The Golf Thread

[Ramp]

Tiger will not play in the US Open

[Ramp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM2NocuEihw

[Ramp]

http://media.nj.com/golf/photo/9703443-large.jpg

BETHESDA, Md. -- The funniest one-sided friendship in golf history started in early February, when Andres Gonzales introduced himself on Twitter and stated his affinity for large mammals.

@TigerWoods My name is Andres Gonzales and I am a rookie on tour. I like elephants.

It has continued over the four months since, a relationship that has blossomed into something truly ... weird. Gonzales has told Woods that his favorite color is green. He has invited him out bowling. He has even asked him which golfer he should use in Woods’ own video game.

Anybody have a pill that will give me six pack abs while sitting in my hotel room doing nothing? @TigerWoods how you look like that?!?

On and on it goes, dozens of tweets turning this anonymous rookie golfer into a Twitter legend. Gonzales is at the U.S. Open this week at Congressional, the first major of his career. Woods is not because of his leg injuries, but he is sure to get updates from his best "friend."

Okay, so you’re probably wondering how the most famous athlete in the world feels about this attention from a rookie ranked 241st in the world. So is Gonzales. Woods has not replied -- not even once -- and that, to Gonzales, just makes the entire gag even funnier.

Hey @TigerWoods, I heard Jack (Nicklaus) used to dunk basketballs. I don’t buy it. Your thoughts?

And it is a gag, one born out of a conversation with his roommate. The former UNLV golfer, skeptical of the celebrities who use Twitter to discuss trips to the dentist, was wondering what to do with his new account.
"You should Twitter Tiger," she suggested.

"Hey, that’s a pretty good idea!" he replied.

So there he was, sitting in a Las Vegas bar called The Griffin, telling a 14-time major winner that he likes elephants. That led to a few hundred followers, so he continued the one-sided conversation.

Tiger used to scare the spikes off the young players on the PGA Tour. Now he has become the foil in a running joke for a guy with $37,645 in career earnings. Talk about a tough year.

@TigerWoods Dude check out my finish today. Best finish probably ever. One over and ready to pounce like a Tiger ... get it?

Of course, plenty of golf fans don’t get the joke, probably because they haven’t met the joker. Gonzales looks more like a lead singer in a Def Leppard cover band than a PGA Tour pro, with long black hair flowing from behind his golf cap and a Fu-Manchu mustache that would impress Goose Gossage (even if, as relievers go, he looks like Rod Beck).

Gonzales will eventually cut the hair for Locks for Love in honor of his father, who died of pancreatic cancer. Until then, he stands out on the fairways at Congressional, a 220-pound big hitter who gave up football and turned to golf after breaking his neck when he was 11.

"He enjoys life and makes sure every day is fun," his wife Kristin said as she followed him along the 15th fairway. "Nothing gets him down."

Kristin, for the record, isn’t one of his 6,700 followers. His mother wasn’t even aware that he was rattling Tiger’s cage. But until he does better than a 38th-place finish at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, it’s his claim to fame.

Fans mention his tweets as he signs autographs. They all ask if Tiger has answered him, and Gonzales just shakes his head and answers, "Not yet." Then there are the fans telling him to stand down.

Even Stewart Cink, the PGA Tour’s most prolific tweeter with 1.2 million followers, thinks poking Tiger is "a little risky."

"I’m sure he wants his career to ascend to the point when he’s paired with Tiger Woods," Cink said, "and if he says some things that are funny but at Tiger’s expense, Tiger doesn’t like that kind of stuff."

Gonzales isn’t worried. He hopes the Tiger that once told off-color jokes to Esquire magazine would find humor in a random rookie breaking down scientific acronym for him.

@TigerWoods Did you know that Laser stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation? I learned something new today.

Until then, the one-sided friendship continues. Gonzales hopes, if he shocks the world and wins the U.S. Open this week, he’ll finally hear back from his "friend" on Twitter.

"Maybe he’ll answer back, ‘You’re lucky I wasn’t playing,’" Gonzales said. "That would be like, ‘Touché.’"
http://www.nj.com/golf/index.ssf/2011/06/politi_at_us_open_andres_gonza.html?utm_source=fee dburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GolfInNewJersey+%28Golf+in+Ne w+Jersey%29

This guy is for me.

[Namaste]

Yes he is for me too.

The US Open is my 2nd fav major. I'm probably in the minority but I like tournaments with no Tiger not because I don't like Tiger but because I hate all the fan-boy stuff and broadcaster fellatio that goes on with him.

LOTS of ridiculously good pro golfers not named Tiger on the Euro/PGA Tour.

[AdamRavs]

Rickie Fowler & Bubba Watson are fun to watch

[Ramp]

that was some run by Rory McIlroy this week

[¿NICK?]

Yeah, I think people are getting ahead of themselves with the "Next Tiger" stuff, though.

[Ramp]

absolutely

I mean, Jason Day has been better if we're going off the last 2 majors

[Ramp]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/Ramp101/Screenshot2011-06-20at21924PM.png

[Ramp]

Tiger is embarrassing himself out there today

[Ramp]

Tiger won his own tourney today

he's back.

[Fritz]

Yay, Tiger lives!

[Hugg]

He won a fake tournament with 18 people in it.

[Ramp]

If I can touch 'em, they're real

[Fritz]

They were like two bags of sand.

[Ramp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIRWkZgTTHo

[Ramp]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PL-DFrgzRs

[Namaste]

Just watched Stenson have a pretty hugh header after he skulled one.

Good times. Common Molinari one time.
--------------------
Wow. Stenson a quadruple on 18. yikes!

[MiamiHomer]

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1047414/phill_medium.gif

[Namaste]

That was a helluva 16, 17 and 18

:bowdown

[Hugg]

that South African fella double eagled 2 to take the lead

[Namaste]

that South African fella double eagled 2 to take the lead

So insane. :o

It's playoff time. Bubba vs Louis

[Hugg]

Thought Louis had that putt.

[Namaste]

Bubba didn't do it

[Hugg]

HOLY SHIT

[Namaste]

GAME SET BUBBA

[Hugg]

Man that was cool.

[AdamRavs]

Awesome playoff! Esp. the shot out of the straw!

[MiamiHomer]

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1048084/hangin_medium.gif