Check out this incredible shot by Phil Mickelson, who hits it backwards out of a bunker:

SI.com compiled a ranking of the 50 highest-earning American athletes and discovered that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are at the top of the list.

1. Tiger Woods
Pro Golf
Last Year’s Rank: 1
Salary/Winnings: $7,737,626
Endorsements: $92,000,000
Total: $99,737,626

Tiger sacrificed millions in appearance fees during his year off to recover from knee surgery, but replaced his lucrative Buick deal — voided by mutual consent — with a new one from AT&T.

2. Phil Mickelson
Pro Golf
Last Year’s Rank: 2
Salary/Winnings: $6,350,356
Endorsements: $46,600,000
Total: $52,950,356

Like Tiger, Phil no longer counts on a car-maker in his endorsement portfolio. (Ford chose not to re-sign him.) He still has lucrative deals with Rolex, Callaway, Exxon, Barclay’s and KPMG.

3. LeBron James
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Last Year’s Rank: 3
Salary/Winnings: $14,410,581
Endorsements: $28,000,000
Total: $42,410,581

LeBron has one more season left under his deal before he can opt out. If Cleveland doesn’t show it’s Finals-worthy by next spring, expect the Knicks to come in with a huge offer.

4. Alex Rodriguez
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year’s Rank: 6 (tie)
Salary/Winnings: $33,000,000
Endorsements: $6,000,000
Total: $39,000,000

We’re in the middle of A-Rod’s peak earning power in his middle-loaded, 10-year megadeal: He’ll make another $33 million in 2010 and then gradually decrease to a “normal” $20 million by ‘17.

No. 5 Shaquille O’Neal
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Last Year’s Rank: 6 (tie)
Salary/Winnings: $20,000,000
Endorsements: $15,000,000
Total: $35,000,000

The Big Bargaining Chip? Regardless of his trade to Cleveland, Shaq is in the final year of the five-year, $100 million deal he signed while with Miami. It’s the largest expiring deal in the NBA.

No. 10 Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
Last Year’s Rank: 9
Salary/Winnings: $14,500,000
Endorsements: $13,000,000
Total: $27,000,000

NFL’s top endorser has distributed $500,000 in grants in ‘09 through his PayBack Foundation to charities in Indianapolis, near his alma mater (Tennessee) and his hometown, New Orleans.

It’s amazing that the highest paid NFL player (Peyton Manning) barely cracked the top 10. Granted, the NFL only has a 17-game regular season, but you’d think that for what football players put their bodies through every season that they would make more than baseball players, golfers and basketball players.

Although he is pitching well this season despite his overall numbers, seeing Zito’s name on this list at No. 26 makes me shudder. He’s the third best pitcher (maybe fourth depending on how high you value Randy Johnson) on his own club, yet he’s the 26th highest-earning American athlete. Still, it should be noted that Zito donates $400 for every strikeout that he throws to the Strikeouts for Troops charity that he created to help hospitals treat soldiers that are wounded in military operations. In fact, as the article notes, a lot of the guys on this list give thousands of dollars to charities every year and that shouldn’t be overlooked.

- SPORTSbyBROOKS has the “greatest story ever told,” which features Michael Irvin in a strip club. Don’t get your hopes up, it’s actually not that great, but it does feature Michael Irvin in a strip club.

- THE BIG LEAD discusses why “Moneyball” (the movie) is now dead.

- EPIC CARNIVAL lists the top 10 most entertaining NBA players of all time.

- PACMAN JONESIN’ says that Kate Hudson might be to blame for A-Rod’s “fatigue.”

- DEADSPIN has the story of a drunk golfer who was pulled over on a highway driving a golf cart.

Thanks in large part to his birdie on the 16th hole (a par 4) in the final round, Lucas Glover won the 2009 U.S. Open, edging out Phil Mickelson and a massive comeback attempt by David Duval.

Glover kept his cap tugged low and played the kind of golf that wins a U.S. Open under any conditions.

He made only one birdie in the rain-delayed final round, and it could not have been timed any better. Glover holed a 6-foot putt on the 16th hole to break one last tie for the lead, then held on with pars to close with a 3-over 73 for a two-shot victory.

“It was a test of patience, that’s for sure,” Glover said. “It was just heart today.”

It was sheer heartache for Mickelson.

His wife, Amy, is due to have surgery for breast cancer next week. She left cards and text messages asking him to bring home the silver trophy from a U.S. Open that has taunted Lefty for a decade.

