Davis Love to have surgery for neck pain
February 7, 2013 - 12:42am
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John Holmes
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Davis Love III
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Davis Love III says he wishes he would have dealt with his neck issues five years ago.

Davis Love III plans to have an operation on Friday to deal with problems in his neck that have bothered him for more than a decade.

''I've been working around it and it's been a nagging thing for a long time, '' Love told the Golf Channel. ''The last three months it's been more than a nagging thing, it's just been a constant annoyance and needs to be fixed.''

The 20-time PGA Tour winner hopes to be putting again within five days of the surgery and chipping again after 10 days. He expects to be off the PGA Tour for a total of six to eight weeks to complete his recover and rehabilitation – but he believes the operation could alleviate his neck pain for as long as three to five years.

Love has been dealing with pain, numbness and diminished strength in and around his neck since 2000 as a result of spinal stenosis and joint bone spurs, and had to pull out of both this week's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open. He said a visit to a doctor in Scottsdale last week for a third opinion cemented his decision to go ahead with the operation, which he likened to the 2011 procedure that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had.

Love said he considered holding off on the surgery until after the majors this season, but decided to go ahead. He got a cortisone shot in his neck last week, but still felt uncomfortable when he swung a club.

''It seems like the right time,'' Love told the Golf Channel. ''I wish I had done this five years ago.''
Paula Creamer warms up with beatdown
February 6, 2013 - 6:11pm
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John Holmes
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Paula Creamer
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Paula Creamer will head to Thailand for her first LPGA Tour start of the season after a dominating developmental-tour victory.

Pitchers and catchers are reporting to Major League Baseball camps, but Paula Creamer went through her own version of Spring Training this week.

With the beginning of her 2013 LPGA Tour season not scheduled for another couple of weeks, the Pink Panther decided to knock some of the rust off by playing in a Suncoast Ladies Series event this week. The 54-hole event kicked off on Monday, and this afternoon Creamer wrapped up an 11-stroke victory.

''The reason I played is I'm not going to Australia next week, and I wanted to get a scorecard in my hand and get a tournament under my belt before starting the LPGA season, '' Creamer told the Golf Channel. ''It was a good golf course,'' she said of host venue Orange Tree Golf Club in Orlando.

The 2013 LPGA Tour season begins next week at the the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open. Creamer is planning to start her campaign the following week at the Honda LPGA Thailand event.

Creamer pocketed a check for $2,100 for her victory. She led by five after the second round, then closed with a 65 to establish her 11-shot victory margin.

Despite the beatdown, Creamer's presence was a positive for her young competitors, said Suncoast Ladies Series Director Scott Walker.

''It's nice to see a player of her stature in our event, '' he told the Golf Channel. ''It's good for the players who aren't as established to play with her and see how they compare.''
Quigley, Dolch share dreaded bond
February 5, 2013 - 10:35am
Posted by:
T.J. Auclair
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Dana Quigley, Craig Dolch
Jim Mandeville/The Nicklaus Companies
Longtime friends Dana Quigley and Craig Dolch talk during a pro-am to raise money for Quigley's son, Devon, who like Dolch's son, Eric, is battling a traumatic brain injury.

You're going to need a box of tissues for this one. Trust me.

Over the weekend at the Floridian Golf & Yacht Club in Palm City, Fla., the most incredible of pro-am tournaments was held for Devon Quigley, son of Champions Tour star Dana and cousin of PGA Tour player Brett.

Devon Quigley was in a horrific car accident Dec. 1, 2011. In that accident, Devon suffered a traumatic brain injury and still cannot talk or walk as a result. As one can imagine, the medical bills are overwhelming.

With that, the legends of the game -- and I do mean LEGENDS -- stepped up in a big way to help one of their own. Dana, who still plays golf every single day, wasn't even eligible for a pro-am set up to help his ailing son.

The criteria? You needed to be a major champion. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player were all there. So were Raymond Floyd, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Tom Kite, Hal Sutton, Lanny Wadkins, Mark Calcavecchia, Larry Nelson, Jeff Sluman, Steve Elkington and Steve Jones.

"Golfers by nature are a giving bunch," Nicklaus told Golfweek's Jim McCabe. "Devon has been fighting such a battle the last year, and the family celebrates every little victory they can. But Dana and his family have been through a lot. We just hope that what little we are able to do this weekend will help in some way."

Early estimates suggest the event raised close to $1 million.

One person who was there covering the event knows more than anyone what the Quigley family is going through.

Craig Dolch, one of the real good guys in the business, wrote a touching piece following the event on the unfortunate bond he shares with Dana Quigley.

