Bernhard Langer: A Friend Told Me A Story, I Told My Friend Who Told His Friend, The President Of The United States!

The following is a statement issued by the PGA TOUR on behalf of Champions Tour member Bernhard Langer, currently to blame for an impending voter fraud investigation demanded by President Donald Trump.

"Unfortunately, the report in the New York Times and other news outlets was a mischaracterization by the media. The voting situation reported was not conveyed from me to President Trump, but rather was told to me by a friend. I then relayed the story in conversation with another friend, who shared it with a person with ties to the White House. From there, this was misconstrued. I am not a citizen of the United States, and cannot vote. It’s a privilege to live in the United States, and I am blessed to call America my home. I will have no further comment at this time."

So to recap, Bernhard Langer heard a story about shady goings on at the polls, who told his friend, who told Donald Trump.

Downing Street Eyeing Trump Golf Round In Front Of The Queen

The Telegraph's Christopher Hope and Ben Riley-Smith report on summer plans being made by Downing Street and the White House that will include a Balmoral visit. The story says there is a nine-hole course on the castle property, though I couldn't find it in aerials.

It sounds like it'll be quite the first visit:

Discussions are underway about the president playing a round of golf on the private nine-hole course at Balmoral while the Queen looks on.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also set to be involved as the royal family rolls out the red carpet for the US President and his First Lady.

Mr Trump’s team want to create a photograph opportunity to rival the famous images of President Ronald Reagan horse riding with the Queen at Windsor Castle when he visited in the 1982.

As if we weren't already excited enough about summer!

Tiger On His Return: "It's been long enough."

Tiger Woods delivered his usual huge media turnout and intrigue while launching the reborn Genesis Open at Riviera. With his tournament operations folks running the show and the Woods Foundation benefitting from the tournament, Tiger seems full engaged in raising the profile of an event that has languished since the hometown hero last played in 2006.

From the accounts of those on-site, key takeaway lines revolved around his desire to get back playing after too long off, along with his admission of concern about a stacked start.

As I wrote for Golfweek.com, the common sense admission of vulnerability is actually a positive sign that will only win him more fans and sympathy should rust slow down his return to the top.

Steve DiMeglio's story notes Tiger's desire to get back at it after too long away from the game.

Ryan Lavner at GolfChannel.com noted highlights from the press conference, including this on Tiger's concern about so much golf out of the chute.

“My body is in a pretty good state where I feel like I can handle that workload,” he said Monday at media day for the Genesis Open, which his foundation now hosts, “but I’ve still got to go out there and do it.”

Bob Harig at ESPN.com noted Tiger's obvious ease in returning to a tournament we weren't sure he'd ever play again and the role he envisions for rejuvenating the LA stop.

"To come full circle and have an opportunity to run this event is really special moment in my life,'' said Woods, who will make the tournament one of three in four weeks that he is playing to start 2017.

A couple of other key moments from the press conference included the continuation, with Charles Sifford's name attached, of the annual special exemption to a minority golfer.

Tiger discussed that and his role in shaping the tournament.

Q. Tiger, question about the tournament operation, things like the Sifford exemption.

How much do you get involved in that? Would you get involved in helping pick the person who gets exempt, or in this first year do you kind of step back and see how things unfold and then give your thoughts?

TIGER WOODS: No, I'm part of all of it. I've been involved with running golf tournaments and my foundation for a very long time, since '99. So we've been doing it a very long time. So part of the operations and my staff, I'm very close with them, I trust them implicitly. But obviously I have my finger on some of the things that I want to have happen and how we can make this experience here at Riviera and with Genesis, how we can make it better for not only the players but for all the people that come out and are part of this event.

The Scotty Cameron fan club will enjoy this:

Q. Tiger, can you describe what it feels like to have the putter back in the bag that you have had so much success with over the years?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, well, it felt good there at the Hero in the Bahamas. I made a few putts there, made a few birdies and, yeah, you can hit the ball close but you've still got to hole the putts. I made quite a few putts that week. Over the years, I mean, Scotty has probably built me over a hundred putters trying to replicate this one. It just doesn't. For some reason this one just stands out. I think it's -- I mean, Bob Charles putted with his putter for 50 years, that Bulls Eye. Mark McNulty putted the same thing with his Bulls Eye forever, Jack with his George Low. I mean, for some reason you can find other putters, you may put it on the side or penalty box for a little bit, but for some reason it just keeps coming back.

For those who prefer to read in Tweets, the GCTigerTracker was busy today.

Here is Golf Central's condensed report from the event.

There were many other good bits from the day and I got a one-on-one with him that I'll share more of as we get closer to the Genesis.

Meanwhile, European bookmaker BookMaker.eu is pushing some attention-getting prices that suggest a lack of bullishness (or need for attention!). Tiger's prospects, given his attitude, body language, energy and play at the Hero World Challenge, would have me jumping at a few of these...

Will Tiger Woods finish in the top 10 at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open?

Yes +350
No -500

How many birdies will Tiger Woods record during the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open?

OVER 6.5 (-110)
UNDER 6.5 (-120)

How many bogeys or worse will Tiger Woods record during the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open?

OVER 8.5 (-115)
UNDER 8.5 (-115)

Tiger Woods finishing position at 2017 Farmers Insurance Open

1st (+3000)
2nd-10th (+1500)
11th-19th (+900)
20th-30th (+550)
31st-40th (+400)
41st-50th (+350)
51st or worse (-120)

Former PGA Prez: "PGA Championship in May? No way"

Former PGA of America president Ted Bishop pens an item for the Morning Read questioning the possible PGA Championship move to May?

Given Bishop's intimate working knowledge of the current PGA of America way of thinking, his insights are particularly impactful. If this were match play, Bishop sees PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan winning this one 5&4 over the PGA of America's Pete Bevacqua.

Bishop suggests agronomy as the main concern, especially in the greater New York area.

Worse yet, May virtually eliminates some of the classic PGA Championship venues such as Hazeltine, Medinah, Whistling Straits and Baltusrol. Because of climatic conditions, the PGA Championship map would shrink if the event were to move to May or earlier. 

Early spring jeopardizes even Valhalla in Louisville, Ky., a site owned by the PGA and one that Bevacqua seemingly has shunned. In 2012, the PGA spent $5.5 million in course renovations and delivered a memorable ’14 championship won by Rory McIlroy as darkness fell. There is nothing on the docket for Valhalla. It will be the first time since 1996 that the PGA has gone longer than four years in playing a PGA, Ryder Cup or Senior PGA at its own facility. Louisville is renowned for the Kentucky Derby in early May, so where does the PGA Championship fit in the corporate picture later in the month at Louisville? It fits nowhere.

As for the PGA of America's motive in listening to the PGA Tour on this, Bishop speculates...

Maybe it makes sense for Monahan to cough up the PGA’s purse of $10 million per year to cement his FedEx deal for the future. It still would be a bad deal for the PGA, which can own the August sports calendar for three out of every four years.

Don't Tell President Trump: China Orders 111 Golf Courses Closed

Stranger things have caused trade battles and even wars. I'm glad the president is busy in meetings today!

Anyway...in the exhausting, boring but predictably goofy saga that has been the dream of golf in China, the Communist Party is cracking down...again.

AP's Nomaan Merchant reports on the order of 111 courses ordered closed "to conserve water and land" while Party members have been reminded not to play golf. Again.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency said Sunday the courses were closed for improperly using groundwater, arable land or protected land within nature reserves. It said authorities have imposed restrictions on 65 more courses.

China banned the development of new golf courses in 2004, when it had fewer than 200. Since that time, the number of courses more than tripled to 683 before the new crackdown, Xinhua said.