Sergio Garcia said he was joking when he made a fried chicken remark about Tiger Woods. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Sergio García’s verbal feud with Tiger Woods continued when the Spaniard made what could be interpreted as a racist remark about Woods.

Garcia was on stage at the European Tour’s gala players’ awards dinner Tuesday night, where he was asked a question by by the Golf Channel’s Steve Sands.

García was asked in jest if he would have the American round for dinner one night during the upcoming US Open. “We will have him round every night,” García said, according to the Guardian. “We will serve fried chicken.”

Garcia later apologized and said he answered the question that “was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

The two have been at it for years, highlighted by Garcia taking issue with Woods during the third round of The Players Championship two weeks ago saying that he was not following proper golf course etiquette.

More from the Guardian:

The statement was similar to Fuzzy Zoeller’s infamous remark towards Woods in 1997. Then, after Woods won his first major, the Masters, which entitled him to choose the champions’ dinner menu for the following year, Zoeller said: “You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not serve fried chicken next year. Got it? Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.” Zoeller later apologized and said he had been misconstrued.

Sergio Garcia is in the hunt at the Players Championship. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Sergio Garcia is upset with Tiger Woods, telling NBC during a weather delay at the Players Championship on Saturday that Woods may have caused him to hit a bad shot at the par-5 second hole during their round together.

Garcia blocked his second shot to the right and bogeyed the hole.

In a replay, Garcia looks as if he is bothered or distracted by crowd noise. He thought Woods, might have pulled a club when he was in his backswing to get the crowd to react. Woods, at the time, was across the fairway from Garcia.

“Well, obviously Tiger was on the left and it was my shot to hit. He moved all the crowd that he needed to move, I waited for that. I wouldn’t say he didn’t see that I was ready but you do have a feel when the other guy is going to hit. Right as I was on top of the backswing he pulled a 5-wood or 3-wood out of the rough and obviously everybody started screaming so that didn’t help very much,” Garcia said to NBC, via CBSSports.com.

Garcia and Woods are one shot back of leader Henrik Stenson at 10-under par after play was suspended on Saturday.

Vijay Singh revealed in a Sports Illustrated article he had used deer antler spray. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Vijay Singh has sued the PGA Tour for damaging his reputation during its handling of his doping case, according to The New York Times.

Singh’s lawsuit claims the PGA relied on WADA’s list of banned substances rather than doing its own research on whether banned substances provide any performance-enhancing benefits.

“I am proud of my achievement, my work ethic and the way I live my life,” Singh said in a statement. “The PGA Tour not only treated me unfairly, but displayed a lack of professionalism that should concern every professional golfer and fan of the game.”

Singh revealed in a Sports Illustrated article in January that he had used deer-antler spray containing IGF-1, a substance on the PGA Tour’s list of banned substances and anti-doping policy.

The lawsuit said the tour notified Singh on Feb. 19 that he was to be suspended for 90 days. He also seeks damages after the tour held Singh’s earnings — $99,980 from five tournaments — in escrow during his appeal.

The PGA announced it was dropping its case against Singh on April 30 after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) changed its stance on the questioned substance.

“He’s looking to reclaim his reputation and hold the tour accounting for acting irresponsible,” said Jeffrey Rosenblum, one of Singh’s lawyers. “He’s concerned about his reputation. There should never be an asterisk next to Vijay’s name.”

The PGA had no comment.

“We have not seen the lawsuit, just the statement,” PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said. “We have no comment.”

.

Tiger Woods said he wouldn’t call in a rules violation from home. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

For Tiger Woods, getting busted with a two-shot penalty at the Masters after an illegal drop was just part of the rules and it led to chatter about whether spectators should call in rules violations.

Woods said he doesn’t see himself calling in and letting officials know about a violation.

The two-shot penalty came in the second round at the 15th hole and eventually led to him being out of contention during the weekend. He began the third round five shots behind and finished four strokes behind winner Adam Scott. This week, Woods is at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, which starts Thursday.

“I don’t ever see myself calling in and saying that Kobe (Bryant) traveled or things like that. … or some offensive lineman held,” Woods said Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass, via ESPN.com. “But it’s our sport, and that’s what we’ve accepted. Certain groups are going to get more heat than others just because they’re on TV. It is what it is.”

“I had a lot of momentum going at that time,” he said. “I think I was tied for the lead with Fred (Couples) and I thought I’d stuffed it in there and I thought it was going to be a birdie and I could take the lead there and maybe sneak one in on the final three holes and basically start building a lead in the tournament. And it kind of turned the other way with a good shot.”

