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Is Brandel Chamblee just a bit more grey this week; is he morphing into Moses?  He went on the Golf Channel with Rich Lerner to clear to speak about the Tiger Woods cheating affair.  His missions; to clear the Golf Channel, to half apologize while still maintaining his assessment of Woods and to distance himself from Golf.com going forward.  I think he achieved them. Here’s what they said: RICH LERNER: Brandel, let's address the events of the last couple of weeks off the article that you wrote for Sports Illustrated's golf website Golf.com. You've had a chance to reflect on it, consider what you wrote. Is there anything you would have done differently, you wish you would have done differently? BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: A few things, Rich. You know, in offering my assessment of Tiger’s year and specifically looking at the incidents in Abu Dhabi, Augusta, Ponte Vedra and Chicago, I said Tiger Woods was cavalier about the rules. I should have stopped right there. In comparing...

Rarely does Tiger Woods address an issue that his team already spoke on, but the latest situation with the Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee had Woods talking for the first time on Monday during an exhibition match against Rory McIlroy. Woods was asked about Chamblee's article he posted for Golf.com in which he compared Tiger's rules problems this season with a young Chamblee cheating on a test in school, and while Chamblee did come out and apologize , Tiger still thinks the Golf Channel should do something about what Chamblee said . "All I am going to say is that I know I am going forward. But then, I don't know what the Golf Channel is going to do or not. But then that's up to them. The whole issue has been very disappointing, as he didn't really apologize and he sort of reignited the whole situation. "So the ball really is in the court of the Golf Channel and what they are prepared to do." I'm not sure if Tiger is suggested that Golf Channel...

For video game golf aficionados, Monday's news that EA Sports and Tiger Woods have parted company came as tragic news, compounding the pain from earlier this year when EA announced it would not be producing a golf game in 2014. Woods' name had graced the cover of the EA Sports golf game since 1998, and had become as synonymous with golf as John Madden's is with football. The reasons for the split aren't yet public knowledge, but EA's decision to step out of the golf game biz while preparing for next-gen consoles (translation: there are new-fangled XBoxes and Playstations coming, and EA needs to create games for them) probably didn't help. Combine that with hints from Woods' agent Mark Steinberg that the Woods camp is investigating possible options for other video game franchises ( Grand Theft Auto: Augusta? Assassin's Creed VI: St. Andrews? Please?), and you can see the roots behind the split. So what does this mean for both Woods and EA? Well, Wo...

with Donal Hughes. Follow @golfcentraldoc Sea2Summit; the name says it all. From humble beginnings this adventure race has reached the lofty heights of now being one of Ireland’s top adventure races. Whether it’s the Spirit or Supreme you are signed up for, you are in for a treat. Here’s my race preview The Race First Run Both the Spirit and Supreme races start at The Castlecourt Hotel and proceed up through the town of Westport towards the greenway. Unless you are in the elite group, don’t get swept up in the excitement and sprint off at a frenzied pace like Usain Bolt; the best policy is to try to pace yourself from the start. Better to finish fast than start fast. There is one hill on the first run after a 90 degree turn leaving the greenway before heading down to Roman Island, but don’t worry, it’s short and sweet and only a baby compared to the one that awaits you out the road! First Bike Section After you reach your bike at Roman Island, it’s a short cycle out to ...

WGC - HSBC Champions, Sheshan International GC, 31 Oct 2013 - 03 Nov 2013 Francesco Molinari 35/1 Having top 20’d in Italy and Portugal things finally clicked for Francesco at the BMW Masters when he found his putting touch and tied for second. With the WGC HSBC Champions event returning to Sheshan after a year at Mission Hills, the Italian will be delighted it’s coming back to the venue where he won in 2010 and has two other top 10’s besides. Third in “putts per round” last week, make sure he’s on your betting slip.   Ryan Moore 40/1 Ryan Moore drilled home his birdie on the first playoff hole at the CIMB for his third win on the PGA TOUR. All his wins have come between August and year end. Moore brings that good form back to Sheshan for the first time since 2009 when he finished solo third as part of a five tournament top-10 run. His CIMB win also secured perks at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Masters and the PGA Championship in 2014.   Paul Casey 30/1...

