Thu Apr 24 17:44:06 2008

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Golf Tidbits: Changes In Store for PGA

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - There were some big changes Wednesday in the hierarchy of the PGA Tour, including Champions Tour President Rick George taking over as the Chief of Operations for the PGA Tour.

The moves were precipitated by Executive Director of the Players Championship Ron Cross' announcement that he has accepted a new job at Augusta National Golf Club as Director of Corporate Affairs.

Henry Hughes was named the CEO of the Players, and will lead a search committee to select Cross' replacement.

"Henry and I have been discussing a succession plan for the PGA Tour for some time," said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. "With Ron Cross' departure we saw an opportunity to execute an effective change in the management of the Players and maintain Henry's key position as a member of the Executive Committee."

Hughes' old position as PGA Tour Chief of Operations will be taken by George, who was Executive Vice President Championship Management as well as Champions Tour President.

George will be replaced by Mike Stevens, who previously was the Senior Vice President and Chief of Operations for the Champions Tour.

"It is a tribute to the incredible bench strength of our executive team that we can quickly assign responsibilities when opportunities for change are created," said Finchem. "I want to commend Rick George on the exceptional job he did elevating and growing the stature of the Champions Tour, as well as the leadership he provided to Championship Management.

"He brings an array of talents and experience to his new role with the PGA Tour. The work Rick and Mike Stevens have done together on the Champions Tour will result in a seamless transition."

MASTERS WHIRLWIND SETTLES DOWN

When you win your first major championship, the shock takes a while to fade, and it takes even longer for you to complete all of your new media and advertising commitments.

Trevor Immelman headed for this week's Byron Nelson Championship to play for the first time since he won at Augusta. History is not on his side either.

The last player to follow up a Masters victory with a win was Tiger Woods in 1997, coincidentally at the Byron Nelson Championship.

"It's been a pretty crazy time for me," said Immelman. "It's been real exciting for my family and I to experience everything that's gone with the victory.

"We had a great time in New York. It was my first time to New York, so everything was a first time. It was fantastic."

After winning The Masters, Immelman was on the David Letterman Show, did numerous media interviews, and took in the Knicks-Celtics game at Madison Square Garden.

"The thing that I personally enjoyed the most was going to Madison Square Garden to go watch the basketball game," Immelman admitted. "That was fantastic. I'm a huge basketball fan, and to go there and watch the Celtics play against the Knicks was awesome for me, to sit back and enjoy the game."

All of his running around must have taken its toll, as Immelman opened with an eight-over 78 at the Byron Nelson.

DALY HAS SURGERY TOO

With all the hoopla surrounding Tiger Woods' knee surgery, some may have overlooked the fact that two-time major champion John Daly went under the knife as well.

Daly has been taken to task by many for his behavior over the years, and especially recently.

The long-hitting Daly has struggled since dislocating a rib last year at the Honda Classic. He was injured trying to stop his swing after a camera clicked in his backswing.

Since the '07 Honda, Daly has racked up eight withdrawals, 13 missed cuts (including two on the European Tour) and one made cut-did not finish. In that time, he has made the cut in nine events.

His best finish in that stretch was a tie for 16th at the Buick Open last year. All the while, Daly had been competing without a PGA Tour card and living on sponsors' invitations.

In an effort to get back to his big-hitting ways, Daly had surgery to repair a torn muscle in his stomach the week of the Masters, and returned to action this week. He got off to a rough start with two bogeys and a double-bogey in his first nine holes at the Byron Nelson Championship.

Daly might not be getting as many sponsors' invites in the near future on the PGA Tour, but he is planning on taking his game to the European Tour. He has committed to next week's Open de Espana and may remain in Europe for several events after that.

ODDS AND ENDS

- Jim Colbert, a 20-time winner on the Champions Tour, recently became the ninth player in Champions Tour history to compete in his 1,000th Champions Tour event.

- Tom Watson, who had never won in the state of Florida before last year, repeated as champion in the Sunshine State at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am. In doing so, he collected his 50th combined win on the Champions Tour (11) and PGA Tour (39).

- The Ultimate Game, a two-person, best-ball match-play event open to non- major touring pros, was to have taken place April 29 - May 4, but was cancelled. The tournament purse was $2.4 million, with the winning team earning $1 million. Organizers stated that teams were having trouble securing funding to enter the event as each team had to put up $50,000 as an entry fee.