Right when it was in his grasp, Mickelson let it slip away again.

He missed a 3-foot par putt on the 15th hole, and another par putt from 8 feet on the 17th that ended his dream finish. Mickelson closed with a 70 and wound up in a three-way tie for second with Duval and 54-hole leader Ricky Barnes.

Glover is a great story because not only is he an unknown in the PGA world, but he also didn’t lead after any of the first three rounds. He just played steady throughout the entire tournament and capitalized when he had an opportunity to win.

My heart goes out to Mickelson. He’s obviously been through a lot lately and it would have made for a great story had he won this weekend. It’s amazing that he’s been the runner up five times, but has never won a U.S. Open. His time will come.

After rain delayed the opening round of the 2009 U.S. Open on Thursday, play resumed on Friday and perennial favorite Tiger Woods is off to a brutal start.

Woods shot a 74 in Round 1, which leaves him 4-over-par after his first day. The 74 marks his second worst start ever at the U.S. Open, with his worst coming in 2006 when he shot a 76 in the opening round.

For comparison, when Woods won the U.S. Open in 2000 he shot a 65 in the opening round and when he won again in 2002, he shot a 67 in Round 1. Compared to his 74 this year, he would appear to have his work cut out for him, but don’t forget he shot a 72 in Round 1 last year and won his third-career U.S. Open so he’s not out of it – not by a long shot.

As of this post, Drew Weaver and Graeme McDowell lead all play with 69, but not all golfers have wrapped up play yet in the first round. So considering he’s only five shots back of the leaders with 54 holes to play, Woods has a ton of time to make up ground.

Check out the Official Site of the U.S. Open for updated scores and more on this year’s event.

The 2009 U.S. Open is set to kick off tomorrow from Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York. Not surprisingly, Tiger Woods is favored to win this year’s Open, although there are some intriguing long shots that could potentially come out victorious.

As with all of my predictions, I recommend to wager everything you own because I’m usually right. I’m 634-0 in my sports predicting career and I won’t hear differently.***

The Winner: Tiger Woods 3/2
Maybe someone with bigger plums would go against Tiger, but I feel good about the size of my plums and I’m going with the favorite. Woods won the Open last year and has done so three times in his career. My insiders (i.e. everything you read on the internet) tell me that the Bethpage Black Course is all about long, accurate drives and if that’s the case then Tiger should do well. Woods should also be well rested since he doesn’t bother with a lot of the other PGA Tour events on the schedule (he’s competed in just seven events so far this season) and because I hear he’s really, really good at golf (more inside information).

The Sleeper: Retief Goosen 35/1
The Goose could be loose this weekend because no one putts better on fast greens than Retief. He’s a grinder and won earlier this year at the tough Innisbrook Resort Copperhead Course. Goosen has also won the U.S. Open twice in his career and experience counts in a major.

The Long Shot Sleeper: David Toms 50/1
Like Woods, Toms excels at long, accurate drives and that should play well on this course. In 14 events this season, he’s finished in the top-10 six times and has experience winning a major. Granted, the last major win won was in 2001 (PGA Championship), so some believe he’s already peaked. Me? I say he’s due.

***There is no factual documentation that proves that Anthony is 634-0. Take his picks as mere suggestions and by no means should you “wager everything you own” because there’s a good chance Anthony was drunk while handicapping this event.

Tiger Woods has won the Memorial today after a dramatic rally from four shots down in the final round. It would appear that for all intents and purposes Tiger is back and if not better, than at least as good as ever. This of course spells trouble for anybody actually trying to play against him. Golf.com had a great quote from second place finisher Jim Furyk after the tournament:

“I just didn’t beat one guy,” Furyk said. “It (stinks) finishing second. But he played better. A 7 under on those greens and with the conditions we dealt with, that’s pretty spectacular. I just wish you all would just quit (ticking) him off … so he has to come back and keep proving stuff. I think he answered a lot of questions today.”

Hopefully, this will silence all the reporters still questioning whether or not Tiger can regain his previous form. Although… it’d be nice to see a Nadal figure finally show up in the sport, not that I have anything against Tiger Woods, but a little rivalry would be quite nice.

John Daly wore bright pink trousers during the final round of the BMW PGA Championship in England on Sunday in a sign of support for Phil Mickelson’s wife after she was diagnosed with breast cancer last week.

According to their management group, Amy Mickelson will have major surgery for removal of the cancer within the next two weeks.

