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Heading into the 2010 Mitsubishi Electric Championship, Tom Watson was 0-for-34 lifetime in tournaments in Hawaii. However, this time being 22-under was good enough to win the first first Champions Tour tournament of the season. Coming in second place was Fred Couples, who was playing for the first time on the Champions Tour.

Watson, who is 60 years old, savored this victory.

“I don’t think I’ll have too many more,” said Watson, “but I had this one.”

Couples finished 21-under, while Michael Allen was 18-under and Tom Lehman was 16-under. Couples’ 8-under 64 kept the pressure on Watson but the 50-year-old couldn’t quite get over the hump.

Couples likes the idea of the Champions Tour.

Remarked Couples: “It’s just a different deal. Everyone seems like a winner out here.”

The Mitsubishi Electric Championship, which is played in Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii, was Watson’s 13th win on the Masters Tour — and his first since April of 2008. He received 5,000 for winning the event.

Tom Watson on the Champions Tour (Image: Zuma Press)

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Tom Watson Wins in Hawaii

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Phil Mickelson hadn’t said anything about the Tiger Woods situation — until Wednesday. In a press conference before the Farmers Insurance Open, Mickelson said that he’s looking forward to Tiger’s eventual return.

Said Mickelson: “The game of golf needs him to come back. I mean, it’s important for him to come back and be a part of the sport. But right now he’s got a lot more important things going on in his life.”

Of course, Mickelson is talking about Tiger’s personal life that has seen him get in a mysterious car accident … not to mention the revealing of numerous extramarital affairs. As it stands, Tiger’s marriage to his wife Elin is reportedly on life support.

“Amy and I are good friends with both Tiger and Elin,” said Mickelson, “and we care deeply about how this turns out.”

With Tiger on an indefinite leave, this could be a banner year for the 39-year-old Mickelson. He’s currently ranked second in the world behind Tiger and could very well pass Tiger up, especially if Tiger is out of action for a while.

What does Mickelson think about becoming the new number one golfer in the world?

“I’m just excited to play golf,” Mickelson said, dodging the question. “I’m excited to get back into competition and be a part of this.”

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods (Image: Zuma Press)

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Phil Mickelson Breaks Silence on Tiger

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Back in June, golfer Ken Green’s life was changed forever when he was involved in a RV accident. His brother and girlfriend were killed, while Green had the lower portion of his right leg amputated. Earlier this week, tragedy struck again when Green’s son, Hunter Green, was found deceased in his dorm at SMU.

The 21-year-old student had battled health problems and police don’t suspect foul play.

On his blog, Ken Green talked about his son’s death.

Said Green: “Well, today is another sad day.  I’m sorry to say that my youngest son Hunter has passed. His journey in life has ended and i can’t tell you how difficult understanding this is.”

On the PGA tour, Green won five times. His most recent win was in April of 1989 when he won the KMart Greater Greensboro Open. He played on the Champions Tour in 2009 prior to his accident and made in excess of 0,000 in the 11 tournaments he played in.

Despite the fact Green lost part of his right leg, he has vowed to return to the sport of golf.

Things have gone from bad to worse for golfer Ken Green (Image: Zuma Press)

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Ken Green Suffers Another Tragedy

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Ben Crane entered the final day of the Farmers Insurance Open two shots off the lead. Thanks to a pair of long birdie putts and then steady play down the stretch, Crane was able to win at 13-under. For the win, the 33-year-old from Oregon won 4,000.

A total of nine golfers were within two strokes of Crane when the tourney ended. Brandt Snedeker, Marc Leishman and Michael Sim were 12-under, while Michael Allen, Ernie Els, Alex Prugh and Rickie Fowler were 11-under. Second place was worth 5,733, while third brought in 6,163.

In the offseason, Crane’s name was in the news for the wrong reasons. According to a publication called Life & Style, Crane called Tiger Woods “phony and fake”. However, Crane denied the comments and Life & Style eventually apologized for the erroneous quote.

After winning the Farmers Insurance Open, Crane talked about the incident.

Said Crane: “Obviously, being in the news a month ago was bizarre. Someone made some stuff up that I said something about Tiger, which I didn’t.”

On Sunday, Crane’s name was in the news for all the right reasons.

