Rocco On Tiger's Swing: "It doesn't produce the shots he used to hit"

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Steve DiMeglio looks at the state of Tiger's game and also features a nice mini-retrospective of the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines where Woods dueled with Rocco Mediate.

Four-plus years later, Mediate still is in awe of Woods but has questions about the state of his mechanics.

" … "I love what Tiger has done for the game... I've always had a ridiculous amount of respect for what he has done. All the crap on the other side I don't care about. I don't know what happened; only he knows what happened."

Mediate says something else happened – to Woods' swing. While the jury is still out on whether Woods can again become the dominant force in golf, Mediate is a tad skeptical.

"Nothing he did ever surprised me. He's that good. But he can't do it anymore because his golf swing is different. It doesn't produce the shots he used to hit," Mediate says. "Do I think he's finished winning majors? No. Does he have as much desire? Yes. But you could ask him to hit any shot blindfolded back in the day and he could. Now he can't. I know what I'm seeing. I know what I saw before. And it's not the same.

" … I know the things outside of golf hurt him immensely, and the injuries have hurt him ... If he does find the swing again, it's game over.

Morning Drive Gets New Set, Cast Expands To Grand Jury Size

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For Immediate Release...

GOLF CHANNEL'S MORNING DRIVE EXPANDS TO SEVEN DAYS AND UNVEILS NEW FORMAT, NEW CO-HOSTS, NEW SET
 
11-Time PGA TOUR Winner John Cook and Travel Expert Matt Ginella Join Gary Williams, Holly Sonders, Damon Hack, Kelly Tilghman, Charlie Rymer and Lauren Thompson as Morning Drive Regulars

Guest Host Ahmad Rashad Joins the Ranks of Annika Sorenstam, Brandel Chamblee, Tim Rosaforte and Jimmy Roberts as Contributors

State-of-the-Art Studio Brings the Outside in with Four New Sets

ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 24, 2013) – The list of reasons to wake up to television’s only live morning golf show got longer with today’s announcement that Golf Channel’s popular Morning Drive will re-launch on Feb. 4 with a new format, a new cast of co-hosts, state-of-the-art studio and an expanded, seven days a week schedule.

“If you love golf, Morning Drive has become the way to start your day,” said Mike McCarley, President of Golf Channel. “In just two years, the show has become weekday appointment viewing for those who share a passion for the game and on the few weekends when Morning Drive has aired, Golf Channel has seen a three-fold increase in ratings. This move to seven days a week, with a new set and new additions to the cast will allow us to engage in a broader range of topics covering all aspects of the game and give viewers a reason to wake up with Morning Drive every day of the week.”

NEW AND EXPANDED CO-HOST TEAM: By expanding to seven days each week, the new Morning Drive cast naturally is going to grow. Current Morning Drive co-hosts Gary Williams, Damon Hack and Holly Sonders will be joined by Golf Channel analyst Charlie Rymer to form the on-air “foursome” typically covering Thursdays through Mondays. Williams, Hack and Sonders have been the regular co-host team of Morning Drive over the past few months and will build upon that camaraderie. Rymer will bring his exuberance for the game to the morning, in addition to his continued work as an analyst for Golf Central.

Longtime Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman will be a central figure mid-week on Morning Drive, typically on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Tilghman will continue to be an anchor for Golf Central and a central figure of Golf Channel’s Live From coverage of the biggest events in golf. Matt Ginella comes to Morning Drive after 11 years as the travel editor for Golf Digest magazine. Ginella has garnered a keen sense for what makes a golf course a destination for golfers of all tastes and will be co-host throughout the week. And Lauren Thompson, who has been a regular contributor to the show, now will have a permanent role, providing news updates and reports for midweek shows.

Several regular contributors and guest hosts include:

- Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster, Ahmad Rashad, headlines as a new guest host. A former All-Pro wide receiver, college football Hall of Famer and 25-year network veteran with ESPN, ABC, NBC and NBA TV – and a voracious golfer – Rashad will bring a unique perspective.

- John Cook is an 11-time PGA TOUR winner and recent champion of the 2013 Mitsubishi Electric Championship on the Champions Tour. The 1993 U.S. Ryder Cup team member will join the show during some of the biggest weeks on the golf calendar.

- Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam will continue to make weekly Morning Drive appearances, providing insight into the professional ranks to the amateurs, and sharing her passion on growing the game.

- Other Golf Channel analysts and reporters also will continue to contribute to Morning Drive on a daily basis, both in studio and on location at various tournaments. Golf World’s Tim Rosaforte will continue to appear weekly on the show; analyst Brandel Chamblee will regularly set up that day’s tournament action on weekends; and Golf Channel on NBC’s Jimmy Roberts will be a frequent contributor in support of his new series, In Play with Jimmy Roberts.

