At the European Tour’s gala players’ awards, Garcia — who has been going through an interesting feud with Woods — was jokingly asked if he would have Woods for dinner during the U.S. Open.

“We will have him ’round every night,” he responded. “We will serve fried chicken.”

Remembering back to Woods’ 1997 win at The Masters, it was another golfer who stole headlines for a similar “fried chicken” remark. Fuzzy Zoeller, who won The Masters in 1979, made the following comment to reporters when asked about Woods, who at 21 became the youngest player to win the major.

“So you know what you guys do when he gets in here?” Zoeller said to reporters, referring to the following year’s Champions Dinner. “Pat him on the back, say congratulations, enjoy it. And tell him not to serve fried chicken next year — or collared greens or whatever the hell they serve.”

K-Mart and Dunlop revoked their sponsorships after Zoeller’s incident. Check it out in the video below.

Sergio Garcia

Forget Woods’ 14 career majors and 78 tour victories compared to Garcia’s zero and 24. When paired with Woods, Garcia can count just a handful of times he’s finished better than his foe, and he’s never beaten him outright (Devil Ball Golf gives the complete history of Woods’ dominance).

Garcia completed the narrative during his Sunday round against Woods, when he had the chance to close in for the kill after Woods faltered. Garcia instead plunked his ball (twice!) in the most humiliating way on the iconic 17th hole as Woods took the tournament.

Garcia, who had come into the final rounds of the tournament biting at Woods’ heels, was a whipped dog. But rather than taking his lumps like the inferior player — and career-long underachiever — that he is, he instead decided to keep barking.

Garcia can now say he’s joined rare company, but it’s not the rare company anyone should want to join — or can ever leave, for that matter (ask Fuzzy Zoeller, who is getting a lot of Internet attention suddenly). After snipping with Woods for days, first calling out Woods’ “niceness” factor, then accusing him of a lack of sportsmanship and then continuing to emphasize how little he liked the man at all, Garcia made the misstep that turns this from a spat into the stupidest of choices. Garcia has, of course, played the race card.

“We will have him round every night,” Garcia said of Woods, talking about the upcoming U.S. Open. “We will serve fried chicken.”

Garcia apologized soon after, realizing the blunder, but the move was a formality, like signing a scorecard or fixing a divot. It was something he knew he had to do.

But it can’t be denied that Garcia knew exactly what he was doing when he whipped out the most obvious, debasing insult he could find to elevate a war of words he was having trouble winning. Left with few credible talking points and fewer possible punches, Garcia went for the only blow he had left against a player who has had his number — and the stage from which he could be as nice or not nice as he wanted — all along.

What’s ironic about Garcia taking on Woods is that this is a battle that Garcia could never win. No, Tiger Woods is not nice. But neither is Garcia. What was he hoping to do by ripping on the fact that Woods doesn’t sit around and give high-fives in the clubhouse — make people like himself more? And what was he hoping to do by insulting Woods and drawing attention to their pairing on a day when he himself was primed to choke again? Did he think he could make Woods wilt under pressure?

When Woods dominated golf in the years before his knee injury and the whole fire hydrant thing, much of his game was his ability. But a big portion was the mental edge he held over competitors on the course — his personal confidence and also the doubt he put in his peers. That doubt has been hard to remember, with most golfers now approaching Woods as just another player, and all of the embarrassing stories about his on- and off-course behavior diminishing his formerly ironclad shell.

But a few golfers still appear to be rattled by Woods, whether he’s the infallible Woods he once was or the resurgent Woods he now appears to be. For this crowd, Garcia is the poster boy — constantly tormented by Woods’ talent, and constantly unable to do anything but hurl insults from miles away, when his game can’t even take a bite from the world’s best.

