Queen of Sports

Athletes Attend Kick-Off Celebration For Liberty Cup Charity Golf Tournament

LPGA Champion Cristine Kerr, pictured above with Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics, hosted a kick-off celebration for the inaugral Liberty Cup Charity Golf Tournament at the Dream Downtown hotel in New York City last night. The tournament benefits Kerr’s Birdies For Breast Cancer Foundation, which raises money for breast cancer organizations.

Plenty of LPGA and PGA golfers were on hand, as well as some celebrities like Desperate Housewives star Kyle MacLachlan. The tournament will be taking place today, after which a dinner, awards ceremony, and celebrity poker tournament will cap off the evening.

Photo: Jeff Grossman/WENN.com

Queen Of Sports 101: The Benefits Of A PGA Championship Win

Keegan Bradley, playing in his first major, came back from a triple bogey late in the course to defeat Jason Dufner and win the PGA Championship yesterday. The $8-million purse wasn’t the only benefit Bradley will get from winning, however.

While there are many one-and-dones in the sport of golf, winning a PGA Championship has many perks that can really open some doors for the player in the future.

Firstly, PGA Champions are exempt from qualifying for future PGA Championships for life. They are also automatically invited, for the next five years, to play in the three other majors: the U.S. Open, the Masters, and the Open Championship. An automatic invitation is given to The Players Championship for the next five years. Lastly, they receive membership on the PGA and European Tours for the following five seasons.

While the sports of golf hasn’t seen steady success from any one person since Tiger Woods (the last 13 majors have been won by 13 different golfers) it’s unlikely we’ll see Bradley winning a major again.

Did you watch the PGA Championship? What do you think of Bradley’s chances of making it in the sport?

Tiger Woods And Tag Heuer Part Ways

Tiger Woods and another corporate sponsor are parting ways. Watch-maker Tag Heuer has let their deal with the golfer expire. This brings the total count to 6 lost sponsorships since Tiger’s Thanksgiving day car crash which led to a spiral of troubles for the golfer.

Tiger’s agent confirmed the split to media members late Friday. This does not come as a huge surprise given that Tag Heuer suspended use of the golfer’s image following the revelation of several extramartial affairs.

The other top line brands to drop Tiger as an endorser since the Thanksgiving incident include Gillette, Gatorade, Accenture, AT&T and Golf Digest. He is currently still involved in partnerships with Nike Golf, EA Sports, Upper Deck, NetJets and TLC Laser Eye Centers.

Tiger returned to the competitive golf course this past weekend for the Bridgestone Invitational after taking three months off due to injuries. He finished one over par, tying for a 37th place finish. 31-year-old Australian Adam Scott finished first.

Rory McIlroy Blasts Golf Commentator On Twitter

A couple comments made by TV golf commentator Jay Townsend struck a nerve with U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy. After McIlroy double-bogeyed on the 18th hole of the opening round of the Irish Open, Townsend criticized his “shocking” course management. McIlroy tweeted in response, “shut up…. You’re a commentator and a failed golfer, your opinion means nothing!”

McIlroy explained later that Townsend’s comment was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Townsend has made  on-air comments in the past about McIlroy’s caddie, J.P. Fitzgerald. He once said on-air that McIlroy should fire his caddie. “It was one comment too far, I’ve got to stand up for my caddie,” McIlroy said.

German golfer Marcel Siem is currently leading the Irish Open but McIlroy is hopeful he can add his first Irish Open title to his already stellar resume.

Photo: Splash News

Tiger Woods Breaks Up With His Caddie

Who will hold the umbrella for him now?

Tiger Woods may be a little jealous of the time his caddie is spending with other golfers.

Woods announced on his website today that he and long-time caddie Steve Williams have gone their separate ways. The statement on the website read simply, “I want to express my deepest gratitude to Stevie for all his help, but I think it’s time for a change. Stevie is an outstanding caddie and a friend and has been instrumental in many of my accomplishments. I wish him great success in the future.”

Williams worked with Woods as his caddie for 13 years, and stuck by his side during all of Woods’ personal drama, most recent injuries and past wins.

Williams released the following statement in response to the separation on his website, saying, “Following the completion of the AT&T National I am no longer caddying for Tiger after he informed me that he needed to make a change. After 13 years of loyal service needless to say this came as a shock. Given the circumstances of the past 18 months working through Tiger’s scandal, a new coach and with it a major swing change and Tiger battling through injuries I am very disappointed to end our very successful partnership at this time. I have had the opportunity to work of late for Australian Adam Scott and will now caddy for him on a permanent basis. Having started my caddying career with Australian great Peter Thompson and working for Greg Norman in the 80′s I am excited about the future working for another Australian.”

Tiger Woods has not named a replacement.

Photo: Wales News Service / Splash News

Former NHL Star Sinks $1M Hole-In-One

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Two-time Stanley Cup winning former NHL player Joe Sakic participated in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe this weekend and walked away with $500,000. Sakic scored a hole-in-one, which earned him a $1million prize. Half of the million will be donated to the LIVEstrong foundation, the designated charity of the tournament. Sakic gets to keep the other half. Check out the video.

Actor Jack Wagner defeated Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo for the winning title of the tournament.

Athlete Sighting: John McEnroe, Rory McIlroy And Andy Murray

US Open Golf Champion Rory McIlroy was spotted on the practice courts at Wimbledon yesterday with tennis stars John McEnroe and Andy Murray.

Murray is playing Rafael Nadal today in the men’s semifinals. Nadal is the defending Wimbledon champion and Murray is the No. 4 seed. Earlier today, Novak Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets.

Photo: Art Seitz / Splash News

Tiger Woods Gets New Endorsement Deal

Jason David Hosts 3rd Annual Celebrity Charity Weekend

DJ Felli Fel, Jason David, and Kristel David

Football player Jason David, of the Super Bowl-winning Indiannapolis Colts team, hosted his non-profit‘s 3rd Annual Celebrity Charity Weekend this past weekend in L.A. The weekend kicked off with red carpet cocktail party at the W Hotel in West Hollywood, where celebrities including DJ Felli Fel of Power 106 FM, actors James Denton and Alan Thicke, ABC7 News Anchor Phillip Palmer and other pro athletes were in attendance.

Jason David and a couple Laker Girls

The following day, David hosted a celebrity golf classic at the Pacific Palms Resort at the Industry Hills Golf Club. The Laker Girls were on hand to cheer on some of the celebrities and support the cause.

The last event of the weekend was an NFL Youth Football Skills Camp for youngsters. The camp was held at David’s alma mater, Charter Oak High School in Covina.

All proceeds from the golf tournament went toward increasing the awareness and research of kidney disease, a cause close to David’s heart after losing his cousin to kidney disease in 2007.

*Big thanks to Ebonie Bender for all photos

Athlete Sighting: Rory McIlroy

U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy was spotted partying in London. The 22-year-old golfer was seen out with friends at Boujis nightclub.

Photo: Splash News