NEW FORMAT: Since Morning Drive’s debut in January 2011, the show has become appointment viewing for viewers seeking the latest golf news and information, as well as expert analysis and discussion about all things golf. The show’s new format will continue to set the table for what’s new each day in professional golf, while expanding its scope to cover the golfing lifestyle including how to play, what to play and where to play. Resident Golf Channel experts and show guests will cover such topics as trends in golf equipment, the hottest travel destinations for golf and the latest fashions turning heads on the course.

Morning Drive’s daily polls and interaction with the show’s loyal audience will be conducted through social media, as well as themed weeks exploring unique aspects of golf.

Viewers can take Morning Drive with them via a “Best of” highlight podcast hosted by Sonders available online each afternoon and the series’ audio will continue to be streamed live at GolfChannel.com/MorningDrive.

NEW STUDIO: Morning Drive is moving into a new, state-of-the-art studio for the re-launch on Feb. 4. The studio features four dedicated sets: a main anchor desk, an interview area, a product demonstration area and a news update desk. The new home is nearly four times larger than the show’s original studio.

Panoramic, high-definition video backdrops throughout the studio will make viewers feel like the Morning Drive cast is broadcasting from just inside the picture windows of their local clubhouse. This signature Morning Drive look is accomplished by linking 20 90-inch and 10 52-inch monitors to create golf course morning vistas.

Morning Drive’s production team is led by coordinating producer Jeff Neubarth, producers Kyle Brown and Bill Hentschel, and directors Charlie Reynolds and Eric Rutledge. For Golf Channel, Molly Solomon is executive producer, Geoff Russell is executive editor and Mike McCarley is president.

Ogilvy Getting Into Politics, PGA Tour Style

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Doug Ferguson's weekly AP notes include items on Bill Clinton getting the best political advice he's ever gotten from Tom Watson, a note on the retirement of Augusta National's Jim Armstrong and this insider item on Geoff Ogilvy's nomination to be a chairman of the Players Advisory Council. If elected he'd be elevated to the Policy Board.

The election would be historic because no international player has ever been on the policy board, even though one-third of the players are not U.S.-born.

“It would be interesting to be on the board. This is an interesting time for the tour,” Ogilvy said. “I’m not inclined that way, but I am interest in the operations of the tour.”

The former U.S. Open champion, who also has three World Golf Championships to his credit, is not about to campaign for votes.

He’s not even sure what players want in a chairman and future board member.

“I would have said at least 50 percent of the players don’t mind who the board members are and really don’t care about the operating of events. As long as they get $6 million to play for 30 times a year, they’re happy _ and they like the way the courses are set up. That’s pretty much the interest of half the tour. They don’t go much further than that. They vote for their friends, I would think. That’s how politics work in general, isn’t it?”

The Revealing 2013 Mandatory Players Meeting...

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Overcoming hideous late-80s carpeting, a less-than-choice setting in the fluorescent-drenched Hilton Torrey Pines basement ballroom, the 2013 mandatory, non-mandatory players meeting was completed in just under two hours and reports say a good time was had by all. Except those who left early citing boredom or refusing to acknowledge the assembled media.

As a belligerent press corps bickered outside the room for nearly 2 hours about deserving World Golf Hall of Fame inductees, PGA Tour players unveiled a variety of peculiar fashion choices to kick off the new year in a fierce battle to see who could best impersonate a wealthy homeless golfer.

Since no one from the USGA or PGA Tour would even talk about the tone of the meeting or acknowledge that a discussion about anchoring a large metal object against one's torso was the topic of discussion, reporters were forced to ask players their views. Always a difficult task under even the the best of circumstances, players were equally as resistant to speak.  Even as they debuted their best winter flip-flops and shabbiest t-shirts paying homage to the world's off-duty longshoreman, the PGA Tour's SVP and EVP corps appeared in their stock blue-blazered best to tell players what they planned to do regardless of the comments made at the meeting. 

"Mike Davis and Tim Finchem are very gifted public speakers," said Geoff Ogilvy, the only player present who completed a sentence and one of the few able to complete full sentences. Several others declined to speak to the media gathered in hopes of landing just one nugget from this most first world of first world discussions.

Flying in for the meeting was noted anchorer Tim Clark, sporting this winter's must-have mandatory players meeting accessory: a carry-on hard case luggage piece filled with mysterious contents that could be construed as legal documents for a player considering a lawsuit to halt the putter anchoring ban. Clark declined comment on his way out of the meeting and remains the subject of speculation that he will be grandfathered in due to a physical handicap preventing him from putting like a normal human being, as will any other player that does 7 Hail Mary's and tells Tim Finchem that he's a first vote World Golf Hall of Famer.

Though all parties declined significant or revealing comment following two hours of meeting and one slightly jovial ovation later, it was revealed that Commissioner Tim Finchem will be briefing the media in an 8:30 a.m. PT press conference.

"Landmark" Live PGA Tour Streaming Begins This Week

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For Immediate Release...

Live Network Streaming Debuts this Weekend at Farmers Insurance Open

CBS’s coverage signals start of full live streaming for rest of 2013 PGA TOUR season

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – This week signals a landmark moment for expanded PGA TOUR coverage as network telecasts will be fully available online for the first time through live streaming, beginning with CBS Sports’ weekend coverage of the Farmers Insurance Open.