Rory McIlroy didn’t wind up winning the Kolon Open in Korea but the organizers did everything they could to ensure he did; slapping two shot penalties on two players, one of whom was the leader, deep into the final round. Kim Hyung-Tae was leading the event when he and playing partner Hong Soon-Sang were approached on the 17th tee by a referee and told they were both being hit with a two shot penalty.  According to the rules official both men violated rule 13-4 after they grounded clubs in an area deemed a hazard on the 13th hole.  After completing their rounds, there followed a two hour standoff and return to the 13th hole for the accused while officials reviewed TV footage.  Though Kim steadfastly denied any wrong doing he was eventually ordered to accept the penalty six by the Korean Golf Association rules committee, who voted 5-3 against him.  AdamSarson.com posted this gif of the incident. Even eventual winner Kang Sung-Hoon sounded embarrassed at what hap...

Well, that didn't take long. Golf Channel analyst and Golf.com contributor Brandel Chamblee made waves last week by questioning the on-course ethics of Tiger Woods. Tiger had a couple of rules situations this season including a headline-stealer at the Masters, and while he won five PGA Tour events and Player of the Year, Chamblee gave Tiger a "F" grade for the season because, as he put it, Tiger "was a little cavalier with the rules." [Photos: Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger Woods ] Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, was extremely upset with the cheating allegations, saying that legal action could come , but that seems like it won't be the case as Chamblee has apologized on Twitter for calling Tiger out the way he did in his article. What brought me here was the realization that my comments inflamed an audience on two sides of an issue. â€" brandel chamblee (@chambleebrandel) October 23, 2013 Golf is a gentleman's game and I'm not proud of this d...

Welcome to Devil Ball's Proving Ground, where we put the latest golf gear through its paces. Today we look at the Ping S55 irons. Tester â€" Shane Bacon â€" Handicap: +2.0 Target Golf Audience â€" +4 handicap - 15 handicap Initial thoughts One of the best parts about living in Phoenix as a golfer, and golf writer, besides the year-round golf season and immaculate golf courses is the fact that Ping is headquartered in the desert. When new clubs come out, I have the ability to go check them out before they get released to the public and have a chance to work with the clubs and see how they perform to get a better understanding of what the new equipment is all about. These new Ping S55 irons might be my favorite things I've seen the company roll out since we started working with them. The initial thought was simple; Ping made a iron that is slightly more compact than the very successful S56 model and is as close to a blade-look the company has ever made....

Over the last few years my golf game has deteriorated because of short game anxiety.  Once a 3 handicap, I now struggle to card three pars.  That is why Jason Palmer’s story is all the more incredible to me, given that he suffers from the exact same problem. Before you discount Jason one handed chipping and bunker shot technique you should note the Leicestershire golfer has already notched up three wins on the developmental Alps Tour and won the Order Of Merit. Follow @golfcentraldoc Jason will play the Challenge Tour in 2014 and is short odds to play on the European Tour shortly after; he’s that good. Here he is demonstrating the technique. In an interview with Sky Sports Jason spoke about the unorthodox method. Here are some of his quotes. Sky Sports: Let's get the exact details. Which shots do you hit one-handed? JP: Any chip or pitch from 40 yards and in. I used to play all greenside bunker shots one-handed too but now I probably go one-handed for bunker shots of 10...

Joost Luiten may have looked like the bad guy at the BMW Masters by hitting one shot, then withdrawing and depriving the first alternate a spot in the field; until you hear the utterly stupid European Tour rule that forced him to do so. The injured Dutchman had to travel across the world to China to hit one shot and “officially” say he competed in the BMW Masters; part of the rules to keep in the inaugural Final Series for the Race to Dubai. According to the European Tour’s new rules, in order to play in DP World Tour Championship in Dubai; players must participate in at least two of the three events before it.  Notwithstanding the fact Luiten is already a winner on Tour this season, one of those three “must participate” events is the WGC-HSBC Champions which has a very limited field.  That leaves several players with absolutely no choice but to play in the BMW Masters and Turkish Airlines Open to be eligible for the final. So Luiten hit one shot and pulled out, tic...

When in Shanghai, Does As The Shanghai-ian’s Do! Can You Believe This Is Bob Estes Wife? Follow @golfcentraldoc When Brandel Met Pawn Stars Amy Sabbatini Throwing Darts At Her Ex-Husband Rickie And Henrik On Twitter Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer And Co Looking Glamorous Technorati Tags: Pro Twitter Pics , Cristie Kerr , Paula Creamer , Glamorous , Amy Sabbatini Darts

I came across this preview for a new reality TV show based on PGA Tour wives today.   No idea who made it but it features some extremely rich and  borderline psychotic middle aged cougars (of some borderline PGA Tour players) and a random very camp man with a cowboy hat. Star of the show is Rory Sabbatini’s ex wife Amy, who throws a divorce party in the clip, which involves her throwing darts at an effigy of her ex husband.  The Tour Wives show also features Bob Estes' wife Liz who introduces herself as a singer songwriter that apparently likes to get her boobs out in front of the camp cowboy man and doesn’t seem to hang out with her husband.  Ever.  Then there’s Chad Campbell's wife Amy who seems poles apart from the others and too preoccupied to take part in the show because she is busy tearing around after a bunch of kids  and Hank Haney's wife Suzanne, who last time I looked, is not the wife of a PGA Tour player. Judging by the tone the sho...

