Tiger is a father!

Elin gave birth to a baby girl, early Monday morning. The baby is named Sam Alexis Woods, and everyone is doing well. More from Tiger's website. Congratulations, Elin, Tiger, and Sam! We wish you all well!

Eerie coincidence: Phil Mickelson's first child was born the day after he came in 2nd at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst to Payne Stewart.

Tiger ready for U.S. Open and fatherhood

Tiger writes about the U.S. Open: "The U.S. Open is next week and I'm working hard on my game to get ready. I played another practice round Monday at Oakmont Country Club to get a better feel for the course and left with the same impression I had the first time I played it: It's probably the hardest U.S. Open course I have ever played.

"Obviously, driving will be a key. Most fairways are only about 26 yards wide and the rough is brutal in places. Given the speed and undulation of the greens, it will be difficult to hold the putting surfaces without playing from the short grass. Plus, many of the fairways run out. I see myself hitting only five or six drivers and using a lot of stinger 3-woods off the tee for position. It might leave me with longer clubs into the greens, but at least I will be able to control the spin of my golf ball."

On fatherhood: "It's hard to believe that I'm going to be a father next month. The time has gone so fast and reality is starting to sink in. Elin and I are so excited to welcome this child into the world!

"People keep asking if it's a boy or a girl and suggesting names. I honestly don't know and wouldn't say if I did. As for names, we've thrown some around. I admit I've been slow-playing Elin on the subject, but I'll definitely be involved in the process.

"Finally, I want to thank all the fans for their advice and support. This is a special time in our lives and we look forward to parenthood."

Butch Harmon: Phil Mickelson will overtake Tiger for No.1

"Tiger's got a big lead as No. 1 in the world, so it'll take a couple of years, but I think he can and I think he will actually (catch Woods)," said Harmon, "He's going to have to really work hard and change a lot more things, but he's willing to do that and wants to do it. He has the desire to try and rival Tiger."

"I would say they're very similar to be honest with you. Both have a tremendous amount of natural talent. They both have unbelievable short games. I think Tiger may be a little better putter under pressure, but Phil's short game around the green is a little bit better than Tiger's. In general, they're similar." (More)

Phil Mickelson, is he one of us?

NYT features a story on Phil titled "Just Like Us." You should go read it.

One interesting passage:

"It is doubtless of small consolation to Mickelson, but the truth is that he is charming and appealing — lovable even — in a way that Woods never will be. And he’s more fun to watch. There’s something a little scary about the ferocity with which Tiger works — the concentration, the determination. He doesn’t need a gallery, you often feel, because his competitive fires are already burning with such intensity. He may not even notice that we’re there — except when some jerk snaps a picture at the wrong moment and then gets the death glance in return.

"Phil, on the other hand, seems to enjoy our presence — to feed on it — and he rewards our attention by being such an open book. You can tell how his round is going just by looking at him — the gleams of pleasure or else the sighs, the little head shakes. Always there’s the thrilling, unspoken question: Is the knucklehead going to emerge?"

What do you think -- is this comparison fair?

Tiger Jam in Vegas this weekend

“I got to go out to Vegas this weekend for my concert (Tiger Jam). I'm hosting Bon Jovi this year as well as Hootie and the Blowfish on Friday. We've got some pretty exciting things. Then off to Memorial, then the U.S. Open," said Tiger.

Tickets are $100 at Mandalay Bay, May 26. Daughtry reportedly is the opening number. During the weekend, Tiger will give a clinic, and there's a live auction to raise money for Tiger's Foundation.

I would definitely attend the concert if I were in Vegas!

The Tiger effect on Stanford golf

Tiger gets 2nd lasik eye surgery

Tiger Woods had lasik eye surgery again, to correct his nearsightedness that arose after his first surgery back in 1999. The last time he had lasik, Tiger won his first tourney back because he thought the hole looked so big. (More)

I'm near-sighted and still wear glasses. Maybe that's what's holding my game back.

TPC, Day 1: Lefty + Sabbatini, -5; Tiger, +3

Did Butch Harmon earn his keep, or what? You know that Butch relishes the opportunity to beat Tiger just as much as Rory Sabbatini apparently does.

Check out the leaderboard

Rory Sabbatini: I think Tiger's more beatable than ever, I want Tiger.