Woods has had his struggles in recent years, but what he hasn’t had trouble doing is show how laughable it is to challenge him in areas where he’s clearly a cut above. Garcia challenged Woods on the course, and Woods shut him down. Now Garcia has challenged him in an arena where he’s even more unquestioned. Race is so far from anyone’s mind when it comes to Woods that this isn’t even a low blow by Garcia — it seems more like something someone would do to get himself shouted out of the public arena for good. It’s hard to encapsulate just how off-base Garcia is, but most of the world will likely take a try in the coming days.

If Garcia was hoping to unite people behind Woods, he’s done it. Woods elevated his game to bat off Garcia, and now he has a chance to be lifted back to the position he previously held in the sports world — a spot where his ability and track record is so lofty that bringing up something like race is so out of touch that it’s baffling to even hear. Woods may have taken his lumps in years past, but Garcia has now opened the door for him to assume the mantle he was missing for so long — the place where Woods is so good and so respected that criticism only draws eye-rolling, and those who question him or try to tear him down have to resort to ridiculous depths because they don’t have much to say.

Woods has his flaws as a golfer and as a human being, but those aren’t going to be remembered as long as Garcia is drawing attention to the part of Woods where he can show the greatness he still has.

Garcia, meanwhile, has just polished off the nut graph to the obituary of a sterling career that never was.

Click here to see what Tiger Woods had to say >>

But really, it’s pretty fun to see two athletes show clear, open disdain for one another. It stops being fun when rivalry turns to racism, though.

That’s what happened on Tuesday when Garcia controversially said when asked if he would have Woods over for dinner during the U.S. Open, “We will have him around every night. We will serve fried chicken.”

Woods responded via Twitter, and he didn’t hold back his disappointment in Garcia’s words.

The comment that was made wasn’t silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate...

—
Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) May 22, 2013

I’m confident that there is real regret that the remark was made.

—
Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) May 22, 2013

The Players ended nearly two weeks ago and it’s long past time to move on and talk about golf.

—
Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) May 22, 2013

To his credit, Garcia did apologize right away for his regrettable comments.

“I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment on stage during The European Tour Players’ Awards dinner,” Garcia said. “I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

So Garcia said it was a silly response and Woods didn’t find it so silly. The 2013 U.S. Open will be played from June 13-16. All eyes will be on Woods and Garcia as their ongoing feud escalates.

It may not be great for Garcia’s image to be making racist remarks toward Woods, but it certainly won’t hurt ratings for the U.S. Open.

Click here to read why Garcia’s comments will help Woods >>

Photo of the Day

Vince Wilfork is happy to be back in Foxboro.

Tweet of the Day

Well, that’s one NFL writer’s opinion.

Sergio Garcia, in general, comes off as a schmuck.

—
mike freeman (@realfreemancbs) May 22, 2013

Video of the Day

Andrew Garfield decided to play some basketball in his The Amazing Spider-Man 2 costume.

In a continuation of what seems like a weeks-long feud, Garcia has made yet another unfavorable comment in the back-and-forth between the two, and this one seemed like a bit of a low blow. Garcia agreed with Woods early Tuesday that the two would not publicly reconcile, and Tuesday night he was asked in jest if he would have Woods over for dinner at all during the upcoming U.S. Open.

“We will have him round every night,” Garcia said. “We will serve fried chicken.”

The Spaniard later issued a statement through the European Tour, saying, “I apologize for any offence that may have been caused by my comment on stage during The European Tour Players’ Awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

It seems fair to say that Woods and Garcia probably shouldn’t be paired up anytime soon.

Photo of the Night

Even the University of Michigan’s footballs hate the state of Ohio.

Photo via Instagram/@devejr_3

Tweet of the Night

Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp makes a generous offer to the victims of the tornadoes in Oklahoma.

I'm giving $1000 for tonight's HR and every HR until the All-Star break for the victims of my hometown in OKC. #PrayforOklahoma

—
Matt Kemp (@TheRealMattKemp) May 21, 2013

Video of the Night

Double high-sticking!