One of the reasons that golf is such a popular sport is unlike almost every other sport out there, golf allows you to compete nearly your entire life. With the advance in technology and fitness, it also helps professionals compete well into their 50s, and while Phil Mickelson isn't quite there yet, he knows that he is just a few years away from being eligible for the Champions Tour and is taking the appropriate measures to make sure he gives himself the best chance to win more majors before his competitive days on the PGA Tour are behind him. Mickelson, in the field at this week's CIMB Classic, said he is focusing his attention on 2014 and making sure his schedule fits exactly what his goals are in the coming years; majors, and snagging the career Grand Slam. The 43-year-old has won five majors in his career, and with his British Open victory this summer needs only the U.S. Open to complete the incredible feat, and understands that winning at Pinehurst #2 in 2014 is his ma...

A week ago, Brandel Chamblee, an analyst on The Golf Channel pinned a report card of sorts for the 2013 PGA Tour season on Golf.com, and the most popular man in the game (and the '13 PGA Tour Player of the Year) got the grunt of Chamblee's red ink. Woods was given a "F" for his season , with the implication being that Woods bent the rules of golf more than once, but the column focused on what happened at the Masters when Tiger took a drop that ended up costing him additional strokes and had the sports world buzzing about a possible disqualification at Augusta National. The Woods camp has already came out and said that legal action could be taken against Chamblee for the implication of cheating, and while that might be agent Mark Steinberg raising his voice to meet the boom of Chamblee, a more likely situation was hinted at by Ed Sherman over at the Sherman Report . What if Tiger Woods simply boycotts The Golf Channel? This isn't the craziest idea ever, wi...

I can claim the moral high ground on these CIMB tips since GolfCentralDaily.com was the first to publish them on Monday  but it’s nice to see that the official PGA Tour’s Power Rankings for this weeks CIMB Classic has included some of my guys right at the very end. I’m still sticking with Scott Hend and Alfie the BarnRat!  Docs Tips CIMB Classic PGA Tour Power Rankings Scott Hend 60/1 Scott has played a good number of events in Europe this season with a best of a tied sixth at the Avantha Masters back in March. It’s in Asia that he’s really shining however with two wins in the month of October already. Took the Taiwan Masters titles three weeks ago and the Venetian Macau Open last Sunday in a field which included Ernie Els. Has the chance to overtake Kiradech Aphibarnrat with a good performance with week. Knows the course inside out having played it at the Maybank Malaysian Open on the European Tour for the past few years and in fact his last round here...

Tiger Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, told reporters today he will take legal action against a man who claims Tiger Woods skipped a Burger King queue in front of him. Follow @golfcentraldoc Retired shop owner Brandon Clamtree, 62, described Woods as having a "cavalier" attitude toward queues after he jumped in straight at the top of the line and ordered a flame grilled Whopper with extra bacon. Steinberg, of Excel Sports Management, told ESPN.com in a statement and during a phone interview that he was “fairly sure” that Clamtree also held his arm straight out while pointing Woods, which Steinberg claimed was a clear reference to Woods controversial drop at The Masters. "Mr Clamtree’s comments about Tiger Wood’s queuing habits are completely out of line," Steinberg told reporters. "Having reviewed CC footage, Tiger voiced his position that it looked like there was a serving point with no one at it. There was no intention to deceive anyone. Clamtree’s...

Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club also check out my BMW Masters tips (featuring Rory McIlroy) here and be sure to follow @golfcentraldoc on twitter. Kiradech Aphibarnrat 35/1 Regular readers of my tips will remember we have done very well in the past with Kiradech Aphibarnrat on this course at the Maybank Malaysian Open.  Tied third in 2010 and winner in March this year, the Barn Rat will go under the radar of the PGA Tour analysts. The Asian Order Of Merit leader will have no problem adapting to the conditions this week and must have a huge advantage given his course knowledge. Scott Hend 60/1 Scott has played a good number of events in Europe this season with a best of a tied sixth at the Avantha Masters back in March. It’s in Asia that he’s really shining however with two wins in the month of October already. Took the Taiwan Masters titles three weeks ago and the Venetian Macau Open last Sunday in a field which included Ernie Els.   . Knows the course inside o...