Daly on his decision to wear the pink trousers:

“I had a pair, so I figured I’d do that for her today. I thought it would be a good gesture,” Daly said of his trousers. “I know Phil very well and I know Amy. I’ve known them for a long time — we’ve played the Tour together. She’s a great lady. She has always been a sweetheart to everybody.”

Daly had not yet spoken to Phil Mickelson, but said he had been impacted personally by breast cancer.

“I sent out a media message,” Daly said. “He’s probably surrounded by callers right now and I didn’t want to bother him. I’m sure everybody on Tour and everybody in the world is thinking about her.”

Many in the golfing community have expressed their support and are eager to help in any way possible. Fellow golfer Darren Clarke has spoken to Mickelson recently, but wouldn’t reveal the details of their conversation. Clarke lost his wife to breast cancer in August 2006, and credits the Mickelsons in helping him through the tough times following her death.

Mickelson has suspended his PGA Tour schedule indefinitely.

Golfer Phil Mickelson will withdraw from the HP Byron Nelson Championship to attend to his wife Amy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After undergoing an extensive battery of tests, Phil Mickelson’s wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The couple married in 1996 and has three children aged 9, 7 and 6.
More tests are scheduled but the treatment process is expected to begin with major surgery, possibly within the next two weeks.

Mickelson has suspended his PGA TOUR schedule indefinitely. He was due to play the HP Byron Nelson Championship beginning Thursday and defend his Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial title next week.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Phil and Amy. Hopefully she’ll go through a successful treatment process and I’m sure she’ll get all the support she needs from Phil and the rest of their family.

On the heels of David Feherty’s insulting comments about our troops and two of our political leaders, Devil Ball Golf lists several of the biggest blunders made by golf announcers over the years.

Here’s a sampling:

Andrew Magee: At the FBR Open in February of this year, Andrew Magee remarked on-air that he saw a guy wearing a t-shirt that read, “I got kicked out of the Boy Scouts for eating a Brownie.” Was it a pedophile joke? A drug one? Could go either way, but Magee got a reprimand from the Golf Channel.

Feherty’s comments are dangerous because they incited violence against Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, and put those two congressional leaders in the same category as Osama Bin Laden. But the most offensive thing was the implication that the average soldier would like to kill two fellow Americans. He meant it as a joke, but only the hardcore Pelosi and Reid haters would find any humor in it, and many of them would be insulted by Feherty’s use of our military personnel in his quip. It was just a bad, bad decision by Feherty.

PGA hall-of-famer Lee Trevino believes he holds the secret to Tiger Woods regaining his dominance on the golf course. The Merry Mex has sent word through a mutual friend, Mark O’Meara, for Woods to contact him.

Here is Trevino’s solution to Tiger’s problems:

“Tiger needs to learn how to hit a power fade,” said Lee Trevino, a five-time major champion. “If he learns how to drive the ball, he won’t lose a tournament. He’s got nothing to lose, just call me. Heck, I’d go see him; he wouldn’t have to do nothing. Hank Haney knows what he’s doing.”

Trevino went on to add, “Haney helped Tiger a lot, but I’d like to sit down and have a session with Haney ’cause it looks like Tiger doesn’t want me to help him. I’d teach him a power fade, a go-to shot. Everyone has to have a go-to shot. He used to win majors with his stinger go-to shot. Last week he didn’t even look comfortable with a 3-wood on the tee; he was scared, trying to guide the ball.”

According to his doctors, Tiger is ahead of schedule in his recovery from knee surgery. Having played very little competitive golf in the last eight months, Woods is having difficulty in regaining confidence in his swing. By playing at the Player’s Championship this weekend, it will mark the first time he has played in consecutive events since returning to the PGA tour.

CBS Sports golf announcer David Feherty has found himself in hot water.

CBS Sports golf analyst David Feherty came under sharp criticism Saturday for a joke he wrote in a Dallas magazine article that suggested American soldiers would be just as likely to knock off House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid as they would Osama bin Laden.

Feherty was among five Dallas residents who wrote for “D Magazine” on former President George W. Bush moving to Dallas, where the former Ryder Cup player from Northern Ireland has been living the last dozen years.

“From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this though,” Feherty wrote toward the end of his column. “Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama bin Laden, there’s a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death.”

CBS Sports has already distanced itself from Feherty’s comments, and with good reason. Now it should take the next step and take this moron’s microphone away from him.

