Golf

The 19th hole

By BOB HARIG
Published March 31, 2005

DIVOTS

NO LEFTY, BUT HE'S ALL RIGHT: It is depressing enough for the casual golfer to see how well and how effortlessly Vijay Singh hits a golf ball. But left-handed, too? Singh, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, recently was featured in an HBO Real Sports segment. He played the TPC-Sawgrass course with host Bryant Gumble and easily hit a shot onto the par-3 17th island hole swinging from the wrong side. Singh spends a lot of time on the driving range, and is known to borrow the clubs of left-handed players from time to time just for fun.

NORMAN'S TSUNAMI EFFORTS: A rainy, cold day did not help, but Greg Norman's attempt to raise money for tsunami relief still was a big success. To date, more than $2-million has been raised, with $1.8-million of it coming from a one-day outing on March 9 at his Medalist Club in Hobe Sound that included former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. Participants paid $30,000 for the privilege."It is a tremendous feeling to see the way people stepped up for this cause," said Norman, who noted that some $200,000 in donations had come to his office since the outing. "I was honored to host this event alongside two distinguished former presidents and to know that we raised such a substantial amount of money for their respective charities is something everyone who participated should be proud of." Called "Three Free Friends: One Goal," the effort has raised money for AmeriCare and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF: Water and Sanitation Fund.

"We never play in conditions like this. When it's this windy, we don't even go out." - Vijay Singh, who plays and practices at the TPC-Sawgrass, on the conditions players faced Monday at the Players Championship.

Four of the top seven finishers at the Players Championship - Fred Funk, Scott Verplank, Luke Donald and Steve Elkington - rank outside the top 100 on the PGA Tour in driving distance.

[Last modified March 31, 2005, 01:28:16]