Green Reading

Hootie MAM gets early start

Events affiliated with the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am begin on Thursday, April 8, with the second annual Javier & Friends Wine Tasting and Dinner Concerts at the Barefoot Resort Sports Bar & Grille.

Versatile R&B artist Javier Colon, country singer Madonna Nash and singer-songwriter Jerry Cooper are performing at a wine tasting and concert with hors d’oeuvres Thursday for $125, and four-course dinner with cocktails on Friday for $100. Both events are from 7:30-10 p.m., and benefit the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation.

For information or tickets contact event director Melvin Fields at 843-450-3038 or ddmhomes@yahoo.com

 

Hootie Monday After Masters filling up

The list of celebrities and professional golfers taking part in the 16th annual Hootie & The Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am is nearly complete.

Tournament organizers say the golf event is nearing a fourth consecutive sellout. Tickets are $15 and available at the House of Blues, Barefoot Resort pro shops and Ticketmaster outlets. Children 12 or younger are admitted free. All proceeds benefit the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation.

The updated list as of today is:

2010 Celebrities Scheduled to Attend Steve Azar - Musician Mark Bryan - Musician - Hootie & the Blowfish Craig Carton Javier Colon - Musician Andrew Copeland - Musician - Sister Hazel Mike "Fluff" Cowan - PGA Caddie and Golf Personality Ainsley Earhardt - Fox News - 1st Tee Emcee Boomer Esiason - Former NFL All-Pro QB Dean  Felber - Musician - Hootie & the Blowfish Chuck Finley - former MLB All-Star pitcher Ric Flair - Professional Wrestler Jackie Flynn - Comedian Colt Ford - Musician Jack Ingram - Musician Samuel L. Jackson - Actor Josh Kelley - Musician Bernie Kosar - NFL - Former All-Pro QB Johnny Lee - Musician Branford Marsalis - Musician Brian McBride - USA Soccer Edwin McCain - Musician Jim McMahon - Former NFL QB & Super Bowl Champion Craig Melvin - NBC News - 1st Tee Emcee Kyle Petty - NASCAR Scott Phillips - Musician - Alter Bridge George Rogers - NFL & 1980 Heisman Trophy Winner Ed Roland - Musician - Collective Soul Darius Rucker - Musician - Hootie & the Blowfish Gale Sayers - NFL - Hall of Famer Sterling Sharpe - NFL Jim Soni Sonefeld - Musician - Hootie & the Blowfish Mickey Tettleton - MLB Dan Tyminski - Musician Gary Valentine - Comedian Michael Waltrip - NASCAR Jaret Wright - former MLB All-Star pitcher

2010 Professionals Scheduled

Woody Austin
Ricky Barnes
Rich Beem
Matt Bettencourt
Kris Blanks
Josh Broadaway
Scott Brown
Kris Cox
John Daly
Chris DiMarco
Ken Duke
Lee Elder
Jim Furyk
Tommy Gainey
Robert Gamez
Kevin Kisner
Spencer Levin
Mark Lye
Jim McGovern
Kristy McPherson
David Mobley
Garth Mulroy
Larry Rinker
Lee Rinker
Charlie Rymer
Darron Stiles
Kyle Thompson
DJ Trahan

 

Tiger to speak at Augusta

I got good news in an email today. Media officials at Augusta National Golf Club sent out their pre-tournament interview schedule, and the lone interview scheduled for Monday, April 5 is none other than Tiger Woods at 2 p.m.

I usually drive to Augusta on Monday night and begin working Tuesday morning, but I believe I'll get to the course a day early and sit in on that Q&A session. It should be interesting, and I'll join the rest of the golf reporters in the world with a story about Tiger in Tuesday's paper.

