AT&T National To Be Played Without Fans, Volunteers; More Violent Storms Possible

Rex Hoggard with the update, including split tees at 1 p.m. ET and the decision to keep fans and volunteers away.

According to the Tour’s meteorologist the storm, which began on Friday near Chicago, produced “derecho” winds that gusted to 70 mph around Congressional and had the potential to do tornado-like damage.

The storm arrived at about 10:30 p.m. and lasted just 45 minutes and produced 3/10ths of an inch of rain but the damage to Congressional and the surrounding area was substantial with more than 40 fallen trees at the course. Much of the area, including Congressional’s clubhouse, remained without power.

Russell said the Tour plans to evaluate whether it would be safe to allow fans to attend Sunday’s final round and he still had not determined if any “local rules” would be used on Saturday.

Ryan Ballengee posted some photos of the tree damage on his Facebook page.

Many of the same areas affected on Friday may have to endure yet another round of gusty thunderstorms later today, perhaps even another "derecho" event, according to this Accuweather forecaster.

Congressional Assaulted By Violent Storm

From the sounds of tournament director Greg McLaughlin's Tweet along with chatter from many others staying near the course and reporting power outages, AT&T National host site Congressional has been hit by a storm of Biblical proportions.

McLaughlin wrote:

Wind blew down countless trees at Congo. Came back at 10p and 3 trees uprooted block main drive. Had to climb over to get to club.

Reuters is reporting a gust at 79 mph.

The Washington Post reports power outages for a million customers, which will not help in coping with Saturday's forecasted heat where some forecasters are suggesting a heat index of up to 110.

Quail Hollow Under The Knife Again

Ron Green Jr. with the list of changes, many of which are in response to player criticism or with the 2017 PGA in mind.

The move allows the club to expand its practice tees and create a new short-game area with three greens. The existing short-game area, located to the right of the practice range, will be converted into a tournament parking area.

Among the features of the new short game area will be a sod-faced bunker, reminiscent of those on the famous links courses in Scotland and Ireland.

The short par-4 eighth hole is also being revamped with a new green being built to the left of the existing green, which was among the most controversial on the course. The tees will be shifted slightly and the hole will play between 325 and 340 yards with an opening at the front of the green to allow long hitters to attempt to fit their tee shots between two bunkers.

PGA Tour Video Onslaught: Tiger Was Great, Is Great And Will Be Great, But Never As Great As He Was

You see a lot of things in the blogging business that make you scratch your head, but I have to say the onslaught of videos posted on YouTube today by the PGA Tour celebrating Tiger's place in the game, made me double check to see if he had announced his retirement. The videos speak of him as if he's left the game, or, God Forbid, left the planet.

Not once, not twice, not three times, but four different videos are dedicated to the same basic theme: Tiger was great, is great, may never be great again because the competition is tougher, and has been a great player in the game. It's revelatory stuff.

Almost like Commissioner Sure, Use-Our-Clubhouse-But-Bring-Your-Own-Blue-Drapes randomly called down to PGA Tour Productions and said, "order me up some the nostalgia, heavy on the Tiger."

Woods did appear in the AT&T National press center (transcript here, Golf Channel video below) for a Q&A and admitted his short game has been lacking. Steve DiMeglio reports:

"I finally have a swing that doesn't hurt, and I am still generating power, but it doesn't hurt anymore," said Woods, who overhauled his swing previously with Butch Harmon and Hank Haney and is now working with Sean Foley. "I would say certainly my short game has been something that has taken a hit, and it did the same thing when I was working with Butch and the same thing when I was working with Hank.

"During that period of time, my short game went down, and it's because I was working on my full game. Eventually I get to a point where the full game becomes very natural and I can repeat it day after day, and I can dedicate most of my time to my short game again."

More interesting, Woods endorsed the notion put forward by some that younger players will be turning pro earlier than they might have in the past

Ryan Ballengee covers that part of the presser:

Woods, whose agent Mark Steinberg also represents Cantlay, endorsed the approach of the 2011 U.S. Amateur runner-up.

"I think that gives you the best chance," he said. "You play the Masters. You get the U.S. Open. You get a couple majors under your belt. You get to play with your team in college, play your entire collegiate schedule. And now you've got a lot of tournaments under your belt, and then go ahead and turn pro and try and get your card."

You can watch the entire press conference here:

Leishman Reportedly Wins Travelers Even Though He Shot 62 Long Before Cameras Were Rolling

John Strege explains the peculiar Travelers finale where Marc Leishman fired a 62 and the leaders playing two hours later all folded down the stretch, handing the win to the 28-year-old Australian.

Leishman, it should be noted, counts another Aussie, Greg Norman, as his idol. Norman won here, too, in 1995. But Norman is known as much for his pratfalls as for the otherwise stellar record that landed him in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and he'd have been at home among those kindred spirits littering the course on the back nine.

"It's a funny game," Leishman said. But a comedy of errors doesn't make it a comedy, nor does a one-stroke victory make it a drama. That leaves horror among the available genres.

If you look closely during the highlight package, you'll see Leishman make one putt during his round.

Rory Sabbatini's Predicted Ace, 16th @ The Travelers

Jim Nantz notes based on Rory Sabbatini's immediate reaction, someone called the ace before it happened. I couldn't find any articles online explaining the backstory.

Tiger Showing Signs Of PR Savvy...

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Tim Rogers reports on the stunning news that Tiger Woods has committed to the WGC Bridgestone in August, maybe his earliest non-major commitment ever and the simplest but best public relations move he can make.

"This is the earliest Tiger has entered since I've been here," executive director Don Padgett III told the newspaper. "Last year he waited until the Thursday or Friday before, which is his right. But having him commit early is a plus."

Steiny Lands Another Ride To The Course; Expected To Sign Cantlay

Rex Hoggard with the news of UCLA's Patrick Cantlay turning pro and signing with agent Mark Steinberg who can now bum a ride off the young lad until January 25th, 2013.

Cantlay wasn't confirming after the round.

Despite Cantlay’s denial, sources say he plans to sign with Tiger Woods’ manager Mark Steinberg with Excel Sports Management. GolfChannel.com ask Steinberg about his relationship with Cantlay Sunday at Olympic and he declined to comment.

With dramatic changes to the PGA Tour’s Q-School and Nationwide Tour system looming it’s likely that many underclassman will bolt school early, but Cantlay’s longtime swing coach Jamie Mulligan warned that no decision has been made.

DJ Puts His Name In The U.S. Open Contender Hat; But Will His Length Work At O Club?

With a win Sunday at the Fed-Ex St. Jude Classic, recent major contender Dustin Johnson arrives at Olympic Club with a super shot to win. He adds himself to a nice, long list of contenders playing well (as John Strege writes).

Ryan Lavner notes in Golfweek's 5 Things on the day that Johnson sounds confident heading to the U.S. Open.

“I was confident coming into this week,” Johnson said. “I was hitting some good shots and chipping and putting pretty well. I just needed to get the ball in the fairway, because I was swinging my irons well and knew I’d have a lot of looks at birdie.”

Johnson fascinates me at Olympic because a case could be made that the course will take away the advantage he has with his driver, yet he's so long with his other clubs that even without pulling out the big stick, he may be okay. This is the interesting dilemma I wrote about for Golf World the U.S. Open preview, and Hale Irwin even mentions Johnson when talking about Olympic's 4th hole and his ability to shape a 3-wood or hybrid there compared to the challenge of trying to hit the same shot with driver.

Yet another fun storyline heading into an Open with more than its share. The highlights from Memphis: