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Golf Still Needs Tiger Woods, but Ben Crane Provides Much-Needed Laughs

January 26, 2011   Tom Krasovic   No comments

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SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods wasn’t at Torrey Pines golf course Tuesday, thankfully. Allowed me and the real golf writers more time with my new pal, Ben Crane.

Crane won the PGA event here last January, then said he won because he hadn’t expected to win. Many golfers are full of hooey like that. But come to find, Crane has a gift for goofy.

Clowning with friends, he recently acted a loon in two videos that became YouTube hits. The pale and bald former Oregon Duck’s 90-second bursts of silly prompted more fan feedback than his three PGA wins in nine years.

“It’s been an amazing response,” he said.

Desperate for material since their meal ticket Tiger’s gone so long without winning, the New York Times guy and three other golf writers crowded Crane here Tuesday for word on his next flick. “We’re going to launch another one maybe next month,” he said, like we were all at Sundance.

 

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Golf Still Needs Tiger Woods, but Ben Crane Provides Much-Needed Laughs

January 26, 2011   Tom Krasovic   No comments

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SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods wasn’t at Torrey Pines golf course Tuesday, thankfully. Allowed me and the real golf writers more time with my new pal, Ben Crane.

Crane won the PGA event here last January, then said he won because he hadn’t expected to win. Many golfers are full of hooey like that. But come to find, Crane has a gift for goofy.

Clowning with friends, he recently acted a loon in two videos that became YouTube hits. The pale and bald former Oregon Duck’s 90-second bursts of silly prompted more fan feedback than his three PGA wins in nine years.

“It’s been an amazing response,” he said.

Desperate for material since their meal ticket Tiger’s gone so long without winning, the New York Times guy and three other golf writers crowded Crane here Tuesday for word on his next flick. “We’re going to launch another one maybe next month,” he said, like we were all at Sundance.

 

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Tiger Woods’ Return to Torrey Pines Could Be the Start of Something Big

January 26, 2011   Mick Elliott   No comments

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SAN DIEGO — OK, now we’re talking.

The PGA Tour has come to beautiful and challenging Torrey Pines this week for the Farmers Insurance Open and was considerate enough to bring a nice bottle of pay-attention.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim, Rickie Fowler and Justin Rose are all entered — and with no NFL to block the sun.

Just like golf’s good ol’ days, Woods will be the attention getter — at least starting out.

Woods has owned Torrey Pines in the past. He has six victories in 11 starts here in PGA Tour play, in addition to the 2008 U.S. Open. But Woods hasn’t played at Torrey Pines since that major championship, missing the Farmers in 2009 because of knee surgery and skipping it last year while taking a break from personal issues that led to divorce.

The personal turmoil left the former world No. 1 player without a victory in 2010, the first winless season of his career.

 

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Monday Movers: Lee Westwood Overtakes Tiger for World’s No. 1

November 01, 2010   B.J. George   No comments

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Lee WestwoodEach week, Monday Movers will look back on the previous week in the golf world to see whose stock is rising and who will likely be heading back to the range.

On the Rise

Lee Westwood — For the first time in 281 weeks, someone other than Tiger Woods sits atop the world rankings. The Englishman becomes the first European to hold the No. 1 spot since Nick Faldo did so in 1994. What’s most surprising about the accomplishment is that it comes despite Westwood only finishing one tournament since his runner-up finish at the British Open in July. German Martin Kaymer missed his opportunity to deny Westwood and claim that spot for himself after failing to finish in the top two at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters this weekend.

Nationwide Top 25 — The Nationwide Tour Championship provided the last opportunity for players battling to finish in the top 25 on the money list and earn a PGA Tour card for 2011. The finish did not disappoint. Brendan Steele‘s playoff victory catapulted him from 30th to 6th. He and three others moved from outside the top 25 to Nationwide graduates in the final week. Jamie Lovemark, 22, finished first in a race that saw just $2,010 separate the 25th and 26th places.

Ben Crane — The American might become a trivia answer one day after winning the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in Southeast Asia. His 18-under finish was enough to hold off England’s Brian Davis by a stroke. Although the Asia Pacific Classic doesn’t count as an official PGA Tour victory, Crane still took home a $1 million first prize and heads to Shanghai for the HSBC Champions next week.

Graeme McDowell — No one has enjoyed a breakout year in 2010 more than McDowell. The 31-year-old added a second European Tour victory to a season resume that includes U.S. Open champion, a Ryder Cup-clinching singles win, and now his first top-10 world ranking. The year could get even better for McDowell. He sits second in the Race for Dubai and has narrowed the gap behind Martin Kaymer. “I’m very excited,” McDowell said. “I’ve punched a bit of a hole in Martin’s lead and I’ll go to Shanghai now and look to give him a run for his money.”

 

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Monday Movers: Ups and Downs From World of Golf

October 18, 2010   B.J. George   No comments

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Each week, FanHouse will look back on the previous week in the golf world to see whose stock is rising and who will likely be heading back to the range. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Monday Movers.

On the Rise

Rocco Mediate — By winning the Frys.com Open, the 47-year-old became the oldest wire-to-wire winner on the PGA Tour since records were kept in 1970. In a dramatic finish, Mediate holed out from 116 yards for eagle to regain the lead and calmly sunk a four-foot par putt on 18 for the one-stroke win. The hole out was his fourth of the week (one each day), including an ace at No. 3 in the first round. His first win on tour since 2002 guarantees his exempt status for two more seasons.

