Stevie, Stevie, Stevie: “My aim was to shove it right up that black --------.”

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Oliver Brown reports that Steve Williams, receiving a "tongue in cheek" award from his fellow bagmen for "celebration of the year," was asked on staged during a dinner at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai to explain his infamous celebration after Adam Scott’s win in the WGC Bridgestone.
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"Rolex hopes that Tiger, with his Thai mother, will be demographic catnip for the golf-obsessed Asian market."

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Slate's Seth Stevenson tries to better understand why Rolex would sign Tiger Woods and ends up profiling the company, revealing many interesting and surprising things about this $5 billion company.

Privately held since its formation in 1905, Rolex is a notoriously tight-lipped company. It doesn't release revenue figures, or explain leadership transitions. (It had a total of three CEOs from 1905 until 2008, when then-CEO Patrick Heiniger resigned under mysterious circumstances.) Even the corporate structure is a bit murky. Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf died childless in 1960, leaving control of his company to a charitable foundation he'd established. The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation runs Rolex to this day. When I emailed a polite-but-elliptical media-relations woman to ask whether Rolex is essentially a nonprofit, and who the foundation’s major beneficiaries are, she responded with this sentence: "The principal focus of the foundation is to support a variety of philanthropic endeavors."

And regarding the Tiger signing, Stevenson concludes it all comes down to the Asian markets.

Instead, he argues, this move is in large part about Asia. That’s where the growth in luxury watches will come from in the future. Right now, Rolex’s nemesis Omega dominates China—Omega is the other “mass class,” entry-level luxury timepiece—simply because it’s better-established there. Rolex hopes that Tiger, with his Thai mother, will be demographic catnip for the golf-obsessed Asian market.

Don't Look For Tiger To Use The Belly Putter Anytime Soon

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In Emily Kay's item on James Driscoll reluctantly looking to the belly putter, there was this about his fellow Sean Foley accolyte and Medalist member.

Despite the mass migration to what are quickly becoming conventional blades, Driscoll believes one golfer fans will never see with one is Tiger Woods.

“He was giving me a hard time for practicing with it a couple of weeks ago,” said Driscoll, who shares Woods’ swing coach, Sean Foley, and is a long-time member of Woods’ new course, Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. “He said he’d never go to the long putter. He has tried it and says he just can’t stroke it.”

Tiger And Greg, The Backstory

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Robert Lusetich explains the various backstories in the Norman-Woods-Couples-triangle. Oh, and perhaps why Robert Allenby's name got dragged into the drama too.

Perhaps it’s not surprising, given the bad blood between Norman and Woods, dating to when they shared coach Butch Harmon. Sharing’s a difficult proposition for two men accustomed to getting their way.

“Tiger and Greg don’t speak,” said a source who knows both well. “There’s a lot of animosity between them.”

Indeed, one reason Woods wanted the word spread about the course-record 62 he shot at the Medalist course in Jupiter, Fla., a few weeks ago is that Norman’s best score on the course he co-designed is 64.

It was a classic retaliation at the Great White Shark’s declaration a week beforehand that Woods would never win another major.

This Week's Greg Norman Bulletin Board Quote For Tiger

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Seth Soffian reports on yet another motivational quote (I've lost track!) for Tiger, once again courtesy of International Presidents Cup team captain Greg Norman:

“I wouldn’t have (picked Woods),” Norman said during a press conference today to announce the field for the Shootout at host venue Tiburon Golf Club in North Naples. “I think Keegan Bradley was much more deserving.

“I can understand the name of a Tiger Woods and his history of what he’s done on the golf course. But I pick the guys who I think are ready to get in there and play and have performed to the highest levels leading up to it.”

"Unfortunately, people have a few of their libations of choice, and do things that they probably don't normally do."

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According to Greg Beacham, reporting on Tiger's appearance in Hollywood and the announcement of the 2011 Chevron World Challenge field, the golfing great is handling Sunday's unruly-fan incident gracefully. Literally. Look at the big word he wheels out for hooch!

As the world's most popular golfer, Woods is aware of the risks he takes every weekend.

"Part of the lure of our sport is our access," Woods said. "Fans can literally reach out and touch you. You don't ever touch football players unless they jump in the stands. That personal interaction is what makes golf so special. We've been very fortunate over the years to have everything turn out positively.

"This guy was just trying to gain attention for himself, which he did. I've had another fan throw an orange in Phoenix one year. Unfortunately, people have a few of their libations of choice, and do things that they probably don't normally do."

Wrapping Up The Tiger-Frys.com Open Courtship

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I'm guessing we'll soon learn of Tiger Woods becoming part of the Frys family, but in the meantime I penned Golf World Monday's Big Read on Tiger's appearance, his game and how it was a great week for both parties despite the hot dog incident and not contending.

You don't have to be a Golf World subscriber to read all 950 or so words.

Daily Telegraph Shows The Tiger Hot Dog Incident

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Thanks to reader Chris. While the story posting photos and video has fun with it, you can see the seriousness of what this could have been by the urgency of Joe LaCava's Atwal caddie Laddie Cline's reaction.

And nice work by security to get on him quickly though I'd like the knee to the back to have been a little nastier.

Now if we could just find out the name of this loser so that it comes up in Google searches for the rest of his life...