Adam Scott’s playoff win at Augusta National is caddie Steve Williams’ 14th major and third Masters title. (Getty Images)

Steve Williams, fresh off helping Adam Scott win the Masters, gave an interview to New Zealand’s 3news upon the caddie’s return to New Zealand that included some frank discussion of Tiger Woods’ controversial second-round drop.

After recalling Scott’s final round and playoff win, Williams is asked his thoughts on Woods’ dalliance with the rules on the 15th hole (about 12 minutes into the video). A diplomatic Williams first points out he didn’t have all the facts in front of him, and gives several reasons why he could understand how Woods — his former employer — would take an incorrect drop, and believes he did not intentionally circumvent the rules. Despite those qualifiers, Williams believes the rules should have been upheld and Woods should have been disqualified.

From Augusta.com

Tiger Woods’ 15th-hole penalty drop during the second round of the Masters on Friday stirred up controversy throughout the final two days of the tournament.

After his third shot from 87 yards out hit the pin and caromed into the water, Woods chose to take a one-shot penalty and play his fifth shot from the area of his original shot, resulting in a putt for bogey.

But many have questioned whether he dropped the ball in the correct spot, leading Augusta National officials to review the play.

The Augusta Chronicle posted the above side-by-shot photo that appears to show Woods did indeed drop the ball in the same spot.

From the Huffington Post:

At question is whether that violates Rule 26-1, which states that the ball should be dropped as nearly as possible to the spot where it was last played.

If it’s determined that Woods took his drop in the wrong spot, the penalty is two strokes. He could face disqualification for signing an incorrect score.

“I went back to where I played it from, but went two yards further back and I tried to take two yards off the shot of what I felt I hit,” Woods said Friday after he signed for a 71, leaving him three shots out of the lead. “And that should land me short of the flag and not have it either hit the flag or skip over the back. I felt that was going to be the right decision to take off four (yards) right there. And I did. It worked out perfectly.”

Tianlang Guan, the 14-year-old on the verge of becoming the youngest golfer to ever make a cut at the Masters, was handed a one-stroke penalty on the 17th hole on Friday.

He finished Friday’s round with a 3-over 75 — four over for 36 holes, which was exactly at the projected cut line. The penalty could be enough to keep him out of the Masters. If that’s the case, there will almost certainly be an uproar over the decision to hand him the one-stroke penalty.

When the officials started to convene on the 17th hole to discuss the penalty, Guan was reportedly made aware of the situation. However, when the penalty was handed to him, Guan’s father “clapped his hands in disgust,” and Guan appeared visibly shaken by decision.

Augusta National released a statement about the penalty:

Tianlang Guan was assessed a one-shot penalty for violation of Rule 6-7 of the Rules of Golf and the Tournament’s Pace of Play Policy. His group, which included Ben Crenshaw and Matteo Manassero, was deemed out of position on No. 10. Guan began being timed on Hole 12 and received his first warning on Hole 13 after his second shot. In keeping with the applicable rules, he was penalized following his 2nd shot on the 17th hole when he again exceeded the 40 second time limit by a considerable margin.

This is the first slow play penalty assessed on a PGA Tour since 1995 — three years before Guan was even born. What’s more, it’s been nine years since a player received a slow play penalty in a major.

Golf official John Paramor on penalizing Tianlang Guan for slow play: “He had warnings. Everything needs to be done to [preserve fast play]"—
Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) April 12, 2013

Last slow-play penalty in major before today: '04 PGA at Whistling Straits (Steve Lowery). Before that '97 U.S. Open at Congo (Ed Fryatt).—
Brian Wacker (@pgatour_brianw) April 12, 2013

Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn are now dating. (Tiger Woods’ Facebook)

Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn used social media on Monday to announce the two are officially dating. In a post on Woods’ Facebook account, the couple posed for photos attached with a post announcing the two are now “dating” and want to “continue our relationship, privately, as an ordinary couple and continue to compete as athletes.”

Vonn also took to her Facebook account to make the relationship official.

I guess it wasn’t a well-kept secret but yes, I am dating Tiger Woods. Our relationship evolved from a friendship into something more over these past few months and it has made me very happy. I don’t plan on addressing this further as I would like to keep that part of my life between us, my family and close friends. Thank you for understanding and your continued support! xo LV

Woods also tweeted out to his followers about his new relationship with the Olympic Gold medalist.

