A majority of first round selections are still waiting on that magic number before they sign an agreement to play professionally.  12 players have signed…20 to go.  The last player to sign was Jared Mitchell (CAA client).  Undoubtedly, not every player will sign, but you can expect a lot of deals to get done with hours or minutes left before the actual deadline.

The draft is 50 rounds long and not ALL about the first round.  Many players outside of the first round have not yet signed, either.  For instance, 6 of the 17 first round supplemental picks are still waiting to hear a number they like (Paxton, Davis, Skaggs, Owings, Boxberger, and Scheppers).

First Round Picks

1. Nationals. Stephen Strasburg, rhp Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras wants $50 million.
2. Mariners. Dustin Ackley, of Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras wants roughly $9.5 million.
3. Padres. Donavan Tate, of Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras already has enough on his hands with Strasburg and Ackley. Add Donavan, and it’s quite a party.
4. Pirates. Tony Sanchez, c ACES (Hank King & Mike Zimmerman). Signed. $2.5 million.
5. Orioles. Matt Hobgood, rhp Wasserman Media Group (Lenny Strelitz). Signed. $2.42 million.
6. Giants. Zack Wheeler, rhp Jet Sports Management. Unsigned.
7. Braves. Mike Minor, lhp Bo McKinnis. Unsigned. Jonathan Mayo believes his signing will make many other college pitchers in the first round sign.
8. Reds. Mike Leake, rhp Beverly Hills Sports Council (Dan Horwits). Unsigned. Close to a deal.
9. Tigers. Jacob Turner, rhp Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras boy #4…also waiting it out.
10. Nationals. Drew Storen, rhp CAA. Signed. $1.6 million. Storen is tearing it up in the organization thus far. He is already with the High A Potomac Nationals, and is closing out games along with Dynasty client, Dan Leatherman.
11. Rockies. Tyler Matzek, lhp Legacy Sports Group (Greg Genske) Unsigned. Signs pointing to him going to Oregon and not signing with the Rockies.
12. Royals. Aaron Crow, rhp Hendricks Sports Management (J.D. Smart). Unsigned. Doesn’t have to sign by August 17.
13. Athletics. Grant Green, ss Boras Corp. Unsigned. The fifth Boras superhero.
14. Rangers. Matt Purke, lhp Select Sports Group (Peter Vescovo). Unsigned.
15. Indians. Alex White, rhp Career Sports (Keith Grunewald). Unsigned.
16. Diamondbacks. Bobby Borchering, 3b SFX (Troy Caradonna). Unsigned.
17. Diamondbacks. A.J. Pollock, of Icon Sports Management (Rob Martin). Signed. $1.4 million
18. Marlins. Chad James, lhp Icon Sports Management (Rob Martin). Unsigned.
19. Cardinals. Shelby Miller, rhp Select Sports Group (Peter Vescovo). Unsigned.
20. Blue Jays. Stephen Jenkins, rhp ACES (Hank King & Brandon O’Hearn). Unsigned.
21. Astros. Jiovanni Mier, ss Legacy Sports Group (Greg Genske). Signed. $1.358 million
22. Twins. Kyle Gibson, rhp Randy Rowley. Unsigned. Stalling because of injury issues.
23. White Sox. Jared Mitchell, of CAA. Signed. $1.2 million
24. Angels. Randal Grichuk, of SFX (Tom Little). Signed. $1.242 million
25. Angels. Mike Trout, of Landis/Seal/Ware. Signed. $1.215 million
26. Brewers. Eric Arnett, rhp Sterling Sports Management (Joe Speed). Signed. $1.197 million
27. Mariners. Nick Franklin, ss SportsMeter (David Meter). Unsigned.
28. Red Sox. Reymond Fuentes, of MDR Sports Management (Melvin Roman). Signed. $1.134 million
29. Yankees. Slade Heathcott, of Frontline Athlete Management (Darek Braunecker). Unsigned.
30. Rays. LeVon Washington, 2b Boras Corp. Unsigned. Boras kid #6…also waiting it out.
31. Cubs. Brett Jackson, of CAA. Signed. $972,000. All 3 CAA drafted players have signed. Now if only they struck a deal with the New Orleans Saints for Malcolm Jenkins.
32. Rockies. Tim Wheeler, of Frontline Athlete Management (Jim Lindell). Signed. $900,000.

For links to many of the agencies listed, please check out our Agencies Database.

On the eve of this year’s Open I’ve assembled a few preview stories to get you ready for Royal Birkdale, which last hosted the tournament in 1998 and saw Mark O’Meara take home the Claret Jug after outdueling something named Brian Watts. John Hawkins states the obvious: the Jug is up for grabs without Tiger. Larry Dorman argues that “the case can be made that Royal Birkdale is in the same league, strategically if not aesthetically, with the other regular courses in the [British Open] rotation.” Jason Sobel writes that “returning to Royal Birkdale for the first Open Championship at the venue since 1998, [Justin] Rose has experienced the ups and downs of a roller-coaster career, from precocious teen to slumping pro to world-class talent.” Sobel also takes stock of the field. Defending champion Paddy Harrington is listed at 75% full strength. Kenny Perry is the hottest player in the world right now (he won again this past weekend at the John Deere, his third title of 2008), but he’s getting his Scott Hoch on by passing on the Open, which of course has won him more criticism and scrutiny than he probably deserves. If you believe Sergio Garcia, only those pesky golf gods prevented him from winning at Carnasty last year. So is this finally the year when Sergio gets rid of that stupid monkey? Finally, Hugh MacDonald from The Scottish Herald writes not to bet on the Brits.

