Davis Love III won't get one final shot at qualifying for Augusta. The Ryder Cup captain had to withdraw from this week's Shell Houston Open because of injured ribs suffered last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Love said he hurt himself when "swinging too hard at buried lies." He had a bone scan on Monday. Love sent a congratulatory tweet to Tiger Woods and his BFF Fred Couples for their victories over the weekend and tweeted, "And I am out with a cracked rib, hopefully not too long."
Love qualified for the Masters last year after failing to do so the three previous years. He was runner-up at Augusta in 1995 and 1999.
Kirk needs a win
It was a year ago that former University of Georgia All-America Chris Kirk had his first breakout showing on the PGA Tour. Kirk finished second at the Houston Open and followed it up three months later with a victory at the Viking Classic. He went on to finish 42nd on the FedEx Cup points list.
But Kirk isn’t in next week’s field for the Masters. His victory doesn’t fall within the win-and-in guidelines for Augusta since it came during an alternate-field event opposite the British Open. Kirk needs a victory this week in Houston in order to get the final invitation to the Masters. Kirk is ranked 110th in the Official World Golf Ranking. His best performance this season was a tie for seventh at the Tournament of Champions.
On the Tours
No. 1-ranked Yani Tseng is the favorite at the LPGA's Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., the first professional major of the year. Tseng, 23, already has five major championships, including the 2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship. She has won six of her last 12 starts, including last week's Kia Classic. Tseng is the second-fastest player in LPGA history to reach 15 wins. Stacy Lewis beat Tseng by three shots at last year's Nabisco to win her first major. ...
Peter Hanson of Sweden has accepted a special temporary membership from the PGA Tour. He may receive unlimited sponsor exemptions the rest of the season and can join the Tour as a regular member in 2013 if his prize money equals that of the 125th place finisher on the money list. ... Gary Player will become the 10th recipient of the PGA Tour's Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Players Championship. ...
Johnson Wagner's mustache has been the talk of the Tour. "I don't think [the fans] know my name, but they know me as the 'Mustache Guy,'" he said. "I guess the only person to compare it to is Rickie Fowler. His mustache is terrible. He looks like Capt. Jack Sparrow." ...
Miscellaneous
Former UGA golfer Bryden Macpherson, the reigning British Amateur champions, beat U.S. Amateur champ Kelly Kraft 2 and 1 in the 15th annual Georgia Cup Match at the Golf Club of Georgia. Macpherson was 3-up through 13 and closed the match with a par on the 17th hole. Both players used the match to tune up for their appearance in next week's Masters.
Daryl Batey, the popular PGA professional at Charlie Yates Golf Course, is one of five regional managers hired by the PGA of America to help implement strategies and initiatives to grow the game. In addition to his time at Charlie Yates, the home course for The First Tee of East Lake, Batey has been the head coach at Spelman College and has overseen the golf education programs at Agnes Scott and Emory. ...
Nike Golf will have the grand opening for its 360 Fitting Center at Bentwater Golf Club in Acworth on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Former NFL standouts Kordell Stewart and Greg Lloyd will be participating.
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