Just posted some pictures of @Lindseyvonn and me on Facebook facebook.com/Tiger—
Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 18, 2013

Tiger Woods reportedly apologized to U.S. Ryder Cup rookies. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods apologized privately to the U.S. Ryder Cup team’s rookies after the Americans failed to hold a big lead according to Golf Channel contributor Tim Rosaforte.

Appearing on “Morning Drive,” Rosaforte revealed, “Brandt [Snedeker] shared with me (at his fundraiser in Memphis) that Tiger got all the rookies in a room, closed the door and personally apologized to everyone for not doing more, for not getting the points he needed to get to get a U.S. victory. For people who don’t think Woods really cares, whenever that turn or that pivot occurred in his career, it has fully turned.”

Europe retained the Ryder Cup, 14 ½ to 13 ½, after a miraculous comeback in Sunday singles. Woods was sent out in the 12^th and final inconsequential match against Francesco Molinari after the Europeans had already clinched the Cup.

Woods, who finished 0-3-1 in this year’s Cup play, reportedly struggled through a sleepness night following Europe’s victory.

Phil Mickelson will attempt a $1 million shot at an NFL game. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Four-time major winner Phil Mickelson will attempt a $1 million “KPMG Chip4Charity” shot at halftime of the Monday Night Football game on Oct. 15, when the San Diego Chargers host the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium, according to a press release.

At stake for the 100-yard shot is as much as $1 million for First Book, a non-profit organization which provides new books for children in need.  Mickelson will be located in one end zone, aiming for a target in the other end zone, which will have a green ($50,000/20,000 books) and three rings ranging from $100,000/40,000 books (outer most ring) to $1 million/400,000 books (bulls eye center ring).

Rory McIlroy placed his Northern Ireland house on the market. (Warren Little/Getty Images)

Is PGA Championship winner Rory McIlroy literally giving the golf world a sign that he’s moving from Northern Ireland — and possibly to Florida?

The Independent reports McIlroy’s luxury home at Moneyreagh in the hills above Belfast is for sale with a £2 million ($3.2 million U.S.) asking price. The 14-acre property includes a five-bedroom house, gymnasium and a practice area with a putting green and driving range.

The house is linked to McIlroy’s tabloid-friendly relationships with former live-in Holly Sweeney and current girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki, a tennis star who recently showed off her own underwear line.

McIlroy’s realtor expects great interest in the property.

Michael Rodgers, a partner at Rodgers & Brown, the Holywood, Co Down, firm of estate agents which is handling the sale, said: “I would say interest in the house will be extremely good, both locally and potentially worldwide. We will have to wait and see.”

The “For Sale” sign might be McIlroy’s unofficial exit sign for Northern Ireland.

The sale will heighten speculation that McIlroy will now seek to live abroad permanently, possibly Florida – especially after he caused public controversy in Northern Ireland and the Republic earlier this month when he indicated he would play golf for Team GB in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Condoleezza Rice is one of Augusta National’s first female members. (Stan Badz/Getty Images)

Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Billy Payne announced Monday the club will admit its first female members: former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and business executive Darla Moore.

The news was first reported by the Associated Press. The USA Today has more details.

After three quarters of a century, women will be included on the membership rolls of Augusta National Golf Club, one of the most exclusive clubs in the world and the host of the Masters.

“This is a joyous occasion as we enthusiastically welcome Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as members of Augusta National Golf Club,” Payne said in a statement. “We are fortunate to consider many qualified candidates for membership at Augusta National. Consideration with regard to any candidate is deliberate, held in strict confidence and always takes place over an extended period of time. The process for Condoleezza and Darla was no different.

“These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership. It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their Green Jackets when the Club opens this fall.

“This is a significant and positive time in our Club’s history and, on behalf of our membership, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them and all of our new members into the Augusta National family.”

Rice, who served as secretary of state under George W. Bush, said in a statement she feels very fortunate to have “this opportunity to grow my love for this great game.”

The Nationwide Tour will soon be getting a name change.

According to multiple reports on Twitter, Web.com, a website to help small businesses improve their online presence, will become the new primary sponsor for the tour. Sports Business Journal‘s John Ourand appeared to be the first to post the news. He credited SBJ‘s Michael Smith with the information.

Web.com now replaces the Nationwide Tour and is paying $10-13M/year for the privilege. SBD Morning Buzz has all the details.

—
John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) June 27, 2012

Nationwide has been the primary sponsor for the PGA’s developmental tour since 2002, but it announced in 2010 that it would not seek to extend its contract when it expired. Other previous sponsors of the tour include Buy.com and Nike.