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Just because Tiger’s rehabbing until 2009 doesn’t mean that we can’t keep talking about records that he’s destined to break. Forbes, for instance, recently wrote that Tiger is set to become history’s first billionaire athlete around 2011. “Woods is on track to pass $1 billion in career earnings by 2010. Becoming a billionaire – that is, having a net worth above $1 billion – will take slightly longer (one year), since a sizable chunk of Woods’ prize and endorsement money is eaten up by taxes and management fees – we estimated 45 percent. We also credited Woods with annualized investment returns of 8 percent,” the magazine wrote. “It will be an unprecedented occurrence. There are plenty of billionaires who have excelled at sports, like Switzerland’s richest man and champion sailor Ernesto Bertarelli. But there are no billionaires who accumulated their fortune by playing sports.”

By the way Tiger, in case you get bored chatting with “Steiney” on your cell, changing Sam, or curling 50 lb dumbells all day long, PGATour.com laid out a nice itinerary of things to keep you busy for the rest of the “season.” Although playing co-captain to Zinger in the Ryder Cup at (yawn) Valhalla isn’t one of them.

And speaking of Tiger, it looks like the always cheeky British press is finding a way to work him into literally every pre-tournament question. But maybe they have a point. After all, isn’t the tournament destined to be less exciting sans El Tigre?

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Interestingly, one group not necessarily upset over Tiger’s absence at Royal Birkdale this week are the British betting agencies, which see an increase in ‘punter’ activity when Woods stays home from a tournament.

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Weeks ago I listed my Top Ten recent grads in need of an agent. One of them was Florida St.’s Jonas Blixt, whom I speculated (along with Danish sensation Joel Sjoholm of Georgia St.) probably had more professional upside than anyone else on the list. Swedish golf to this point has pretty much been synonymous with Jesper Parnevik and that funny hat of his, but Gaylord Sports Management, which officially signed Blixt following his 4-0 sayonara to amateur golf at the Palmer Cup in June, is betting that Blixt will change that. Ben Harrison will handle Blixt’s account at Gaylord, and he secured Blixt’s professional debut this past weekend at the annual British Open tuneup at Loch Lomond. Blixt says that he will next play the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational July 21-27, after which he will “pursue his options on the U.S. and European tours.”

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Speaking of playing in Europe, with the Tour’s “Race To Dubai” promotion starting in 2009 (somewhat equivalent to the FedEx Cup), playing overseas never seemed more attractive (not to mention lucrative–paychecks are nominated in Euros)

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With Tiger sidelined, who’s the new favorite to win this season’s FedEx Cup? It may very well be Anthony Kim, whose win at Tiger’s tournament at Congressional (Kim’s second of the season) prompted an immediate congratulatory call from The Great One himself. But is “A.K.” good enough to be the next Tiger? There are some similarities, and Thomas Bonk remarks that “the The Woods-Kim link is inescapable,” so much so that even Mark O’Meara has somewhat taken the young phenom under his wing, much like he did with a certain someone ten or so years ago. Kim, like Woods, is decked out in Nike’s Swoosh (and plays their equipment). And he also ditched former agent Rocky Hambric to join Team Tiger and IMG, though Clarke Jones (not Mark Steinberg) runs his account. But his penchant for big belt buckles puts him more in line with Tiger’s arch nemesis, Rory Sabbatini, and his accuracy of the tee (combined with prodigious length) is certainly a foreign concept to Woods. Moreover, until Kim actually lands a major (I like him in the PGA next month) or two or ten, let’s hold off on the comparison, shall we?

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It seems the latest fad among golf pundits is to bash Phil Mickelson, especially since he gave his critics new fodder following “3-wood-gate” at the U.S. Open and that series of chunked chips on Saturday that every hack watching at home silently (or perhaps loudly) chuckled over. That said, Phil to me is more likeable than ever, and perhaps that’s due to the fact that I’m seeing more of him off of the golf course in various television spots. Tim Rosaforte breaks down about Phil’s “acting chops,”and even mentions that Phil will be on Entourage this fall?? Finally, Lawrence Donegan asks who exactly is the real Phil Mickelson?

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Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis don’t have a lot in common, writes Beth Ann Baldry, except that both of them of in the midst of trying to earn an LPGA card for 2009 without going to Q-School.

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Which story is uglier, Brett Favre’s divorce from Ted Thompson and Green Bay, or John Daly’s divorce from Butch Harmon? I don’t like going after agents, but someone needs to tell Daly to STFU, and to me Bud Martin over at SFX is as good a person as any.

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Congratulations to Anthony Kim (pictured), the 22 year old phenom who finally may be the next big thing everyone has been searching for to challenge Woods. At the very least, he’s one of the best young players to come out of the U.S. collegiate system, and should help out the Ryder Cup team for decades to come (and we all know how much help that squad desperately needs). Last anyone heard, Kim was represented by long time player manager Rocky Hambric and Hambric Sports Management out of Dallas, although rumors were swirling months ago that said relationship was on the rocks. Nothing heals tension like a win, especially one at the somewhat prestigious Wachovia Championship, whose finishing holes rival any in the world. Rex Hoggard’s column tells you all you need to know about Kim and his rocky past, both with his father, and at the University of Oklahoma. But the past is the last thing on Kim’s mind. He’s now 4th in the FedEx standings, with his eye on a certain someone at the top.

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John Daly’s not only lost his PGA Tour card, but it seems that he’s literally lost the shirt off his back.

Remember the old Ford commercials, back from when the carmaker still sponsored the world’s number two? What will Phil do next? Forget that. The real question is, what will John Daly do next? The latest in ‘the week that was’ for J.D. included an unfortunate shirtless exposition (click here for the video, if you dare/must) during a promotional outing at the even more unfortunately named and recently opened “John Daly’s Murder Rock & Country Club” outside of Branson, MO. As one blogger noted before the club’s opening last summer: “Daly and Branson – that seems like a great pair. ‘John Daly’s’ and ‘Murder Rock’? Not so much. Given Daly’s history – drinking problems, gambling problems, marital problems that recently produced accusations (later withdrawn) of a knife attack and a sexual assault – the name of the club seems a little, shall we say, ill-advised.”

Perhaps even more troubling, however, are the revelations that Daly contacted former swing coach Butch Harmon and practically begged him to recind his latest comments about Daly, citing a complete loss of his (once vast) array of endorsements. Throw in some news relating to Roger Clemens’ alleged affair with one of his ex-wives, and also yet another Daly-induced lawsuit (this time against the Hippo Golf company), and it’s no wonder that Daly’s mind was somewhere other than his wardrobe. Yet another question: even if J.D. has indeed lost all of his endorsements, doesn’t he still have his own apparel line?

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While the PGA and European tours are expected to start drug testing this July (both Tours are now engaged in player education programs), Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson announced this past Tuesday that the British Open would not be ready to begin the testing program because of the tournament’s international qualifying system. He expects anti-doping controls will be in place for the 2009 championship at Turnberry. “The fact [that] drug testing is a 52 week a year occupation, not one week a year, [and] the fact the Open has already started this year with three qualifying events, means that we have decided drug testing will not take place this year,” Dawson told reporters.

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Golf may be “ripe for Olympic involvement,” with more quality players now from more countries than ever before. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem endorsed the idea this past week, and the prevailing feeling is that golf now has its strongest chance at being included in the Olympics since it was dropped from the program more than 100 years ago. Because the International Olympic Committee requires seven years for a sport to be added, the earliest golf could be part of the Olympics is 2016. The IOC will meet next year to vote on a host for the 2016 Games and decide whether to include additional sports. And an official bid would have to come through the International Golf Federation, which the IOC recognizes as golf’s ruling body for the Olympics (and which is jointly run by USGA executive director David Fay and the above-mentioned Dawson).

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Immelman’s win at Augusta was somewhat overshadowed two days later when runner-up Tiger Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for the second time in five years. The surgery was performed in Park City, Utah, by Thomas Rosenberg, who also operated on Woods’ left knee in December 2002. Woods also had surgery in 1994 on his left knee to remove a benign tumor.

The question now is, when will Tiger return to action? Mark Solatu reported that this past Wednesday Woods had his two-week checkup, which he said “went great. Everything is right on schedule.”

He was obviously unable to defend his title this past weekend at the Wachovia Championship, and there was never any doubt that he would miss this week’s Players Championship (one of only three non-majors that he has never missed since turning pro). Woods allegedly hopes to return at the Memorial on May 29, but if he were to miss that weekend, his next scheduled event would be the U.S. Open on June 12 at Torrey Pines, where he has won six times in the Buick Invitational.

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Europe announced its 2008 Palmer Cup team that will face the United States, June 26-27 in Glasgow, Scotland. The team features Jonas Blixt (Florida State), Scott Borrowman (Stirling), Johnnie Caldwell (South Alabama), Jorge Campillo (Indiana), Jonas Enander Hedin (Charlotte), Charlie Ford (Tennessee), Gareth Shaw (East Tennessee State) and Tim Sluiter (Southern California). The European team will be coached by Marten Olander of Sweden. On the U.S. side, coach Conrad Ray’s team will include Oklahoma State’s Rickie Fowler, Florida’s Billy Horschel, UCLA’s Kevin Chappell, Louisville’s Derek Fathauer, San Diego State’s Aaron Goldberg, Georgia Tech’s Chesson Hadley, Georgia’s Adam Mitchell and Alabama’s Michael Thompson.

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LPGA player and women’s world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa joined an acclaimed list of individuals honored in this year’s TIME 100.

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The China Golf Association, Grand China Air, LPGA and IMG announced that the LPGA’s first-ever event in China, the Grand China Air LPGA, is set for Oct. 24-26 at the Haikou West Golf Club. Sixty-three players will compete for a purse of $1.8 million.

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Nice piece by Jim McCabe, who warns us not to doubt Adam Scott.

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World renowned swing teacher David Leadbetter signed a multi-year agreement with Wilhelmina Artist Management, which will represent Leadbetter as his exclusive worldwide agent relative to all appearances, endorsements and licensing businesses.

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Back to college golf, Alabama remained the top team in the fourth Golf World/Nike Golf Division I Coaches’ Poll of the spring season after winning its first SEC Championship title in 29 years. The Crimson Tide earned 18 of the 23 first-place votes and secured the SEC title with an eight stroke victory over South Carolina. It was Alabama’s sixth victory of the season. Michael Thompson’s final-round 65 pushed him to the individual title, his first victory in his two years in Tuscaloosa. “It feels fantastic,” said Alabama coach Jay Seawell shortly after the win. “It feels just like I thought it would. Unbelievable. I’m really proud of the guys. It was a tight day. The last four holes—we’ve talked about it—last year our last four holes were kind of our demise here. And this year the four holes were the difference. I am proud of them for how they played. Nobody hands you an SEC Championship. You’ve got to win it and the guys won it today. I’m really proud of them.”

The Kansas Jayhawks and the Memphis Tigers are set to tip off the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship tonight at 9:21PM EST, and until that time, many newspapers and blogs will be writing about the two teams and their players, and contemplating which team that wears the color blue will come out victorious. One common thread will be that Kansas, as a school, has more experience when it comes to making it this far in the Tournament. Kansas has been in the Championship Game eight times, including this year. For Memphis, this is only the team’s second visit to the final game. Kansas has won it all twice, been in the Final Four thirteen times, made the Tournament thirty-seven times, and has eighty Tournament victories. Memphis has never won the Championship, and does not rank close to Kansas in any of the other categories discussed above. But throw all that information out of the window, because it does not matter. Tonight is anybody’s game.

Instead of making predictions like every other sports blog, I decided that it would be interesting to look at the individual top players at each school that are currently on the court and those that have graduated to play in professional ball. What sports agents have dominated Memphis and Lawrence? Which agents have a comfortable relationship with the Championship Game coaches? Are there other people at each campus that may be influencing players?

Kansas Jayhawks in the NBA and their agents:

• Nick Collison – Mike Higgins (SFX)
• Drew Gooden – Calvin Andrews (BDA Sports)
• Kirk Hinrich – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Raef LaFrentz – Mike Higgins (SFX)
• Paul Pierce – Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management)
• Scot Pollard – Mark Bartelstein (Priority Sports & Entertainment)
• Wayne Simien – Leigh Steinberg (Steinberg & Moorad)
• Jacque Vaughn – Jeff Austin (Octagon)
• Julian Wright – Rob Pelinka (SFX)

Memphis Tigers in the NBA and their agents:

• Earl Barron – Mark Termini (Mark Termini Associates)
• Rodney Carney – Chris Emens (Octagon)
• Shawne Williams – Happy Walters (Immortal Sports)
• Lorenzen Wright – Andy Miller (ASM Sports)

It was not an easy task to find out the agents of all of the players listed above. After a quick glance at the names and the agencies listed above, it seems like representatives from Octagon and SFX will have some nice seats in San Antonio. I am sure that Jeff Austin and Mike Higgins will be in attendance, but I doubt that they say a word to each other. Which Jayhawks will they be fighting for? DraftExpress.com currently lists Darrell Arthur going #20 in the first round and Brandon Rush being snagged at #25 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. Will either player (or both) sign with Octagon and/or SFX?

Then there is Memphis and its three stars that are suggested to be selected in the 2008 NBA Draft. DraftExpress.com has Derrick Rose being the 2nd overall pick, along with Chris Douglas-Roberts (CDR) being picked at #15 and Joey Dorsey going in the middle of the 2nd round. The list of agents for the current Memphis NBA players does not suggest that any particular agent/agency has an advantage for this year’s talented crop of Tigers. But as far as Memphis is concerned, the history books need to be swept off the table and it must be realized that this is an entirely new organization.

The landscape in Memphis was redone in 2000, when the University named John Calipari its new basketball coach. He led the team to win the NIT Championship in 2002 and then took Memphis to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2004, something the Tigers were not used to. In 2006, the Tigers got a #1 seed in the Tournament, and Calipari realized that it might have been time to return to old friends with heavy influence in the basketball community.

Ever hear of a guy named Worldwide Wes? If not, I suggest you read this GQ article on him. The heading describes William Wesley as, the most connected, most discreet, most influential man on and off the court. Not a bad guy to have on your side. In fact, there may be a lot of validity in equating the success of this year’s Memphis Tigers team with Calipari’s connection to Wesley. Don’t think that Calipari has been working with William? Why else would he say that Wesley is a goodwill ambassador for the University of Memphis program? Wesley openly roots for Memphis to win and has been instrumental in bringing relations between Memphis basketball and China.

The sports agent point of all of this is that besides having a strong connection to Calipari as a coach, Worldwide Wes is a big fan of Leon Rose as an agent. None of the four Memphis Tigers currently playing in the NBA are signed with Rose, but you may see some or all of this year’s Memphis draft class signing with the basketball agent if William Wesley has his way. It seems like if there is one player out of the three Memphis ballers leaving for the draft this year that is least likely to sign with Rose, it is Joey Dorsey. I have seen reports linking Wesley with Rose and Douglas-Roberts, but have come up empty in any connection with Dorsey.

I cannot wait for the game tonight. I honestly have no idea who is going to win. But for me, the most exciting period for me is after the game is over and players start to make their decisions on representation for the 2008 NBA Draft. Stay tuned as we update you on the agent signings by both teams’ draft-entry players.

Blue Equity started making headlines in the sports world when it initially bought out NBA agent Bill Strickland, who has since added Corey Brewer to his list of clients that include Rasheed Wallace, Brevin Knight, and Malik Allen. From there, Blue Equity acquired the services of NFL agent Joel Segal, Donald Dell and SFX, and a plethora of other entities. In the middle of 2007, I anointed Blue Equity as the newest conglomerate alongside IMG, CAA, and WMG. At this point, Blue Equity may be close to being above them all, making it the BEST.

It’s a good thing for Tripp Isenhour that we no longer run a ‘Nightmare Clients Of the Week’ column anymore. As you’ve probably already read, Isenhour, represented by John Mascatello and SFX Golf, faces misdemeanor criminal charges (up to 14 months in prison and $5,000, if convicted, per government sources) for his ‘one-in-a-million’ shot that ended up killing a protected migratory hawk at the Grand Cypress Resort in Florida (where a film crew had been busy filming an increasingly irate Isenhour for an instructional video, during which time the hawk began making loud, distracting noises).

Oddly, it took three months for this story to come out, though the details are still freshly sordid. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer Brian Baine, Isenhour “got into a golf cart and drove closer to the bird and started hitting balls into the sky. When the hawk moved within about 75 yards, Isenhour allegedly said, ‘I’ll get him now,’ and aimed for the hawk. After getting closer and closer to hitting the bird and getting more excited, Isenhour hit the hawk and it fell to the ground and died.”

Much to do about nothing? Isenhour’s fellow pros certainly think so. “It’s a bad break for the bird, but it sounds like there are a lot of other things people should be worried about,” Mark Calcavecchia said later. Tour brass, as expected, took a more diplomatic route. PGA Tour executive VP Ty Votaw called the entire event “unfortunate,” right after the head of the Humane Society faxed Tour commissioner Tim Finchem a letter urging “appropriate remedial action against Isenhour up to and including fines and suspension.” Ultimately, the stiffest penalty Isenhour will pay will be from fans, and perhaps the loss of sponsors. As Michael Vick can attest, you don’t mess with animals and escape public wrath. Jail time, fine, or not, at the very least Isenhour is sure to go down in eternal infamy as a dumbass.

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Daly, Butchie and Chucky

Another troubled SFX client, John Daly, got (another) wake-up call this week. Months after losing several key sponsors (TaylorMade, Maxfli, Hooters and 84 Lumber), Daly’s longtime friend and swing coach, Butch Harmon, said that he “was not going to waste his time with a two-time major champion who is more interested in drinking than working on his golf game.”

Daly meanwhile, without a Tour card, has been relying on the largesse of sponsors exemptions (including the ones he’s suing) with which to get by. Even Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden pitched in during last week’s PODS Championship, carrying Daly’s bag en route to a 77 and an 80. A few (dozen) brews at the tournament’s Hooters “Owl’s Nest” put out those flames, and Daly seemed happy as ever, even signing his name to the back of a woman’s pants. But for Harmon, the whole circus of it all was the final straw. “When things don’t go right (for John), it’s back to the alcohol stuff,” Harmon said. “I love this kid. He’s a tremendous talent. But if he’s not going to give 100 percent effort, it’s a waste of my time.” Even the commish seemed taken aback. “We’ve worked with John in the past, and we’ll continue to be available to work with him in the future regarding his issues,” Finchem muttered.

Speaking of time, Daly was a no-show this past Wednesday morning for the pro-am round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational automatically disqualifying him from the tournament itself (PGA Tour rules require those in the pro-am to participate or risk being ineligible for the event. And it applies to alternates, whose job it is to know where they are on the list and be prepared in case someone drops out). Another exemption gone. Another day in the life of John Daly.

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Arjun Atwal: Back In The Fast Lane

Things are looking up for once-Nightmare client Arjun Atwal (pictured), represented by Bobby Kreusler and Blue Giraffe Sports. Atwal joined the PGA Tour in 2003 as its first Indian-born player, but lost his card after failing to finish in the top 125. While he was later implicated in a lingering investigation for his role in a fatal car crash that saw the Indian pro getting his ‘Fast and the Furious’ on, Atwal was finally cleared of all charges by Florida prosecutors this past week. Meanwhile, things are improving on the course for Atwal as well. Atwal won the Malaysian Open this past Sunday, and finished second on the Nationwide Tour’s Panama Movistar Championship in January. Asked about his improved play, Atwal credited practice rounds with none other than Tiger Woods.

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World’s number-one Lorena Ochoa “likes the way she’s started” 2008, and who wouldn’t? Ochoa cruised in the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore by 11 strokes over second-place finisher Annika Sorenstam, relegating the Swede to “Phil Mickelson status” in the process. Yahoo! Sports Josh Peter weighed in with a nice piece on “the real Lorena,” which features comments from ex-agent Rocky Hambric. Ochoa, at the request of her one-time caddy and brother Alejandro Ochoa, left Hambric in 2005, turning over to him control of her business affairs. Alejandro now oversees Ochoa Sports Management, Ochoa Golf Academy and the Lorena Ochoa Foundation. “He also works hard to protect and shape her public image, and frequently erects a wall that separates the private Lorena from the media,” writes Peter.

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Speaking of Rocky Hambric, rumors are swirling that stud client, Anthony Kim, has either jumped ship, or may in fact be in the process of doing so. Hambric Sports Management has been a long time player in the golf management game, and even ‘expanded’ in a way in 2002, when CSS, a British sports-management and marketing company, acquired a minority stake in Hambric. As part of the deal, Hambric became CEO of Stellar Golf, CSS’ golf-management business in North America and Europe. Where could Kim be headed? The smart money, as always, says IMG. If true, one would hope the latest Hambric ‘divorce’ ends a bit more amicably than the last one, when Rocky went to court against IMG and his former client, Charles Howell III.

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Other News

* The annual Golf Digest Top 50 tracks the leaders in total (on-course plus off-course) income. Remember that their agents don’t make a dime of on-course income, but may make upwards of twenty-percent to one-quarter of their off-course contracts. Do the math on some of these guys.

* The LPGA goes You Tube. Check out their channel. I know Hound Dog will. I’ll probably stick to checking out other random stuff.

* More great college golf coverage from Golf World’s Campus Insider Ryan Herrington, including analysis of the recent Stacy Lewis-Amanda Blumenherst duel that I’m guessing had a few prospective agents/managers in attendance.

* Nice piece by The Chicago Tribune’s Ed Sherman regarding Ernie Els, who told Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press that his five-year old son Ben is autistic. The next person who goes on a cliched rant about Els being preoccupied psychologically by thoughts of finishing-second to Tiger Woods should maybe think a little deeper.

* Callaway Golf introduced a stylish, Fall 2008 golf line for women. Pebble Beach meets Paris.

* TaylorMade-Adidas Golf and the Royal Canadian Golf Association announced a new three-year agreement in which TMAG will become the official golf equipment and apparel partner of the RCGA.

It’s well known that the vast majority of PGA Tour players are rank-and-file Republicans. Or at the very “worst,” closet independents. Over the years, some players have been more vocal than others about their political leanings. No one will ever forget in 1993, for example, when Ryder Cup team member Paul Azinger (this year’s U.S. captain) initially refused to attend a pre-match invitation to the White House from President Bill Clinton before the team flew to England. While part of Azinger’s problem was supposedly Clinton’s proposed tax increase for high-income wage earners, it later came out that his real beef centered around the fact that the President had dodged the Vietnam draft.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that informal polls on Tour driving ranges so far have John McCain with a comfortable popularity lead. But Tiger Woods, for one, divulged recently in Dubai that he may be leaning towards Democratic candidate Barack Obama, believing him to be an “inspiration.” Over at Chris Lewis’ blog you can read the entirety of Tiger’s press conference response.

Speaking of Woods and Obama, Golfworld’s Jaime Diaz compares ‘Obamamania’ to pre-1997 Tigermania, when “Woods was still mostly promise, although there was a certainty and presence and sense of destiny to the young man, the kind Obama increasingly has demonstrated in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Both manias reflect an America willing to trust its gut more than its head. But tellingly, with Woods there was no second-guessing, and the same seems to be true with Obama.” In the same vain, SI’s Michael Bamberger wonders whether Woods, “simply by conducting his business the way he does, [has] helped make the country more tolerant?”

Ironically, some think that Tiger may be destined for the political stage himself. When his AT&T tournament chose the D.C. located Congressional as its annual venue, “Woods revived speculation that, someday, he might carry his popularity and success into the political arena, following the paths of such athletes turned lawmakers as Democrat Bill Bradley and Republican Jack Kemp.” Hey, even Wood’s late father, Earl, thought as much. In 1996, Woods predicted to Sports Illustrated that his son’s reach would extend well beyond golf: “Tiger will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity,” he surmised.

A Tiger presidency would be interesting, as would the “race” to be Tiger’s running mate. You’d have to think either “Stevie” (caddie Steve Williams) and/or “Steiney” (IMG agent Mark Steinberg) would have the inside track.

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The New Chairman: Zach Johnson

Tour players had another election on their minds recently, and at the end of the day, it was Zach Johnson who earned the mandate. Masters champion, and Titleist ambassador, Johnson defeated Brett Quigley and Rich Beem for the role of chairman of the Players Advisory Council. The election means Johnson will move up to the policy board next year. Johnson is represented by SFX Golf’s Brad Buffoni.

As Tim Rosaforte explains, “PGA Tour members rely on the Player Advisory Council (PAC) and the PGA Tour Policy Board to represent them on issues involving [commissioner Tim] Finchem and his staff. The PAC, a 16-player committee, serves as a filter to the policy board, which is comprised of four players (Stewart Cink, Brad Faxon, Joe Ogilvie and David Toms) and four volunteer independent directors, all of whom are among the nation’s most prominent businessmen and one member from the PGA of America. The latter includes Hearst Corporation president Vic Ganzi, who has replaced retiring Richard Ferris of United Airlines as chairman; Ed Whitacre, the former chairman and CEO of AT&T; and financial executives John McCoy of Bank One and Ken Thompson of Wachovia. The PGA of America director is Brian Whitcomb, the association’s president. The Player directors are consulted but have little input in the appointment of independent directors. This nine-man council sits at the right hand of Finchem and governs the tour.

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A PGA Players’ Union?

Even with the presence of the PAC and the policy board, there have been grumblings recently—mainly in relation to the Tour’s newly adopted drug policy—that players’ voices are being drowned out, or even outright ignored by Finchem. As I blogged last week, the phrase “collective bargaining” is now even being tossed around on Tour driving ranges.

With that in mind, Golfweek reports that All-Pro Sports & Entertainment Principal Peter Schaffer “has been dialing his agent brethren in an effort to form the PGA Tour’s equivalent of the [NFLPA], with the NFLPA willing to bankroll the venture in the early stages.”

Schaffer, who represents PGA Tour member Jonathan Kaye and “more than a dozen current and former NFL players … has been calling in an effort to lure a reputable, highly ranked player to battle the drug issue.” One agent contacted by Schaffer quipped, “It’s the same reason why any union would try to get people involved in other unions — to help with their own negotiations. Let’s say the golfers unionize and they get a perk from the PGA Tour they don’t have in the NFL or NHL. The NFLPA can then go back and say, ‘Hey, we want this, too, or we’re walking.’ It’s kind of like the way the mob unionized in the ’60s.”

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FedEx Adjustments

As expected, the PGA Tour has already adjusted its FedEx Cup points system. The changes will allegedly allow for more leaderboard movement during the playoffs.

The policy board passed a number of measures during a meeting this past week at the Honda Classic. There will be two changes to the FedEx Cup points structure. One, the 144 players who qualify for the Cup will have their point gaps narrowed. For example, the gap between first and second will now be 500 points, down from 1,000 last year, with smaller proportional gaps down to 144. Also, players will receive 2,000 more points in each playoff finish position, which it is hoped will result in more player movement between events. The Tour estimates the changes would have doubled the number of players mathematically capable of winning the FedEx Cup during last year’s finale at the Tour Championship.

Other changes announced this week: the field for the Children’s Miracle Network Classic was reduced from 132 to 128 to accommodate daylight hours for the early November tournament. The Memorial was expanded from 105 to 120 players as part of the Tour’s goal to keep at least 120 players in limited-field events. The Frys.com Open, a Fall Series event staged in Scottsdale from ‘07-09, will move to a course in San Jose called The Institute that is owned by San Jose-based Fry’s. The invitational event will be called The Institute Championship.

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Another Golf Channel Gaffe

Between Dottie Pepper’s Solheim hiccup, Kelly Tilghman’s unadvised attempt to put Don Imus to shame, and now Nick Faldo’s blatant pimping of TaylorMade, you wonder whether or not Tim Finchem is regretting the 15-year deal the Tour inked last year for the Golf Channel to become the exclusive cable television home for the PGA Tour.

During the morning 18 of last Sunday’s Accenture WGC match play final between Tiger Woods and Stewart Cink (both Swoosh sponsored), Faldo, once a hawker of Nike himself, went out of his way to prop up the TaylorMade golf ball while denigrating Nike’s ball as being one only for “certain players with high skill levels.” Specifically, Faldo referred to the test results in Golf Magazine’s February cover story “Revealed: The Best Ball For You!” that showed that under launch conditions meant to replicate the swing of the average player (90-mph swing speed, 13.75-degree launch angle, 2,900 rpm) the TaylorMade TP Black produced 259.1 yards of carry and roll compared with 239.1 yards for the Nike One Platinum. Faldo then said that the Nike ball “fell out of the sky.”

Faldo’s seemingly off-the-cuff remarks came right on the heels of the announcement of the beginning of a long-term relationship with the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company in a role that will touch on marketing, product innovation and creation, product testing, player evaluation and more. Ironically, Nike equipment has now been bashed not only for being inferior (see Phil Mickelson’s comments a few years back), but also for being so advanced that only a select few should bother using it. So which is it? No comment yet from Tiger, and don’t expect one.