Reserve Club emerges from bankruptcy with sale to McConnell Golf

PAWLEYS ISLAND | A bankruptcy judge approved a plan of reorganization on Tuesday for the Reserve Club that includes a sale to McConnell Golf that will keep the course private and lift it from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The ruling also thwarts an effort from resigned and inactive members to retain reimbursement rights for their membership initiation fees, since reimbursements are being eliminated under terms of the sale.

The sale to McConnell Golf, which manages five other private courses in the Carolinas, could culminate in the coming days or weeks. "This is fantastic," Reserve Club president and member Ben Catanzaro said. "This has been going on for a year. We’re ecstatic."

Tilghman found Woods genuine

Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel found Tiger Woods to be genuine, remorseful and contrite when she stood face-to-face with him during her interview Sunday in the Isleworth community in Florida. She thought he was believable with his answers.
Tilghman and Woods have been friendly for a number of years. They regularly talked or exchanged messages, and often shared a hug and some chatter when they saw each other at golf tournaments. Woods was quick to support Tilghman after she regretably used the word "lynch" during an off-the-cuff, on-air discussion with Nick Faldo about how young players could challenge Woods' supremacy in the sport. Woods agent, Mark Steinberg of IMG, said Woods knew "unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments."
But like many of Woods' friends, including some of his closer friends on the tour including Mark O'Meara, Tilghman hadn't spoken to Woods for a few months following his accident and admission of infidelity. She said her interview Sunday was the first contact with Woods she's had since the November accident.
"He was friendly yesterday," Tilghman said Monday. "I think Tiger, he has an inner circle and they have been the subject of a lot of conversation. There were a lot of people he used to talk on a regular basis who he hasn’t talked to since the accident. He’s been so focused on fixing relationships with the people so close to him."
Based on his perceived genuineness Sunday, Tilghman believes Woods will act a little differently, treat people a little differently, and be a different person on the course and possibly with the media from here forward. "I think his behavior will certainly be different on the golf course," Tilghman said. "I think you can look for a more tame Tiger on the golf course in regard to his demeanor. But the fire in his belly . . . I don’t think that will change."

CBS decision baffling

Let me get this straight. CBS turned down an offer to be one of three networks, and the only non-cable network, to interview Tiger Woods on Sunday. They objected to the time restriction that Woods placed on the interviewers, allowing them only 5-6 minutes each. But he didn't put any restrictions on the questions that could be asked. I wouldn't be happy about the time limitation either, but that wouldn't lead me to pass on the interview. Especially considering CBS is televising the Masters in two weeks, when Woods returns to competitive golf. The interview would essentially provide free advance publicity for their broadcast. How many commercials are they running to promote the tournament?
CBS Sports spokeswoman Leslie Anne Wade told the Associated Press: “Depending on the specifics, we are interested in an extended interview without any restrictions on CBS." That's all well and good, but take what you can get for now.
So what did CBS do to make the decision even more stupefying? The network invites North Myrtle Beach native Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel, who conducted one of the two Woods interviews, to appear on its Early Show at 7 a.m. the next day to discuss her interview of Woods. So CBS executives passed on their own opportunity to interview Woods and air it on their network, then interviewed someone who did interview Woods to talk about her interview of Woods. Huh?
Lets hope they have it figured out by the time the Masters rolls around.

  

Woods more believable, contrite

Tiger Woods sure came across as a more humble and believable man in the two interviews he did Sunday night than he did when he made his first public appearance following his accident and admission to infidelity. In all honesty, Woods seemed like a broken man, and who would have ever predicted that would happen? Even in the 5-6 minutes Woods limited the interviews to, he came across as truly remorseful for the hurt he caused those close to him and those who looked up to him. And he seems embarassed and humiliated by the person he became, and truthful when he says he wants to become a much better person in the future.
Rather than speaking TO people and seeming defiant, as he did when he read a statement and fielded no questions from the media in his first public appearance Feb. 19, Woods seemed genuine as he answered questions from both Kelly Tilghman and Tom Rinaldi in separate interviews.
Some of his language was strong and he was rightfully hard on himself, saying to Tilghman in their interview:
"I hurt so many people by my own reckless attitude and behavior."
"I tried to stop and I couldn't stop. It was just, it was horrific."
"You strip away the denial, the rationalization and you come to the truth and the truth is very painful at times and to stare at yourself and look at the person you've become, you become disgusted."
Woods was still vague, evasive and noncommittal on a number of questions, and if he wants to turn public opinion in his favor he'll have to be more forthcoming and do interviews without bizarre time restrictions. But he at least gave us hope that he can become someone we want to pull for.

