PGA Golf Talk

Annika Sorenstram has thrown in the towel on her PGA career for now. After 15 years of day in, day out touring the world and playing golf, Annika has stated that she wants to retire from competitive golf (for now at least) so that she can have a family and settle down for a bit. Reasoning that her biological clock is ticking down, she figures she can always come back to golf, but she won’t always have a chance to give birth to a child. Read the full story on pga.com.

Jack Nicklaus came out yesterday and told Tiger Woods through the media that he should wait to become healthy again before he jumps back into normal competition. He also said he would prefer it Woods didn’t come up and break his records, but at least wants him to have a fair shot at it. He respects Woods for his ability and his hard work, in particular when he walked himself to injury last season. But of course, Nicklaus would prefer to keep his records but wouldn’t begrudge Tiger the chance to do so at full strength. We’ll see.

In his first press conference in 184 days, Tiger Woods has announced that he is right on schedule as far as rehabilitation for his left knee. When his left knee underwent a ruptured ligament months ago, some speculated that it would greatly affect Tiger’s game. His answer? “Uh uh.” He’s already practicing his swing and affirms that his knee is feeling extremely stable. With news like this, current golfers need to win as many tournaments as they can before Tiger returns with full force.

Tiger Woods’ caddie has said some uncharitable things about Phil Mickelson. He was being interviewed in Australia and said that Mickelson is a “prick”. He later clarified his statement, saying “I don’t particularly like the guy [Mickelson]. He pays me no respect at all and hence I don’t pay him any respect. It’s no secret we don’t get along either.” It’s not really the nicest thing to say, I understand, but it is an interesting view into the world of high-level golf and how the players think of each other. But now they have to find some way to cover over the relationship a bit, and then get along somehow.

He didn’t manage to hit the ball that well this Thursday during his opening rounds of the Australian Open, but John Daly did manage to drive a camera expertly into a tree (we belive it was a Cannon XD-134, though reports cannot be confirmed just yet). Apparently, while shooting a 6 over par, a spectator got too close with a camera and snapped a photo of Daly. Spectators are not allowed to use a camera on the course, let alone “within six inches of my face (as Daly comments).” Since the fan was not supposed to have a camera on the course, Daly will not face any sanctions.

Michelle Wie, who I wrote about last time, earned her LPGA card in the Q School. In previous tours, she had been invited but not because she earned it. This time, she really got in because she played well, not because she’s a very young woman playing in a game against older, less glamourous ladies. Stacy Lewis actually won the tournament, however, having been otherwise unable to place into the tournament with her rankings in the US Open, as per LPGA rules. So the Q School has been played and there are several really good and interesting players.

Michelle Wie tees off this week in the Q-School Tournament. She is one of the biggest names in the LPGA these days, and this 19-year-old Stanford student seems to be getting better. A few years ago, she decided to take her stand against the men’s groups. This attempt was big and kept the crowds and cameras coming. But alas, she was unsuccessful, not because she’s a woman, but because she just wasn’t as good at the time. Nowadays, people don’t seem to be sure whether she’s really good or not, but we will know soon enough, as soon as she starts playing later this week.