This'll Never Happen At A PGA Tour Event Files, Vol. 1

Even Sophie Gustafson had to stop and get a shot of Tillman boarding his way around one of La Costa's many cart pathsI'm making a quick stop-in at the LPGA's Kia Classic to talk to a few players and for the opportunity to see the world's most dominant player tee it up (Yani Tseng) along with some exciting young phenoms (Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda).

You've heard it all before, but the players are tremendously accessible to fans and just as enjoyable to watch as the boys (well, minus the absurd caddy-lining-them-up nonsense).

For those of you not on Twitter--a big part of the LPGA culture evidenced by the pairing sheets--here's one example I Tweeted earlier today of the fun vibe here at La Costa.

Could you imagine if Commissioner Monk found out that one of his players (Irene Cho in the LPGA's case) taped a segment for Animal Planet and his staff let a hound on the property for a quick, fun promotional shoot? And this happened? I give you, Tillman the Wonder Dog...

Arnie's Characterization Of Rory Snub Depends On Who You Read

Simon Evans of Reuters with the story on Arnold Palmer's disappointment at Rory McIlroy passing on the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"I'm disappointed that they are not here, no question about it," Palmer told reporters on Wednesday.

"I'm certainly not happy that those fellas chose not to come this year. We are doing everything we can to entice them to come and play."

And there was this dry humor from The King:

Q.  Given your goals for this event, how disappointing is it not to have Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald in the field, and how hard did you try to persuade them to play?

ARNOLD PALMER:  Well, yes, I'm disappointed that they are not here, no question about it.  They are the top players on the TOUR right now in the positions that they are in, and I am disappointed.

I had a letter from Rory seeking my consultation and told me he wasn't coming.  And of course that made me feel great.  (Laughter) And if you believe that, I'll talk to you outside afterwards.

Anyway, back to the story that appeared on the Reuters website and at Sky Sports. Check out the different handling. First at Reuters.

And then Sky Sports:

Put The King Down In The Anti-Anchoring Camp

Craig Dolch with one of the highlights from Arnold Palmer's pre-Bay Hill sitdown with the scribblers:

“I’m not a fan of long putters,” Palmer said. “I suppose if I were playing, and a long putter, being totally legal, would help my game, I might use it. But I’m opposed to it, personally. I just think that there shouldn’t be a place in the game for anchoring a club against the body, which is what the long putter does.”

Klein On Big Miss: "The result makes for an alarming look at an athlete whose public glories masked a day-to-day existence of profound superficiality."

I'm early in the book, but Brad Klein of Golfweek has the same positive impression of The Big Miss, as evidenced in this quick online review:

Even more revealing than the swing material is evidence of Woods’ emotional blank wall: his indifference to people around him, his inability to empathize, and an obsession with military training and the Navy SEALS that, according to Haney, probably led to the leg injuries which have hampered Woods’ golf career.

How much of this is Haney’s insight and how much of this is due to his writing collaborator, Jaime Diaz, can only be a matter of speculation. The result makes for an alarming look at an athlete whose public glories masked a day-to-day existence of profound superficiality.