USA Today’s Steve DiMeglio reported that PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem will officially announce the sponsorship this morning.

Top-ranked amateur golfer Patrick Cantlay is turning pro and signing with Tiger Woods’ agent. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Patrick Cantlay, the top-ranked amateur golfer in the world, is turning pro after two seasons of college golf and signing with Tiger Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, according to multiple reports.

Cantlay, who just completed his sophomore season at UCLA, finished second in the U.S. Amateur last year and won this year’s Ben Hogan Award as the top college and amateur golfer.

He finished tied for 41st at this weekend’s U.S. Open.

Because of major changes to the PGA Tour’s qualifying school and Nationwide Tour, more underclassmen than usual are expected to turn pro this season, according to one report.

Cantlay shot the lowest-ever PGA Tour round by an amateur at last year’s Travelers Championship when he fired a 60. He will make his pro debut at the event this weekend.

Cantlay has four top-25 finishes in eight career PGA Tour starts.

The 2012 Masters Tournament Champion Bubba Watson tweeted an invitation to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mike Vick to join him in a round of golf.

Hey @MikeVick when we going to play some golf??? #lefties

—
bubba watson (@bubbawatson) April 09, 2012

After Watson sealed the win in the sudden-death playoff over Louis Oosthuizen, Vick tweeted to his followers, congratulating the lefty golfer on his victory.

Since turning pro in 2003, Watson has won four PGA Tour tournaments. In the final round of the Masters on Sunday, the self-taught left-hander pulled off one of the greatest recovery shots to set up a par in sudden-death, which won him his first ever Masters Tournament title.

Bubba Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Masters, blasting a picture-perfect shot from the woods to the green on the 10th hole of Augusta National to set up the victory. The whole world was watching — including a number of the biggest stars in professional sports.

Fellow golf star Tiger Woods, fellow devout Christian Tim Tebow and a number of others took to Twitter this evening to congratulate Watson. Here’s a sampling of the notable names:

Congrats @bubbawatson. Fantastic creativity. Now how creative will the champions dinner be next year?

—
Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 09, 2012

Doesn't get any better then winning the Masters on Easter Sunday! Way to go @bubbawatson!

—
Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) April 08, 2012

So happy for @bubbawatson. Nobody deserves it more. Testament to the man to watch his competitors congratulate him afterward. Awesome!

—
Drew Brees (@drewbrees) April 08, 2012

Come on bubba

—
Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) April 08, 2012

Best golf shot I've ever seen

—
  (@andyroddick) April 08, 2012

B U B B A

—
Steve Nash (@SteveNash) April 08, 2012

Watson finished first to win his first green jacket, and Oosthuizen second; Phil Mickelson finished in a tie for third place with Peter Hanson, Matt Kuchar and Lee Westwood.

Tiger Woods surprised the golf world yesterday when he withdrew from the Cadillac Championship with just seven holes to go, citing a sore left Achilles tendon as the culprit. But Woods turned around today and revealed good news:

Got good news from doc tonight. Only mild strain of left Achilles. Can resume hitting balls late in week and hopeful for next week.

—
Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 13, 2012

Woods appears optimistic he’ll be ready to go for next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational — then after that comes the big one. The 2012 Masters tees off on Thursday, April 5 at Augusta National.

Woods lost the world’s No. 1 ranking in October 2010 and currently sits at No. 18. He hasn’t won a major tournament since U.S. Open in June 2008, and he hasn’t won any tournaments at all since September 2009.

Tiger Woods was the No. 1 golfer in the world for a total of 623 weeks between 1997 and 2010, an unprecedented run — but today, the fallen hero congratulated the sport’s newest king on his rise to the top.

Congrats to @mcilroyrory on getting to no 1. Thanks to PB fans for all the love this week.

—
Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 04, 2012

McIlroy, the 22-year-old phenom from Northern Ireland, shot a final-round 69 to hold off Woods and win the Honda Classic in Palm Beach, Fla. He came through down the stretch, first sinking an 8-foot birdie putt and then making three clutch par saves to seal the deal.

McIlroy is the second youngest world No. 1 in history — trailing only Woods, who was 21 when he ascended to the top on June 15, 1997.

The 22-year old Irishman Rory McIlroy is confident with the adjustment he has made to his swing, according to ESPN.

He told reporters it will ”take a couple more weeks to fully click in” but that he will “be well and truly ready” for the first major of the year at Augusta National.

McIlroy will next compete in the Accenture Match Play Championship on Monday.

McIlroy’s greatest accomplishment in his young career thus far was winning the 2011 U.S. Open by eight shots over Jason Daly.