"I want Tiger,'' Rory Sabbatini said. "Everyone wants Tiger. I want him to pick it up this week and we'll be there late Sunday. The funny thing is, after watching him play last Sunday, I think he's more beatable than ever. I think there's a few fortuitous occasions out there that really changed the round for him at Wachovia. And realising that gives me even more confidence to go in and play with him on Sunday again.'' (More here)

Dude, what has this guy been smoking? Is he serious?

Tiger Woods criticizes No. 17 island TPC hole as "too gimmicky"

Tiger Woods calls the No. 17 island hole a "wonderful" hole, but he thinks it should be switched to hole No. 8. "I've always thought that hole is too gimmicky for the 17th hole of a championship. I think that would be a fantastic eighth hole, but not as the 71st hole of a tournament, or 17th hole of your round."

Phil Mickelson said he loves 17 just where it's at. So does Jack Nicklaus, who said, "I think that's what makes an exciting and great hole -- and I think it is a great hole -- is that it's in a position where it creates controversy. That's the whole idea. You just wonder whether a tournament should be determined by that much of a think at that point in time." (More here)

So who's right, dear readers, Tiger or Phil?

Tiger Woods wins Wachovia Championship

Tiger Woods won the Wachovia Championship today, as Steve Stricker, his closest competitor down the stretch, basically choked on 16 and 18. Tiger choked on 17 and almost on 18, too, but he had a 2-stroke lead to play with. Vijay Singh, Rory Sabbatini, and Phil Mickelson put up no fight.

OK, "choke" is a pretty strong word, especially when the finishing holes on 16, 17, and 18 were playing so difficult. They are great finishing holes! Perhaps the best on the PGA tour. But, if any of you saw the swings of Steve Stricker on 16 off the tee and 18 from the middle of the fairway, you could tell the guy had a huge case of the nerves because he had been tied or close to tying Tiger for the lead. That's understandable for Stricker because the guy hasn't won a stroke play event since 1996.

But Tiger's balky iron play on 16 and 18 was pretty surprising. He grimaced after his swing on 18, clutching his knee, but who knows if that just wasn't an excuse for his really bad swing. That's one of the worst swings I've ever seen from Tiger -- a huge hacker's dip, with a lot of up and down movement. The announcers were all pretty baffled and tried to speculate that Tiger might be injured. Tiger's so good, though, that he still made an up-and-down for par.

Tiger Woods + Michael Jordan in pro am on Wednesday

The dream pairing is finally on: Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan are paired together in this week's pro am at Wachovia. Afterwards, Woods and Jordan will play a game of 21 on the court, followed by a dunk competition. It's by no means certain that either can get up above the rim.

Byron Nelson recap: Scott Verplank wins -- where were Tiger, Ernie, and others?

Did anyone catch the Byron Nelson Classic this past weekend? It was a touching finish with local boy (from Dallas) Scott Verplank catching Luke Donald and winning what Scott considers his "5th Major." Verplank needed to sink a 1 and a half footer on 18 to seal the deal, and he was so nervous, he nearly missed it.

Two other big stories: The greens were overriden with poiana, which left huge brown patches on the green. Then, there were the no-shows by 8 of the Top 10 players in the world, including No. 1 Tiger Woods.

Ron Sirak writes: "The biggest name, of course, among those missing this week is Tiger Woods, whose loyalty to Nelson was expressed in eight appearances at Byron's tournament. But Woods, who will likely play next week at the Wachovia Championship, will join top-15 players Jim Furyk, Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Henrik Stenson, Retief Goosen, Geoff Ogilvy, Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, an ailing Trevor Immelman and Zach Johnson in skipping the tournament."

OK, it's hard to single out Tiger from this list of the top players, all of whom who did not feel obliged to honor Byron Nelson the year of his death by attending his tournament. Tiger was probably getting some much needed R'n'R, while catching some of the NBA playoffs. This is a nonstory, I don't think it is a big deal.

Ron Sirak (among other golf writers), however, is taking Tiger to task:

"The more complicated answer -- and probably the correct one -- is that very few of today's millionaires appreciate the fact that it was guys like Nelson, who struggled to make ends meet, who made today's PGA Tour possible.

"There is a sense of entitlement among contemporary players that is totally out of proportion with both their achievement and their sacrifice. That sense of entitlement tends to view the world through me-colored lenses. Just as last year the one PGA Tour event all players should have been tripping over each other to enter was in New Orleans, the one must-make tournament this year should have been the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. And it had nothing to do with prize money or scheduling. It had everything to do with what was right."

Butch Harmon: Adam Scott, not Phil Mickelson, is his No.1 student, but Phil has "very good" chance of catching Tiger

Butch Harmon may have the biggest ego of any swing coach. He's spoken publicly for the first time about his new pupil Phil Mickelson.

