What to make of Tiger's travails?

First, let us say that he may or may not be guilty of anything more than lousy driving, but no one believes that.

So ...

Tiger Wood's bubble has popped. He was fine as long as he stayed inside the bubble built around him by IMG, the PGA Tour and, most of all, himself, but he made the awful mistake of stepping out of it. He's always been fair game and now he can be chased.

• He and his advisers have done an awful job of handling the situation. Woods always has been forthright, though a bit reserved, but not talking to the police and hiring a defend-the-guilty attorney have not led anyone to feel much sympathy.

• The PGA Tour has pretty much avoided being dragged through the celebrity press. John Daly is an exception, but he's such a cartoon character that his goofy travels through life don't rub off on anyone else. The golf media is a suck-up group that overlooks who-saw-who-with-who and the paparazzi has pointed cameras elsewhere. Now, the most famous golfer of all time has stepped on his tush; when the media swarm has its fill of him, they'll start looking for Golfer No. 2.

• Tiger was driving a Cadillac. Isn't he a spokesman for Buick?

• If he wanted something on the side, wouldn't you think he could find someone who was a bit less traveled? Rachel whats-her-name is a C-List publicist on the fringes of the New York City celeb scene. And a 24-year-old barmaid?

• Have you ever been hit upside the face with a golf club? How did it feel? Like you couldn't play golf for a while, I'll bet.

• Tiger joke No. 1: Tiger's a typical golfer - they always blame it on the Caddy.

• Tiger joke No. 2: Tiger has a new club on the market guaranteed to help you slice AND draw. It slices you opens and draws blood.

• Tiger joke No. 3: The police asked Elin how many times she hit him and she replied, "Maybe six or seven, but put me down for a five."

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Did you follow the World Cup? Were you sad that our boys didn't do well?

Confess to me: you never, ever knew that an American named John Merrick played golf on the PGA Tour.

The World Cup used to be great. I recall going to Palm Beach Gardens one year to watch Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino win, but it's gradually slipped over the years.

Now, we send John Merrick.

Let's hope the PGA Tour doesn't have the bright idea of campaigning to bring it around here.

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A few spots remain for the Jacksonville Area GA's Pro-President on Monday at Golf Club of Amelia. Talk to your pro to see if your club has a team.

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Warning to those playing in the Gate Senior: if you can't play a practice round, at least go out and putt the Ponte Vedra practice greens.

Most clubs are still recovering from overseeding and their greens are running 8 or 9. PV's around 11 or 12.