Golf Central

It’s one of those rules of life we’ve always tried to adhere to: if you find yourself stealing a dog for your supper it’s probably time for a career change. Two golf club employees in Hawaii have been charged after stealing a golfer’s dog while he was playing a round, then killing and eating it.

Witnesses told Moanalua Golf Club officials they saw Saturnino Palting, 58, and Nelson Domingo, 43, put the German shepherd-labrador dog named Caddy into a car and drive away at the end of their shift on December 16, 2007.

The dog's owner, Frank Manuma, said he tied up eight-month-old Caddy while he played a round of golf but the dog was gone when he came back. A grand jury indicted Palting and Domingo on theft and animal cruelty charges, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

On this day in 1990, proving that the US Golf Association usually sees things straight after about ... oh, 100 times or so, finally settled a long-running lawsuit with Karsten Manufacturing of Arizona over the legality of the company's PING Eye 2 irons.

The Eye 2 at the time was a very popular iron and was in many a tour player's bag: but the USGA, as it is wont to do, had made a stink about the square grooves on the clubs' faces and the distance between the sides of the grooves. As a settlement, the USGA ruled that PING Eye 2's were legal, but that all future irons had to conform to groove-width measurements ...

So is the moratorium off?: Do you mean, can you break radio silence about that guy whose name begins with the letter T?
Yes ...: I'm in favour of it. Let's face it, the guy is 18-under par.
Who is?: Tiger Woods, you big dope! ... Anyway, it would be pretty hard to avoid mentioning a guy who is running away with this tournament by eight shots.
Everybody else else is fighting for second place ... : That's right. Any other week, Stewart Cink (-10), Joe Durant (-9) and guys like Aaron Baddeley and Boo Weekley (-7) could say they're having a pretty good week.
Well, technically they still are. They money is still the same for second place, even if you lose by double the score ...: Technically true, but the way Tiger is playing it doesn't look like losing is on his agenda any time soon.
Other than that, what's the news?: Well, it's nice to see Steve Elkington and Fred Couples playing decently. They're both minus-5, and Freddie was pretty close to mentally hanging it up because of his back. But they're both right there, tied for 11th with young bucks like Camilo Villegas and Charles Howell III.
So where are you off to ...: To see the bookie. That 20-1 on the Tiger Slam is looking pretty good right now ...

What do you say if we try something new? ...: What's that? Yesterday you wanted fist-fights in golf. What's your new plan?
Ignore that guy with the swooshes ... you know who. We'll just treat this tournament like he isn't even here ...: Interesting idea. So our 36-hole leader is actually young Kevin Streelman then.
That's right! See how fun it is already?: I see. That's right, the unknown 29-year old from Illionois, who got into the Torrey Pines field as the third alternative, is your leader after rounds of 67 and 69.
See how much better a story it makes ...!: I see! Yes, a guy with only $34,479 in career earnings, fresh off the Hooters Tour, is on track for his maiden PGA Tour win! This is much more exciting!
That's right, and he'll be trying to hold off veteran Stewart Cink, and hotshots Aaron Baddeley and Boo Weekley at the weekend ...: Yes! And even Fred Couples in the mix, only three shots behind Streelman at 5-under.
What a fantastic story!: Yeah ... this is fun. But I feel a bit bad about it ...
Why's that?: Because we're big fat liars, that's why. Unknown rags-to-riches Kevin Streelman isnt' leading this tournament. He's four shots behind Tiger Woods, who is looking to tie Arnold Palmer's mark for career PGA Tour victories.
OK, you had to go and spoil the fun ...: Hey, man, honesty is the best policy ...