This Week at WorldGolf.com: April 19, 2006

From Tiger Woods' 'spaz' blast to Baddeley
putting for Jesus, golfers showing personality

Few people enjoy mocking David Toms for making silly statements more than yours truly. Toms' comments regarding the Masters came off as so sublimely out of touch, making fun of the guy was just irresistible.

"It's the only place all year where the players don't feel like they're the most important thing there," said Toms, who then paused to scream at a cabana boy to take the lemon out of his iced tea.

In reality, however, the past couple weeks have seen an explosion of personality come out of the PGA Tour. There's Tiger Woods making an off-the-cuff comment that gets the PC-frenzied of England all in a huff; then Toms being irritated that the Masters takes security seriously; then Australia's Aaron Baddeley dedicating putts to Jesus.

And let's not forget Phil Mickelson, who won the Masters and then said - what'd he say again? Okay, never mind. For the time being we can forget Phil.

But it's been fantastic to see some actual personality being shown by golfers lately. And don't give the theory of "See, when they speak their mind, hack journalists write about them. That's why they never show personality."

Sure, we write about them and what they say. But don't think it hurts them. Maybe some Vijay Singh fans will think their man has lost endorsement dollars due to his words to the press, but face it - he's Vijay Singh, he's never going to be doing all that many commercials, anyway.

Personally, when I originally heard Tiger call himself a "spaz" I thought it was great. Here is a 30-year-old man, talking and acting like someone his age. That some people found his words somehow insensitive didn't hurt him in the least.

In fact, just to mess with everyone, the next time his game fails him, I'm hoping Woods goes even further.

"Wow, I played like a total spaz. And when I say spaz, I'm referring to an English person with cerebral palsy. That's how bad I played."

It would be reported like wildfire for a week or two, and then disappear with Tiger's next 300-yard drive. And it wouldn't hurt Woods' position amongst the greats and/or eventual billionaire status one bit.

So here's hoping that pro golfers won't look at the last few weeks and think "Oh no! We spoke and people wrote about it!"

Because the rampantly politically correct amongst us are essentially toothless. Sure, they'll complain and whine, but what of it? Are golfers that afraid of someone else's words?

But even more so, whether you come off as out-of-touch, Christ-centric or insensitive, in the end any PR is good PR. So keep talking guys. It's making things much more fun for everyone.

As always, WorldGolf.com welcomes your comments.

Flying into the Windy City gives
traveling golfers first-class options

For the golfing traveler, a short stopover in Chicago can be torture. You know there are more than 200 public courses in the Chicagoland area but you have a day or less in the Windy City before you're on to your next destination. Luckily for travelers desperate to scratch that golf itch (or hoping to plan a business meeting on the links), several excellent public courses are a quick drive from O'Hare and Midway airports.

Also: Don't ignore golf just west of Chicago

Hogan Edge & Adams Idea hybrids; golf tips;
and is Lorena Ochoa following Lefty's lead?

In their latest "Golf For Beginners" podcast, Stacy and Barry Solomon talk about the hottest female golfer on tour, Lorena Ochoa! Stacy predicts a major victory for Ochoa in 2006 and sees a similarity with the Phil Mickelson of old ("she seems to come so close to victory then chokes near the end). They also discuss the hottest hybrid golf clubs on tour: The Adams Idea a2 OS and Hogan Edge CFT and offer an assortment of golf tips, as usual.

Also: Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed

Dye's Dunes Course comes off as the
fifth wheel at PGA West for a reason

The Dunes Course at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. suffers from location issues. While this Pete Dye course is a solid play, it's surrounded by four other top-notch golf courses, and the Dunes may be in the worst condition of them all. Still, it is by no means a bad course, just one surrounded by quality. It also means that without some changes and better upkeep, the Dunes Course is destined to remain a fifth wheel.

Also: Look beyond Palm Springs' palaces for budget hotels