Graham DeLaet — The former Boise State standout notched his second top-10 finish in three Fall Series starts at the Frys.com Open. His final round 67 tied for the low score of the day and moved him into a tie for sixth place. More importantly, the Canadian jumped from 122nd to 109th on the money list, guaranteeing him a spot on the PGA Tour in 2011. Just a year ago, DeLaet made only one Nationwide start and spent the season on the Sunshine Tour.

 

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2010 St. Jude Classic Preview: FanHouse Roundtable

June 09, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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Pebble Beach is just a short week away, but first the PGA Tour heads to Memphis for the St. Jude Classic.

Brian Gay crushed the field in last year’s tournament, holding the lead from the first round through Sunday evening. He hasn’t won a tournament since, but is back in the field to defend his title at TPC Southwind.

Some of the bigger names are taking a rest to prepare for Pebble, but the field is not short of talent. Three players in the top 10 mixed in with four 2010 winners will provide tough competition. Adding John Daly in the mix is a recipe for entertainment.

So before the action kicks off on Thursday, get the inside scoop on the 2010 St. Jude Classic from the FanHouse Golf team.

More St. Jude Classic: Thursday Tee Times

 

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Who Grabbed Tiger by Tail With Woods On Sideline?

March 10, 2010   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Camilo Villegas
DORAL, Fla. — As you may have heard, golf has been missing Tiger Woods … and for that matter, Phil Mickelson, too.

For the first time since 1996, the year Woods arrived full-time to the PGA Tour, the season-starting West Coast swing did not include at least one victory by wither of the sport’s two biggest headliners.

Early this year, it seemed a given that Woods’ indefinite absence would provide Mickelson a running start to establish himself as golf’s top dog — maybe even to challenge for the No. 1 ranking he has never held.

Instead, PhillyMick has been almost as conspicuous by his absence as Woods.

Although Mickelson will tee off Thursday as defending champion in the CA Championship, a select-field World Golf Championship event on Doral Resort’s Blue Monster, he has barely produced a ripple of impact this season — with the exception of causing a stir over the non-conforming Ping wedges he played at Torrey Pines.

Now there’s word that Woods is back on the practice range, working hard with teacher Hank Haney, in preparation for a coming-soon return to competition.

So, just who pulled the most out of the open window of opportunity? Who got while the getting was good?

 

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Top-Seeded Stricker Falls on Day One

February 17, 2010   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Ross McGowenMARANA, Ariz. — Steve Stricker, the No. 2 ranked player in the world and the top seed going into Wednesday’s opening round of the Accenture Match Play Championship, is already headed home.

Englishman Ross McGowen (right), the 64th seed, who got into the field only because world No. 1 Tiger Woods and No. 3 Phil Mickelson chose to skip the World Golf Championship Event, sank a 30-foot putt on the first playoff hole to save par and eliminate the tournament favorite.

“I knew it was going to be tough out here,” Stricker said. “Every match is tough. We both played really well, we didn’t give each other many holes here and there. But he started putting it really good coming in and scared the hole a bunch of times. And obviously made a great putt to end the match.”

The two golfers finished regulation play all-square, before McGowen won with the dramatic putt.

“Feels pretty good. I would say I fancied my chances. I knew I had a good chance at the beginning of the day,” said the 27-year-old McGowan, a three-time winner on the European Tour. “I had a shaking start, but played really nicely from about the fifth or sixth. It is nice to win and get through for tomorrow.”

The first-round upset earns McGowan a Thursday match with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa.

 

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Slowly but Surely, Crane Triumphs Again

January 31, 2010   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Ben CraneSAN DIEGO — For a player who had two career PGA Tour wins in nine seasons before arriving at Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open, Ben Crane on Sunday looked very much like he knew exactly what he was doing.

At least he did until the winning three-foot putt for par on the final hole dropped.

That’s when Crane turned quizzically to caddie Joel Stock, looking very much like a man suddenly realizing his pants were on fire.

“You know, I did not know that I had won when it was over,” Crane said. “I didn’t know who was playing well. I didn’t know what was really going on in front of me. I had no idea what was going on.

“I’m thankful I didn’t. Someone said, ‘one-shot lead’ when we were going to the last hole, so I thought he might be right.”

Still, Crane insisted victory did not register until final-group playing partner Ryuji Imada made it official.

“He goes, ‘Congratulations,’ and I go, ‘Did I win?’ ” Crane said. “He kind of looks at me. I said, ‘Did I win the tournament?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah.’ “

It meant the 33-year-old golf wallflower did everything the pros with their own airplanes did, only a little bit better.

 

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Phony Tiger Quotes Behind Him, the Real Ben Crane Stands Up

January 28, 2010   Mick Elliott   No comments

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Ben Crane
SAN DIEGO — Ben Crane finally had an opportunity to speak for himself.

That was something new.

The 33-year-old PGA Tour veteran with two career wins shot a 7-under 65 Thursday in the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. It earned Crane more attention than anything he has done since being quoted during December’s PGA Tour ripping Tiger Woods as “a phony and a fake.”

Even better news: Crane actually did shoot 65 to trail first-round leader Scott Piercy by one shot. That’s more than can be said of his reported comments about Woods.

The harsh words attributed to Crane last month by Life & Style magazine, penned by what the publication called an “experienced freelance reporter,” were never spoken. The “face-to-face interview” conducted in West Palm Beach, Fla., that also included similar criticism of Woods’ personal life by Charles Warren, never took place.

Crane is certain of it.

 

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