Unwittingly, Tiger Woods might have found the best possible way to work his way back into the good graces of the public consciousness.

Meet a few hundred of them. Up close and personal.

Tiger Woods takes one of two drops he needed on his front nine. (AP) The world No. 1 spent much of Thursday flitting among the fans, moving the gallery ropes out of the way, herding folks around to give him a look at the green and trying to keep from falling into dead last among the players in the morning wave at the Quail Hollow Championship.

Hey, he promised to be more humble, right?

Looking very much like a guy who hadnt fired many live rounds from the chamber over the past five months, Woods played a round so ugly, he was quick to add it to the litany of things hes done recently that hed like us to forget about. His 2-over 74 was so ghastly, he didnt bother going to the driving range to straighten out what had masqueraded as his golf swing.

“Hell with it,” he said, heading off to the locker room. The result was hellish enough, to be sure.

Making only his second start of the year, Woods was even more erratic than he was three weeks ago at the Masters, when he at least managed to bust par every day despite the residue from his self-imposed exile. His opening round in Charlotte was his sloppiest effort since he blew up 51 weeks ago in the final group Sunday at the Players Championship, when he shot 73, mostly with smoke and mirrors, and fell out of contention before 30 minutes had elapsed.

For much of the morning, Woods this time, he blew up at the beginning, not the end.

“It wasnt the driver, it was everything,” he said. “I had a two-way miss going, which was great, all day.”

That would be sarcasm, for those who are not fluent in self-deprecation. But it meant that fans lining either side of the fairway had a great chance of getting an eyeful of Americas most-watched athlete, who again was well-received. Although, given the way Woods was suffering already, they could have heckled him mercilessly and he might not have noticed.

“Well, I had my head down struggling,” Woods said. “I was dropping balls out of hazards and finding balls in trees, so I had my own issues out there.”

To his credit, Woods has pledged to behave with more civility during and after his rounds, and Thursday gave him ample, multiple opportunities to blow his cork. Even after he whacked balls into the water on consecutive hol and bet your wallet plenty of eyes and ears were pointed his direction.

For a guy who has played golf at perhaps two degrees under the boiling point for the past three decades, it must have been hard to keep the steam from emanating from every orifice. Then again, maybe it was the unplanned baths that kept him cooled off.

He hit exactly one fairway in regulation on his front nine (beginning on No. 10), and as one wise guy noted, he dropped his first F-bomb of the day on the 16th when he yanked another drive dead left and screamed … “Fore.” Fans were dodging his sideways shots all day, including the 16th, where his yanked approach shot sailed over the greenside gallery, caromed off a steep slope behind them and bounced dead toward the green.

“It that had been me, it would have hit the cart path and bounced into the lake,” said a middle-aged guy with a beer in hand, having survived the scramble as Woods ball sailed over his noggin.

Alas, Woods soon began hitting balls in places where you cant get a lucky bounce. On the tricky 17th, his eighth hole of the day, Woods hit one of his poorest shots in recent memory, a horrid pull-hook into the water that missed the semi-island green by several yards. He had to take a drop and hit his third shot from the womens tee and made a double-bogey.

Worse, on his next swing, a driver on the 18th, he yanked a ball into the creek along the left side of the fairway and made another bogey, holing a testy 3-footer just to break 40. After 10 holes, Woods was 4 over and tied for 72nd place among the 78 guys on the course in the morning wave. Parker McLachlin, who shot 88 and had a 12 on the seventh hole, was keeping Woods from scraping the bottom of the scoreboard barrel.

To think that Woods actually began the day with a birdie, after a perfect drive in the fairway, too. Then an interminable two hours passed before Woods drove it in the short grass again.

“Yeah, it actually felt pretty good after that start,” he said. “Fortunately, my second hole, I hit a quick hook, then the next hole I hit another hook off the tee, and I kind of stuck a couple in the ground after that, too.”

More sarcasm. Not that there wasnt plenty to go around. On the 15th hole, Woods sliced his drive into some dense shrubbery, although the type of flora wasnt exactly clear. The following conversation actually took place as Woods executed a low-flying punch shot under the branches.

“What kind of tree is that?” one media guy asked.

“Holly bush,” answered another.

“Isnt that the name of one of his girlfriends?” the first guy said.

Hey, the round was so ugly, we had to find sources of amusement somewhere.

A day earlier, after his pro-am round, Woods described his 4-under 68 as “Scratchy,” with a nod to one of his favorite TV programs, Then Thursday must have been “Itchy.” After all, he kept hitting drives into trees and bushes and beating himself over the head about it.

Woods couldnt put the day behind him fast enough. After all, hes had enough misery in his life lately, so no there was need to dwell on an irredeemably crappy round by grinding out answers on the range.

An insurance company would have written it off as a total loss. He hit four fairways in regulation, exactly half the greens and had no idea where the ball was going. Woods, on the other hand, was headed in a straight line to somewhere else, in a hurry.

“Im just going to go hang it up today,” Woods said, “and come back out tomorrow.”

Clearly in a panic, the man kept stumbling backward until he finally bumped into a tree. His camera pressed against his face, he then tried to properly frame and snap a photograph that represented an instant family keepsake.

Utterly impromptu, Tiger Woods had stopped along the gallery ropes behind the first green and agreed to pose for a photo with the frantic mans 6-year-old son.

Tiger Woods signs for some eager fans after walking off the 18th green. (AP) A high-school cheerleader smile pasted on his face, Woods stood patiently frozen for perhaps 45 seconds as the man fumbled with the camera, trying to properly operate the zoom function. Ultimately, he blew the shot and inadvertently cropped his son out of the photo.

“I choked,” said Andy Nicholson, the kids dad.

“You think he was nervous?” Woods cracked to part of his security contingent as he walked to the next tee.

Youd think that at this point, Woods would be the one feeling the psychological heat to both frame and present his image more properly, but Wednesday marked another step in a surprisingly seamless transition back into public view when his pro-am round at the Quail Hollow Championship went off with nary a whimper or cry from the crowd.

