Golf

Get Off My Lawn! And Other Grumblings About Sports Today

Frank Deford — Wed, 01 May 2013 02:03:00 +0000

My friend the Sports Curmudgeon called me the other day: "Hey, Frank, I got a few things to get off my chest." He was about to take off on a Fantasy Fan cruise, where devoted sports buffs are drafted as fans for desperate losing teams, but he promised to text me his complaints once the ship got out to sea.

Sure enough, here came the Sports Curmudgeon's latest rants.

First, he asked, why do all newspapers and websites print so-called attendance figures, when they are abject lies?

At Golf's Masters, A Nice Guy Finished First

Mark Memmott — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Search the morning-after stories about Sunday's dramatic finish at golf's Masters Tournament and one thing becomes clear.

A Controversial Drop Puts Woods Behind On Final Day Of Masters

Tom Goldman — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 15:04:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It is the final round of The Masters today. American Brandt Snedeker and Argentine Angel Cabrera share the lead at 7 under par. Pre-tournament favorite Tiger Woods is four shots behind, which isn't bad considering what he went through yesterday. From Augusta, Georgia, NPR's Tom Goldman reports on how golf's greatest major almost lost its greatest player.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Fore, please. Tiger Woods now driving.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHEERING)

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: So he was going to play after all.

Down To The Put: Golf Analytics Gain Traction

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 20:59:00 +0000

Numbers crunching has become a big deal in sports. Analytics have been slower to take hold in the tradition-bound game of golf, but it is happening. NPR's Tom Goldman reports on the phenomenon from the tournament most steeped in tradition, the Masters.

Woods Given Two-Stroke Penalty At Masters, Avoiding Disqualification

Bill Chappell — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:26:00 +0000

Tiger Woods has been given a two-stroke penalty at the Masters, a tournament he's won four times, after a review found that he performed an illegal drop on the 15th hole of his second round Friday. Woods faced a possible disqualification for the infraction.

The incident began when Woods' wedge shot was a bit too on-target — it hit the base of the pin, and shot off the green and into a water hazard.

Golf's official rules gave Woods choices for dropping a new ball onto the course for his next shot.