First, he's made clear that Phil Mickelson is not his main horse, Adam Scott is. “I’m not Rick Smith. I’m not going to spend 24/7 time with Phil. When he needs help I’ll be there with him. ...But if you’re asking me who’s at the top of the totem pole, Adam Scott is my main client. And I’ve explained that to Phil.”

But Butch thinks he can get Mickelson to contend with Tiger Woods for the No. 1 ranking in a few years. “The first priority is to get Phil to drive the ball in the fairway more consistently and to control the ball through the air,” Harmon said. “You will definitely see a different-looking swing from Phil Mickelson in Dallas this week. ...It’s going to be very difficult to challenge Tiger Woods this year for No. 1 because Tiger has such a big lead in the points. But Phil has the talent and the desire and he has finally realized that he had to make changes. I think he has a very good chance of catching Tiger in the next couple of years.” (More here)

Tiger prepares for US Open

I played 36 holes at Oakmont Country Club on Sunday with my good friend Hank Haney. It's a great test, but has a lot of blind tee and second shots. Overall, I'd say it's a lot harder than Augusta National. It's an old-style course. I kept trying to figure out where the USGA was going to put the pin placements for the U.S. Open in June and I'm still not sure.

The greens were running about 10 ½ on the Stimpmeter, and they were plugged last week. I don't think they were designed for that kind of speed, so it should be interesting. I think the course is in phenomenal shape considering they had snow last week. If they get some good weather, the greens should be good in three weeks.

I played the afternoon round with Bob Ford, the head professional. I was curious to see how the 288-yard par-3 eighth hole - the longest par-3 in U.S. Open history - would play. I managed to hit the green with a 3-wood. Hey, I refuse to hit driver on any par-3!

Tiger Woods in The Golf Blog situation room

Tiger Woods diagnoses Masters finish

The recent Masters Tournament was definitely one of the most draining weeks I've ever had in a major because the conditions were so difficult. Normally, that's not the case. That was one hell of a test.

The tournament committee kept it fair. The pin placements were just a touch softer than usual - about two to three feet easier, which is everything. At least they gave us a chance.

I had an opportunity to win the tournament on the back nine Sunday, which is always my goal. I made a great par at No. 11 after my 4-iron broke against a tree while hitting my second shot. I had 180 yards to the green and thought it was either a 4 or 3-iron. I figured if I hit a good 4-iron I could roll it to the front edge, but I caught a tree limb.

After I made the eagle at 13, I was right back in the game. I just missed my birdie attempt at 14, which was big, then drove into the right rough at 15. I had plenty of club to reach the green in two, but the wind kept switching all over the place. When the group in front was on the green, it was a perfect 4-iron. Then the wind was behind us and it was a 5-iron. Then it was howling in our face off the right and it was a perfect 3-iron. I tried to hit a 3-iron long, left and pitch the ball back up to the hole, maybe catch the left portion of the green. Unfortunately, I hit a terrible shot and was lucky to save par.

As for using a 4-iron, it wasn't an option. I always carry a spare driver, 3-wood and putter, but never back-up irons. Although it's a little-known rule, I could have asked my playing partner, Stuart Appleby, to borrow his 4-iron, but there's no way you'd ever do it. Everyone's clubs have different lofts, lies, grips, weight, etc.

At the 17th hole, the wind fooled me again on my second shot. At least, I guess that's what happened. Either I spun the shot too much or the wind died on me. I thought I hit the shot perfectly, but wound up in the front bunker and was lucky to save par. That's kind of how the week went.

People have asked if I felt okay that week because I looked tired and was always sniffling. My allergies were pretty bad because of all of the pollen blowing out of the trees and I took the Claritin pretty good. But that's not why I lost. Zach Johnson played a wonderful final round and deserved to win.

SI Cover... Cool photo, but no props for Zach...

I saw this link on a friend's website, which shows the cover of the April 16 edition of Sports Illustrated. I must admit, it is one cool photo of Tiger breaking his club, but only giving Zach Johnson a "box" inlaid on the cover... Come on guys!

If winning the Masters isn't enough, I wonder what it will take to get Zach on the cover of SI?

Everyone needs to cut Tiger Woods some slack

I've been waiting for someone to stand up for Tiger Woods, but apparently it's easy to join the chorus of Tiger-naysayers. It almost seems like some people enjoy, with glee, watching Tiger lose. So he didn't close out the 2007 Masters. So what?