CBS drew its highest rating in 15 years in the final-round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am thanks to the play of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, according to USA Today.

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am drew in 5.1% of households in the 56 urban markets for overnights, up 96% from last year’s rating.

The rating was at its highest, 5.7%, between 5:30 ET and 6:00pm ET.

Mickelson won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am with three birdies and an eagle over the first six holes to pass third-round leader Charlie Wi.  Beating Woods by 11 shots in the final round, Mickelson became the ninth golfer with 40 career PGA Tour wins.

Looking for all the inside dirt on the later years of Tiger Woods, from his perch atop the golf world in 2004 to his steep decline in recent years? Well, you may not have to wait much longer.

Hank Haney, who spent six years as the swing coach for the world’s former No. 1 golfer before the two parted ways after the 2010 Masters, has written a tell-all book, and it’s coming soon. “The Big Miss” will be in bookstores this spring.

“I had a front row seat to golf history,” Haney told the Associated Press. “[The book] just kind of chronicles a little bit of what I went through, what I dealt with, how I coached and the observations I made. I think there’s a lot of things that people are going to find interesting.”

The book, coauthored with Jaime Diaz of Golf Digest, will be released by Crown Archetype, part of the Crown Publishing Group at Random House, on March 27.

Neither Woods nor his agent, Mark Steinberg of Excel Sports Management, has commented on the book.

Rory McIlroy will opt to play in the Irish Open this summer instead of returning to Congressional for the AT&T National, the course where the budding young golfer won his first Major, according to the Associated Press.

The Irish Open is scheduled to be held June 28 through July 1, the same week as the AT&T National at Congressional. The 22-year-old told reporters at the Hong Kong Open this week that he will “definitely play” at the Irish Open. Last year the Irish Open had been played during the last week of July.

In 2011 McIlroy became a household name when he won the U.S. Open at Congressional in dominant fashion. The first-time winner set a U.S. Open record by posting a 72-hole aggregate score of 268, which beat out the records previously held by Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.

McIlroy, currently ranked second in the World, is from Northern Ireland.

Phil Mickelson has been voted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, according to a tweet from the PGA Tour’s official account.

The announcement of Mickelson’s honor was made this morning by tour commissioner Tim Finchem, he will be inducted in 2012.

The 41-year-old golfer, often referred to simply as “Lefty,” has won four major championships since joining the tour in 1992. In total, Mickelson has 47 professional wins including 39 on the tour. He is tied for 10^th all-time in PGA wins with Tom Watson and Gene Sarazen.

The PGA Tour will not submit any candidates for this year’s comeback player of the year award, according to the Associated Press.

“We just thought it originally was an award that focused on a player who had an unusual injury, an injury that was career-threatening, and he comes back from it,” Finchem told the AP. “And that morphed into having three or four players on the ballot that had some minor situations occur. We were asking players to decide who should be the bigger comeback.”

This year will mark the second time in three seasons that no comeback player of the year award will be given. In 2009 the PGA Tour officials made the same decision on the nomination process as they did this year. In 2010, Stuart Appleby was given the award.

Tiger Woods said on Monday that he was hurt by his former caddy Steve Williams’ racial remarks last week, but felt that Williams is “certainly not a racist,” according to BBC.

“It was a wrong thing to say,” Woods said. “We’re moving forward. It was hurtful certainly, but life goes forward. It is a comment that shouldn’t have been made and he certainly wishes he didn’t make it.”

Woods added that he has spoken to Williams about the remark.

“We talked about it this morning, we met face-to-face, we talked it through and we have agreed it was the wrong thing to say. He did apologize,” Woods said.

Williams made headlines last week when he said that “[his] aim was to shove it right up that black arsehole” in regard to his outburst following current employer Adam Scott’s win at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

Williams later apologized for his comments.

“I now realize how my comments could be construed as racist,” Williams said. “That was not my intent. I apologize to Tiger and anyone else I have offended.”

Rory McIlroy, the No. 3 ranked golfer in the world, has split with his agent Andrew Chandler, according to the BBC.

McIlroy had been represented by Chandler and his agency, International Sports Management, since 2007. This year the golfer rose to stardom after becoming the youngest golfer since Bobby Jones in 1923 to win the U.S. Open. The 22-year-old set several tournament records en-route to a 16-under performance in the Major this June.

“We have had a brilliant year,” Chandler said in a statement. “Rory has grown and he leaves us as a major champion.”

McIlroy has yet to make a public comment on the split.