Blair O’Neal is used to turning heads. The 27-year old hottie does so all the time during her work as a model (cruise on over to www.blairgolf.com to check out more of her gorgeous body of work), and is doing the same this spring as a contestant on “Big Break Prince Edward Island,” the 11^th installment of the Golf Channel’s elimination-style reality show. An avid golfer since the age of 11, the blonde bombshell was a standout at Arizona State University where she won two NCAA long-drive contests, and has since played on a number of professional tours. She’s also a perennial contender in every “World’s Hottest Female Athlete” competition known to man. Before she sets her sights on the U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier and getting her LPGA Tour card later this year, Blair chatted with us over the phone about balancing her two careers, doing her best to keep the show’s results a secret, and the most nerve-wracking three-foot putt of her life.

Note: “Big Break Prince Edward Island” is currently three episodes into an 11-episode season. For more on the show, visit www.thegolfchannel.com.

The Scores Report: So tell me, how is it that you ended up on the Big Break?

Blair O’Neal: (Laughs) Well, it’s kind of a funny story. Basically, about three years ago I got a call from the Golf Channel that they were having a casting call out in L.A. I live in Arizona, so I drove out to California with a friend and went to the golf course and did the interview, and at the casting they have you hit different golf shots. So I went through the process and I got a call that I was picked to be a semifinalist for the show at that time. So they flew about 20 of us out to Florida, and I played golf and met everyone at the Golf Channel, and then I came back home and got a call saying that I wasn’t picked for the show. So I was really disappointed, and that was that, and then this summer I got a call from Paul Schlegel, who started “Big Break,” and he just said that they had been casting for a new “Big Break” and they wanted to know if I would be available and if I would want to be on the show, and I said ‘of course.’

Read the rest of this entry »

With tax day quickly approaching, Real Clear Sports.com complied a list of the top 10 worst athletes to ask for financial advice.

Here is the top 3:

3. Michael Vick
So, how did Vick go from one of the highest paid athletes to owing millions? To start, there’s the entourage. Vick was spending about $300,000 a month to support friends and family. But the biggest factor was who was in control of his money. Vick entrusted his money to a woman who is banned from working with any firm that trades on the NYSE because she bilked two old women out of $150K and a man who’s been accused of defrauding church members. His finances were such a mess that the bankruptcy judge appointed a trustee to help him out.

Vick owes over a million dollars in back taxes and it was recently discovered that he took funds from the pension plans of some of his employees. But if you are beginning to feel sorry for Vick, (”Then you’re not a dog lover”!) don’t. To pay off some of the debt, Vick will be selling three of his SIX homes. That’s less than one home per season. Do you really expect Vick to summer in Virginia? Do you?

2. Latrell Sprewell
In August of 2007, a federal marshal seized his $1.5 million yacht after Sprewell had failed to pay his mortgage on the boat. The yacht, with the classy name, Milwaukee’s Best, was auctioned in early 2008.

Oh well, at least Sprewell would still have his home in River Hills, Wisconsin. That is, until it was foreclosed on in May of last year. So, let’s see, he lost his yacht and his house. It can’t get much worse. Oh, and now Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit for unpaid taxes. Hopefull Sprewell isn’t expecting a big refund this year.

1. Mike Tyson
In 2003, he filed for bankruptcy. His debt reached over $27 million, about half of which was to the IRS. Maybe he shouldn’t have bought the two Bengal tigers for $140,000, for which he also had to pay a trainer $125,000 a year. Although, that’s just a small drop in the bucket. He could’ve cut back on his motor vehicles, on which he spent about $4.5 million. But perhaps the most inane purchase? How about a bathtub for his first wife, Robin Givens, that cost $2 million dollars.

Tyson could’ve gotten his finances in order had he won the $100 million lawsuit against Don King (he was suing his former boxing promoter for cheating him out of millions in promotions), but the parties reached a settlement of $14 million, of which Tyson saw none. All of the money went to paying down his debt.

When you figure that most of these athletes never seek out sound legal and financial advice, it’s easy to see how they blow through wads of money in a very short period of time. They just think that money will always come in and they don’t have to worry about anything long-term. How Vick blew through all his money is still beyond me.

- DEADSPIN has the details about a Chicago White Sox fan who is suing the team because of an injury sustained while one of the lovely ladies of the Chevrolet Pride Crew shot free t-shirts into the crowd.

- Henry Abbott of TRUEHOOP discusses what would have happened had Michael Finley’s game-winning three (over the Kings) not counted.

- DOGS THAT CHASE CARS has pictures of the three worst-dressed golfers at Sunday’s Masters.