In fact, there was little noise at all. Outside of the uncharacteristically generous photograph with the 6-year-old and an autograph signed for a young man in a wheelchair, it felt as though the past five months never happened. The crowds were strangely muted, no airplane banners taunted him from above and Woods mostly reverted to his stoic persona and didnt interact much with the fans. Honest to god, a couple of giggling teenage girls even professed their love, just like always.

It was another baby step closer to “normalcy,” as Woods dubbed it, a locale he hasnt often visited since Novembers Escalade Escapade began to dually unfold and unravel. As usual, Woods was first off the pro-am tee, at 7:30 a.m., when fans were sleepy eyed and beer sales were essentially nil. Still, the gallery vibe could accurately be described as … boring.

The conspicuously large and uniformed police security force, using Segways, bicycles and their own shoe leather to track the procession, proved practically unnecessary. There were more heretics at a Billy Graham Crusade. Pardon the career parallel, but former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards could have walked down the fairway with Woods and not drawn a catcall. Maybe theyre inured to cads in Charlotte, since Michael Jordan owns the NBA team and played college ball a few miles down the interstate, but it was almost as though the fans didnt know how to react. So nobody did much of anything.

“Just the way we like it,” one Charlotte cop said on the 16th tee box.

F mostly just to yawn. Theres plenty of acreage for the tainted world No. 1 to cover before he reincarnates his career, and the next two weeks will prove illuminating, but so far, the annoyances have been as permanently hurtful as a Thursday three-putt.

For Woods, the Masters represented a huge hurdle, psychologically and professionally. But he will play in Charlotte and at the Players Championship outside Jacksonville in consecutive weeks, two events with a large public component within their fan bases. In March, major champions like Stewart Cink and Jim Furyk were using words like circus and zoo to predict the tone when Woods returned, but outside of the media center, that has hardly been the case. With every passing day, the inflamed public temperature seems to drop another degree.

“I have to say this feels a heck of a lot more normal than the Masters did,” Woods said of the atmosphere and the shape of his game. “I just need to go out there and do a little bit of practice session this afternoon, gym work this afternoon as well, to get ready for tomorrow, and back into tournament mode again.

“I think just two weeks in a row competing is Ill have a better barometer of what normal really feels like because I havent done that in a while.”

Insert punchline here, since Woods and normal havent been used in the same sentence since last fall. In fact, 12 months ago to the day, Woods was paired in the Quail Hollow pro-am with NFL star Peyton Manning and a slew of stories were generated about the squeaky-clean and saleable reputations of the two most successful sports pitchmen of the modern era.

Oops.

The 6-year-old and his father personified the Woods dilemma as it relates to fans. Andy Nicholson, a volunteer marshal at Quail Hollow, is pastor of a church in nearby Dallas, N.C. His son has no idea about the depths of Woods alleged depravities, he said.

“People make mistakes, you know?” the elder Nicholson said. “I feel for him. I believe god gives us all a second chance. Hopefully, he will come back stronger than ever and redeem himself.”

His son, still buzzing from the photographs taken of him and Woods, interjected happily, “I have never been in a newspaper before.”

Woods surely has, and lately, for all the wrong reasons. seems well under way. Not a negative peep was heard from the throng Wednesday, other than one fan razzing Woods from afar because he was being carried by his two pro-am partners. Woods laughed and fired back, “You got that right.” Woods wasnt nearly as demonstrative or interactive with the gallery as he was at the Masters, when he seemed like the second coming of Phil Mickelson and did everything but volunteer to change diapers. He bumped fists with a few guys along the ropes, including Ken Sutton, 44, of Charlotte.

Like Nicholson, Sutton said that even though he considered himself a religious man, he can separate Woods the athlete from Woods the flawed person. He admits that Woods club-chucking and occasionally profane deportment “hasnt been the best for the sport,” but he was rooting the guy on, anyway.

“Hes the best player in the history of the game,” Sutton said.

Point made, but what about the reams of u he screwed up royally,” Sutton said. “But I dont want my daughter looking to Tiger Woods as an example of how to live right. I will tell her, Work like he does, act like I do.

“The whole role-model thing to me is different. If you are looking to him for that, you are not doing a very good job yourself as a parent.”

Sutton acknowledged the apparent inconsistency in cheering on a player whose nocturnal activities would have caused Caligula to blush.

“I am a fan because of his golf,” Sutton said, “not because of him as a person.”

That distinction was less clear elsewhere. Behind the fourth green, three teenage girls, rather skimpily attired for such a cool morning, stood along the gallery ropes and greeted Woods like he was Justin Timberlake. One of the cadre of Charlotte cops assigned to the Woods group, who watched the exchange as Woods walked past the girls, was asked if they were his daughters, whether hed let them near the guy.

“Not dressed like that,” he said.

On occasion, Woods tossed out bits of charm like candy from a passing parade float, like when one young kid with a bad haircut called out to him behind the 15th green.

“Nice mohawk,” Woods said with a grin, generating a big laugh from everybody within earshot.

That was perhaps the most telling insight into his true persona: Sarcastic and frequently biting. But at least it wasnt overly contrived. The gee-whiz Woods seen over the first couple of days at the Masters acted more like an alien abduction victim. By the weekend, he had switched back to default viper mode, full of hiss and vinegar.

As he did in Augusta, Woods heaped praise on the local galleries afterward, another seemingly pre-emptive strike to blunt any bad behavior before it happens. He gushed about the crowds at the Masters so often, it was like hed dived into a mosh pit and been carried around Amen Corner by fans. In fact, the reception was polite, but hardly raucous. Same thing on Wednesday, when, in NASCAR terms, the energy level was as memorable as an interview with Jimmie Johnson, who happens to be a Quail Hollow member.

That said, Woods is steeled for the day when hell get roughed up for his actions. Some are already looking ahead to Friday, when Woods will play in the afternoon wave and the beer will be flowing freely. Although, as two dudes toting light beers pointed out Wednesday morning, at a steep $6 a bottle, its hard to get too lubed up.

It would rank as a surprise if he doesnt hear from a loudmouth or 20 next week in Jacksonville, where much of the throng is less concerned with golf then they are the beer gardens, socializing and being noticed by the females in attendance.