His record for past majors is that he's won every major where he's had the lead after 54 holes. That record (which is still intact) suggests that Tiger doesn't typically come from behind to win. This week was no different. He wasn't leading after 54 holes, and he lost after 72 holes. Same old Tiger.

And most people seem to be forgetting that Tiger Woods was really the only person (except for Justin Rose for a few moments before he self-destructed on 17) that threatened down the stretch. Sure, there were a few others but they faltered long before 17. Tiger's driver is balky, but had he converted the makeable birdie putt on 16, he'd have closed the gap to 1-stroke with 2 holes left. Even on the 18th hole, Tiger was still a threat of making eagle (remember Pebble Beach). And had Tiger holed out, Zach Johnson would've been toast because he was already so teary-eyed doing all those interviews on 18.

Masters recap: Tiger got what he deserved, so did Zach Johnson

Finally, it caught up with Tiger, in the same way it caught up with Phil Mickelson at Winged Foot. If you look at Tiger's game, he has no weaknesses, except for one: his driving. He ranks 160th on tour in driving accuracy, at 55.36%. That's his worst overall ranking of all his standard stats. His absolute worst stat, by far.

Anyone who watches Tiger regularly knows that he's prone to hit the drive right in the same way Phil Mickelson is prone to hit the banana left. It's one of the reasons Tiger shelved Butch Harmon for Hank Haney. In many cases, Tiger can get away with his errant drives with his scrambling or because of the easiness of the course. (At the British last year, Tiger went a different route, hitting 2-iron off the tee most of the way.) In the end, Augusta National punished Tiger for his wayward drives, even forcing Tiger to sacrifice one of his irons in the final round that he hit against the tree to get out of the woods. That's what the "Tiger-proofing" of Augusta was all about.

By contrast, Zach Johnson hit over 80% of the fairways at the Masters, which was tied for the second best average during the tourney. Zach hits it much shorter (265 yard average) than Tiger off the tee, but sometimes you don't need to bomb it to win. Of all of Zach's individual stats, his driving accuracy was the highest this past week.

Looking at the numbers, I've finally come around to agree with Jack Nicklaus: there's something really messed up about golf with all the equipment changes today. The new high-tech drivers have seduced the top players to go for more distance off the tee, while sacrificing accuracy. Just check out the PGA statistics. You can search the driving accuracy stats from 1980 to today. During that time, the longest drivers on tour have gained 40 yards average. But, at the same time, the top golfers on tour no longer get close to the 70 percent accuracy range or higher that used to be the case with many of the top players, such as Greg Norman in 1988 or Jack Nicklaus in 1980. Unlike in the past, most of the top golfers today are "bombers" with lots of distance, but little accuracy. That's why Retief Goosen got trigger shy on the back nine and hit iron off the par-5 13th. Goosen's ranked 149th in driving accuracy.

Until the PGA does something to regulate the hot drivers, I applaud golf courses like Augusta National that punish the bombers for missing the fairway so often. Nike and Taylor Made should be working on a driver that goes less far, but in the fairway more often. Distance is overrated. After all, what good is Sasquatch when he's in the woods?

Masters: What will we see tomorrow??

Having travelled most of the weekend, I have been listening to the Masters on XM Radio. However, today was the first day that I actually got to watch the Masters. And, to be completely honest, I was disgusted.

When I think about the Masters, the Back 9 on Sunday is what comes to mind. Specifically, Jack in '86 and the roar of the crowd when went around Augusta National as Jack played his final 9 holes and won.

This year, I was so disgusted not watching players go for 13 and 15 in 2. (however, watching Geoff Oglivy play "Tin Cup" was certainly interesting today on 15). Tiger finishing bogey-bogey in 2 rounds. Vaughn Taylor picking up the lead on 15 and finishing bogey-bogey-bogey.

So as of today, I'm going to be part of the "Bring back the Roar" movement to get the Committee at Augusta National to make sure that the Back 9 at Augusta National goes back to how it used to be!

And, my prediction for tomorrow... Woods shoots 73, makes bogey on 17 and 18, and wins by 2 at +4.

The Golf Blog Masters preview: Tiger Woods

Need we say more?

Did Tiger Woods dump Annika for Roger Federer?

Much has been made this week about Tiger Woods's close relationship with tennis superstar Roger Federer. The two are in Florida this week and have watched each other play. Roger even dined on Tiger's yacht on Tuesday.

Said Roger: "We could relate very much to one another. We have a lot of expectations from everybody, so we have a lot of common ground. It's good that we kind of know each other and can talk to each other about it." Tiger remarked about Federer: "He makes it look so effortless, and it's not. The shots and the angles and the things he can create, no one in the history of the game has ever been able to do. I mean, it's pretty neat for all of us to be watching a living legend play. You know he's going to surpass Sampras' record. It's just a matter of when." USAToday ran articles here and here.

The friendship between Tiger and Roger seems like a quite natural one. The two will probably go down in history as the greatest ever to play their respective sports. But this leaves one wondering about Tiger's friendship with Annika Sorenstam. Does Annika still get quality time with Tiger, now that her dominance has diminished? After all, Annika wore out the wedge that Tiger gave her a couple years ago, and I haven't heard that Tiger sent her a replacement.

Tiger Woods shoots 43 in final nine collapse

When's the last time you saw Tiger Woods hit 2 balls into the water on consecutive holes? It happened today, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Just after Tiger pulled to within 1 stroke of the leaders (then at -6) on the front nine, Tiger went into a complete downward spiral. The back nine was probably the worst Tiger has played in over a year.

Vijay Singh appears headed to victory at -10.

Tiger Woods discusses the season

Obviously, this is a pretty special week for me and the Tiger Woods Foundation. We are announcing the formation of a new PGA Tour event called the AT&T National in Washington, D.C. during Fourth of July Week, and I'm honored my foundation will be a part of it. Back in 1997, when we first started the Foundation, it was a goal of my father and I to host a PGA Tour event. I just wish he could have been here to see it. We hope to play the tournament at Congressional Country Club. So far, our discussions have been very positive. As for me playing this year, I'm planning to compete. A lot will depend on the birth of my first child, which obviously takes priority. But right now, my intent is to play.* * *

Golf-wise, it was disappointing not to win the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. I worked hard to prepare for the event and was playing well, but got off to a poor start in the third round and played catch-up most of the way against Nick O'Hern. I finally caught him, but missed a short putt that would have won the match. Hey, it happens. The most disappointing thing to me is that I didn't see a spike mark in my line. I'm not making excuses - I hit a poor putt - but the spike mark didn't help.

Prior to the tournament, I played a fun round at my home course at Isleworth Country Club with John Smoltz and Jeff Francoeur of the Atlanta Braves and Adam LaRoche of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I played their best-ball and I don't know what the exact total was but I know what the cash number was: Let's just say I did pretty well.

Next up is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where I've had a good success. Arnold has meant so much to this game and I always enjoy competing in his tournament. Following that, I will play in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral, where I've managed to win the past two years. Then, I'll start preparing for the Masters.

During my recent trip to Dubai, conditions were windy and the desert sand was blowing in my face. I decided to wear sunglasses - something I don't normally wear during competition - and they helped a lot. For the record, they were Nike Golf SIEGE Sunglasses and I highly recommend them.

Tiger Woods Foundation to host PGA tourney in DC

The International tournament in Denver went belly up this year, citing in part Tiger Woods' failure to play the tournament. Now, The Tiger Woods Foundation is stepping in and hosting a new PGA tournament in D.C. for July 5-8 (when The International would have aired). Jack and Arnie will be co-hosts with Tiger (who is not expected to play this year b/c of the expected delivery of his first child). More here.

Did anyone else watch The Golf Channel Update?

On Friday, I was working out at my local gym and was watching The Golf Channel's coverage of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championships. While I enjoyed their coverage, I almost fell off the elliptical machine when the coverage went into what I think was the "Sprint Update" or something similar. (For those of you who didn't watch or haven't watched, the "Sprint Update", which is what I believe it is called, goes through all of the happenings in golf, including updating listeners to the current status of the tournaments being played.)

Anyways, during the "Update", the woman reporter stated that Henrik Stenson was "3 strokes ahead" and that Tiger was closing in on O'Hern and was only "1 stroke back." Now, for golf fans and even those who are not golf fans, match play is not determined by "Strokes" but instead by "holes won." So, the appropriate report would have been that Stenson was "3 up" and Tiger was "1 down" and disregarded this "stroke" talk.

Now, I hate to complain, but I felt like I was watching a local news cast where the reporter knows nothing about golf. However, I was watching THE GOLF CHANNEL, which I would EXPECT to have reporters who could distinguish between match play and stroke play.

I just wonder if this reporter will lose her job over such a BIG mistake on THE golf cable channel?

