A NEW ERA ON THE PGA TOUR!

Today marks the beginning of a new era on the PGA Tour. With Tiger Woods surprising everyone last week by withdrawing from the Players Championship, including the "insiders" on tour, the golf media and tournament commentators, the tour takes on a new aura this week at the Valero Texas Open. Tiger Who?

The world now knows the extent of Tiger's problems, mostly mental, surrounding his failure to play well since his five month sabbatical from the Tour. I have been saying for weeks that Tiger's mental attitude sucks due to his marriage problems and his worries about what the world's opinion is of him. Now that no one seems to know what is in his mind, everyone connected with the Tour is confused, and wondering what will happen next.

The Valero Texas Open starts today on a new course designed by Greg Norman. I haven't had a chance to look at the field yet for this week's tournament, but I'm sure Phil Mickelson won't be playing. Phil will take some time off and train for the U.S.Open at Pebble Beach in June. He may play once before the Open.

I don't know, nor do I care, if Lee Westwood is playing this week. When I was young, and just learning the game, I learned never to watch anyone swing because I would immediately mimic the swing that I watched. That usually applies to amateurs with obviously poor swings. If I watched them swing, I would copy their swing myself. That's how strong of an influence the mind has on the body in golf, and that is why my favorite training aid is Al Geiberger's Sybervision training DVD.

Lee Westwood's swing is one of the swings on tour that I can't stand watching. When I first noticed how jerky his shoulders seemed to be at impact, I couldn't put my finger on the problem. I remember hearing Johnny Miller talking during last year's Open Championship how he liked Westwood's swing. But there was something there that bothered me. Then I noticed it.

Westwood has the same quirk in his neck and head on the downswing that Lorena Ochoa has had for years, or for her entire career for that matter. My neck hurts just watching either of them swing. No wonder Ochoa is retiring in her twenties; she'd spend the rest of her life in traction if she continued playing another year or two.

Don't believe me? Just watch her swing, then try to hit a ball yourself.

Who knows, maybe Tiger watched Westwood swing too much last week, and developed his own sore neck as a result!