After a 9 months of recovery from (count ‘em) four surgeries to remove a brain tumor, pro golfer Seve “Balls” Ballesteros made his first public appearance at a press conference in Spain today. With an eager press corps in attendance to hear about Seve’s battle, the five-time major champ went with what he knows, the Links references..

“Nine months ago my life was hanging by a thread. I feel now like I have a mulligan in life.“

“My recovery is like The Open in 1984 when the ball hovered on the lip of the hole. With all my energy I willed the ball to drop in and it did.

(via The Telegraph)

I love it. Best of luck with the continued recovery moving forward, you wacky Spaniard.

Check out the video:

I don’t even know Briny Baird, son of Butch Baird, but what a guy! He won the whole damn Country P.F. Changs!

Yesterday, while a whole lot of you were sitting at work dreaming about P.F. Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps, B.B. was atop the Omni Hotel in San Diego staring down at a make-shift bullseye set-up in right field of Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.

The task at hand, take ten shots from the 300+ foot elevated tee. If a single one landed in the center of the bullseye, every man and woman alive in America would receive a free P.F. Chang wrap (the kicker: you have to buy a damn entree. RATS!) Additionally, for every bullseye P.F. Chang’s donated $2,000 to the San Diego Navy/ Marine Corps Relief Society ($1,000 and $500 for the outer rings).

Now this was an elevated tee. It sat Monday on the roof of the Omni San Diego Hotel, 34 floors – 340 feet or thereabouts – above L Street, 268 yards to a flag stabbed into Petco Park’s right field turf and surrounded by a large bull’s-eye. Tough hole, but maybe the most picturesque in the history of golf.

Little wind, but always a threat of tricky gusts. No trees. Possible nosebleed. The only rough was the shot itself. Not since Alan Shepard sliced a few on the moon had we seen anything like it. A David Letterman stunt, perhaps. (SignOnSanDiego.com)

Briny put two in the center, and 8 of 10 in the scoring area – raising $17,500, which Chang’s upped to $25 large. Novel charity work by all (we all lost interest in the chicken lettuce wraps after hearing the damn entree kicker).

Go check out the video on SignOnSanDiego.com

Tee it up…way up…in the stratosphere.

That was Padraig Harrington and Raphael Jacquelin each letting the big dog eat on the 19th hole at Legend Golf & Safari Club (what a combo!) in South Africa. At 830 meters, it is the longest hole in the World. You can only get to the 430 meter elevated tee box by Helicopter. Anyone who holes one out from up there gets a cool million U.S. dollars.

(H/T to Twistedsifter.com)

I am legitimately worried about this guy’s career peaking too early.

Japanese phenom Ryo Ishikawa became the youngest golfer to win on any tour at the age 15, and at age 17 has already risen up the ranks to #60 in the World. Not to mention he finished 5th overall in the money last year.

He’s a phenom festival, plus he looks like he’s going to unleash a tornado whirlwind kick after he’s done reading this green

I’m sure he could have just called somebody if he wanted to get exempt for stateside PGA event this year, but before he had the chance to do that Arnold Palmer played his consummate golf legend card and took matters into his own hand.

According to PGAtour.com, Palmer sent Ishikawa a personalized letter asking him participate in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill (March 23-26). Ishikawa, known also as ‘the shy prince’, graciously accepted and will be one of two exempt players who will get to compete against a top-ranked field next March that could include Tiger Woods, who could potentially return to tour action by then.

(Japanese phenom accepts Palmer’s Bay Hill invitation)

Government Mandated Playoff? I Don’t Think So (The World According to Moondog)
ESPN Fixes Up Sunday Night Baseball Broadcast… By Adding Steve Phillips?! (Sharapova’s Thigh)
HHR’s Penthouse Forum…Win a PEPSI SUPERBOWL PRIZE PACK (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
Titans QB Collins added to Pro Bowl roster (FoxSports.com)
When A Blonde Backs Caboose Into Scott Van Pelt (Busted Coverage)
The NBA’s midseason report card – Hot or not style (Cuzoogle)
Kevin Johnson said he would skunk Barack Obama, Video (NESW Sports)
Z-Trip’s “The Victory Lap: The Obama Mixtape Part 2″ (Music For Perfect People)
In Mild Upset, Red Sox, Jonathan Papelbon Avoid Arbitration Hearing (Fanhouse)
How To Defend Against A Bear Hug (Barstool Sports)

Unlike this guy, Natalie Gulbis doesn’t have five career hole-in-ones (she has two), but, to borrow a line from the incomparable Mitch Hedberg, she did “hit a guy.”

(via Fandome)

Gulbis showing her vindictive side with that whole, “five bucks if I hit him?” line. Hot.

Champions Tour wins Three-Tour Challenge (Times of the Internet)
TV On The Radio Visit Jay Leno (Stereogum)
BCS Doesn’t Suck For SEC, Big 12 (Moondog Sports)
Falcons thriving after extreme makeover (Fox Sports)
Anthony Kiedis’ rock memoir heading to HBO (via Pop Candy)
You’re With Me, Double-Breasted Suit (Mister Irrelevant)

The 17th Annual Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge golf tournament takes place this weekend in Henderson, NV. It is the only pro golf event that pits players from all three major tours against each other.

The LPGA is going with quite the team of vixens, a power trio consisting of…

Cristie Kerr

Helen Alfredsson

Natalie Gulbis

The other two teams that will be competing against [and distracted by] the ladies include:
Fred Funk, Jay Haas and Nick Price. [the fogies] representing the Champions Tour, and the not as old (but as creepy as they want to be, I’m sure) Stewart Cink, Rocco Mediate and Kenny Perry representing the PGA Tour.

Important to note, on the off-chance that you’re gonna be in Nevada and are interested in checking this out, general admission is free! I know if I was in the greater Henderson area, I’d make time to go watch NG read a putt or two.

The Tournament benefits the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and more info can be found at Wendys3tour.com

Link:
Teams Complete for Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge

The television spot for FedEx Cup 2008 – Sans Tigris, of course – makes me laugh…

/easily amused, sue me.

…It bears mentioning that I aspire to never work anywhere with video conferencing capabilities.