Golf Notebook: Tiger Woods on the Mend

The Chevron World Challenge, played in early December at Sherwood CC in Southern California, is Tiger Woods' event, held annually to benefit his youth foundation.

Everybody knows why he was a no-show for last year's competition. Only a few days before tournament week, Woods wrecked his SUV in Florida, taking out a fire hydrant -- and a lot of dirty laundry spilled out.

The father of two young children now is divorced and hasn't won a golf tournament since. That made Woods' media day appearance via satellite this week particularly interesting.

"Certainly, I'm a lot more at peace now," Woods said. "Everyone's getting used to the new living conditions. The kids are adjusting. I think everyone's certainly more at peace, and so am I, too.

"I learned a lot about myself, and I learned how things went wrong, why they went wrong and had to take a pretty deep and introspective look at myself. And there weren't a lot of things I liked about it. But I had to do it, and I did it and (am) grateful that I did. I think that I come from a much better place, much more grounded place now than I ever have before."

Late in the season, Woods did show signs of returning to form. His best golf of the year probably came during last month's Ryder Cup, where he left with a 3-1 record, including a six-birdie, one eagle performance over 15 holes on the way to a singles victory.

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Still, he went winless for the first time in his PGA Tour career and at the end of this month will lose the world No. 1 ranking he has held for almost six consecutive years.

The golfer was asked if the poor golf had been humbling?

"I would say more frustrating than anything, because I've had two teachers this year. I've had a stretch where I didn't work with anybody. A lot of different things were going on on and off the golf course. All in all it was a long, frustrating year, but in the end it turned out that everything's headed in a positive direction now."

FINS TO THE LEFT

Seems that Greg Norman is back on the comeback trail.

As far as whether he plans on playing some golf, we're not sure.

But at a recent press conference in Naples, Fla., to promote the upcoming Shark Shootout that he hosts, the golfer talked about going to the Great Wall of China with his fiancée.

"I went on a business trip to China a couple months ago," Norman said. "It's the first time I've ever taken two-and-a-half days to sight-see ... and I took my fiancée to see the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City."

About this time a year ago, news had just leaked that Norman and tennis star Chris Evert were divorcing.

According to reports, the next future Mrs. Shark is Australian interior decorator Kirsten Kutner, described as a "young Olivia Newton-John look-alike." Reports also suggest the two have been pretty much an item since spring.

Norman told Australia's "New Idea" magazine he unexpectedly pulled out a six-carat diamond ring while the two were having a day-to-day conversation.

"One minute we were having a day-to-day conversation and the next moment, all of a sudden, everything changed -- our lives changed," Norman said.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It's a hard way to make an easy living."

-- Jason Gore, after beginning final-round play bogey-bogey on the way to a even-par 71 that won the Nationwide Tour's Miccosukee Championship, his first victory on any tour in five years.

HARRINGTON ENDS TWO-YEAR DROUGHT

Ireland's Padraig Harrington moved back into the world's top 20 after winning the Johor Open in Malaysia Sunday for his first victory in over two years.

Harrington, a three-time major championship winner, has been fighting a slump since his last victory in the 2008 PGA while falling slowly down the world rankings.

But following a two-shot victory in the Asian Tour event, Harrington moved up to 19th in the world and found a new sense of optimism.

"'I've got some really good things to look forward to in my game, really sound things," he said. "Maybe I'm an optimist but I feel my best golf is still to come."

NOT SO GRAND SLAM

The Grand Slam of Golf likes to bill itself as "the most exclusive tournament in golf."

Unfortunately, this week's PGA of America get-together in Bermuda turned into the Alternate Open.

Instead of featuring the year's four major championship winners, the 36 holes of play on Tuesday and Wednesday managed to attract two.

Northern Ireland's U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell and German PGA Champ Martin Kaymer are on hand, but Masters winner Phil Mickelson and British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa withdrew. (Mickelson citing his fight with arthritis and Oosthuizen because of an ankle injury).

Ernie Els and David Toms are filling out the foursome.

The event has been held since 1979. The winner earns $600,000 and dead last pays $200,000. But the event has become more exhibition than competition and simply does not move the interest needle.

Some things need to just go quietly into the night and the Grand Slam might be one of them.

MENTIONABLES

• Rocco Mediate's win Sunday at the Frys.com Open came at age 47 years, 10 months, making him the oldest PGA Tour winner since Kenny Perry, who won the 2009 Travelers Championship at 48 years, 10 months.

Mediate's victory is the seventh this year by a player in his 40s: Steve Stricker (2), Ernie Els (2), Cameron Beckman and Jim Furyk.

STILL PLUGGING

David Duval plays on.

A year ago the former British Open champ and one-time world No. 1 returned to PGA Tour qualifying school in an effort to retain exempt status. He failed and had to rely primarily on sponsor invites to compete this season.

It appears he made the most of those opportunities.

Duval finished T6 Sunday at the Frys.com and increased his yearly earnings to $906,994, 99th on the money list. That is likely enough to finish in the top 125 to earn a full exemption for 2011.

"I have gone through some changes recently, feeling really good about what I was going through," Duval said

Still, it remains an uphill climb. Frys.com was only Duval's second top 10 of the season and only his third in the last eight years.

LPGA SURPRISE

LPGA rookie Beatriz Recari of Spain has missed the cut in 10 of 14 tournaments, including five of her last six, before winning Sunday's CVS/Pharmacy LPGA Challenge.

"It affects a lot my confidence because obviously it was the right thing to come back to basics, although, I still have to improve my game," Recari said. "But it's obvious that it's working, so I just have to trust myself more and let it happen."

On another note, Recari was raised in Pamplona, known as the home of Spain's running of the bulls. And no, she hasn't.

"Absolutely not. Absolutely not," Recari said. "You know, everyone asks me that, but I always say I've seen it enough times to realize that it's more dangerous than what people think. I watched it many times behind the fence, but that's about it."