“Whether they do or not, its happened before, and it happened before any of this ever happened,” Woods said of his checkered recent past. “Ive dealt with that before.”

So far, with the lens of the world focused on him, he hasnt heard a peep just yet.

FINALLY, it’s here and those that started to see the symptoms of Derby Fever in early February are at a boiling point by now and the events of the last few days have not made things any easier.

Eskendereya made it 2 years in a row that the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby was injured and could not compete but he has not been the only runner to be riding high in April, shot down in May.

Before we get into the selection, a word has to go out about how to get paid in this race the last few years. The brave that took swings in the superfecta and got lucky came away with some life changers.

Last year was the mother lode for Mine that Bird fans as his 50-1 upset produced a $2 superfecta that came back $557,006.40.

Two years ago, despite Big Brown turning foes green with envy, he tipped off a landslide of cash as his winning $6.80 mutuel was followed by 13, 27 and 37-1 shot to account for a near $59,000 superfecta success.

Tepid chalk won in 2007 when Street Sense prevailed but when a 28-1 shot slipped in to 4th, the $2 superfecta returned over $29,000.

And if you go back to War Emblem’s wire-to-wire win in 2001 at 201, the $1 superfecta that year paid just under $92,000.

Let’s try to get paid Saturday with John Sadler’s Sidney’s Candy, who will likely be second choice in the wagering at post time.

By the unbeaten Candy Ride, Sidney’s has the pedigree to thrive as they go on. You have to go deep, but his second dam Exchange earned $1.2 million, was a multiple Grade 1 winner and won at a mile and a half.

The ability he will have to prove is that he can sit just off a projected very hot pace and quicken in time to make the top and hold off the deep closers.

He will be helped in the process by his stablemate Line of David, who by all accounts through the Churchill works, brings brilliant speed but no stick.

There is more early velocity in this Derby than of any in recent memory with possibly 8 or so runners gunning for the top at the sound of the bell.

Also be aware of the quotes from John Sadler’s assistant trainer Larry Benavidez about Candy’s recent :59.80 workout.

“When he broke his maiden, he was off the pace. He’s not really a speed horse. He can rate: he shuts it down pretty easily. He’s a smart horse and actually kind of acts like an older horse. Today was helpful in that being prepared for the Derby he can lay second or third. He passed with flying colors today.”

Here’s the way to take a shot.

In the superfecta, key Sidney’s Candy on top with Noble’s Promise, Lookin at Lucky, Dublin, Awesome Act and Ice Box.

On another superfecta ticket, key Lookin at Lucky on top with Sidney’s Candy, Noble’s Promise, Dublin, Awesome Act and Ice Box.

Augusta Chronicle

Did the fast getaway of Lorena Ochoa catch you off guard, and who now stands to inherit the mantel as the No. 1 female player in the game?

ELLING: Some were more surprised that she stepped away now, versus stepping aside completely. Im in shock and awe at both. In a way, its refreshing that Ochoa has the courage of her convictions to bail while at the top in order to pursue an actual family life, and that her words are not just hollow and meant to spin the truth, as compare to the other world No. 1, if you will. My only concern is that she is pulling the trigger too quickly. She was married five months ago and her entire personal circumstance has changed. She became an instant mom to three semi-grown kids. It makes me wonder if she made an emotional decision, rather than a well-reasoned one. As for who will ascend to the top, its a complete crapshoot. Outside of Ochoa and veteran Karrie Webb, the remaining eight players in the world top 10 have combined for 33 career LPGA wins. A player could win two or three times in a year and ascend to No. 1. Its quite possibly going to be a revolving door.

<p that Ochoa left prematurely is no surprise at all. Shes been warning everyone as far back as her rookie season that she would not be a lifer on the tour circuit and that she had other things in life she wanted to pursue. Trying to apply our own American cultural standards to her sense of family and career is both irrational and irrelevant. Ochoa is doing whats always been in her heart, and good for her. I hope life away from golf proves as successful and satisfying as it was in the game. As for who takes the mantel, the only one with enough “it” factor to elevate the LPGA Tour with both Annika and Lorena on the shelf is Michelle Wie. The stage is cleared for her to finally step up and deliver on the promise weve expected for years. For the LPGA to rise to even a portion of its former glory, it needs a marketable superstar to fill in the void. Wie needs to be that star. Hope she can handle it.

In a relatively short span of seven years, why has the Quail Hollow tournament become so popular with fans and players? What are they doing right?

ELLING: Right out of the chute, when organizers were leaving bottles of champagne in players lockers in the weeks leading up to the tournaments first year, they have done almost nothing wrong. Having a decidedly old-school, parkland golf course, where homes dont come into play and the setup typically has the right touches, doesnt hurt, either. Last year, they cut down the rough and players were hitting recovery shots from places only a squirrel could love. Or maybe Phil Mickelson. Giving the players Mercedes-Benz cars for the week helps distinguish the tournament in terms of creature comforts, too. All that said, there are still some questions about the future looming. Title sponsor Wells Fargo is contracted through 2014 but isnt putting its name on the event because it fears the PR fallout, and some at the club would rather pursue a PGA Championship or U.S. Open. Speaking selfishly, since it sells out virtually every year, draws a stellar cast and produces creditable winners, it would be a shame to lose Quail Hollow as a regular stop. It might be the best-run regular event on tour.

MICHAUX: The formula had a clear vision to make his own tournament fit as much of the mold of the Masters as is humanly possible for a regular tour event. He made it a first-class experience for the players, their families and the fans, and it proved perfect. Word of mouth helped draw the superstars out into the former “dead zone” of the tour schedule. Like Augusta, the key is a golf course that players like to play and fans like to look at. It will be a great shame when the tournament stops its annual visit to Quail Hollow in 2014. They can try to take it somewhere else in the Charlotte area, but it will be impossible to replicate the atmosphere and attention that this leadership has created at Quail. There is pretty much no chance that it will continue at Quail after the contract runs out, and the folks at Quail have openly been eyeing an upgrade to major status with a spot in the PGA Championship rotation or a Ryder Cup berth on their wish list. It will make a good major venue, but everyone will miss its regular place on the schedule.

Tiger Woods is playing in consecutive weeks at venues where he has won a total of twice. Personally and professionally, what are you expecting to see?

ELLING: Hell need to clean up his scorecard considerably from the Masters because there wont be as many weekend birdie chances at Quail Hollow or the Players Championship as there were at Augusta, where he made 11 birdies and two eagles but didnt really challenge for the title. It will be interesting to see how he is received in Charlotte and Jacksonville, two venues that will draw huge crowds of aficionados and casual fans. Woods has gushed about his reception at the Masters, though it was mostly described as polite and perfunctory most of the time. To him, it might have sounded like a standing ovation. What happens now and how will security handle any potential catcalls or airplane banners? Its going to be a sideshow for a while, and if hes in contention, it might actually get worse.

MICHAUX: I expect well see a much more comfortable Woods on the golf course. He broke the ice at Augusta and did what he needed to do to insert himself back in public life. Now hell tighten the loose ends of his game to be more consistent and even more competitive. His chances of winning at Quail are considerably better than Sawgrass, a course that has never really suited him despite his Players victory in 2000 and his U.S. Amateur triumph many moons ago. As for what will happen outside the ropes, hes likely to get a similar reception in Charlotte that he got in Augusta. Youve got a similar caliber of fan and tournament officials are less likely to put up with any distracting nonsense than other places. As for Jacksonville, thats another story. That isnt typically the most golf-literate gallery. From my experience there, the fans go to the tournament to enjoy the sun and be seen as much as they go to see the golf. The environment around the 17th hole is always rowdy and it will be ripe for some heckling. As always, it will be an interesting place to be all week for potential carnage.

CBSSports.com sen and the water, wind, temperature as the PGA Tour begins one of its biggest events and the LPGA loses its top player for the second time in 1½ years.

Up

Hasta la vista, baby In these turbulent time its both a notable and laudable accomplishment. Lorena Ochoa isnt retiring because of burnout, a personal scandal, a twitchy putting stroke or for financial reasons. In its simplest form, she fell in love with a guy and out of love with the game. She leaves the hard-luck LPGA as its most recognized star, a four-time Player of the Year, and as one of the classiest and most conscientious stars in tour history. “Im ready to start a new life,” she said. “I want to be a normal person. Im ready to move on.” Normalcy will have to wait a few more days. She plays this week in the LPGA tour stop in Mexico, where a deserving awaits, to be sure. Ochoa insists shes not irreplaceable, but after eyeballing the players on the horizon, and Im not so sure. I will be hoisting a cold Corona in her honor, to be sure.

Green pastures A few weeks back, Ken Green received word from the PGA Tour that his request for a medical extension on the Champions Tour had been denied. The reasons were perfectly valid, since he had only minimal status, but the emotional part of the equation should have been given more weight. The veteran played last week in the senior team event outside Savannah, his first appearance in a Champions event since a car crash last year took his wife, brother and one of his legs. His son died in an SMU dorm room a few months later. Green said Sunday that getting back into the game not only has proven cathartic, but represents his very salvation. The names of his dearly departed are written on one of his golf shoes. “I dont know if I could possibly express what this has done for and I hate to say this, but getting hope for life,” he said Sunday, fighting to keep his composure. Just as with the remarkable tale of Erik Compton, a double heart-transplant recipient who has received exemptions into multiple European and U.S. tour events and played with some success, Greens story of redemption and perseverance is two-fold. It makes us feel good for him and better about any minor setbacks in our own lives. Heres hoping he gets as many chances to play as his physical limitations will allow.

Woods new tack: Committing early and often Tiger Woods said on his website that the PGA Tour asked him to commit to his upcoming events earlier than has been his professional pattern, as a means of allowing tournaments to get their additional security organized, among other details. It makes you wonder why they didnt impose on him about a decade earlier, no? A couple of days after he committed early to play in this weeks Quail Hollow Championship, the event sold out. While thats not altogether unusual for the Charlotte event, the addition of Woods gave fans an extra week to buy tickets or schedule days off. Security issues aside, it gave the tournament an opportunity to properly trumpet his presence in the field. When W the decision smacked of selfishness and ego. He never bothered to explain his reasoning. Hopefully, Woods realizes that while he might be the games grand marshal, hes still part of the parade. Whats good for the tour and his brethren is good for him, too.

Lefty and Woody revisited Im not sure which one is Batman and which one is Robin, exactly, and Charlotte surely isnt Gotham City. But the dynamic duo of Woods and Phil Mickelson this week will tee it up in the same tournament for only the fourth time in seven months. Woods was all over the place at the Masters, when Mickelson won his third green jacket, and if hes intent on proving that hes still the reigning No. 1 on the course despite his myriad issues, hes going to have to knock off Lefty to stay there. Mickelson has won the past three PGA Tour-sanctioned events in which both have played, dating to the Tour Championship last September in Atlanta, an unprecedented string by any player in the Woods era. By the way, in another quirky statistic that few have noticed, the typically unpredictable Mickelson now holds the longest streak of weeks in the money with a steady 19 in a row. Woods missed the cut at the British Open last year.

The Bohn Collector Sometimes, 30 seconds is all it takes for real insight. If you witnessed veteran Jason Bohns impromptu, post-round interview with Peter Kostis on Sunday, you got a true glimpse into the charisma and character of the 37-year-old, who cracked wise, laughed and cried all at once. Bohn has battled to make a mark on the PGA Tour and missed most of 2008 with back issues. His only other victory before Sunday was at the now-defunct B.C. Open, an opposite event against a weak field. Bohn, one of the most personable and self-deprecating players in the game, gave Kostis a big hug and fought to keep both his train of thought and composure. Sometimes, good guys do finish first, and given the stella it might have been the best clutch run of any player there might be many more such weeks for him.

Down

No such thing as bad publicity, huh? There was some interesting news reported on the media front relating to the Quail Hollow Championship, set for this week in Charlotte. When saucy celebrity TV shows such as and applied for credentials after Woods committed last week, they were told they had missed the application deadline. Yet when traditional print outlets and sports magazines asked for more credentials, they were green-lighted for admittance. Were all for maintaining some semblance of dignity and decorum here, but is there any more damage that the tabloids and celeb shows can do? a few loose ends about how he will be rec and golf probably can use the exposure. At this stage, the sport has already been tainted. Letting in a few breathless, bleach-blond TV reporters to report the sideshow might not be such a bad thing, given golfs apparent everywhere but in golf.

All over but the lawyering? Amid increasing assumptions though back-door channels that Woods marriage is all but officially over, several celeb sites outed him last week for attending a concert in Orlando while his wife and kids were in Sweden. Woods, mind you, said in February that he would be taking time off from the game to try to repair his relationship, then resumed playing his traditional schedule at the Masters. Given what he said, he was asked at Augusta whether he would be better served by staying home, as hed pledged. “Well, Im excited to play this week,” was all he offered in response. So while his wife was reportedly in Sweden, he was partying backstage with the rock act Nickelback. In some ways, a divorce might be the quickest and cleanest way to publicly resuscitate his image, the personal financial setback aside. Because Elin Woods is going to get way more than a nickel back for what Woods put her through.

Taking the collar Popular veteran Steve Stricker, who staged the most notable career turnaround of the past decade, his 43-year-old body. The world No. 3 had to withdraw last w because of a nagging collarbone problem that has become swollen and painful. Doctors ordered him to lay low for at least two weeks, and Stricker says his status for the Players Championship next week remains somewhat in doubt. The personable veteran has never really worked on his body much over the years. “I dont stretch, I dont work out or anything,” he told his hometown . “I never have over the course of my career, except in the fall. Maybe I need to look at that end of it.” Stricker is the lone member of the world top five who isnt entered in the Queen City.

Daytona Beached The new commissioner of the LPGA, Mike Whan, and his newly hired marketing whiz, Jon Podany, were schoolmates in college who used to hang out together. Whan went into the corporate side while Podany worked for years at the PGA Tour. When Whan took over as the boss earlier this year, he hired Podany, who is commuting daily from Jacksonville to LPGA headquarters Daytona Beach. “We thought it would be a good fit, because he knows the business world and I know the golf side,” Podany explained at the Masters. What neither of them could have known is that their top player, Ochoa, was on the verge of quitting. With three events in Mexico on the schedule established largely as a result of Ochoas magnetism in her homeland, the womens tour is facing an even tougher battle to retain a place at the table in North America. Ask yourself this: Once Ochoa effectively bails after this week, who is the No. 1 female player in the world? Well wait for your answer. Unfortunately, the marketing folks at the LPGA cant afford to.

As for that other Spanish-speaking star Sergio Garcia was ranked No. 2 in the world 15 months ago. Even after a steady fall, at No. 23, he was the highest-rated player in last weeks surprisingly weak New Orleans field. That made his performance all the more perplexing, particularly when TV cameras were doing close-ups to determine which grip he elected to use while hitting full shots on the weekend. Garcia, looking for some sort of fix, switched from an overlap to an interlock grip for a few rounds, then gave up on the experiment. Its hard not to view that development as a muted cry for help. Garcia has long looked uncomfortable and mechanical on the greens, and now one of the games great ball-strikers seems indecisive standing over the ball. Outside of some short-game tips gleaned from other gurus, Garcia has always been coached by his father, Victor, a former tour journeyman. Now 30 and starting to fade, he seems to need a fresh perspective.

Charlie Whittingham said it, “horses are like strawberries, they spoil overnight.” And that fact was never more evident when Eskendereya was scratched from the Kentucky Derby because of a filling in his left front leg.

He joins last year’s Kentucky Derby morning line favorite I Want Revenge as one that was so highly respected but never got this shot at glory. Through the years runners, prominent threats like A.P. Indy, Graustark, Sir Gaylord and Gen. Duke were injured just within hours of getting a chance in the Derby.

Eskendereya’s defection obviously opens up the race and will likely mean that Lookin at Lucky will go favorite with Sydney’s Candy second choice and all others a lot closer in evaluation.

Look here Wednesday for my Derby selection and maybe we can all get lucky.

HELLO AMERICA

The equine nation doesn’t need to know anything about the usual guys that will stir the drink during this Triple Crown run as the Todd Pletchers, Bob Bafferts, Nick Zitos and Kenny McPeeks of the world need no introduction but there are a couple of bit players that could upset the apple cart.

Enter John Sadler and Shannon Ritter.

Sadler has his gun locked and loaded with two bullets, Sidney’s Candy and Line of David while Ritter will put all her eggs into the basket of Endorsement.

At the tender age of less than 55, Sadler has been on a flat out roll for years out West with a stable of nearly 100 runners.

The former show rider tried out for the U.S. Olympic equestrian team back in the day and learned under trainers like Tom Pratt, David Hofmans and Eddie Gregson, who won the Kentucky Derby with Gato del Sol.

He has a great handle on the medical part of the sport and he worked as a veterinarian’s assistant to Dr. Jack Robbins, whose son Jay won the Breeders’ Cup Classic twice with Tiznow and who’s other son Tom, is the racing secretary at Del Mar.

A guy that flew under the radar for years in SoCal and a trainer that could pop at a price, there are no secrets now to his talent and his stock is always well bet.

As far as his hopes for the Derby this year, both of his runners have speed but would guess Line of David to be more forwardly placed with Sidney’s Candy trying to rate and get first run on the deep closers.

Candy has a legit chance to upset the first Saturday in May.

On an everyday note, Sadler has some tricks under his sleeve. The last 5 years he has been a 19% winning trainer, 49% of his starters have been in the money and career his horses have earned over $65 million in purses.

His first timers in maiden claiming land the last 5 years have only popped at 8% but he is double that percentage with MSW runners with a median price of 9-2.

He is 14% off an extended layoff of 180 days or more the last few years and almost 20% with second off the layoff performers.

He brings Sidney’s Candy to the race with running second NOT on his agenda.

