Mark Steinberg, agent of one Eldrick Tiger Woods, announced that his client will meet this Friday with a small group of people in Florida at the home of the PGA Tour.The Associated Press reported that Woods will take no questions and expects to explain his past and apologize for his actions.

Although three wire services are invited, Steinberg has asked that a pool be set up by the golf writers. Only one camera will record the session and be available for distribution by satellite.

Fellow golfers had hoped Woods would meet off-site of any tournament that he decided to attend prior to his return to the PGA Tour.

They are getting that wish granted EXCEPT that the meeting on Friday is smack dab in the middle of the Accenture Match Play Championships in Arizona.

And similarly to Woods’ pronouncements posted on his web site, this explanation and apology session will not be interactive.

Hot topics for questions that won’t be asked: did he receive treatment for an addiction, what is his post-treatment recovery consist of, what is happening in his marriage and what his golf schedule will look like this year.

The question Sports Climax has is this; ‘Why even bother meeting the media if you are just reading or making a statement? You can do the same on a video feed without the pads and pens in the room.”

Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

The story of Phil Mickelson being called a cheat by a fellow golfer has circulated this week at the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Mickelson is using a wedge with square grooves rather than V-shaped grooves. The square-grooved clubs were banned by the U.S Golf Association (USGA) except for those that were manufactured by Ping prior to April 1, 1990.

That exception was agreed to by the USGA after it was sued by Ping. All square-grooved clubs but the Ping wedge are now illegal on the U.S. PGA Tour.

David Feherty, CBS golf analyst told television viewers on Saturday that the old grooves keep more grass from coming between the club and the ball as it comes off the ground.

Yahoo! Sports reports that Mickelson and at least four other golfers have the controversial clubs in their bags for the tournament. Cue the howls of others, one of whom actually called Phil a cheat. Scott McCarron spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday and said: “It’s cheating and I’m appalled Phi has put it in play.”

A fan favorite for years and seen by many as more accessible and pleasant than Tiger Woods, Mickelson is being counted on by the PGA to keep sponsors, fans and television viewers attending and watching the events in the absence of the big kahuna, Tiger Woods.

Mickelson went on the defensive Friday with media and admitted that he is taking advantage of the loop hole but reminded everyone that he follows the rules of golf, if not in spirit, at least literally.

The PGA buttressed that with a statement on Saturday castigating McCarron but not by name. The full statement can be found here. It says in part: “criticisms characterizing their use as a violation of the Rules of Golf as promulgated by the USGA are inappropriate at best.

In the meantime, Mickelson who has carefully cultivated his good guy image is being asked questions that seem strange to him. There’s a way to fix that. Ditch the Ping.

 Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles. 

Just days after releasing his baby Charlie’s photos to the world, Tiger Woods announced he will compete in next week’s WGC Accenture Match Play Championship.Remarkably, when Woods tees off on February 25 he will do so holding the #1 rating on the Official World Golf Rating chart, even after a 253-day layoff.

When Woods left the tour, he had a commanding lead in the ratings. A lead so padded, he remains in the top spot with a 9.895 rating, 2.05 ahead of #2 Sergio Garcia.

Since Woods limped off the Torrey Pines Golf Course in with the U.S. Open trophy and went on the hiatus that included major surgery on his knee, golf has certainly taken a knock in revenue and television ratings. The hype about his return has put golf back in the headlines and is sure to give the sport an economic boast.

With Tiger’s history of winning after returning from long breaks, most people expect him to step back onto the course, regain his patented swing and remain at the head of the class.

A majority of people answering an ESPN poll pick him to win the Accenture Match Play Championship where he is a three-time winner. Many of the experts, however, expect to see some rust.

When Woods won the open last year, he had approximately an 11 point lead in the ratings that has since shrunk to 2.05. Being competitive in nature, Tiger’s return gives him an opportunity to pad that lead and remain in the top spot where he has been a permanent fixture.

And with baby Charlie Axel adjusting to the world with his time clock out of synch, Woods has this opportunity to go back to work so he can get some sleep.

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