All 18 of CBS Sports’ FedExCup telecasts will be streamed live. Visitors to PGATOUR.com and CBSSports.com will be directed to a co-branded video player to watch live streaming of CBS Sports’ third-round telecast on Saturday (3-6 p.m. ET) and fourth-round telecast on Sunday (3-6:30 p.m. ET). The live streaming this weekend also will be available on PGA TOUR platforms as well as CBS Sports and CBS SportCaster applications for the iPhone, Android and iPad. CBS also will have a mobile web-based player available at m.cbssports.com.

All Golf Channel, through TV Everywhere availability, and NBC telecasts also will be streamed throughout the 2013 season, with Golf Channel available to multichannel video subscribers, and NBC’s weekend coverage of 12 FedExCup tournaments fully available beginning with next week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. Golf Channel is televising the early rounds for all 30 FedExCup tournaments on NBC and CBS, as well as all four rounds for six tournaments.

“This is a significant milestone in the PGA TOUR’s digital history,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “We are excited to work with CBS Sports to bring live PGA TOUR action online, and look forward to continuing our efforts with CBS, NBC and Golf Channel to develop ways golf fans can access live coverage of the PGA TOUR from wherever they are.”

Golf Channel’s telecasts of the Farmers Insurance Open’s first two rounds and early weekend coverage will be streamed live in conjunction with NBC Sports Live Extra, accessible to Comcast subscribers on a co-branded video player via PGATOUR.com and GolfChannel.com, as well as on iPhone, Android and iPad through NBC Sports Live Extra and Golf Live Extra apps. Live streaming was available to Comcast subscribers during Golf Channel’s four-round coverage of the Sony Open in Hawaii and last week’s Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation. Availability of live streaming during Golf Channel telecasts of PGA TOUR tournaments will expand to additional satellite, cable and telco providers throughout the season.

Tiger On Getting Out Of California, Anchoring, Torrey

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A few highlights from today's Tiger Woods press conference at the Farmers Insurance Open. Looking as fit as ever, Woods answered questions from the assembled slingers and local TV newshounds.

Q.  Slightly different topic here.  Phil Mickelson made some comments regarding the higher taxes here in California.  You being a resident now of Florida, but from here, any comment or any reaction to what he said?

TIGER WOODS:  Well, I moved out of here back in '96 for that reason.  I enjoy Florida, but also I understand what he was, I think, trying to say.  I think he'll probably explain it better and in a little more detail.

Looks like Jerry West has more lobbying to do on getting Tiger back to Riviera for the Northern Trust Open:

Q.  Just wanted to check in on your immediate schedule going forward.  What tournaments you are going to be playing in, and specifically with the Northern Trust Open, whether you're playing or not, or still undecided?  I wanted to know what your thought process is in whether or not you play that one?

TIGER WOODS:  I'm going to play a few tournaments coming up.

Q.  Which one next?

TIGER WOODS:  I don't know.

Q.  What will it take for you to play Rivera again?

TIGER WOODS:  I don't know.  We'll just see.

Is that a non-denial denial? Or just a denial denial?

On anchoring...

Q.  With the player meeting tonight and the anchoring ban being discussed, have you ever kind of reflected on how anchoring has impacted the game in terms of your career, in terms of winning certain events and without naming names, obviously, but do you ever feel you've been deprived of some wins because you putt in a conventional way and there was somebody putting using anchoring?

TIGER WOODS:  No.  I'm not going to look at it like that.  Generally, in the past if guys switch methods, it's usually because they're uneasy, they're a little twitchy or just don't feel comfortable, so they'll switch methods.

But we have a whole other generation that have never experienced having those twitches or having any of those type of problems, and they've grown up with anchoring the putter.

And I think that's what Mike was trying to explain when he was trying to implement this new rule is that we're getting a whole 'nother generation that have only putted with anchoring the putter, and they've just learned that one method.  He believes every club should actually swing, and I agree with that.

After talking about his memories of the unforgettable 2008 U.S. Open, he was asked about Torrey and another Open. I'm not sure if he knows it's off the USGA's radar.

Q.  Your thoughts on the U.S. Open ever coming back to Torrey, and are you in favor of that?

TIGER WOODS:  Absolutely, absolutely.  I think they've proven that they can host a great U.S. Open here.  We, as players, play here each and every year, and we love the golf course.  It's hard.

And I think the USGA is trying to make a concerted effort ever since '02 going to Bethpage for the first time and big public venues.  This is the west coast version.  And it was amazing.  The turnout, the fans, the support, the crowds, I mean, it was just a great atmosphere.

I think with having the other golf course right here for parking and all that, I think certainly I think Torrey Pines and everyone here involved in it really made this tournament special, and I think the USGA will definitely come back.

Pssst...that's a negative!

On a serious note, I'm still trying to figure out how to word this question of Tiger: do you want to see the U.S. Open return here one more time before you are, uh, uh,