Ben Crane was a winner at the Farmers Insurance Open (Image: Zuma Press)

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Ben Crane Wins Farmers Insurance Open

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Forbes put out its “Forbes Fab 40″ — a list that puts a value to the most powerful names in sports. Despite his personal trouble and the loss of a number of sponsors, Tiger Woods remains atop the list. Forbes estimates Tiger’s value at more than million.

Amazingly, no other sportsman comes even close. David Beckham, who is second on the list, is valued at million — or less than one-fourth of Tiger.

Many experts believe that Tiger could continue to lose value if he doesn’t properly address the drama that currently surround him. However, if Woods addresses it properly, comes back to dominate golf and seems remorseful, experts project that Tiger could become more valuable than ever.

For the PGA Tour, Tiger is vital for the success of the organization. In fact, it can be argued that Tiger is more important than the rest of the golfing world combined. With Tiger on an indefinite leave, there’s no doubt the PGA Tour will be out millions and millions of dollars as long as Tiger is away from the game.

Rounding out the top five of the Forbes Fab 40 are Roger Federer, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and LeBron James.

Tiger Woods still sees plenty of green (Image: Zuma Press)

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Tiger Woods Still the Most Valuable

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Dustin Johnson sits atop the Northern Trust Open leaderboad. On Friday at hole number six, Johnson’s hole in one gave him even more momentum. The shot, which was from 152 yards, was authored using an 8-iron.

Due to darkness, Johnson wasn’t able to finish his round on Friday — he only got through 16. And while he had to be happy with his hole in one, Johnson didn’t seem too pleased about the rain that stuck around for most of the day.

Said Johnson: “I’m very happy to be done with the round, to tell you the truth. It was pretty miserable out there today.”

Tied with Johnson at 10-under is Steve Stricker, who shot a 65 on Friday. Andres Romero is 7-under, while Justin Rose, Kevin Stadler and Tim Wilkinson are at 6-under.

Phil Mickelson is tied for 11th at 4-under and he’s still optimistic heading into the weekend.

“I’m in a position where a good round tomorrow and I can get in contention for Sunday,” said Mickelson, “so that’s where I wanted to get myself.”

The Northern Trust Open has a purse of .4 million and is being played at Riviera CC in Pacific Palisades, California.

Dustin Johnson hits a hole in one (Image: Zuma Press)

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Dustin Johnson Makes Hole in One

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Playing scared usually isn’t the way to win a golf tournament. However, when you are nursing a six-shot lead, you can afford to play not to make mistakes. That is exactly what Steve Stricker in the final round of the Northern Trust Open as he won by two strokes over Luke Donald.

Said Stricker: “I just knew it was going to be hard. You’re playing a different game than what you normally play. You played scared. At least I did there for a while.”

After a 67 on the first day, a 65 on day two and a 66 on the third day, Stricker only needed a 70 to win the tournament and take home the .152 million grand prize. Donald, who is from England, won 1,200 for his second place finish. Finishing tied for third were Dustin Johnson and J.B. Holmes.

With the win, Stricker is now the second ranked golfer in the world. Tiger Woods remains number one. On Sunday, however, Stricker was just concerned about his latest victory.

“A lot of guys were making birdies and applying pressure,” said Stricker. “I’m just happier than heck to be here and be the champion.”

Steve Stricker won the Northern Trust Open (Image: Zuma Press)

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Steve Stricker Wins Northern Trust Open

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Jesper Parnevik, a Swedish golfer, recently told a publication in his home country that he needed a miracle for him to play golf again. According to Parnevik, his back injury was likely to force him to have back surgery that would force him to retire from the sport.

However, Parnevik apparently got his miracle. After getting another opinion from Gary Gray in Detroit, Parnevik says he’ll be able to return in a few months following physical therapy and rest.

“That I’m going to quit the game and my career is over is not the case. He was very optimistic that I could back without having the surgery,” said Parnevik to the Associated Press.

Parnevik is perhaps most well-known for introducing Tiger Woods to Elin Nordegren. A couple years later, Tiger and Elin got married. However, after Tiger’s much publicized incident, Parnevik said he regretted introducing Tiger to Elin.

The 44-year-old has five wins on the PGA Tour, with his last win at the Honda Classic in 2001.

