During this week’s Farmer’s Insurance Open (formerly the Buick Open) Scott McCarron recently accused Phil Mickelson of cheating.  When I first heard about the story I assumed Phil doctored his scorecard or something!  Drama, just what the PGA Tour needs right now to attract some attention to it’s Tigerless events!

As it turns it out McCarron had picked up on Phil was using an old Ping Eye 2 wedge that was made back in 1990.  The wedge doesn’t conform to the new groove rule with wedges.  The Eye 2 wedge has square grooves and are not allowed to be played by any player on tour this year along with any “U” groove wedges.  It turns out that there was a lawsuit in 1990 so anyone that has a Ping Eye 2 wedge made before April of 1990 can play it.  Phil is a former Arizona State Grad and of course played with Ping clubs when he attended the school.

Here is my take on the whole situation.  I believe McCarron with perhaps the help of Tim Finchem decided to bring this to the media to draw some attention to the game by accusing the biggest name outside of Tiger cheating.  Phil is not actually cheating here yet using the rules of golf to his advantage.  McCarron and every other player out there could use the exact same wedge but they choose not to.  The rules of golf are not implace to penalize you but to help you.  Why do you think they’re are so many rules officials at PGA Tour events?

In other news this week John Daly has final realized that his game is not where it needs to be to compete on the PGA Tour.  He is playing on sponsors exemptions for now and has seen the light that he taking a spot in he field from someone who could use to play a few events.  I personally felt his return the Tour was strictly to hype his second reality show on the Golf Channel.

I just don’t know why he doesn’t go back to playing in Europe where the media attention is smaller and he can’t head to a local Hooter’s and make an ass out of himself.  I sure hope John finds peace with himself for the rest of his life but I just don’t see that happening if he continues to present himself in the media spotlight by still playing golf.

Did anyone else feel let down by Sunday’s final round?  Ryuji Imada had the 54 hole lead with some big names following in his foot steps but Sunday turned out to be a dud!  Michael Sim had a chance late but a lip up on the 71st hole could have put him in a tie for the lead with Ben Crane who missed his second putt inside 5 feet on the back 9 that very same hole.  Sim proceeded to hit a long drive on the par 5 18th and with Crane already layed up, Sim decided to lay up as well to leave himself a wedge into the green.

Tim Clark did this very same thing last week at the Bob Hope but he was tied for the lead on 18.  Clark layed up while Bill Haas who was tied with was back on the 18th tee and surely enough Haas made birdie by hitting par 5 green in two.  My problem with Clark and Sim laying up is that players of their calibre are there to win and not to protect a high finish and a few $100 000.  Tim Clark is probably the best player ever not to win a PGA event and he had a great shot last Monday with only 218 yards to the flag.  I now he is a amazing wedge player and felt he had a better chance making birdie by laying up but he is still a great hybrid player and I think he has no problem hitting on the green in two.  Same with Sim, you play to win and a victory in only his 2nd PGA tour event could have gone a long way with his confidence.

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