The 2006 PGA Rookie of the Year, Trevor Immelman, underwent surgery in his native country, South Africa, in order to correct a nagging rib problem.
In 2006, Immelman set a record for rookie earnings with $3.8 million.
In April, 2007, Immelman contracted a stomach ailment and lost 30 pounds.
Immelman was scheduled to have a bone spur removed from the rib cage. It will require muscle to be moved to access the rib. The issue was so problematic that he withdrew from the South African Airways tournament. He had won the event twice before. According to published reports, he was having extreme pain when swinging and pain when breathing.
He plans to strengthen in time to play in the Buick Invitational in San Diego in late January.
Immelman celebrated his 28th birthday on December 16.
For the third consecutive year, Tiger Woods is skipping the winners-only Mercedes Benz Championship at Kapalua.
Phil Mickelson has not played the event since 2001 and is not expected to play in 2008 either. The British Open Campion, Padriag Harrington, will also skip the event. Abu Dhabi will Harrington's first event in the new year.
The Mercedes Benz Championship is the first event of the PGA Tour season for 2008. Only champions from the 2007 season are invited to play. The event will be broadcast on The Golf Channel from Thursday, Jan. 3 thru Sunday, Jan. 6.
Do you think your game would improve if you had an opportunity to train with Hank Haney, a champion golf coach, who is probably best known as Tiger Wood's coach.
Gillette is giving away some great prizes. Instant prizes also include Nike Golf Balls, a Nike Golf Club set signed by Tiger Woods. Visit
http://www.gillettechampions.com/ before February 29, 2008 to enter. You must be a resident of the United States.
This week was meant to be a confidence boost for the world's fifth best player: a weak field in his home country. However, South African golfer Ernie Els has anything but confidence after coasting into the final hole of the Dunhill Championship with an almost guaranteed victory, but walking off the hole with an 8.
Yes, in true Jean van de Velde fashion, Els approach to the green found water twice leading to major frustration by the three time Dunhill champion. After the lousy finishing hole, Els was left one stroke behind John Bickerton of England and Els' fourth title in the event.
Bickerton, who fired an astounding Sunday 68, was extremely surprised to find out he had won the event.
According to ESPN, Bickerton was no longer watching the tournament as Els limped his way to the green, and was even hoping to finish in second place. "I'm in shock. I was just around the corner talking to a cameraman and I thought I might have a chance of finishing second."
Poor Big Easy.
A champion of The Golf Channel's The Big Break, Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey will be heading to the PGA Tour in 2008. Gainey, who gained notoriety for always playing golf wearing gloves on both his left and right hands, finished the PGA Tour's Qualifying School in the top 25 to gain guaranteed access to the PGA Tour in 2008.
Gainey, who started his 6th round well in the lead of the cut line, limped out of qualifying school with a scary 77 on the final day of play. However, Gainey, who won the Big Break all star series, would still have qualified with a 78.
Sure, some aspects of the Masters, golf's first major tournament of the PGA Tour season, will always elude the general public. The azaleas may be died, logic behind calling gallery members "patrons"may be confusing, but one more secret kept from the public will surface.
This week, ESPN announced that the sports media giant will televise the 9 hole Par 3 tournament, which occurs annually on Wednesday before the Masters. The event, played on a 9 hole course on the Augusta National grounds, features a crowd friendly atmosphere with many of golf's greats participating in this fun event.
Of course, the Par 3 Contest has never made it to television before, overshadowed by the hoopla of golf's great event. According to
ESPN President George Bodenheimer, "ESPN looks forward to bringing the Par 3 Contest to a national television audience for the first time. Fans will now be able to watch many of the greatest names in golf, past and present, as they enjoy a fun day of golf with friends and family."
The contest will air on ESPN during 3-5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on April 9th, 2008.
During the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland, controversial nude photos appeared in The Dubliner of Tiger's wife, Elin Nordgren. The former model, who had participated in bikini shots before becoming a nanny for a PGA Tour star, was deeply offended by the fake naked pictures. 
However, the Irish tabloid paid Nordgren substantial damages as a result of the libel charge in an Irish court. The official figure has not been released, but witnesses in the court room say the tabloid will pay
$182,000 over two years.
Of course, being that Nordgren is currently enjoying a happy marriage with sport's richest man, she decided to use the money for a charitable cause. In memory of European Tour star Darren Clarke's wife, who died in 2006 from breast cancer, Nordegren will donate the damages in her honor.
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