”

Woods responded the same way most 33-year-olds who grew up in the United States would. Because before he was a multimillionaire, a champion and a worldwide celebrity, he was just another kid in suburban Los Angeles who watched MTV.

“I think everyone here was a Michael Jackson fan. One of, probably if not the greatest entertainer that's ever lived,” Woods said. “I think -- I know my entire generation was influenced by his music, and you know, just the entertainer and just the songs, we listened to them -- whatever. It was always happy. You always wanted to listen to his songs.

Seeking fans of the new David Duval

Dear Readers, gentle and otherwise:

I'm writing about David Duval for our Golf Plus British Open preview issue, and I'd love to hear from a particular group of David Duval fans: those of you who didn't much care for Duval when he was the best player in the world, or close to it, yet found yourself rooting for him at the U.S. Open at Bethpage. What changed? Please leave your comments below and let me know whether I can quote you in the story.

Thanks,
Michael Bamberger, Sports Illustrated

On Twitter, PGA Tour and LPGA golfers react to death of Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's death brought down Twitter yesterday, so we did a little digging to see if any of the golf world's avid Tweeters had anything to say about his passing. Almost as soon as the news broke, several players posted their thoughts and reactions. A sampling is below.

Stewart Cink: My favorite Michael Jackson moment came when @lisacink and her five best friends did the whole Thriller dance at our benefit party in March.

Suzann Pettersen: It is hard to pick one favorite song from the king of pop. just so many good ones... love em all. This is surreal!

Trevor Immelman: Man, real sad news about MJ. He was a true legend. Thriller album still stands as one of the best ever.

Annika Sorenstam: SAD day. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. Hope the two global icons rest in peace. Thoughts with their families.

Yani Tseng: Michael Jackson died?! Awwww,that is saaaaad and im shocked !!!

Michelle Wie: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett passed away today?!?!??!?!?! what a sadddd sadd day. may you both rest in peace.

Morgan Pressel: I guess everyone else just found out too...Michael Jackson died?? Not quite sure why I'm so shocked but I am...

Ian Poulter: tragic news about Michael Jackson, what a pop legend. such a shame to see him pass so early. may you rest in peace Michael.

Christina Kim: R.I.P. Michael Jackson. You were a musical icon, a genius in your own right. You inspired millions and changed the world. Youl be missed.

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Jimmy Fallon schools Tiger Woods in Times Square video game showdown

It wasn't exactly the Beatles on top of the Apple building, but Tiger Woods slowed double-decker tourist buses, clogged sidewalks and had giddy New Yorkers stepping out into city traffic to snap cell-phone pictures when he played three holes of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010 against Late Show host Jimmy Fallon Thursday morning in Times Square.

The showdown, a promotional stunt to hype the newly released video game, will appear on the Late Show tonight, which will also feature Woods as a guest. Tiger won't be excited to see it all over again. Dressed in his Sunday best (red shirt, black pants, etc.) Woods was literally beaten at his own game by Fallon.

The pair played the 10th, 11th and 14th holes at Bethpage, causing Tiger to remark early on that he didn't have high hopes since he hadn't played the course very well last weekend. Fallon started with bogey, but he had an excuse. A group of shocked tourists on the open upper level of a passing double-decker recognized Woods and began shouting during Fallon's backswing. With Woods looking at a par putt, all seemed bleak for the TV host until Tiger uncharacteristically four-jacked, handing the hole to Fallon.

As Woods was lining up his putt on the next hole, ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, who hosted along with Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman, asked, "The putting's a lot harder this year isn't it?" To which Woods quipped, "On the game or in real life?" As Tiger went on to three-putt, Van Pelt went all Johnny Miller on him, saying, "Dude, you suck." Earlier, Woods had given it to Van Pelt about coining the term "flopadopolis" in a recent Titleist commercial. "That's weak," Tiger pronounced.

Tiger's suffering didn't last long, as Fallon put his first shot on the par-three 14th on the front fringe, then drained an 83-footer for birdie. Tiger conceded the hole, answered a few questions from Van Pelt, thanked the crowd and then disappeared into a nearby building.

Photo: Evan Agostini/AP

Flyover videos of Bethpage Black from Tiger's new video game | Tiger Tracker

Report: 73-year-old man pulls gun in golf course confrontation over slow play

Edwin Dailey, a 73-year-old resident of Austin, Texas, is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a confrontation at Lions Municipal Golf Course in Austin.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, an arrest affidavit said that Dailey confronted three men on the ninth hole for playing too slowly. The argument continued during the round and into the parking lot, where Dailey took out a loaded, automatic handgun. "If I feel threatened, I am morally obligated to destroy you," he said, according to the affidavit. One member of the threesome, Matt Nader, is a student assistant coach for the Texas Longhorns football team.

Read the entire story at statesman.com.