Jesper Parnevik will avoid back surgery (Image: Zuma Press)

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Jesper Parnevik Gets His Miracle

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Looking back at a weekend of televised sports …

Best coverageHere’s what we knew going into Sunday’s AFC Championship: Peyton Manning was trying to get to his second Super Bowl by beating the upstart New York Jets. Here’s what we knew going into Sunday’s NFC Championship: 40-year-old Brett Favre was going against a Saints team that never had been to the Super Bowl. Both CBS and Fox could’ve beaten those stories to death. Neither did, and that’s what made Sunday’s broadcasts so enjoyable.

Both took the simple approach. The networks let the teams be the stars and let the games carry the broadcasts. Just because they were huge games with the winners going to the Super Bowl didn’t mean they were more than just, well, a couple of football games. Despite covering important games, the networks didn’t overdo it. CBS’s Jim Nantz and Phil Simms were steady and professional as always. Fox’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were steady and entertaining as always. And this will seem like a back-handed compliment, but it’s a sincere one: Both broadcast teams never get in the way of the game. They know that people aren’t there to watch or listen to them. People tune in for the game, and all four realize that the stars are on the field and not in the broadcast booth. They realize their job to enhance the experience, not overwhelm it. The best broadcasters in the game know that less is better — a lesson Nantz, Simms, Buck and Aikman proved Sunday that they learned long ago.

Pregame approachesInteresting that CBS and Fox took different approaches with their NFL pregame shows Sunday. Fox’s crew went on the road to New Orleans, while CBS produced its show from its regular New York studios. In the end, there was no difference. In fact, if anything, the crowd at the Superdome was a bit of a distraction, but not so much that it affected Fox’s show. It was also refreshing that both studio shows decided to ditch their cornball jokes and immature trash talk and stick to football. That made for much better shows.

Biggest nonstoryWho knows what to make of this whole Urban Meyer thing? The Florida coach retired. Then unretired. Then he said he is taking a leave of absence that, when it’s all said and done, won’t look like a leave at all. He’s still recruiting. He still plans on coaching in the spring. What has changed other than Meyer making a few announcements that turned out to be much ado about nothing?

What Meyer does is his business, but does anyone remember his daughter, Nikki, reportedly saying “I finally get my dad back” when Meyer originally announced he was stepping down? Miami Herald columnist Israel Gutierrez remembered. On Sunday’s Sports Reporters on ESPN, Gutierrez said, “Urban Meyer now says he won’t miss next season. He won’t even miss spring practice. Apparently, Nikki Meyer will never get her dad back.”

Rare misstepFirst, let me say I’m a big fan of Sun Sports’ Paul Kennedy. Between working as a pregame/intermission host and sideline reporter for both the Lightning and Magic, Kennedy is working and/or traveling pretty much every day from October through April. It’s a wonder the guy can even keep his eyes open let alone do the fabulous work that he does — and it is fabulous and professional at the highest level.

But having said all that, Kennedy might owe former Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina an apology. During an intermission spot Saturday night, Kennedy asked partner Chris Dingman if Kubina, now with the Thrashers, “broke the code” by leveling Lightning star Marty St. Louis with a check. The implication was Kubina went after a smaller star from another team. Kennedy compounded the implication by asking Dingman if the Lightning needed to go after Kubina.

The problem was the hit was simply an accidental collision. The official called a penalty on Kubina for interference, but Kubina wasn’t “targeting” St. Louis. Even St. Louis agreed it was an accident and went as far as to say, perhaps, he should’ve been penalized for interference. Regardless, those who have followed Kubina’s career — and certainly Kennedy has seen him as much as anyone — know that Kubina is a physical player, but he’s not a dirty one without honor. To ask if Kubina broke a code was unfair to Kubina. It was also a little disappointing that Dingman seemed to follow Kennedy’s lead instead of recognizing the hit wasn’t intentional or that Kubina is not the type of player to go head-hunting, especially one he was teammates with for six years.

But to reiterate, if I started my own sports network, one of my first moves would be to hire Paul Kennedy.

Best radio color manMan, I could listen to Phil Esposito all day and night. The Lightning’s radio color man isn’t polished, occasionally talks when he shouldn’t be talking, yells out words that aren’t even words and you get the feeling that he starts preparing for the game a minute before he goes on air. But he’s outspoken and honest. He doesn’t seem to have a filter between his head and mouth — and I mean that in a good way. And because we’re so used to him in these parts it’s easy to forget that he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. So when he talks, he’s credible.

