PGA’s best ready POIPU, Kauai >> The four players in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf spent more time fending off questions about Augusta National Golf Course yesterday than talking about how glad they are to be in Hawaii competing for the $400,000 winner's check.
for Kauai slam
Tiger's hunt for his fifth
Charles Barkley on Augusta
straight title begins todayBy Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comFour-time defending champion Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Justin Leonard and Rich Beem were cordial when the subject kept reverting to the Masters and the controversy surrounding the ban on women members.
Woods repeated his standard answer on teleconference calls to four national media outlets: He would like to see women playing there, but it's not his decision and boycotting is not the answer. Finally, Love stopped the rat-a-tat firing line of Augusta questions, speaking for all four golfers and saying, "We don't need to talk about the Masters any more. We will talk about this wonderful event we're playing here."
Woods is back on Kauai for the sixth straight year, trying to keep his total of Poipu Bay Resort Golf Course blemishes to one in the 36-hole event today and tomorrow. He finished two strokes behind Ernie Els in 1997. Els qualified for this year's elite field by winning the British Open, but had a commitment in his native South Africa and that allowed Love in.
"I'm not disappointed at all that Ernie's not here," Woods said. "There's four pretty good golfers. We've all had major championship success and we've all played really well this year."
Love knows all too well what he's up against. He placed third behind Els and Woods in 1997 and second to Woods in 1999.
"Justin and I are happy Ernie's not here," Love said, causing an eruption of laughter from the other three golfers. "We're not disappointed at all. I've been fortunate to get in a couple of times, filling a spot based on my play in the majors. It's a great golf tournament and a great chance to play with some major champions. It's a great time for friendships; even the people here, the staff at the hotel, they remember me and know my name and that's not just because I'm a playing in a golf tournament."
Leonard knows what it's like to finish last and he's out to avoid repeating that 1997 performance.
"After Ernie won that year, during his gracious acceptance speech, he thanked Tiger and Davis for pushing him on to victory and he thanked me for the entertainment value," Leonard said. "Hopefully, I can provide that again this year and some competition, too. It should be pretty easy to improve on a fourth-place finish by about eight shots."
Leonard, like Love, also got in as an alternate because Woods won two of the majors -- the Masters and U.S. Open. Beem qualified by winning the PGA Championship.
"I haven't played in three weeks and I'm not going to play for six weeks after this, so I'm rested and ready," Leonard added.
Beem, the only newcomer to the tournament field, isn't making any bold predictions, especially with the master of Poipu in the mix. Time will tell if Beem will become just another one-time PGA Grand Slam performer or a repeat qualifier like his three opponents.
"Winning more majors would be nice, but winning a regular tour event is hard enough," Beem said.
Woods and Love look forward to playing away from massive crowds.
"I've been lucky enough to do this every year and always have a great time playing here," Woods said. "It's the hardest tournament to qualify for, and I like the intimate atmosphere."
Love added: "Like Tiger said, it's intimate. It's not like there's 20,000 people out here. It's a nice quiet group that is fun to play in front of."
A bright-eyed Woods barely blinked when Love dished out one of the many grand compliments sent his direction: "We have the best athlete in the world on our tour."
And at Poipu Bay.
PGA Grand Slam of Golf
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POIPU, Kauai >> One of Tiger Woods' good friends is in the house. Barkley tells Tiger
to play AugustaBy Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.com"Sir" Charles Barkley of NBA acclaim is here at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf to do his show for TNT, and he interviewed Woods for the cameras yesterday in front of the 18th fairway at the Poipu Bay Resort Golf Course clubhouse lanai.
"Tiger is my brother and I would do anything for him," Barkley said. "We became friends when I was having my golf tournament at Disney. He called me up and asked if he could come to the post-tournament party and we've been good friends since."
Barkley said he's been keeping busy by doing the TNT series called "Listen Up! Charles Barkley with Ernie Johnson." The Woods segment is schedule to air Thursday.
He didn't hesitate asking Woods some tough questions, but Tiger didn't hesitate retaliating to some of Barkley's playful jabs. Barkley wanted Woods to admit he was lying when he once said Barkley was the worst golfer in the world.
"I call it like I see it," Woods said. "And the truth is the truth. You are terrible."
Of course, Barkley had to squeeze out the last laugh when he said, "I can beat my boss and I can beat Jesse Ventura and that's probably the only two people I can beat."
Barkley said "attacking social issues" is also something he'll continue to do.
One of those issues is the controversy surrounding Augusta National and pressure by special-interest groups on golfers to boycott the course until women are allowed to play there.
"I will kick the hell out of you if you boycott Augusta," Barkley said to Woods during the taping of the show. Later, Barkley said, "Augusta has the right to be private, and it's unfair to Tiger and the rest of the golfers to ask them to stand up against it. It's also wrong to ask Tiger to stand up and fight for black causes. That was something for Muhammad Ali to do and not for Tiger.
"Tiger is an inspiration, and being the best golfer in the world is his No. 1 priority. That's what he gives to the world and that's what makes him special, inspiring so many people, especially kids and black people."
Gimmies: Stalking the fairways is part of Woods' life, but in a golf cart? Woods drove a cart with a person in the passenger seat and two "illegal" passengers -- one standing on the front and one standing in the back -- after finishing the 18th and final hole of yesterday's pro-am. He wasn't cited for poor golf etiquette, and he stayed in control on the path with crowds on both sides. ... Woods' second shot on the 550-yard, par-5 18th went in the drink guarding the front left of the green and he wound up with a bogey. In 2000, he eagled the 18th twice in a row, once in regulation and once in a playoff to beat Vijay Singh. With winds blowing in the opposite direction than the normal trades, all of the closing holes played tougher than usual. Love, Beem and Woods bogeyed the 384-yard, par-4 13th. ... The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is back on Kauai for the 10th time and at Poipu for the ninth time. In 1991, the event was held at the Kauai Lagoons Kiele Course in Lihue. John Daly, golf's phenom at the time, played in '91 and placed fourth. Payne Stewart, who died in 1999, finished third that year. Greg Norman, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Lehman and Ernie Els won from 1994 to '97 before Woods' four-year reign began. The 1992 and '93 events moved to La Quinta, Calif., because of Hurricane Iniki. ... Love's group of Jimmy Dominguez, Nate Smith, Chad Karasaki, Leonard Finkel and Denny Lindquist won the pro-am. ... Love shot a 69, while Woods and Leonard carded 71s and Beem struggled to a 76. ... Love had six birdies.