Lucas Glover does Top 10 List on Letterman's show

The Press Tent is calling "repeat" on the No. 1 item on this list, but otherwise a great top 10 list.

Glover also brought the trophy and his wife up to the top of the Empire State Building.

(Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Tiger's niece, Cheyenne Woods, ready for LPGA debut

While we'll have to wait a few years for the pro debuts of Sam and Charlie Woods, another Woods will be making her first professional start this week at the Wegmans LPGA. Tiger's 18-year-old niece, Cheyenne, a freshman at Wake Forest, received a sponsor's exemption and will tee it up with a field that includes Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer and Natalie Gulbis.

In an interview with The Buffalo News, Woods said she doesn't feel any pressure being Tiger's neice.

"There is the expectation of 'Woods,'" the 18-year-old said. "I've grown up with it. I'm used to having the title and seeing the headlines read 'Tiger Woods' niece.' But I also want to make a name for myself."

It explains why her teammates don't hear the soft-spoken freshman even whisper the name of her uncle, even though her facial features, fist pump and golf swing all scream Tiger Woods.

Cheyenne is the daughter of Earl Woods Jr., who is the son of Tiger's father from a previous marriage. She decided on a career in golf after seeing her uncle win the Masters by 12 strokes in 1997. While Cheyenne didn't have as stellar an amateur career as Tiger, she was chosen the 2007 Arizona High School Golfer of the Year by the Arizona Republic, and at Wake Forest she qualified for every tournament as a freshman.

Golf Notes: Adam Scott and Ana Ivanovic?

... Word on the cart paths of Bethpage had it that Adam Scott has gone so flowing-mane-over-soft-spikes for Ana Ivanovic (right), the statuesque tennis player from Serbia who's ranked 12th  in the world, that he will skip Tiger Woods's AT&T National  to attend Wimbledon.

... Ian Poulter seems to be taking on Stewart Cink for the title of  golf's Twitter champ. On Sunday, Cink led in followers, 374,507 to  80,071, but Poulter earned points last week by taking on the USGA in 140 characters or less and  tweeting running commentary on the movie The Hangover, which he went to see during last Friday's rain delay.

... Stat of the week: three -- as in, only three of 109 U.S. Opens have finished on Monday because of weather (1926, '65 and 2009).

... The late finish meant that five players -- Retief Goosen, Todd Hamilton, Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas and Bubba Watson -- had to bail on the CVS Caremark Charity Classic, an unofficial annual  event in Rhode Island run by Billy Andrade and Brad Faxon. Luckily, CVS had a Band-Aid ready, bringing in Brad Adamonis, Matt Kuchar, David Toms, Brittany Lincicome and Laura Diaz.

...  Last week SI contributing writer Jack McCallum camped in an RV near Bethpage (follow his tale at golf.com/rv), where the most popular player was amateur Drew Weaver, who proved so genuine and personable that one campground family named their cat after him.  

(Photo: Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

Live Twitter Chat: David Dusek answers your U.S. Open questions

At 2:00 p.m. EST, Golf.com's deputy editor David Dusek will be live on twitter to answer any lingering U.S. Open questions you may have. Now that we've all had a day to think over Lucas Glover's win, Dusek will discuss if he'll win again and look forward to the rest of the season.

Send in a question early by replying @GOLFcom_Dusek on Twitter.

Live 2009 U.S. Open Coverage: Extended Monday Edition

Michael Walker Jr., Golf Magazine senior editor, live-blogged the final round of the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

Follow Walker's commentary in 140 characters or less on Twitter

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Drew Weaver earns new family of fans at U.S. Open

One of the most popular and engaging players at Bethpage Black this week was Drew Weaver, the Virginia Tech product with the compelling back story: He was only 100 yards away from entering Norris Hall on April 16, 2007, when a gunman opened fire inside. When one of the worst tragedies in American history was over, 33 people, including the gunman, were dead.

Weaver must've heard "Go Hokies!" a thousand times during his three rounds through Sunday and always waved his hand and smiled in acknowledgement. (After a sterling first-round 69, Weaver followed with rounds of 72 and 74, and was two strokes behind Nick Taylor in the battle for low amateur going into Monday's final round.)

Daniel Murdoch, the young volunteer whose family was profiled in my series from the Battle Row Campground, didn't know anything about Weaver's history. But he walked away from Bethpage with a new favorite golfer. Daniel had been Weaver's standard-bearer for his practice round last Wednesday, which meant the 16-year-old wasn't allowed to get Weaver's autograph. The following day, Daniel's father, Bill, also an Open volunteer, mentioned it to Weaver. 

"Sure, your son was Daniel," he said. "He's from Pennsylvania, right? We had a great time out there." Then he signed a cap.

"That young man must've met a hundred people that day, and he remembered my son's name and where he was from," said Bill. "That just impressed the heck out of me."