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No More Tabasco, Please

According to various reports, Woody Austin will no longer be wearing his trademark, colorful, scenic Tabasco shirts this year. Rather, the company that makes the hot sauce (The McIlhenny Company) grew tired of the “media ripping my shirts,” Austin said. “They said it was too much of a negative on their brand.”

Austin, for one, claims that he never understood all the critiques from the “fashion police” in the first place, and thought that the bright colors showed off his personality.

“How can I be so bad off?” Austin said. “I’m not the one showing up in lavender purple pants and I don’t show up with giant white belts and burgundy colored shirts and Fedora hats. I don’t show up with a tie. I don’t understand how a fun, colorful shirt is so bad as opposed to all that.”

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Other News

* Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay has signed a deal to sponsor LPGA Tour player Becky Lucidi, who will display the Colts’ logo on her golf bag, shirt and visor (Colts). The Indianapolis Star’s Mike Chappell reports that Irsay will “pick up the tab for all of Lucidi’s overhead expenses: travel, accommodations, meals.” Irsay publicist Myra Borshoff Cook: “That basically allows Becky to concentrate fully on the tour. She doesn’t have to worry about her week-to-week expenses.”

* Globalization advocate Thomas Friedman argues that the world is flat. So too, it seems, is the LPGA Tour, as evidenced by the influx of Asians in particular (primarily from women’s golf crazed South Korea), and also a world rankings list that starts off Mexico, Sweden, Norway and Australia, before finally hitting the U.S. (Paula Creamer). Geoff Shackelford blogs on Tour commissioner and “Brand Lady” Carolyn Bivens’ reponse to this relatively newfound phenomenon.

* Three of Golf Digest’s Campus Insider Ryan Herrington’s weekly Top 5 men’s collegiate teams are from the SEC (Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia), although the deepest team in the country (and my favorite to win the NCAA) is still the second-ranked UCLA Bruins, whose JV (blue) squad would probably rank in the Top 20 by itself.

* In an event where only 13 players finished under par, the world’s number one ranked female Lorena Ochoa opened with rounds of 66, 65 and 69 to take an eight-stroke lead over Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer, cruising to a Tiger-like eleven-stroke victory in the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore this past weekend. Ochoa (pictured) missed a chance to break Cindy Mackey’s 72-hole LPGA record for margin of victory of 14, but topped her own mark of 10 in the 2006 Tournament of Champions. For more on the HSBC tournament, and other LPGA news, check out Hound Dog’s impressive, in-depth LPGA blog.

* As part of a clothing deal with Reebok, 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis wears the NFL colors of the local team in whichever town he’s playing. Thus, this past week Curtis was appropriately clad in a Miami Dolphins shirt and visor, as PGA National is about an hour north of the Dolphins’ home field. Curtis was recruited to IMG by Jay Danzi, who later was wriggled away by Wasserman Media Group to head its golf division. But thus far Curtis has remained under IMG’s representation.

* Over at Gaylord Sports Management in Scottsdale, the client list continues to grow. Last month alone Gaylord signed John Riegger (PGA Tour player), Charlotte Mayorkas (LPGA Tour) and Byron Smith (2007 Canadian Tour Player of the Year) to exclusive representation agreements.

* If there’s one thing you look for in an up and coming golfer, its consistent and marked improvement. Australia’s Matt Jones, an Arizona State graduate and Imani Sports client (through its CEO Chris Murray) since 2001, certainly fits the bill. Heading into this weekend the Tour rookie was 6-for-6 in cuts this season, with four finishes in the top 30. After spending roughly five seasons on the Nationwide Tour from 2002-2007, including last season when he finished runner-up four times (the Tour record is five) the 27-year old Jones took center stage this weekend as he battled for his first PGA victory on one of The Tour’s toughest weekly stops at PGA National. Announcers Roger Maltbie and Johnny Miller each rightfully praised Jones for his solid fundamentals and professional demeanor, and it will be interesting to see if Jones can validate his strong play (he finished the event T5) in the weeks and months to come.

* Golf and sportswear designer Linda Hipp announced that her company, LIJA, has selected nine elite LPGA, Futures and Ladies European Tour players to join its unique new sponsorship initiative for 2008 — the Tour Style Leaders program. Based on a variety of factors — including previous performance and on-course style, as well as a brief essay on how golf has impacted their lives — the nine professionals chosen to participate are Marisa Baena, Courtney Erdman, Jennifer Greggain, Jimin Kang, Leta Lindley, Brenda McLarnon, Jane Park, Georgina Simpson and Christina Kim, who partnered with the brand last season. As Style Leaders, each woman will receive an expansive selection of LIJA products to wear on- and off-course throughout the 2008 season, including an array of tops, bottoms, sweaters, outerwear and accessories.

* Fresh off of her Octagon to IMG switch, Natalie Gulbis has redesigned her website. According to the people at thegolfblog.com, “the site was designed by the Tenth Floor and looks really sharp. They have a video section, but just one cool compilation video so far. Natalie’s blog is still there, but no new entries yet.”