Notebook: McLachlin's tweet from fifth tee draws ire of Tour officials

MADISON, Miss. (AP) -- Parker McLachlin was waiting to tee off on the fifth hole Sunday at the Frys.com Open when he faced a backup, whipped out his cell phone and decided to go on Twitter.

"Just made birdie on 4. Waiting on 5th tee. First tweet during a tourney round. Don't want to get too used to this!"

Uh, that would be a good idea.

McLachlin violated a PGA Tour policy by using his cell phone during competition. Players can only use their cell phones during practice rounds, and only on the practice range during pro-am rounds.

Along with using his cell phone for a tweet, McLachlin used it to answer a call from the PGA Tour.

"We did have a conversation with Parker," said Rick George, the tour's chief of operations. "He was unaware of our cell phone policy. It won't happen again."

LEFTY'S BOOK: Phil Mickelson already has a highly successful DVD called "Secrets of the Short Game" that made its debut in April. Next up is the companion book, which has a retail price of $29.95 and went on sale Tuesday.

Published by HarperCollins, it had a first print run of 200,000.

BACK FROM INJURY: The European Tour's Race to Dubai was looking like a two-man race between Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy entering the final month. That changed with the return of two top players.

Martin Kaymer of Germany injured his foot in a go-cart accident and missed six weeks. He returned last week at the Castello Masters and was runner-up, moving him to second in the standings.

The next return belongs to Paul Casey, who was leading the Race to Dubai when he suffered a rib injury at the British Open. He hasn't completed a tournament since. Casey withdrew from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship, both offering big money that could have helped in the standings.

Casey is playing this week at the Volvo World Match Play Championship, a 16-man field in Spain. He since has slipped to No. 4 in the standings.

"I am pretty much recovered," Casey said. "It has been a a very frustrating time, but I feel my patience is being rewarded now, having practiced with no ill effects. This is the longest I've been out of action, and I am really eager to get back out on the course."

He opens against Scott Strange in the round-robin tournament, in which the top players from each of four brackets advance to the semifinals. Casey won the World Match Play at Wentworth in 2006.

DIVOTS: Danny Lee, the former U.S. Amateur champion who became Europe's youngest champion when he won the Johnnie Walker Classic in Australia this year, failed to get through the first stage of Q-School. His next tournament? He is eligible for a $7 million World Golf Championship next week in Shanghai. ... Rickie Fowler made it through two years at Oklahoma State without ever going to Eskimo Joe's, the world-famous sports bar in Stillwater, Okla., known for its cheese fries. "I was never old enough, never into that whole scene," the 20-year-old Fowler said.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Tom Pernice Jr. earned $334,000 in 23 starts the first eight months. Since turning 50 on Sept. 6, he has earned $506,800 in three starts -- one on the Champions Tour, two on the PGA Tour.

FINAL WORD: "You can definitely have a good year without winning a major. But it cannot be a perfect year if you don't win a major." -- Masters champion Angel Cabrera.

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