Guan Lands Zurich Classic Exemption; Monday Finish Contingency Plans In Place?

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Golfweek Staff has the details on 14-year-old Masters low amateur and sluggish golfer Tianlang Guan receiving a sponsor's invite into the 2013 Zurich Classic in New Orleans.

Guan, who was penalized for slow play on Friday of the Masters, received two bad times over the weekend as well. Thankfully for his sake, the PGA Tour has a moratorium on slow play penalties.

Martin Laird His Wins Way Into The Masters

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Dex McLuskey on the clutch performance of Martin Laird winning the Valero Texas Open to get into the Masters.

“I’ve been asked probably 30 times in the last couple of weeks, ‘Are you in Augusta?’” Laird said in a televised interview. “Every time I said ‘no’ it kind of hurt me a little bit. So that was my major motivation trying to get back into tournaments like that.”

Laird, a 30-year-old Scot, is the first non-American to win on the PGA Tour in 15 events this season. He began today five shots behind third-round leader Billy Horschel, who tied Jim Furyk and Charley Hoffman for third place at 11-under.

The PGA Tour highlight video:

Bay Hill Viral Video Update: Sergio Tops 3 Million

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Some of you know golf has been a tad slow to embrace The YouTube. The most glaring example is in Augusta, where clips of Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen's epic shots from last year's Masters remain unfindable except in really bad bootleg form (here and here). Not surprisingly, the number of views are shockingly small.

So here's a follow up for the stakeholders, proud enforcers of rightsholders television contracts, who might still have doubts about YouTube and its ability to generate interest in the game, attention for players, and impressions for sponsors.

At Bay Hill last week we saw some amazing moments and a few of them went viral or semi viral. These aren't Gangham numbers, but you have to start somewhere. And I'm guessing Mastercard enjoyed having their brand noticed by over 3 million or so pairs of eyes. Just a guess.

Sergio climbs tree at Bay Hill to hit shot video; 3,003,132 views

Nicholas Thompson's barefoot water shot: 578,782 views

Even Matt Every's water hazard eagle is up to: 106,741 views

Video: Sergio's One-Handed Tree Shot

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The only thing more impressive than climbing the tree and the one-handed backwards shot was the dismount.

Courtesy of the PGA Tour's YouTube account, another must see viral video from Bay Hill:

Golf Gods' Existence Confirmed By Hellacious Bay Hill Storm: Tavistock Cup Forced To Take Back Seat

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I'm too distraught to type my emotions right now, so I'll just copy and paste the key times for a re-arranged schedule now that the storm-delayed Arnold Palmer Invitational is running into Monday. A day normally set aside for the absurd expression of conspicuous consumption known as the Tavistock Cup.

Golf Channel Monday Programming Schedule (all times Eastern)

10 a.m.-conclusion             Final Round Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard
Following API-5 p.m.          Day One Tavistock Cup Coverage

And then there is the Tavistock Cup, re-imagined without, oh, the golfers most  people want to see:

Tomorrow’s better ball competition will be as follows:

Group 1 - 12:20 p.m. Paul McGinley and Tom Lewis will play with Bob Tway and Scott Verplank.

Group 2 - 12:35 p.m. Brian Davis and D.A. Points will play with Peter Hanson and Webb Simpson.

Group 3 - 12:50 p.m. Tim Clark and Adam Scott will play with Ross Fisher and Graeme McDowell.

Group 4 - 1:05 p.m. Fred Couples and Jay Haas will play with Bo Van Pelt and Bubba Watson.
Gate hours will remain the same.