On Monday, Woods replied to a reporter’s question about the ongoing feud with a simple “No,” indicating that he won’t soon be burying the hatchet with the Spaniard. On Tuesday, Garcia fired back, backing Woods’ assertion that the two won’t be reconciling (the only thing they can seem to agree on) and calling the 14-time major champion’s character into question.

“He called me a whiner. He’s probably right,” said Garcia to reporters in England. “But that’s also probably the first thing he’s told you guys that’s true in 15 years. I know what he’s like. You guys are finding out.”

When informed of Woods’ comments the previous day, Garcia went off further, also saying that he has no intention of calling Woods to chat.

“That doesn’t surprise me. That’s what he’s like,” said Garcia. “First of all, I don’t have his number. And secondly, I did nothing wrong and don’t have anything to say to him. And he wouldn’t pick up the phone anyway.

“But that’s OK, I don’t need him as a friend. I don’t need him in my life to be happy and that’s fine. It’s as simple as that. Like I have always said, I try to be as truthful as possible. Tiger doesn’t make a difference to my life. And I know that I don’t make a difference to his life.”

Here’s hoping that these two end up in the final group together on Sunday at the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in three weeks.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club and U.S. Golf Association said Rule 14-1b would take effect in 2016.

“We recognize this has been a divisive issue, but after thorough consideration, we remain convinced that this is the right decision for golf,” R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said.

The new rule does not ban the long putters, only the way they commonly are used. Golfers no longer will be able to anchor the club against their bodies to create the effect of a hinge. Masters champion Adam Scott used a long putter he pressed against his chest. British Open champion Ernie Els and U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson used a belly putter, as did Keegan Bradley in the 2011 PGA Championship.

“We strongly believe that this rule is for the betterment of the game,” USGA president Glen Nager said. “Rule 14-1b protects one of the important challenges in the game — the free swing of the entire club.”

The announcement followed six months of contentious debate, and it might not be over.

The next step is for the PGA Tour to follow along with the new rule or decide to establish its own condition of competition that would allow players to anchor the long putters. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said in February that the USGA and R&A “would be making a mistake” to adopt the rule, although he also has stressed the importance of golf playing under one set of rules.

Some forms of anchoring have been around at least 40 years, and old photographs suggest it has been used even longer. It wasn’t until after Bradley became the first major champion to use a belly putter than the USGA and R&A said it would take a new look at the putting style.

“It can never be too late to do the right thing,” Nager said.

Those in favor of anchored putting argued that none of the top 20 players in the PGA Tour’s most reliable putting statistic used a long putter, and if it was such an advantage, why wasn’t everyone using it?

“Intentionally securing one end of the club against the body, and creating a point of physical attachment around which the club is swung, is a substantial departure from that traditional free swing,” Nager said. “Anchoring creates potential advantages, such as making the stroke simpler and more repeatable, restricting the movement and rotation of the hands, arms and clubface, creating a fixed pivot point and creating extra support and stability that may diminish the effects of nerves and pressure.”

The governing bodies announced the proposed new rule on Nov. 28, even though they had no statistical data to show an advantage. What concerned them more was a spike in usage on the PGA Tour, more junior golfers using the long putters and comments from instructors that it was a better way to putt. There was concern that the conventional putter would become obsolete over time.

The purpose of the new rule was simply to define what a putting stroke should be.

“The playing rules are not based on statistical studies,” Nager said. “They are based on judgments that define the game and its intended challenge. One of those challenges is to control the entire club, and anchoring alters that challenge.”

The topic was so sensitive that the USGA and R&A allowed for a 90-day comment period, an unprecedented move for the groups that set the rules of golf.

At this year’s Players Championship, Garcia blamed Woods for an errant shot he hit on the par-5 second hole at TPC Sawgrass, saying Woods caused his gallery to cheer while Garcia was in the middle of a shot. Garcia followed that up by indicating that he didn’t particularly enjoy playing in the same group as the world No. 1-ranked Woods.

More fallout from that incident occurred after the tournament, as on-course marshals disagreed whether or not Woods was at fault for distracting Garcia.