Last year, the Sunland Derby turned out to be a key prep and connections of Endorsement, are hoping lightning strikes twice and back to back to boot.

His trainer is little known Shannon Ritter but this is not her first trip to the rodeo.

She has been around the block and back and is former assistant to conditioner Elliott Walden.

Walden, of course, had touched some nice horses in his day. He worked under guys like LeRoy Jolley and John Gosden and got his own taste of national exposure when his student Victory Gallop took the 1998 Belmont Stakes. He won several training titles in Kentucky and obviously knows what to do with a good horse.

As far as Ritter is concerned, she was a rider for nearly 10 years and won a title at Portland Meadows almost 20 years ago.

She is a hands on trainer as she doesn’t have a huge stable and has the endorsement, sorry for the pun, of her star runners’s owner Bill Casner.

Casner: “Horses don’t get to the winner’s circle all by themselves. Shannon did a great job in preparing Endorsement for the Sunland Derby and she really knows how to handle horses well. She has so much knowledge of the sport and knows how to get a horse prepared.

As far as betting on her runners on a daily basis, know this, she is underrated.

Career, she is a 14% trainer, not bad for a gal that doesn’t get the top stock.

She is very good with second-time starters and that style bodes well for giving a horse a race after a long layoff.

Equally adept going sprint to route or the other way around, pay strict attention to her runners when they add blinkers.

One of her biggest assets as a trainer is that as a former rider she has the luxury of working her own horses and that’s much easier a spot to evaluate exactly how good a runner is feeling on a daily basis.

For Jason Bohn, the second time was even better.

Bohn won the Zurich Classic on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title, birdieing three of the final four holes at TPC Louisiana for a 5-under 67 and a two-stroke victory over Jeff Overton.

“This is life changing,” said the 37-year-old Bohn, who admitted making his putt on 18 with tears in his eyes.

Bohn, who completed a third-round 71 in the morning in the weather-plagued tournament, finished at 18-under 270. He also won the 2005 B.C. Open.

Sundays victory, coming as it did after a variety of injuries and back surgery, was especially sweet, Bohn said. He told his caddie at the start of the final round he was planning on a quiet round.

“I just said I probably wouldnt say much because Im capturing all of this,” Bohn said. “I want to take this one to the grave. I want to remember every little detail that I missed on my first one.”

Bohn led since his 65 in the opening round, but admitted he felt the heat Sunday as several players moved into range.

Overton mounted a persistent challenge, twice tying Bohn on his way to a 66.

“Jeff was playing beautifully. He played beautiful golf today,” Bohn said. “I would say a after missing a long eagle putt, but Bohn, who made birdie putts of 5½ feet on No. 15 and 22 feet on No. 16, had to only tap in on 18 for his fifth birdie of the round.

Overton said he played great Sunday, but Bohn was unbelievable.

“The final four holes, I maybe got a little quick with putts,” Overton said. “Maybe because I wanted it so much.”

Troy Merritt (67) was third at 14 under. He was 7 under during a seven-hole stretch that ended at No. 13, making five birdies and an eagle.

“Its fun when youre making a lot of red numbers,” Merritt said. “Especially when theyre back to back to back to back.”

Lee Janzen (69) was another stroke back, and Greg Chalmers (69) was 12 under.

Heavy rain and lightning Friday and again Saturday morning delayed the early rounds. Bohn, who led wire-to-wire, played 24 holes Saturday and 30 Sunday. He had seven birdies and one bogey in his 30 holes Sunday.

Bohn completed his third round on Sunday morning at 13 under, two shots ahead of Alex Cejka. Overton and Janzen went into the final round at 10 under.

Bohn earned $1,152,000 after making $395,321 in his previous eight starts this year. In 1992, he won $1 million in a hole-in-one contest while a student at the University of Alabama. He has received $50,000 a year since then.

Hard to believe it was nine years ago, but given the advantage of perspective, the beginning felt a lot like the ending.

First time I laid eyes on Lorena Ochoa, she was a skinny freshman at Arizona and was locked in a playoff for the NCAA Division I title at a course outside Orlando. She played sloppily and lost to Dukes Candy Hannemann, then was asked to make a few comments in English afterward.

Lorena Ochoa is certainly a Hall of Fame player but will leave the game short of automatic qualification. (AP) Clearly swept up in the magnitude of what, at the time, was the biggest event of her career, Ochoa was downright weepy as she tried to describe her disappointment.

The eye ducts were flowing freely again Friday in Mexico City, when Ochoa, 28, appeared before a throng of friends, family and business associates to formally announce that she is quitting the LPGA, and that outside of an event she hosts annually in the fall, isnt expecting to play regularly again.

As she spoke in Mexico City, her 12-minute speech was interrupted several times when she was unable to keep her composure. She went out like she came in, tugging at heartstrings and wrestling to keep it together.

“Probably the most special day of my career,” she told American reporters afterward. “When you are a professional athlete, you have a date when you start and a date when you finish. This was the right time for me.

“Its all joy.”

Thus, there were Srixon-sized lumps in many a throat in the audience as she wrestled to stay on point and keep her tears from refilling Lake Texcoco. Which brings us to the touchy, vs. touchy-feely, question of

Perhaps cascading emotion was too much a part of the retirement decision to begin with. Plenty has changed lately for Ochoa, who with 27 wins on the U.S. tour has already qualified for a spot on the World Golf Hall of Fame based on LPGA points (but three seasons short of the longevity requirement). Sometimes, tears do more than cloud a persons vision.

Heart, meet head.

Ochoa is a transcendent player, one of the most athletic in recent tour history. She has grace, style, power and panache. She has been respectful, deferential and possesses a work ethic that could have qualified her as an honorary South Korean. She was a worthy star by any definition.

Outside of her devotion to family, she was seriously single-minded. In the fall of 2007, curious as to whether she had any vestiges of a social life, I asked her whether she had a boyfriend. She almost blushed.

“No,” she said shyly, offering no more illumination.