- SPORTSBYBROOKS brings us the story of Ashok Varadhan, the former team manager for the Duke Blue Devils who is now making millions at Goldman Sachs.

It’s official. I don’t have to write an article about Tiger Woods. Oh wait, what have I done? My apologies Mr. Cabrera, now that Tiger’s back, it’s impossible to keep him out of a golf conversation.

But let’s not take away from Cabrera’s accomplishment, after all, he played better than Tiger and of course better than everyone else on the course. His green jacket is also an important first as posted on Golf.com:

Cabrera, who won the U.S. Open at Oakmont two years ago, finally earned a green jacket for Argentina.
…
“This is a great moment, the dream of any golfer to win the Masters,” Cabrera said through an interpreter during the green jacket ceremony. “I’m so emotional I can barely talk.”

Sweet. Awesome. I can really get behind a player like that, bringing home a major award, and being the first from his country to do so. But, I’m still reading all about how Tiger also played, and how Tiger also might have won.

Is it wrong that I’m so happy that Tiger didn’t win? When I was living in South Korea I heard that certain pop stars there had something called, “anti-fans.” These were people who were obsessed with certain celebrities just because they didn’t like them. I wonder if I’ve become something of an anti-fan for anybody at the top for too long. I admit to getting much more interested in tennis after Sampras started losing, and again after Federer lost the number one spot.

I suppose it’s only natural that we have a certain amount of enmity towards people dominating their respective fields. I think my particular problem though, is when a sport becomes more-or-less a one man show. It’s hard to care when there’s no competition in the competitions I’m watching. Growing up a Bulls fan was great until their final season with Jordan. It seemed they couldn’t lose, and they hardly ever did. I barely paid any attention at all.

But it’s not any athlete’s fault if they’re too good, if anything it should motivate others to work harder to improve themselves. Should we make Michael Phelps swim an extra lap just to make it more interesting? We can’t handi-cap people for being too good, but I wonder if we can’t focus on them slightly less than we do. Maybe the reason I’m tired of Tiger Woods is because I’m constantly hearing about him. How often was Michael Phelps shoved in front of me last summer?

There’s only so much anyone can take of the same thing. Perhaps we should focus more on what happened and what’s important, and less on the A-list also-rans. I can understand that it’s necessary to grab people’s attention, and using a big name to get that attention is an easy way to chalk up hits on a web page. But there’s got to be a better way. Of course, this article was supposed to be about Angel Cabrera wasn’t it? Not Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods. I’ll try harder (Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan) next time.

It’s hard for anything at the Masters (or any golf tournament, for that matter) to come close to matching the perennial “How is Tiger Woods doing?” story. Even Rocco Mediate’s amazing underdog bid in last year’s U.S. Open played second banana to Woods’ gut-it-out victory on a broken leg.

A prime example of the immensity of Tiger’s shadow is the lack of buzz surrounding Anthony Kim. The guy is hardly an unknown to serious golf fans, but the 23-year old phenom has managed to fly largely under the national radar.

Yesterday, Kim made Masters history by recording a single-round record 11 birdies. Naturally, it was overshadowed by Woods’ day, as everyone chose to talk about Tiger’s missed opportunities on the putting green.

Kim has often been mentioned in the same breath as Woods: Is he the next Tiger?, critics ask. These questions are dismissed quickly — after all, Tiger will likely go down as the greatest to ever play the game. But how about this for a comparison: Can Kim become who Sergio Garcia was supposed to some 10 years ago? Can Kim be the talented gunner with both the skill and confidence to challenge Tiger as a young pro and eventually eclipse him as Tiger gets on in years? Will he be the one to finally give us a real Tiger rivalry?

It’s clear Kim has the talent, and many accounts say that he’s also got the hubris to challenge Tiger’s (check out this feature Golf Magazine wrote about him).

Only time will tell, but do yourself a favor and take a break from the Tiger watch this weekend to scope out Kim’s game (he heads into round 3 in a tie for sixth-place at -4, and tees off at 2:25 p.m.).

Comedian Robin Williams once joked that spring was nature’s way of saying “let’s party,” and this weekend, the party will be in front of your TV. The NBA and NHL are winding down their regular seasons, while baseball is concluding its first week. And don’t forget the yearly chase for the elusive green jacket at Augusta. Too many options…not enough time to watch them all. Thank God for DVR technology. Enjoy!