On Monday, Woods spoke at a news conference promoting next month’s AT&T National in the Washington D.C. area. A reporter gave him an opportunity to squash the feud, asking Woods if he had any thoughts of calling up Garcia to bury the hatchet.

Woods’ answer? A contrite “No,” eliciting laughs from those in attendance, after a brief awkward silence.

The U.S. Open just got that much more interesting. Check out video of Woods’ response in the video below.

Read how Garcia replied to Woods on Tuesday >>

For most people, sharing such a moment would create a lifetime bond — except for Mediate and Woods, it looks like.

In an interview with The Golf Channel’s David Feherty, Mediate says that not only have he and Woods never discussed the latter’s most recent major win, but Woods actually snubbed his request to commemorate the tournament. According to Mediate, at the 2009 Players Championship just more than a year later, he sent a photo and note to Woods asking for a personalized autograph. However, what he got back was nothing more than a generic signature, with no mention of their epic battle.

“Why wouldn’t he just go, ‘Roc, you suck, you got lucky for six days. I had a broken leg’ … just mess with me, and then sign my pin sheet so I could put the damn thing on the wall and say, ‘Almost got the guy that day,’” Mediate said. “I could go buy one of those pictures if I want one.”

Mediate says he actually threw the picture away and otherwise hasn’t spoken with Woods. He’s just the latest colleague to accuse Woods of being less than friendly, after Sergio Garcia flatly said he doesn’t enjoy playing in the same group as Woods at this year’s Players two weeks ago.

Check out Feherty’s interview with Mediate in the video below.

After Colsaerts hit a drive well into the hazard, a rules official determined the closest drop point was inside a bathroom. The announcers had a good laugh when trying to figure out if he would actually have to take his shot from inside “the loo.”

Colsaerts was able to take relief from that spot and was allowed to drop his ball outside the bathroom with no penalty. The Belgian golfer still wound up putting for par on the complicated hole.

Check out the bizarre set of circumstances in the video below.

Luke Donald won the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in Japan in November. With the win came the typical trophy and winner’s check and a more unusual prize — a cow.

The tournament was held in Miyazaki, a region that is known for its breed of cattle that is similar to that of Kobe beef. The cows are treated almost like royalty before they are killed to eat — they have names, drink beer and are massaged with sake, according to ESPN.com.

An apparent foodie, Donald chose to keep his prized cow even when most winners choose to trade the cow in for cash on the spot. Donald realized the magnitude of what he had won and was determined to get the cow back to the United States and enjoy a hearty meal.

There was just one big issue — officials told Donald they would not be able to ship the physical cow to the US.

After contacting a chef friend of his, Nick Kokonas, in Chicago, Donald became part of a giant game of telephone that involved Kokonas and international importers to get his cow. The meat is so tasty that restaurants pay nearly $160 per pound for the specific type of beef, Kokonas told ESPN. And diners, who are eating it in smaller pieces, typically pay at least double that price.

The next thing Donald knew, he was told that he didn’t actually win one cow, but that his cow acquisition team would need to specify which cuts and how many pounds of each they wanted. It took months, but the two sides finally reached an agreement.

To make a long story relatively short, Donald finally received his beef on Tuesday. All 200 pounds of it, worth close to $80,000 at retail. After throwing some on the grill and finally tasting it, Donald told ESPN, “Definitely the best beef I’ve ever had.”

After a six-month wait, it had better be.

Photo of the Night

Nate Robinson never backed down even as the Heat downed the Bulls 94-91 in Game 5.

Photo via Facebook/RedEye

Tweet of the Night

Salt in the woulds.

so stern’s talking about the seattle situation from a playoff game in okc? feel the burn, seattle. dag.

—
Bomani Jones (@bomani_jones) May 16, 2013

Video of the Night

Modern Seinfeld with a MLB twist.

Those words have been used to describe a Tiger Woods decision before, but the fact that they’re increasingly being used to describe Woods’ on-course actions is something else.

That’s the case this week, though, as Woods finds himself embroiled in a feud with fellow golfer Sergio Garcia. Woods and Garcia weren’t shy about insulting each other as they battled for The Players Championship last weekend, and the bad blood has continued. Garcia is upset about a sequence Saturday in which he says Woods pulled a club from his bag while Garcia was hitting a shot — in a different area, but close enough that the crowd reacted and threw Garcia off his stroke.

Woods has denied accusations that he was trying to distract Garcia, saying he couldn’t see Garcia and that course marshals told him Garcia had already hit.

While both Garcia and Woods have stuck to their version of the story, Garcia appeared to get the course marshals on his side Sunday.

“He didn’t ask us nothing,” marshal Gary Anderson said, according to Sports Illustrated. “We didn’t say nothing. We’re told not to talk to the players.”

Chief marshal John North agreed with Anderson.

“Nothing was said to us, and we certainly said nothing to him,” North said. “I was disappointed to hear him make those remarks. We’re there to help the players and enhance the experience of the fans. He was saying what was good for him.

“It lacked character.”

But that’s not the end of the story. While the situation appears to perfectly continue the recent narrative that Woods is less-than-admirable both off and on the course, with everything from his chats with fans to his drops under extra scrutiny, this one may be less of a case of Woods trying to get his way and more of a basic misunderstanding.

The Florida Times-Union did a little more digging, and two other marshals now say that Woods appears to be right — but just misinformed — in what he was saying.

“It is not true and definitely unfair to Tiger,” marshal Brian Nedrich, who says he was within 10-to-12 yards of Woods, said of the accusations. “That’s because I was the one Tiger heard say that Sergio had hit.”

Marshal Lance Paczkowski, who was working with Nedrich, said he and Woods had already talked about whether more fans needed to be moved.

“He said, ‘No … I’m good,’” Paczkowski said. “We talk to players all the time if we need to in regards to their needs and crowd control.”

Nedrich and Paczkowski were going back and forth on the sidelines about whether Garcia had hit, and their comments were loud enough for Woods to hear. They say that them saying Garcia had hit meant Woods didn’t have to ask — one part of the story that the original marshals questioned, saying Woods never addressed anyone — if he simply overhead them.

Nedrich said Woods may have gotten the details out of order, but he wasn’t necessarily telling a fib.

“There was a lot going on, as usual, when Tiger plays,” he said. “Then, he’s trying to have the concentration he needs to win a tournament. It’s easy to get small details out of whack when things happen so fast. It was an unfortunate incident, and I don’t think either player is to blame.”

Lie or no lie, this much is true: It’s probably safest to check with Garcia before doing anything.

Photo of the Day

Mr. and Mrs. Brees take a turn at being Mr. and Mrs. Gatsby.

Had a blast at #GreatGatsby recently. And yes, of course we dressed up! This movie will win some awards I imagine. http://t.co/DYzmpNWxFR

—
Drew Brees (@drewbrees) May 14, 2013

Tweet of the Day

Excellent point, Josh Scobee.

Tried teaching our O-lineman how to kick....and WOW. http://t.co/XWfzYtzfHI

—
Josh Scobee (@JoshScobee10) May 14, 2013

Video of the Day

You see? Josh Hamilton can hit home runs!

Justin Rose, Johnson Wagner, Justin Leonard, Sean O’Hair and Retief Goosen are tired of the PGA’s rule that they can’t wear shorts. So they’ve paired with Ashworth Golf on a “pants petition.”

The five golfers participated in a video begging the PGA to start allowing them to wear shorts on the course when the weather calls for it. Wagner goes as far as to call the rule banning shorts “reverse sexism.”

See the golfers show off their sense of humor in the video below.

Woods ended a weekend of words with Garcia by finding land on the final two holes for par to close with a 2-under 70. Garcia was tied for the lead as he stood on the 17th tee and stared at the island green. He hit into the water twice to make a quadruple-bogey 7, and then hit his tee shot into the water on the 18th in a stunning collapse.