Most compelling lineYou have to wonder if former baseball slugger Mark McGwire did more harm than good with his admission that he took steroids. Sure, he admitted it, though all he did was tell us something we already knew. But his insistence that it had nothing to do with his ability to hit homers comes off as absurd. Curtis Wenzlaff, a trainer who supplied steroids to McGwire, gave an exclusive interview Sunday to ESPN’s Outside the Lines and when asked how McGwire might have benefitted from the specific doses he was taking, he had a chilling answer:

“If Paris Hilton were to take that array, she could run over Dick Butkus.”

Best rantPlenty have taken shots at Mark McGwire for his I-did-steroids-but-they-didn’t-help-me-hit-homers mea culpa, but no one took a sledgehammer to him quite like Bryant Gumbel in the latest HBO’s Real Sports episode. Gumbel offers the most fearless sports commentary on television, and his latest rant had more bite than normal. Gumbel had a message for others who are thinking about admitting steroid use and used McGwire’s disclosure as how not to do it.

“If and when you’re ready to come clean, don’t insult us with talk of how much of what you did was God-given and how much was chemically induced. Let us figure that out, okay?” Gumble said. “And don’t play us for idiots. Spare us the lies about talking ‘roids for health reasons. We’re all grown-ups. You took stuff for the same reason most of us break or bend rules. You thought you could get away with it. And you did.”

Best observationWarren Sapp is really, really good as an analyst on NFL Network. And he had one of the best lines of the weekend when talking about what it takes to win in the NFL.

“Defense doesn’t win championships,” Sapp said. “It just gives you a chance. Offense has to win it for you.”


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Former Bucs coach Jon Gruden wraps up his first season in the broadcast booth Sunday night with ESPN as the network airs the Pro Bowl. After being fired by the Bucs a year ago, Gruden briefly joined the NFL Network and then signed on to become an analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Gruden earned rave reviews for his broadcast work and, after signing a multiyear contract extension in November, seems committed to broadcasting for at least another year. He still makes his home in Tampa and just opened a new football office where he studies game film, draws up plays and meets with other former and future coaches. While unpacking boxes in his new office, Gruden spent a few minutes to talk about his first season in the booth, when he might return to coaching and even the joy of buying lemonade.

So how was the first year in broadcast booth for you?You know what, I really enjoyed it. I had a good time. I have a long way to go before I’m really any good at it, but the guys I’m working with – Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, producer Jay Rothman and everyone else – really helped me.

Was it harder than you thought it would be, or easier, or about what you expected?It is a little harder than I thought. There are some technical things that you just have to experience before you can get used to it, like people talking in your ear and using the talk-back button and using the telestrator. And then there’s working in a three-man booth that you just have to get used to so you know when to talk and when to shut up.

How hard was knowing when to talk and when to shut up?I took a few shots in the ribs (from Jaworski) when I went up to Bristol (Conn.) and did practice games and during the preseason games. But all that comes with experience. You just learn to be straight-forward. You want to be able to analyze the play concisely and you don’t want to overdo it. A big thing is not talking when the quarterback is over center. And after a big play, let the crowd tell the story. We all became more comfortable as the season went along and, hopefully, we were in a rhythm by the end of the season.

Is broadcasting fulfilling? Does it fill the void left by coaching?Obviously, I miss coaching. It’s all I’ve done most of my life. I definitely had some withdrawal after I was fired. But fortunately, this came along and it was a great opportunity. And I do enjoy it. I enjoy seeing which two teams we have next and focusing on those two teams and not really looking to become an expert on the whole league. You have your two teams, you learn their X’s and O’s. You get a chance to see these guys in the meeting rooms and I had the opportunity, for instance, to meet Drew Brees and sit down with him as he prepared for the game, and it was really, really interesting for me.

Most people thought you would do the broadcast thing for maybe a year, if that long, and then you would go back into coaching. But then midway through the season, you signed a contract extension with ESPN. Why?I really put a lot of time into this broadcasting thing. I look at Monday Night Football as the premier broadcasting job in football. I look at it that highly. I want to take the proper time to see if actually any good at it. I just made a major career change going from coaching to broadcasting and I just don’t want to jump around right away. I want make a commitment and see if I’m any good at this.