She met Andres Conesa, the CEO of Aeromexico and a divorced father of three, soon thereafter and they became engaged after a year of courtship. He tur all of four months ago. Thus, they are still veritable newlyweds, quite likely still holding hands and noodling in public. Lorenas probably still picking rice out of her hair. Good for them. She deserves it and will surely make a fantastic mother and wife.

Yet for those of us who have done the matrimonial thing, or have been involved in long-term relationships along the way, you can probably sense where we are going here.

Whats the rush to flush the career and go whole-hog in another direction? Sure, Ochoa has always claimed that she would play for perhaps a decade because she wants to raise a family, but its only natural to wonder whether shes too quickly diving headlong into a decision with such big ramifications. Actually, Ochoa says she has been considering stepping away for months.

“I just was thinking of other things,” she said Friday. “I wanted to get home. I wanted to start working on the [charitable] foundation. I wanted to be here close to my family.

“Once you reach your [career] goals, its really hard to find that motivation. You need to be brave to see that. Just to really listen to your heart and your feelings and be able to see that and make a decision.”

When she informed LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, who has been on the job for all of three months, he apparently tried to talk her out of it. After he picked his jaw up off the floor.

“He said, Are you sure, are you sure, are you sure? Can I convince you to stay?” Ochoa recalled.

His motivations were largely economic, since the tour unequivocally needs her desperately. Shes the second No. 1 player to bail in a little over a year, joining Annika Sorenstam on the retiree sideline. Like Sorenstam, Ochoa said she hopes to have kids of her own in a year or two.

Us, were looking at this issue pragmatically, and probably a bit selfishly. In her handful of starts this year, Ochoa said she wasnt feeling the same level of enthusiasm about her golf game, beginning with the season opener in Thailand. She was, in a word, homesick.

For all we know, Lorena and her husband have a perfect relationship, but finishing out the 2010 season doesnt seem an unreasonable notion while considering such a career-impacting decision. Her own status aside, the quick exit not only pulled the rug out from under the flagging LPGA, it probably set back the progress of golf in Mexico in ways we cant begin to measure. The tours three stops in Mexico face uncertain futures. This was transition via machete. Whack, excise done, Lorena gone.

Well tread lightly here for obvious reasons, but there deaf and dumb are sometimes part of the equation, too. Lets hope, for her sake as well as that of the LPGA, that single-mindedness isnt single-blindedness.

Down the road, theres nothing stopping Ochoa from making a U-turn, a la Brett Favre. Shell forfeit a few million in endorsement earnings, would cause eyes to roll and raise questions about whether she still has what it takes on the competitive front. Facts are, as her enthusiasm for playing has declined over the past few months, so have the victories. By her own standards, she sputtered through 2009 and cemented her fourth LPGA Player of the Year award with a birdie on the final hole of the season, barely holding off South Koreas Jiyai Shin, now the de facto world No. 1.

But love conquers all, with no regard for ranking. Ochoa said Friday that she didnt seek the counsel of other players before making the retirement decision, though she did speak with a few tour peers, like American veteran Juli Inkster, who has juggled being a mother and a prominent tour player for two decades.

“I didnt talk to anybody,” Ochoa said. “Its just something I knew. I made a decision from my heart.”

Were all happy for her. Two or three years from now, I hope the same sentiment still applies.

Hard to believe it was nine years ago, but given the advantage of perspective, the beginning felt a lot like the ending.

First time I laid eyes on Lorena Ochoa, she was a skinny freshman at Arizona and was locked in a playoff for the NCAA Division I title at a course outside Orlando. She played sloppily and lost to Dukes Candy Hannemann, then was asked to make a few comments in English afterward.

Lorena Ochoa is certainly a Hall of Fame player but will leave the game short of automatic qualification. (AP) Clearly swept up in the magnitude of what, at the time, was the biggest event of her career, Ochoa was downright weepy as she tried to describe her disappointment.

The eye ducts were flowing freely again Friday in Mexico City, when Ochoa, 28, appeared before a throng of friends, family and business associates to formally announce that she is quitting the LPGA, and that outside of an event she hosts annually in the fall, isnt expecting to play regularly again.

As she spoke in Mexico City, her 12-minute speech was interrupted several times when she was unable to keep her composure. She went out like she came in, tugging at heartstrings and wrestling to keep it together.

“Probably the most special day of my career,” she told American reporters afterward. “When you are a professional athlete, you have a date when you start and a date when you finish. This was the right time for me.

“Its all joy.”

Thus, there were Srixon-sized lumps in many a throat in the audience as she wrestled to stay on point and keep her tears from refilling Lake Texcoco. Which brings us to the touchy, vs. touchy-feely, question of

Perhaps cascading emotion was too much a part of the retirement decision to begin with. Plenty has changed lately for Ochoa, who with 27 wins on the U.S. tour has already qualified for a spot on the World Golf Hall of Fame based on LPGA points (but three seasons short of the longevity requirement). Sometimes, tears do more than cloud a persons vision.

Heart, meet head.

Ochoa is a transcendent player, one of the most athletic in recent tour history. She has grace, style, power and panache. She has been respectful, deferential and possesses a work ethic that could have qualified her as an honorary South Korean. She was a worthy star by any definition.

Outside of her devotion to family, she was seriously single-minded. In the fall of 2007, curious as to whether she had any vestiges of a social life, I asked her whether she had a boyfriend. She almost blushed.

“No,” she said shyly, offering no more illumination.

She met Andres Conesa, the CEO of Aeromexico and a divorced father of three, soon thereafter and they became engaged after a year of courtship. He tur all of four months ago. Thus, they are still veritable newlyweds, quite likely still holding hands and noodling in public. Lorenas probably still picking rice out of her hair. Good for them. She deserves it and will surely make a fantastic mother and wife.

Yet for those of us who have done the matrimonial thing, or have been involved in long-term relationships along the way, you can probably sense where we are going here.

Whats the rush to flush the career and go whole-hog in another direction? Sure, Ochoa has always claimed that she would play for perhaps a decade because she wants to raise a family, but its only natural to wonder whether shes too quickly diving headlong into a decision with such big ramifications. Actually, Ochoa says she has been considering stepping away for months.

