Queen of Sports

Tiger Withdraws From Players Championship After 9 Holes

Golfer Tiger Woods return to golf didn’t last long… he withdrew from the Players Championship after nine holes today.

The highlights or rather lowlights of Tigers return include a bogey on the first hole, triple-bogey on the fourth hole, a bogey on the fifth and another one on the ninth. He was 6-over par and was last on the leader board.

Tiger told the press that his knee and achilles tend were still bothering him.

“The knee acted up and then the Achilles followed after that and then the calf started cramping up,” Tiger said. “Everything started getting tight, so it’s just a whole chain reaction.”

Tiger said that he was surprised that his injuries were still nagging him because “treatment’s been good.” He said that additional rest would continue to help but he did not mention when he thought he would be on the course again.

Tiger Jam XIV

Last weekend, golfer Tiger Woods held his annual fundraiser, Tiger Jam XIV in Las Vegas. We told you a couple weeks ago that the event was a go for this year after being on hiatus last year… we all know why.

The concert was headlined by rocker John Mayer (pictured above) and country star Keith Urban. Tyler Hilton opened for the duo at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Approximately 6,200 people attended the concert and the weekend long events raised over $750,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation. Other VIP outings included an exclusive clinic and Q&A with Tiger and an evening reception with live and silent auction items. Some of the cool auction items included a luxury golf package trip to London for The Open Championship that went for $12,500, a backstage meet-and-greet with Tiger, John and Keith that went to three lucky groups for a total of $80,000, a meet-and-greet with country superstar Carrie Underwood at a future concert which sold for $1,400 and a TAG Heuer Aquaracer Automatic Chronograph 500 M watch that went for $3,200.

The after-party was held at the House of Blues which was hosted by M.C. Hammer.

Congrats to the Tiger Woods Foundation for continuing to make a difference in our communities!

Side note – what is John Mayer wearing?!?!?! Tiger on the other hand was looking pretty good, just wish he would get rid of that weird facial hair!

Photos: PR Photos

Tiger Woods’ ‘Tiger Jam’ Charity Concert On For This Year

Tiger Woods‘ annual charity concert event went on hiatus last year, as many things in the golfer’s life did, but this year the event is back in action. This weekend, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, the Tiger Jam is set to take place. Tickets have been on sale since February and start at $70. This year, Grammy-award winning singers/songwriters Keith Urban and John Mayer will be headlining. The event, which has raised over $12 million over the last 13 years, benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation which supports community-based programs that aid children in health and education.

Athlete Sighting: Reggie Bush At Matt Leinart Celebrity Golf Tournament

Supporting fellow USC alum, Reggie Bush showed up in Pasadena this weekend for Matt Leinart’s 3rd Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament. The former Cardinals and current Texans quarterback hosts the golf tournament to raise money for his charity, the Matt Leinart Foundation, which grants resources and opportunities to disadvantaged youth through sports activities, and learning centers.

Other celebrities who took part in the golf tournament: Hank Baskett, and Nick Lachey.

Photo: Rick Williams / Splash News

Athlete Sighting: Tiger Woods

Golfer Tiger Woods was spotted in Chuncheon, South Korea today participating in a golf clinic as part of the Nike Golf “Make It Happen” event at Jade Palace Golf Club.

Airline Loses Rory McIlroy’s Golf Clubs

It’s been a rough week for golfer Rory McIlroy… First, he gave up a four-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Masters in Augusta and now his golf clubs are lost.

After the Masters, Rory flew from Georgia to Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian Open which starts tomorrow, unfortunately his clubs didn’t make it. But Rory took the high road yet again (he was grilled by reporters after his Masters collapse) saying at a press conference, “Hopefully they turn up tonight and I’ll be ready to go tomorrow. It’s one of these things you can’t help it. Going through so many time zones and so many connecting flights, your bags are going to get lost sometimes.”