"Our sons may have arrived at their current states by vastly different means -- my then-14-year-old boy Eric suffered an acquired-brain injury when he contracted encephalitis in 2005, and Devon was 27 when he suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a car accident 15 months ago -- but the results are the same," Dolch wrote.

When word was out about Dolch's son, he says Dana Quigley was the first person to call and offer any help he could. The two had become friends with Dolch chronicling Quigley's success on the Champions Tour and the two sharing the same church.

Dolch's piece is one you need to read.

If you'd like to read McCabe's story about the event and how it came together, click here.

Follow T.J. Auclair on Twitter, @tj_auclair.
10 bold predictions for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
February 5, 2013 - 10:13am
Posted by:
T.J. Auclair
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Dustin Johnson
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Dustin Johnson -- already a winner in 2013 -- is understandably a favorite to win at Pebble Beach this week. He's been victorious in the tournament twice before and has finished outside the top 10 just once in five AT&T starts.

Ben Alberstadt, a featured columnist on BleacherReport.com, put together a fun list of predictions for this week's AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Writes Alberstadt:

We go from one colorful event on tour to another. Even though the fans from Waste Management Phoenix Open are still nursing their hangovers, it's time to move on to Pebble Beach.

The pro-am format and the abundance of celebrities combine with the incredible beauty of three fantastic golf courses along the California coast to create one of the PGA Tour's unique events.

Here are 10 bold predictions as to what golf fans can expect at the tournament this week.

Unfortunately, an additional heat of caddy races isn't one of them...

Among Alberstadt's predictions:

- Phil Mickelson will win for the second consecutive week (after all, he is the defending champ at Pebble)

- Bill Murray will be... Bill Murray (you know the antics -- expect to see them again this year)

- Dustin Johnson will finish in the top 10 (he's only been outside the top-10 once in five AT&T starts)

To read all of Alberstadt's piece, click here.

Follow T.J. Auclair on Twitter, @tj_auclair.
Weekly Golf Buzz: Phil and Phoenix
February 4, 2013 - 1:57pm
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PGA Tour rookie goes 'Gangnam Style' at TPC Scottsdale's par-3 16th
February 4, 2013 - 9:38am
Posted by:
T.J. Auclair
TJ Auclair's picture
James Hahn
PGA Tour/YouTube
PGA Tour rookie James Hahn breaks out into the, 'Gangnam Style,' dance after holing a birdie putt at the par-3 16th during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Sunday.

In case you live under a rock -- which isn't likely the case if you're reading this -- you know that there's no bigger party in professional golf than on the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. The atmosphere is that of a frat party. If you think a good shot is going to be greeted with a slow, "golf-clap," here, you're going to be extremely disappointed. This is the PGA Tour's version of Animal House.

Players that simply hit the green are given the loudest standing ovation they'll hear all year. Players that miss the green... well, they get rained upon with boos.

Over the years, No. 16 has gone from hectic to downright chaos -- the good, fun kind. Players have embraced it, endearing themselves to fans with various antics, whether it be handing out free hats, sunglasses (which Hunter Mahan did on Saturday), or actually getting on a microphone and singing like half of the golf, boy-band, "The Golf Boys" Bubba Watson and Ben Crane did after hitting their respective tee shots in 2012. The fans eat it up.

Sunday was no exception. And, if you didn't know who James Hahn was before Sunday, chances are you do now.

Hahn, a 31-year-old rookie on the PGA Tour, shot a magnificent round of 9-under 62 in the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Sunday to jump from a tie for 42nd after 54 holes to a tie for 16th. Remarkably, it was Hahn's second, final-round 62 of the season, matching the mark he had at the Humana Challenge a few weeks back, where he tied for fourth.

On Sunday, Hahn made five birdies over his final six holes to leapfrog loads of players. But, it was one birdie in particular that will live in Phoenix Open lore for years to come.

With a revved up crowd packed into the totally enclosed par-3 16th at TPC Scottsdale, Hahn electrified the spectators by holing a 19-foot birdie putt. To celebrate, Hahn -- who was born in South Korea -- paid tribute to South Korean rapper Psy, who became famous worldwide in 2012 for his smash hit and accompanying dance, "Gangnam Style."

As soon as Hahn's putt dropped, he put the putter down and did the 'Gangnam Style' dance. Whether you like the song/dance or not, you have to admit -- Hahn did a darned good job!

Check out the funny video for yourself here.

Follow T.J. Auclair on Twitter, @tj_auclair.
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