Golf Central

On this day Byron Nelson won the Glen Garden Invitational, marking the 18th time he won on the PGA Tour in 1945. Nelson's amazing 1945 win total - and his record of 11 straight PGA Tour victories in the same season - are two records which Tiger Woods will probably just have to look at and blink and wish he could have.

Ben Hogan tried to break Nelson's wartime mark the next year. He could only manage 13 wins. The most Woods has managed in a single season has been eight wins. And although Tiger will probably end up with almost every other record in the PGA Tour's books, Nelson's 1945 is surely out of even Tiger's reach ...

OK what's the point?...: What's the point of what? Of continuing with this farce of a competition called the Target World Challenge? Or debating Monty? ... Let's debate Monty. That's always fun.
Yeah, but this time Monty might be right...: Well, Monty said Tiger could win all four majors this year.
It's hard to say Monty might be wrong based on this form...: I never said Monty was wrong.
Yes you did...: No I didn't! I just said let's see how Tiger plays, is all. So far, his scores read 69-62-67.
Yeah. Well, 18 under par doesn't suck....: Pretty flipping impressive. I must say. Ordinarily, you would say that a leaderboard that includes Woods, Furyk, Johnson, Stenson, Stricker, Casey, Singh, Westwood, Calcavecchia and Harrington, all under par, on that golf course, is major-championship calibre.
I backed Monty up when he said Tiger might win all four majors this year and you said both Monty and I were idiots...:  No, that's not what I said. Don't debate me. Or I'll sick Monty on you. Mind you, Monty is only 18 shots behind Tiger, at even par. We're lucky he stuck around for the weekend to possibly prove you wrong ... It's an invitational, mind you, so Monty has to stay, really ...
OK, back it up, big boy. You said 'no way is Tiger winning all four majors this year'. Didn't you?...: I didn't say he couldn't. I just said let's see how Tiger is playing is all.
OK, so you're no Rory Sabbatini. Speaking of Rory, how is he looking this week?...: Beatable.
How 'beatable'?...: 28-strokes-behind-Tiger-going-into-the-fourth-round 'beatable.'
That's pretty beatable...:  Like I said, Monty was right ...
You never said that !!!! ....

Gary Player, who proudly boasts of being the "most travelled athlete" in history, has got nothing on Henrik Stenson at the moment. Check out this recent travel itinerary for the tireless Swede:

• Fly from home in Dubai to Volvo Masters in Spain (Nov 1-4): approximately 3,510 air miles
• Fly to Shanghai for HSBC Championship (Nov 8-11): 6,360 miles
• Fly to Japan for the Dunlop Phoenix (Nov 15-18): 1,140 miles
• Fly to South Africa for the Nedbank at Sun City (Nov 29-Dec 2): 8,480 miles
• Fly to second home in Orlando, Florida: 8,080 miles
• Fly to Los Angeles for the Target World Challenge (this weekend): 2,210 miles
• Fly back to Orlando for two weeks' rest: 2,210 miles
• Fly to Maui for the Mercedes-Benz Championship (Dec. 31-Jan 6): 4,670 miles     
• Fly back to Dubai home: 8,590 miles

Needless to say, it will have been worth it, as Stenson is making heaps of cash. And while those frequent flyer miles are estimates (presumably Stenson stopped back in Dubai on the way from Japan to South Africa) it all adds up to:

45,250 miles

Which is nearly twice around the world in less than 80 days. Stenson deadpanned: "Air miles are not a problem at the moment." Oh those hilarious Swedes.
Still probably not enough to impress Gary Player though, or Michael Palin ...

On this day, in 1951, a rule which is today considered archaic but was very much a fabric of the game in the first half of the last century, was eliminated from the Rules of Golf: the stymie.

Most golfers born since the 1940s probably wouldn't even know of the stymie, which made golf a heck of a lot more evil and - possibly - a bit more fun.

In singles match play, until 1951, that is, players didn't mark their balls on the green and weren't lifted unless they were laying six inches apart or closer. So, a clever player who was behind on a hole could use a clever putt, and roll his ball in between the hole and his opponent's ball, thereby forcing said opponent to have to putt around or over the ball in the path.

Sound a bit like snooker? ...

So, how did Tiger look after 10 weeks without playing golf?...: Like he's spent a lot of time with his baby daughter.
Why? Was his golf so bad?...: No, it was great, he just looked like he's spent a lot of time with his baby daughter, that's all.
Explain, please. ...: Well, did you see his temper tantrum on the 18th hole? It was an all-time Tiger tantrum classic.
So, he acted a bit like Sam Alexis then?...: Not even she would dare try to chop the hell out of some poor defenceless underbrush with a golf club.
So the Tiger temper is still there. How's the golf?...: Great. Tiger was absolutely brilliant for 17 holes, until he dunked his approach on the 18th hole into the water. He took a double bogey to finish on 3-under and smashed up an iron.
Who's leading then?...: Jim Furyk's out front now at 4-under, trailed by Tiger, his pal Rory Sabbatini, Zach Johnson and Henrik Stenson at 3-under. But almost anyone can make a move except for poor Monty.
What happened to Monty?...: He might be wishing he skipped this trip, except for the splendid weather. He didn't make a birdie and shot 8-over for an 80.
Ouch. Well I suppose it's bad form to withdraw from an invitional tournament ...: Yep, and it's bad form to act like a 6-month-old child at your own invitational as well ...
Let's hope Monty and Tiger get their acts together ...: We can only hope ...