“I just was thinking of other things,” she said Friday. “I wanted to get home. I wanted to start working on the [charitable] foundation. I wanted to be here close to my family.

“Once you reach your [career] goals, its really hard to find that motivation. You need to be brave to see that. Just to really listen to your heart and your feelings and be able to see that and make a decision.”

When she informed LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, who has been on the job for all of three months, he apparently tried to talk her out of it. After he picked his jaw up off the floor.

“He said, Are you sure, are you sure, are you sure? Can I convince you to stay?” Ochoa recalled.

His motivations were largely economic, since the tour unequivocally needs her desperately. Shes the second No. 1 player to bail in a little over a year, joining Annika Sorenstam on the retiree sideline. Like Sorenstam, Ochoa said she hopes to have kids of her own in a year or two.

Us, were looking at this issue pragmatically, and probably a bit selfishly. In her handful of starts this year, Ochoa said she wasnt feeling the same level of enthusiasm about her golf game, beginning with the season opener in Thailand. She was, in a word, homesick.

For all we know, Lorena and her husband have a perfect relationship, but finishing out the 2010 season doesnt seem an unreasonable notion while considering such a career-impacting decision. Her own status aside, the quick exit not only pulled the rug out from under the flagging LPGA, it probably set back the progress of golf in Mexico in ways we cant begin to measure. The tours three stops in Mexico face uncertain futures. This was transition via machete. Whack, excise done, Lorena gone.

Well tread lightly here for obvious reasons, but there deaf and dumb are sometimes part of the equation, too. Lets hope, for her sake as well as that of the LPGA, that single-mindedness isnt single-blindedness.

Down the road, theres nothing stopping Ochoa from making a U-turn, a la Brett Favre. Shell forfeit a few million in endorsement earnings, would cause eyes to roll and raise questions about whether she still has what it takes on the competitive front. Facts are, as her enthusiasm for playing has declined over the past few months, so have the victories. By her own standards, she sputtered through 2009 and cemented her fourth LPGA Player of the Year award with a birdie on the final hole of the season, barely holding off South Koreas Jiyai Shin, now the de facto world No. 1.

But love conquers all, with no regard for ranking. Ochoa said Friday that she didnt seek the counsel of other players before making the retirement decision, though she did speak with a few tour peers, like American veteran Juli Inkster, who has juggled being a mother and a prominent tour player for two decades.

“I didnt talk to anybody,” Ochoa said. “Its just something I knew. I made a decision from my heart.”

Were all happy for her. Two or three years from now, I hope the same sentiment still applies.

Horse Betting Tips

Who: Thoroughbreds – Pleasant Prince, Miner’s Reserve, Eightyfiveinafifty
What: Horse Racing Betting Tips – The Derby Trial
Where: Churchill Downs
When: Saturday, April 24th

Saturday’s Derby Trial at Churchill Downs could really have Kentucky Derby implications…for the first time in decades. In fact, the last horse to win both the Trial and the Derby was Calumet Farm’s Tim Tam in 1958. Two of the Trial’s 10 entrants, Pleasant Prince and Eightyfiveinafifty, will crack the top 20 in graded earnings among Derby hopefuls, thus potentially displacing horses on the bubble like Paddy O’Prado, Homeboykris, Jackson Bend and Backtalk. The probability of an off track makes the Derby Trial a difficult handicapping exercise. Only two, Wow Wow Wow and Hear Ye Hear Ye, have raced on an off track (without success). Just two others, Soaring Empire and Pleasant Prince, have experience over the Churchill strip. Let’s take a brief look at each of the contestants.

#1-Game On Dude: Baffert trainee faltered in The Florida Derby. Perhaps cutting back to one turn will help. The inside post at this distance can be tricky, but ‘Dude gets a new pilot (Robby Albarado) who knows this track like the back of his hand. Could fill out the tri or super.

#2-Soaring Empire: Cam Gambolati (trainer of 1985 Kentucky Derby winner Spend A Buck) remains high on this colt’s ability. Like Game On Dude, he might appreciate the 1-turn mile. Troubled third in last year’s Iroquois indicates he can handle this surface. Usable in tri’s and super’s.

#3-Privilaged: The Grade 2 Swale was his only dirt race, and probably his best. He could apply early pressure to the outside horse.

#4-Pleasant Prince: Toss his Blue Grass flop…he couldn’t handle the poly. That Florida Derby effort was huge, and note this guy owns the field’s sole win over the track. I’m not convinced that Eightyfiveinafifty will have it all his own way on the front end, with Privilaged, Hurricane Ike, Miner’s Reserve, Wow Wow Wow and Hear Ye Hear Ye eligible to apply pressure. If that’s the case, ‘Prince could blow by them all in the late stages. Although he hasn’t raced over an off track, trainer Ward breezed him over a surface labeled “good” at Gulfstream on 2/6, and he did OK. The pick at odds of 3-1 or better.

#5-Hurricane Ike: Like stablemate Privilaged, this guy ran his best race last out in his dirt debut. Could hang on for a minor share.

#6-Miner’s Reserve: Lightly-raced colt sure looked good breaking his maiden at this distance, but it’s hard to ignore his Florida Derby flop. Will the real Miner’s Reserve please stand up! Bullet breeze here on 4/17 could signal a turnaround.

#7-Wow Wow Wow: Lukas trainee has wired a couple of fields when left alone on the lead, but all three stakes attempts have been bad bad bad. D. Wayne must not believe in the three-strike rule.

#8-Hear Ye Hear Ye: Here’s another entrant with some early gas…will probably get cooked.

#9-Aikenite: Sent off at 5.70-1 in The Blue Grass, he finished a disappointing 8th. Gomez sticks, so perhaps he knows something we don’t. Interesting.

#10-Eightyfiveinafifty: There’s no disputing that this is a fast (but quirky) horse. Will he continue to run with his head cocked to his inside? The early fractions in both victories weren’t extraordinary, and neither were the fields he conquered. This represents a step up in class, and he’s no longer in his back yard. Taking a stand against.

There’s your horse racing betting tips for Saturday. Best of luck and happy gambling!