Woods joined Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Steve Elkington as multiple winners on the TPC Sawgrass. It was his 78th career win on the PGA Tour. Woods was in the scoring trailer when David Lingmerth missed a long birdie putt for a playoff.

Garcia blames Woods for an errant shot on the par-5 second hole. Garcia says Woods reached for a club as Garcia was still trying to shoot, which elicited a distracting cheer from the crowd.

“I wouldn’t say that he didn’t see that I was ready,” Garcia said. “But you do have a feel when the other guy is going to hit, and right as I was in the top of my backswing, I think he must have pulled like a 5-wood or a 3-wood and obviously everybody started screaming.

“So that didn’t help very much. But it was unfortunate because — I mean I might have hit it in there if nothing happens. You never know. But if I hit a good shot there and maybe make a birdie, it gets my day started in a bit of a different way.”

Garcia hooked his tee shot into trees. Woods claims the marshals told him Garcia had already shot.

“Obviously, he doesn’t know all the facts,” Woods told ESPN.com. “The marshals told me he had already hit. I pulled the club and played my shot. Then I hear his comments afterward. Not really surprising that he’s complaining about something.”

It seems Garcia didn’t exactly buy Woods’ excuse.

“That’s fine. At least I’m true to myself,” Garcia said. “I know what I’m doing, and he can do whatever he wants.”

Garcia is happy that he’s not paired with Woods in the fourth round of The Players Championship.

“I’m not gonna lie, he’s not my favorite guy to play with. He’s not the nicest guy on tour,” Garcia told Ryan Lavner of the Golf Channel. “Its good for both of us. We don’t enjoy each other’s company. Don’t need a rocket engineer to figure that out.”

Check out Garcia blaming Woods for the hooked shot in the video below.

Unfortunately for at least one group of amateur golfers, it was probably pretty difficult to focus on the task at hand. During a U.S. Open qualifying round at Emerald Hills golf course in Hollywood, Fla., an apparently disoriented driver directed her car onto the course and down the cart path.

Taking a look at an aerial photograph of the par-4 11th hole, the course appears to be in a housing development, so the woman’s confusion is no surprise. However, with water behind the green and houses lining both fairways, there doesn’t seem to be a street to access the course’s cart path in the immediate vicinity, so this poor woman was clearly very, very lost.

But, hey, she had her wits about her enough to make a hairpin U-turn in a bunker that splits the fairway. And, thankfully for the Internet, someone in the group of wannabe Open qualifiers whipped out his phone to capture the odd moment on video. Just remember, next time you’re recording video, turn your phone to the side.

Check out the video below to see the woman play through.

Roberto Castro had only played the TPC Sawgrass in a practice round. He made a debut he won’t soon forget.

There was the 9-iron to a foot on the island-green 17th and a 4-iron to about the same tap-in range on the 18th, the hardest hole on the course. He hit a 3-iron to three feet for eagle, and twice hit wedge so close he didn’t even have to read the putt.

When his memorable day was over, Castro had a 9-under 63 and his name in the record book twice. He tied the course record held by Fred Couples and Greg Norman, and his three-shot lead was the largest margin after the opening round at The Players in 21 years.

Welcome to Sawgrass.

“I hit it close a lot,” said Castro, making it sound as easy as it looked.

He led over Rory McIlroy, who broke par for the first time in his fourth appearance with five birdies after the turn and conservative play off the tee on the front nine for a bogey-free 66. Zach Johnson also had a 66 while playing in the pristine morning conditions.

Woods had to work a little harder in the afternoon. Not only did he spot Castro nine shots, Woods had never broken 70 in the opening round in his 15 previous tries.

“It was a day that I felt I had to shoot something in the 60s,” Woods said.

He ran off four straight birdies around the turn. He was on the cusp of his first bogey-free round at The Players until his 8-iron from 200 yards went just over the green and he flubbed his chip. The bogey gave him a 67, a strong effort considering he knew he had a lot of ground to make up before hitting his first shot.