Is Woods ready for his return? I am

Whether Tiger Woods' decision to return to competitive golf is a good one or bad one for him, one thing is for certain: I'm really looking forward to Woods' pre-tournament interview in the press room at Augusta National Golf Club. I assume it's going to happen. Woods annually fields questions from the press the Tuesday preceding the tournament. He's one of several interviews that day. And this one should be good.
That is as long as the Augusta members who run the tournament don't try to mute the media. It's not outside the realm of possibility that the member who moderates the interview tells the assembled, standing room-only media contingent that questions about Woods' marriage and personal life are off limits. Of course a reporter could always ignore the directive, but then there's always the threat that you won't spend the rest of the tournament week on Augusta National grounds. Credentials are awarded at the sole discretion of Augusta National.
It will be the most anticipated golf press conference in the 20 years I've been covering the sport, and hopefully it will live up to its potential. We'll have a chance to write some compelling stories if Tiger answers questions like:

Are you ashamed of who you became?
How did you win 25 tournaments over the past four years with all that going on in your life?
Do you think you'll be an even better golfer if you are able to achieve harmony in your personal life?
Are you really a sex addict?
How did the world's most famous athlete keep so many affairs a relative secret for so long?

Some pretty probing questions and some of them are probably Tiger's business. But if he answers them, the answers become our business. This could be quite a press conference.

Chants have high upside

The good news for the CCU men’s golf team is several members of the team are more than capable of shooting under-par rounds in competition. The bad news for the CCU men’s golf team is those same team members are more than capable of shooting in the 80s in competition. That is apparent after their performance in the eighth annual General Jim Hackler Championship at the TPC of Myrtle Beach on Sunday and Monday.

Sophomore Charlie Winegardner had the team’s best round of the tournament with 3-under-par 69 in the final round. That followed an 80 in the first round and 77 in the second round. Senior Sam Lyons recorded a 71 in the second round by he had an 84 in the opening round, and redshirt sophomore Drew Ernst fired a 71 in the first round but shot 83 and 86 in the final two rounds.

Senior Dan Obremski appears to be the team’s stalwart right now, posting consistent scores between 71 and 73 in the Hackler, giving him three top-three finishes on the season.

The Chants collectively and individually have the potential to be pretty good. But they also have the potential to be pretty bad. If they improve their consistency and put things together as a group at the right time, the Chants could reach the NCAA Championship for the first time in three years.

Talk of Tiger's imminent return

If the New York Post is correct, and Tiger Woods does plan to return to the PGA Tour for the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill on March 25, or if the "two people with knowledge" of Woods' plans who talked to the Associated Press are correct, and Woods returns to golf at the Masters, then how hollow his words will seem.
In his statement last month, Woods talked about his dedication to changing his life and repairing his marriage, and he would gain the trust of his family and the public with his actions. Well, if he returns to the PGA Tour without missing even a single major championship this year, what message does that send to his wife, his kids and his supporters? What will he have sacrificed in his golf career to signify how serious he is about changing and how dedicated he now is to his family? Essentially nothing.

Skipping the Masters gives him something to point to when talking about how sincere he is. Missing the Waste Management Phoenix Open or Transitions Championship doesn't show a whole lot of commitment. Unless I'm missing something here, Woods is missing nothing in his professional career, and you'd think his wife would expect more of a sacrifice.