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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tiger to be fined for official jab


By Doug ferguson
Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Tiger Woods

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CHASKA, Minn. — Tiger Woods will be fined by the PGA Tour for his public criticism of a rules official after winning the Bridgestone Invitational, a tour official said yesterday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the tour does not publicize fines.

Woods was bothered after his four-shot victory Sunday because he and Padraig Harrington were put on the clock at the par-5 16th. He said that caused Harrington to rush three difficult shots, leading to triple bogey.

European Tour chief referee John Paramor told Woods and Harrington they were being timed.

Woods said he told Harrington after it was over, "I'm sorry that John got in the way of a great battle."

Paramor said the final pairing was well behind most of the back nine, but officials gave them time to catch up. They were still 17 minutes out of position on the 16th tee, when they were put on the clock.

Woods hooked his tee shot, punched out to 178 yards and hit an 8-iron that stopped a foot from the hole for birdie. From the right trees, Harrington hit a 5-iron to the edge of a bunker, went over the green, then hit a flop shot too hard and into the water. The four-shot swing took the drama from one of the most compelling final rounds of the year.

"I don't think that Paddy would have hit the pitch shot that way if he was able to take his time, look at it, analyze it," Woods said. "But he was on the clock, had to get up there quickly and hit it."

Harrington conceded he was rushed, although he said it would be unfair to give the final group preferential treatment.

Section VI-D in the PGA Tour's player handbook says, "It is an obligation of membership to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage tournaments, sponsors, fellow members, players, or PGA Tour."

SPECIAL MEMORY IN ALLENBY'S LOCKER

Robert Allenby checked in yesterday at the PGA Championship, opened his blue locker at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minn., and was surprised to see that someone had written on the inside panel with a felt pen.

It wasn't the words that jarred him, it was who wrote it.

"Jim, thanks for the locker use," the note said. It was signed by Payne Stewart.

"This must have been his locker when he won here in '91," Allenby said. "It was pretty cool."

So cool, in fact, that Allenby took a picture of it with his cell phone.

Stewart won his first U.S. Open in 1991, taking advantage of two late bogeys by Scott Simpson to get into an 18-hole playoff. Stewart made only one birdie in the playoff, again rallying behind Simpson's mistakes.

The next time a major returned to Hazeltine, in 2002 for the PGA Championship, Stewart already was gone.

He won another U.S. Open in 1999 at Pinehurst No. 2, then died that October when his private plane from Florida to Dallas few uncontrolled across the country until it ran out of fuel and crashed in South Dakota.

NO 'LIL' LUMPY' IN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

The only PGA Tour player who lives in Minnesota will not be at the PGA Championship.

Tim Herron, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour in the midst of one of his worst seasons, did not qualify for what amounts to his only hometown event. This is only the fourth major Hazeltine has hosted, the first one played when Lil' Lumpy was 4 months old in 1970.

Herron has only three finishes in the top 20 this year, the last two in his previous starts. He did not qualify through the money-based PGA points list, although he was the sixth alternate yesterday.

The PGA of America offered 35 special invitations to the 156-man field, mainly from the world ranking. It promotes this major as having the strongest field and tries to get everyone from the top 100. Herron is at No. 222.

The PGA did give a spot to Darren Clarke, who was the highest-ranked player outside the top 100 and still a popular figure.

Why no Lumpy?

"Performance," said Joe Steranka, the chief executive of the PGA.