Queen Of Sports 101-Birdie In Golf

If you watched The Masters this weekend, you probably already know what a birdie is. However, for those of you who tuned in to the news this morning to hear South African golfer Carl Schwartzel won the tournament, by going birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie at the end, and wondered what in the world that means let us explain.

A birdie in golf means scoring 1-under par on a particular golf hole. Par is the amount of strokes a professional golfer is expected to take to finish a hole. Golf holes are typically par-3s, par-4s, or -par-5s which means a professional golfer should take 3, 4, or 5 strokes to finish that particular hole. If a golfer takes 3 strokes on a par-4 hole, they birdied. To birdie is basically to get a very good score on an individual hole.

Now for those of you who already knew what a birdie was, did you know where the saying comes from? It dates back to 1899 when it was coined at the Atlantic City Country Club. Three golfers- George Crump, William Poultney Smith and his brother Ab Smith were playing a game of golf together one day. Crump hit a bird in flight on his first shot, then his second shot came within inches from the hole on a par-4 hole. They all exclaimed the shot was “a bird” and from that day on they called any shot that was 1-under par “a birdie.” It spread throughout the club, which often had many out-of-town visitors because of its location and the fact it was a resort. Soon it spread outside the club and to all American golfers eventually becoming legitimate golf terminology.

Japanese Golfer Donates Entire Year’s Salary To Japan

Japanese golfer Ryo Ishikawa was deeply affected by what he saw occur back home in his native country while he was in America for a tournament. So affected that simply making a statement or raising awareness was not enough for him. Ishikawa has vowed to donate all of his tournament earnings from 2011 to relief efforts in Japan. Plus, he pledged to donate 100,00 yen (about $1,200 US) for every birdie he makes in competition. At only 19 years old, Ishikawa has nine Japan Golf Tour wins and the money that comes along with that success. To see such great generosity coming from a young athlete is inspring, and will hopefully inspire other athletes to re-consider their priorities.

Ishikawa said in an email to Golf.com, “I feel fortunate to be in a position to afford such things, but I know that my success is a result of the support of so many people. While golf is my profession, and I want to have a long and successful career, there are things that are more important. And the people of Japan are dealing with life and death issues as a result of the earthquake and tsunami.”

Our hats are off to Ishikawa.

New App Released By Tiger Woods Today Helps Golfers Perfect Their Swing

For only $9.99 you can improve your swing and golf just like Tiger Woods!

Well, some people may not want that right now. If we’re talking the Tiger Woods’ swing of now, it may not seem like such a good investment. Tiger Woods’ swing pre-divorce and drama? Might be more worth it. The technology behind the Tiger Woods: My Swing application that was released today, which is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad2, allows users to record their swing and compare it to Tiger’s.

If you’re unsure about trying it out, this might convince you: Woods is donating proceeds from the sales of the app to his Tiger Woods Foundation which promotes youth education.

Photo: Apple.com

Golfer Ryo Ishikawa Pushes Through Golf Tournament Despite Tragedy In His Home Country

Last night’s 8.9 earthquake that rocked Japan and sent a devastating tsunami onto its lands was the largest quake to hit the country in recorded history. Everyone who has family or friends in the area was concerned about the news, especially golfer Ryo Ishikawa who is currently in Florida competing in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at TPC Blue Monster.

Ishikawa awoke this morning to the news and was immediately concerned about his parents, who live 250 miles from Sendai where the worst of the quake and tsunami hit. His parents are fine, and after completing his first round this morning he said, “As you can imagine, it’s beyond a distraction for me. The fact that I was finally able to communicate with my parents did help me feel so much better.” The 19-year-old will continue on with the rest of the tournament, saying, “It is not possible to block something of this magnitude out completely. But I understand that, in the position that I am, together with the other star athletes from Japan and other sporting areas, we can provide encouragement and hope for the people of Japan by doing my job.”

Our thoughts are with everyone in Japan.