The Murdochs plan to extend the ultimate familial honor to Weaver. They name their cats after golfers -- Phil, Bubba, Rocco, Tiger and Arnie are already around their home in Everett, Pa. -- and two barn cats still need a moniker. "We were going to name them after this year's Open winner and runner-up," says Bill, "but now we have a Drew."

Live 2009 U.S. Open Coverage: Sunday Rain-Delayed Edition

GOLF Magazine's senior writer Cameron Morfit will be live blogging the late Sunday action at Bethpage Black. Alan Bastable and Connell Barrett blogged the earlier action. Join the conversation by leaving a comment below. 

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The People's Golf Writer: Breaking camp, and thinking of fathers and sons

Editors' Note: Jack McCallum will be spending the week in an RV, experiencing The People's Open with the people, and periodically sharing his adventures with us in Press Tent. See photos from McCallum's week in the RV.

OLD BETHPAGE, N.Y.—The wife of the People's Golf Writer showed up at Battle Row Campground this morning. She had hinted that she might drop in, as long as he didn't refer to it as a conjugal visit. So he's not going to do that.

But since it's Father's Day, and since one son is far away in North Carolina and the other is way, way, way too far away doing doctoral research in South Africa, she decided to make the two-and-a-half-hour drive from our Pennsylvania home. She even arrived bearing gifts—a dish of homemade meatballs and tomato sauce. Much better than a tie or a putter cover, neither of which I have much use for. Meatballs are another matter.

The People's Wife, if I may call Donna that, also brought along Rags, my son's overly friendly black mutt, for whom we are dog-sitting until said son gets home from Johannesburg. (That's them in the picture.) My guess is, the People's Wife will spend most of the day picking up dog hair, concerned about the next renters of the 32-foot RV in which I've been living.

Rags is a semi-celebrity, having appeared in Rachel Ray magazine as the March 2009 "Pup of the Month." How you get to be pup of the month, see, is to have a master who knows somebody at the magazine. During a walk this morning, I told Rags to drop his magazine-celebrity status to passing dogs, but they all seemed unimpressed.

Jim Furyk says U.S. Open rain delays are no big deal

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Rain delays have pushed the conclusion of the final round of the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage into Monday, but for veterans of the PGA Tour like Jim Furyk, it's just another week at the office.

"It's a rain delay. We deal with this 12, maybe 15 times a year," he said in the clubhouse. "Coming to the U.S. Open, we've got more media that doesn't cover golf here, so we get a lot of, 'Oh no! It's a rain delay. How do you deal with it?' The same way I have the other 11 times in the last 12 months."

Furyk says that he waits out rain delays by finding a group of guys who are relaxing somewhere in the clubhouse, swapping stories and telling jokes. He likes to slide out of his golf shoes and get off his feet, but his eyes are always looking out the windows and checking the skies.

"The whole key is to relax, but make sure you are prepared to go back out," he said. "Sometimes they'll tell you, 'We want you back on the course in 45 minutes. Go!' That's the hardest part — mentally flipping the switch back into competition mode."

The winner of the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields, Furyk shot 72-69 in the first two rounds in rainy, wet conditions at Bethpage. Yet he was far from frustrated or flustered. On the contrary, he seemed to be quietly relishing this event because it was morphing into a mental meat grinder.

"You know, when you are playing well, you don't mind playing in stuff like this," he said. "When you're playing bad, it makes it tougher. You can lose the rhythm of your round if you start and stop and start again. If you are playing well and they pull you off the course and say, 'Geez, I really had it going.' And when you are playing bad, its like, 'I'd love to get off the damn golf course the way I'm playing.' "

Even the prospect of the tournament being extended past Sunday doesn't faze this veteran of 14 previous U.S. Opens. "Going into Monday and Tuesday is more of a logistical nightmare than anything else for the players," he said. "You have to deal with making arrangements for your house or hotel, cars, things like that."

He may be treating it like just another week at the office, but Furyk and the rest of the field here at Bethpage had better be ready for overtime.

(Photo: John Biever/SI)

USGA's Mike Davis lays out plan to complete U.S. Open at Bethpage Black

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The U.S. Open is not going to finish on Sunday. After rain stopped Saturday evening's play and more rain fell overnight, the USGA pushed Sunday's restart time from 7:30 a.m. to noon.

Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of rules and competitions, said the USGA decided to delay Sunday's restart because of the possibility of another heavy shower this morning in the Farmingdale area.

"Why bring the players in when there is a very good chance that we'd have to pull them off again?" Davis said.

If the weather cooperates, the third round will be completed around 4:30 local time. Players will then be re-paired for the fourth round, which is expected to begin at 5:30, with groups starting from the first and 10th tees. Davis said the final group would tee off around 7:20.