UPDATE: According to an anonymous post, I am incorrect. However, if someone wants to check their Tivo or DVR, I was working out from 4:10pm-5:45pm EST. And, I am 99% sure that it happened.

Did Tiger really choke?

A commenter wrote in suggesting that Tiger choked yesterday in his loss to Nick O'Hern. I didn't see the match, so I don't know if that's true. For those who saw it, can you confirm this?

Regardless, Nick O'Hern deserves his props. He's beaten Tiger twice in match play and has NEVER trailed against Tiger, ever. (SI reports)

Nick O'Hern KOs Tiger in Match Play Championship

Tiger was 3 down after 9. But Tiger made a comeback in the back nine to pull all square at the final hole to go to sudden death. Nick O'Hern, however, won on the 20th hole. Tiger is out. Here's the blow-by-blow.

Tiger v. JJ Henry

Full brackets for the Accenture World Match Play

Tiger Woods expected to skip next week's Nissan Open, where he's never won before

After playing in Dubai last week, Tiger Woods is skipping the AT&T at Pebble Beach (as he has in the past few years), but also appears to be ready to skip next week's Nissan Open in LA. That would make his next tournament the Accenture Match Play. (More here)

Some have questioned whether this is a strategic decision to keep the "PGA streak" alive, since Tiger's never won the Nissan Open in the past (even though he's played there 11 times). Said Tiger: "People can say whatever they want.That's their opinion. They are entitled to it."

Frankly, I don't think there's any "streak" as I said before. And I don't think Tiger is the kind of guy who's thinking about the "streak" anyways. If anything, I would think the Match Play tourney is more of a crapshoot than a stroke play event, so Tiger would have increased his chances of extending the "streak" by playing the Nissan. I think Tiger has earned the right to skip any tournament, no questions asked.

Tiger Woods credits victories to 5-wood

"I've won probably more than half of my tournaments because of one club, my 5-wood," Tiger Woods said last week. OK, looks like I need to add this club to my bag, Tiger's convinced me. (More here)

Ernie Els beats Tiger Woods, but loses to Henrik Stenson

In Dubai, things did not turn out as we expected. Both Ernie Els and Tiger Woods struggled on the front nine, due to blustery winds -- Ernie bogeyed 3 of the first 6 holes, while Tiger bogeyed 3 of the first 11 holes. Ernie ended up shooting 1-under, while Tiger shot 3-under. Ernie finished at -18, Tiger at -17.

But that left the door open for Henrik Stenson, who shot a 4-under to finish at -19. Stenson had local knowledge because he now lives in Dubai and is a member of the golf club where the tourney is played. But Stenson did face one dangeous moment. According to ESPN, "On the ninth hole, his drive to the green got blown onto the roof of a spectators' pavilion. The referee forced the Swede to make a precarious climb to the roof to identify his ball before allowing him a penalty-free drop. Stenson said he scraped his ribs making the climb." Ouch. Next time, send your caddy! Leaderboard.

Tiger reportedly receives $3 million to appear in Dubai

The total purse is only $2.4 million. For showing up, Tiger reportedly gets more than all players will earn combined -- and that's for playing!

Ernie Els takes 2-shot lead, has 3-stroke lead on Tiger

I love it when people talk smack and then back it up. At the start of the week, Ernie Els expressed his clear desire to beat Tiger in Dubai this week. So far, so good. Ernie is at -17 after the 3rd round after shooting 4-under today. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods shot 5-under, and is 3 back at -14. Leaderboard

OK, so if Ernie has a 3-stroke lead over Tiger going into Sunday, who would you pick?

Tiger in place to win again

At the Dubai Dessert Classic, Tiger Woods shot a 68 today, to pull into a tie for 5th place at 9-under. Ernie Els is at -10, after 11 holes. Ross Fisher is leading at -14, after shooting two amazing 65s.

Whenever Tiger Woods is near the top of the leaderboard after 2 rounds, he seems like he has the field exactly where he wants them. There's still a lot of tournament left to play, but the rest of the field has to feel Tiger's presence. Leaderboard

Dubai: Els comes out firing -- right at you, Tiger

Ernie Els looks like he has something to prove this year. Today, he opened with a 6-under 66, which is one stroke back of the leaders Graeme McDowell and Ross Fisher as the Dubai Dessert Classic.

Tiger Woods is 4-under, with a 68, and appears to have everyone just where he wants them. Leaderboard

Tiger Woods tackles new Buick commercial