“I’ve seen that a lot, but not at this golf course,” he said.

Vijay Singh, playing one day after he sued the PGA Tour for its handling of his doping case, was largely ignored while playing in the group behind Woods. One fan wore felt deer antlers in the bleachers behind the first tee — Singh’s case involved taking deer antler spray — but only a dozen or so people followed the 50-year-old Fijian on the back nine and it was a quiet day.

At one point, Singh let out a hearty laugh walking off the tee with Robert Garrigus and J.J. Henry. His golf wasn’t the subject of the laughter. Singh hit into the water on the last hole and made bogey for a 74, leaving him in danger of missing the cut.

So ended a first round filled with plenty of action — a record-tying score by a player hardly anyone knows, McIlroy breaking par for the first time at Sawgrass, 17 balls in the water around the island-green 17th and 33 rounds in the 60s. Padraig Harrington followed an eagle with a double bogey. Michael Thompson made a hole-in-one.

But it all started with Castro, a 27-year-old who felt like he couldn’t miss.

“I don’t think anyone has figured out what the secret is to this place,” Castro said.

Woods, Webb Simpson and Ryan Palmer each had a 67, the lowest score from the afternoon.

McIlroy also played in the morning, in the same group as Masters champion Adam Scott (69) and Steve Stricker (67). The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland had never made the cut or even broken par at The Players, but McIlroy figured it out on a gorgeous morning by dialing it back off the tee and letting his iron play take over. McIlroy never came seriously close to a bogey, and he didn’t hit driver once on the front nine.

“When you hit the shots, it seems very simple,” McIlroy said. “I had a lot of good shots out there, lot of iron shots that were 12, 15 feet away from the pin and I got myself a lot of looks for birdies. I adopted maybe more of a conservative strategy off the tee this year. But once you put your ball in the fairway that means you can be more aggressive into the greens. So it sort of balances itself out.”

The Stadium Course has rarely looked so vulnerable with barely a trace of wind and some pins in bowls that allowed for good looks at birdie. Half the 72 players in the morning broke par.

But the punishment is never far away, as Scott Stallings discovered. He opened with five straight birdies to get everyone’s attention, but after going out in 31, Stallings gave most of it back with a bogey, double bogey and a triple bogey on the 16th when he hit two balls into the water. He shot 40 on the back for a 71.

“It just goes to show about the golf course and really how volatile it is,” Stallings said.

Castro hasn’t discovered that yet. This was a day when everything went right.

He made three birdies early in his round on the back until making his tap-in birdies on the 17th and 18th. Then, he hit 3-iron into three feet on the par-5 second hole for an eagle and was 7-under through 11 holes. On the fourth, he hit his approach inside two feet for another birdie, and then he hit wedge to 18 inches on the sixth.

Castro had a birdie putt just outside 12 feet to break the course record, but missed it.

After his eagle on the second hole — his 11th of the round — Castro was reminded of a game he plays to try to birdie every other hole.

“When I eagled, I was like, ‘Oh, now I’m 7 [under] through 11, so that’s keeping ahead of that 50 percent mark.’ But this is a different golf course,” he said. “The golf course is much harder than most of the other times I’ve kind of taken that attitude.”

Couples shot his 63 in 1992 in the third round. Norman opened with a 63 in 1994 when he went on to shatter the tournament record at 24-under 264. Along with joining them in the record book, Castro matched the record set by Billy Ray Brown in 1992 with his three-shot lead after one round.

Castro is not well known even in golf circles. His mother grew up in Peru and moved to America as a teenager along with her sister, Jenny Lidback, who played the LPGA Tour. He toiled in the minor leagues for five years after getting his industrial engineering degree at Georgia Tech.

Woods wasn’t pleased with how he struck the ball, only with where he missed it. Despite missing six greens, he was left with straightforward shots to save par. The only blemish came at the end, when his 56-degree wedge came up heavy into the grain and failed to reach the putting surface.