The reason for the hour delay between rounds is logistical. "There is a 25-minute shuttle ride involved in getting the players to No. 10 tee," Davis said. "So we think it would be blatantly unfair to the player, immediately coming out of the scoring tent, to be told, 'Go run and get on the shuttle to make your next tee time.' "

If the skies remain overcast, which is expected, then the USGA hopes play can continue until about 7:55 or 8 p.m. If the sun comes out, play could continue until 8:15 or 8:20, according to Davis.

The fourth round will resume on Monday morning, but specific times have yet to be determined.

"If we start at 5:30 [Sunday], there's about six hours of golf per wave, you're realistically only going to get about two to two-and-a-half hours of golf in," Davis said. "That's going to leave you about three and a half hours to go to finish up round four [on Monday]. So we'll finish before noon tomorrow, assuming that we don't get thrown something from Mother Nature that we're not expecting."

If there is a tie after the fourth round and a playoff is needed, it would start Monday afternoon if USGA officials were confident it could be finished before dark. If rain causes more delays tomorrow, a playoff could be pushed to Tuesday.

"If we are somehow delayed again tomorrow, we've already made the decision that if it got later than 3:45 or 4:00, we wouldn't start a playoff," Davis said. "The last thing we want is a playoff where they have to come back to play just one or two holes. That's just not the competitive situation that we want."

Based on the forecasts, however, Davis feels confident a playoff could be started and completed Monday afternoon.

Davis noted that Bethpage Black is draining well, and that light rain is not the problem. "Believe it or not, this course can keep handling this, as long as we don't get the downpours. The water is seeping down because it is a sandy, loam soil. So that's the great part. Believe me, if we were at some U.S. Open venues right now and this were happening, I can't even begin to think about what we'd be doing."

No golf today? Sunday U.S. Open tickets good Monday, too

Thanks to the USGA's new ticketing policy, plans are already in place for a Sunday rainout. If less than 90 minutes of golf are played Sunday, fans with Sunday tickets can come back Monday. Here's the USGA's release from Sunday morning:

For play on Monday (conclusion of Round 4 and Playoff, if necessary), spectators holding Thursday or Monday tickets will be admitted to the course through the admission gates. 

If less than 90 minutes of golf are played today, Sunday tickets will also be honored on Monday.

On Monday, Thursday ticket holders who have lost or misplaced their Thursday ticket should report to one of the Will Call facilities located at Bethpage State Park.

For individuals who purchased their tickets by mail or online well in advance of the championship, Will Call will verify their purchase with available records.

Individuals who purchased tickets at the pre-championship on-site sale (June 11-14) will need to show their receipt at Will Call.

Father's Day memo to Sean O'Hair: Don't go, Daddy!

Sean O'Hair will begin play on Sunday six shots off the lead. His wife, Jackie, is due to give birth any minute to the couple's third child. Accordingly, O'Hair is carrying a beeper and says that if it goes off, thus notifying him that the blessed event is imminent, he will depart Bethpage forthwith. This follows the precedent of Phil Mickelson, who carried a beeper 10 years ago at Pinehurst. (It didn't go off before tournament's end.)

The advice I am about to give does not apply if there are any complications surrounding the birth. And, of course, O'Hair's issues with his father, Marc, are well known, and perhaps give him further incentive to do the right thing as a parent. But as a card-carrying father of 25 years, I say: Sean, if you have a chance to win the U.S. Open, stay right where you are and watch the birth on video after the tournament. 

Yes, it's great to be present for the birth of a child. But as millions of us males have discovered, the event would have proceeded without us! And for millions of others -- soldiers, for instance -- it did! (My own daughter was born on a Super Bowl weekend. Lucky for all of us she arrived on Saturday so I could watch the game with a clear conscience and an unfractured skull.)

Believe me: The kid will have no recollection of you being there. And I can virtually guarantee that if he or she hears that you passed up a chance to win the U.S. Open to attend the birth, the less-than-grateful teenage whelp will call you a dweeb, or a dork, or whatever the appropriate semi-affectionate term for wifty old dad is in 15 years.

After all, what comes around more often -- the opportunity to win the U.S. Open, or the chance to have more kids? I rest my case. And... Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there.

Turning up the volume on Bethpage

As I write this, today's golf is reaching the end of its 11th hour. The skies are still grim, the rain is still falling, but something magical has happened at Bethpage since the 5:30 p.m. restart: the fun is back!

All the hand-wringing about the rain-check policy and the weather delays has been replaced by the raucous cheers that defined the last Bethpage Open. Maybe the fans are delirious from such a long day. Or drunk from the long break between the end of the second round and the start of the third.

Whatever, it's delightful to hear the roars again. It's taken a while, but it feels like the U.S. Open has finally begun. Hopefully this energy can be sustained tomorrow, and maybe, just maybe, this tournament will get the memorable end it deserves.