Well, you got a lot of rave reviews for your work. Some people have said you could do this for a long time and become another John Madden. Have you considered that?I don’t know. I just want to be as good as I can be. You can’t compare anybody to John Madden. He was one of a kind. We’re both former Raiders coaches so I guess I have that going for me (laughs). But that’s about it for now. Listen, I just want to invest some real time in this and then I’ll see how it plays out.

Would you watch replays of the broadcasts?The neat thing about this job is you get a lot of analysis from the people traveling around doing the games with you and you get a lot of feedback. (Producer) Jay Rothman has these meetings and they (replay) everything you do — all the telestrators you did, all the things you said. And if you did something wrong, you certainly hear about it. People say I was a tough guy to play for, but I’m telling you, man, these people can be tough to work for, too. But it’s all about teaching and learning and just trying to get better and these people are the best in the business.

How did you think you did?I did okay. I felt like I got better as the season went along, which was important to me. By the end of the season – the 49ers-Cardinals game and the Bears-Vikings over the last few weeks — I felt much better about my overall performance. Before that, I thought I was good in spurts. But I would go back a lot of time and think, “Aw, I wish I could’ve said that here or communicated that a little better.’ I still feel like I have a long way to go.

Would you get nervous before a broadcast?The first few games, yeah, I was really nervous, especially when they showed me the graphic of how many countries and people are watching. And they make it very clear, in case you didn’t know, that it is live. If you do something as little as cough and sneeze and don’t mute it out, you’re not going last too long. I used to get real nervous doing these cut-in things before the game. I’m not real good at memorizing stuff like that. I like to prepare for a game and then react to what just happened. But we would do these cut-in things before the game and just as I was about to talk, you know whose voice I would hear in the headset? Keyshawn Johnson! It took everything I could do not to start laughing as he was yelling at me.

As the season went along, did you miss coaching less?Well, you still miss it. The thing I miss is the teaching and being around players. I miss that part of the relationship – teaching players and seeing improvement and watching the team get better and better. That’s what I loved most about coaching. But broadcasting helped. Being at a game every Monday night helped and we had a good schedule with meaningful games, so it was nice to be a part of something like that.

Broadcasting is a full-time job, but it’s not like coaching. Did your quality of life improve?Absolutely. I guess the way to put it is I got my life a little more organized. I re-committed myself to a lot of things, mostly my family. I got to see one of my sons play high school football every Friday night. I got to coach another son’s middle-school flag-football team. I was able to start going to church again, which was hard for me when I was coaching on Sundays. Now I don’t get up at 3:17 in the morning. And now I enjoy the little things, like going to the grocery store and being able to buy the kind of lemonade I like. Or going to the mall and picking out a shirt. My wife was buying all my shirts when I was coaching so I like now being able to pick out my own shirts (laughs). And I was able to re-connect with some old friends and make new friends. When you’re coaching, you don’t have a lot of friends. Just acquaintances, professional relationships. So now I’m able to have a somewhat normal life again.

Could you understand some of the things Urban Meyer was going through when he talked about retiring and taking a leave?Oh yeah. But everyone is different. There’s a lot of self-induced pressure. Everyone handles it differently, but I can see how one would get into a situation like Urban. Hopefully, he’ll figure it out and get himself healthy.

Seems like every time a coaching job comes open — the Redskins, Notre Dame, Tennessee and so on – your name comes up. Is it good that people think of you immediately or does it bother you?Well, there are always going to be rumors and speculation to a certain degree and I understand that and I accept that. So that’s why I’ve tried to be as open and honest as soon as I can to say I’m doing now what I want to be doing by working on Monday Night Football.

So you don’t have a timetable for how much longer you want to broadcast or if and when you might return to coaching?I really don’t. I love football. I love coaching. But I’m fortunate right now to be involved in football and doing something I love and right now I’m just committed to improving as best I can as a broadcaster.

Before you go, what are your thoughts on the Super Bowl?Well, if you go back to the ESPN The Magazine before the season, you’ll see I picked the Saints to go to the Super Bowl. So I’m strutting like a peacock these days. I’m good friends with (Saints coach) Sean Payton and (Colts offensive coordinator) Tom Moore. And I love these two quarterbacks. Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, they’re like CEOs, you know what I mean? They run their offenses. I think it’s going to be a four-quarter game. Both of these guys are like The Terminator. They just keep coming. Nobody is going to lose this game. One of them is just going to run out of time.


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