Woods now has free time

Friday, January 1, 1904

JOHNS CREEK, Ga.-Tiger Woods now has even more time to spend with his kids.

He can see plenty of Sam Alexis and Charlie Axel this weekend after missing the cut at the PGA Championship.

And Woods can do whatever he wants any other weekend for the rest of the PGA Tour season after failing to make the Tour Championship playoffs. The Australian Open in November is the only tournament he has committed to play in.

Woods played out of about 20 bunkers and hit five balls into water in 36 holes to shoot a 10-over-par 150 in the PGA Championship.

It's the final disappointment of a disappointing year for Woods, who completed just one tournament since the Masters. He missed two majors and missed the cut in the last major of the year.

"This year has been frustrating because I was feeling somewhat healthy going into the Masters and put it together there and was leading with a few holes to go," he said. "It's frustrating from the standpoint that I have not been able to practice and work and obviously compete."

He has plenty of time now.

Stallings stalled

Tennessee Tech graduate Scott Stalling sat on the cut line with two holes to play Friday.

He bogeyed No. 8 after flaring a tee shot. Then knowing he needed a birdie on No. 9, he went from fairway bunker to a fried-egg lie in a greenside bunker. He had to hole the shot.

Stallings didn't and finished with a double-bogey exactly two weeks after earning his first PGA Tour win.

"I just didn't play very good," Stalling said. "Golf was hard this week."

R&R for Clarke

British Open champion Darren Clarke and his clubs are going their separate ways for a few days.

Since claiming the claret jug, Clarke has shot 27 over par in eight rounds of golf, including 14 over in two rounds in the year's final major.

"I need a rest. I'm tired," said the 42-year-old. "I won't pick up the clubs for 10 days. I won't even look at them. I'm just mentally tired."

Tardy to the tee

Former Vanderbilt star Brandt Snedeker missed his tee time by 2 minutes, 15 seconds and was assessed a two-stroke penalty.

"I thought my tee time was 8:20 and it was at 8:10," said Snedeker, who arrived at the club about 6:30. "That's the first time that's happened in my career, and I guarantee it will be my last."

Tap-ins

J.B. Holmes, Rocco Mediate and Retief Goosen withdrew from the tournament Friday, one day after first alternate Paul Gydos could have stepped in for any of them. ... The Honors Course head pro Henrik Simonsen followed former roommate Thomas Bjorn from the gallery.