All times ET…

NBA
Fri, 8 PM: New York Knicks @ Orlando Magic (ESPN2)
Sat, 7 PM: Detroit Pistons @ Indiana Pacers (NBA TV)
Sun, 1 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ New Orleans Hornets (ABC)
Sun, 3:30 PM: Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers (ABC)
Sun, 6 PM: Philadelphia 76ers @ Toronto Raptors (NBA TV)

NHL
Sat, 7 PM: Ottawa Senators @ Toronto Maple Leafs (CBC)
Sat, 10 PM: Edmonton Oilers @ Calgary Flames (CBC)
Sun, 2 PM: Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks (NBC)

MLB
Sat, 4 PM: Boston Red Sox @ Los Angeles Angels (Fox)
Sun, 1 PM: New York Mets @ Florida Marlins (TBS)
Sun, 8 PM: Chicago Cubs @ Milwaukee Brewers (ESPN)

PGA
Fri-Sun, check your local listing for times: The Masters @ The Augusta National Golf Club (ESPN/CBS)

Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post writes that Tiger Woods is a ‘poor sport’ and a ‘sore loser’.

Miss a shot and Woods tosses the offending club in anger. It is a wonder he has not taken a divot out of the shin or forehead of caddie Steve Williams.

Is that how Jack Nicklaus or Ben Hogan or Bobby Jones believed in playing a game for gentlemen? Should we care?

The competitive fire in Woods’ eyes burns so hot they can burn a hole through the chest, and Tiger is so intense he has been known to walk past his own mother on the golf course and be blind to her presence.

On the opening day of the Masters, a sea of red numbers on the leaderboard posted by everybody from Chad Campbell to 50-year-old Larry Mize turned Woods green with envy.
After an inconsistent round of 70 in which his frustration showed when he slammed a club after airmailing the green on the final hole, Woods was asked what it was about him and the first round at this prestigious tournament, where in 15 tries he has never posted a score in the 60s.

“Yeah,” Woods said Thursday, barely concealing his disdain, “that’s how I won it four times too.”

Kiszla goes on to write about how competitive Woods is and whether or not we as sports fans should care whether or not he can be kind of prickly when he’s playing.

Personally, I could care less. I think Tiger has been such a phenomenal presence in the sports world over the years that writers are trying to drum up new storylines. That’s not to say Kiszla doesn’t make good points in his article, but it almost seems nowadays that writers are finding ways to criticize Woods’ game anyway they can. The bottom line is that most great athletes have egos the size of Saturn (the planet, not the car company) and they buy into how good they are. Tiger is no exception and considering how competitive he is, it’s no surprise that he’ll toss a club after a bad shot or give a snarky comment from time to time. Most of the great ones hate to lose and Tiger is no exception.

REAL CLEAR SPORTS.COM compiles nine reasons to root against Tiger Woods at The Masters this year:

HE’S NOT FAN FRIENDLY— Sure, everyone loves Tiger, but why? He doesn’t give autographs, stares straight ahead when walking through crowds, and offers little more than an occasional tip of the hat to acknowledge the throngs following him around the course. Not to mention he curses so loudly after hitting a bad shot that parents have to cover their children’s ears.

Woods may need all of that to maintain his supreme focus, but Arnold Palmer did all right with his career and was still more than willing to shake hands and say a few words to any fan who sought him out.

HE’S WON ENOUGH — Woods first won the Masters at the age of 21, and has done it three times since. If he wins this week he’ll have five green jackets and be within one win of tying Jack Nicklaus for the most Masters titles ever. Nicklaus would love to keep the record, but remember: It was the Golden Bear himself who predicted after seeing Woods in a practice round in 1996 that the young phenom would win more Masters than him and Palmer combined (10).

HE’S TOO SCRIPTED — Everything about Woods seems like it was pulled from some Hollywood movie of old, like the drama of last year’s U.S. Open, when he hobbled his way down the 18th hole on Sunday and then made a putt to force a playoff he eventually won. His comeback this year from knee surgery was true to form when he made an 18-footer in near darkness to cap a five-stroke comeback and win his last tournament. Nobody can possibly do those kind of things unless they’re drawn up in advance. Unless, of course, the name is Tiger Woods.

To read the rest of the reasons, click here.

Personally, I like Tiger for all the reasons listed above (outside of him not being fan friendly, that is), although I wouldn’t mind seeing a youngster emerge and give him a run for his money. Even though the general public continues to be amazed at what Tiger does on a yearly basis, I think the sport of golf would benefit from some competition. Even tennis has one of the better rivalries in sports with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, so if a young gun could challenge Tiger, professional golf would probably become even more of a spectator sport.