The lawsuit was a surprise, and so was the timing — the day before The Players Championship, the flagship event on the PGA Tour held on its home course where Singh has honed his game for the last two decades.

“I am proud of my achievement, my work ethic and the way I live my life,” Singh said in a statement. “The PGA Tour not only treated me unfairly, but displayed a lack of professionalism that should concern every professional golfer and fan of the game.”

Singh filed the lawsuit in New York, where he has a home and the tour has an office. He is in the field at The Players Championship.

The 50-year-old Fijian, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006, said in a Sports Illustrated article in January that he used deer antler spray and he was “looking forward to some change in my body.” The spray was said to include an insulin-like growth factor that was on the tour’s list of banned substances. The tour sent a sample from Singh to be tested, and it returned small amounts of IGF-1.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem announced April 30 that the tour was dropping its case because of new information from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which said deer antler spray was no longer considered prohibited because it contained just minimal amounts of the growth factor.

The lawsuit claims the PGA Tour relied on WADA’s list of banned substances and methods without doing any of its own research, including whether such substances even provide any performance-enhancing benefits. Singh’s lawyers said the tour “rushed to judgment and accused one of the world’s hardest working and most dedicated golfers of violating the rules of the game.”

“We have not seen the lawsuit, just the statement,” PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said. “We have no comment.”

Tiger Woods

According to US Magazine, the golfer and skier hit up an after party at the Boom Boom Room (atop the Standard Hotel) following the the annual Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

It was there, according to “onlookers,” where Tiger reportedly tied one on.

“Tiger looked uncomfortable,” US Magazine’s onlooker said, adding that the two held hands and kissed for much the night. At one point, the source indicates, the pair hit the dance floor where Tiger was “grabbing Vonn’s butt affectionately as she giggled.”

But the fun didn’t end there, if reports are true.

“When it was time to go, around 2 a.m.,” writes Justin Ravits of US Magazine  “a seemingly tipsy Woods fell while walking up a small flight of stairs — and didn’t move from the spot until Vonn, clenching her teeth and looking embarrassed, helped him up and guided him [swaying a bit as he walked] to the exit, according to a witness.”

Click here to check out their weird photo shoot that was used to announce their relationship>>

Photo via Twitter/@paddypower

Komma then did the unthinkable and drained another one just four holes later, on the very next par 3 she faced.

The German’s first hole-in-one came from 177 yards out while her second one came from a nice little chip from 108 yards away, according to Detroit Free Press.

“After I had the first [hole in one], I couldn’t believe it at first, because I did not see it go in,” Komma told the Free Press. “The people we passed were standing on the green, and they were yelling, but I still couldn’t believe it. The second one, I did not know what to do. I started tearing up because there was no way I could get another one.

“I guess you can say I had a good round of golf, to say the least.”

She better have bought everyone in the clubhouse two rounds, to say the least. Check out video of her reaction to her second hole-in-one below.

Check out her scorecard below and listen to audio of her dual-ace reaction by clicking here.

Photo via GolfChannel.com

Thumbnail via OUGrizzlies.com

There are a variety of ticket options for fans to enjoy when the top 100 golfers in the world tee it up at TPC Boston come Aug. 28.

Rope side seating is available again this year. The guaranteed front-row seat, on both the 17th and 18th holes, is a VIP seating option that guarantees a green-side view of the championship. Prices for the popular seats are $550 for the 17th green and $600 for the 18th green. Both options include a total of $60 of DBC food and beverage bucks, as well as access to the Champions Club on the 17th fairway. New for 2013, the rope side seating booklets includes one weekly VIP parking pass.

The Signature Skybox and The Champions Club are two more intriguing options for fans. For details on these two options and others, check out dbchampionship.com.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 8, at 10 a.m. ET and are available online at dbchampionship.com, by phone at 800-594-TIXX (8499) or at any of Golfsmith’s seven Massachusetts locations.