Tiger Woods Misses Cut at Wells Fargo

Just a quick note before the Bulls game tips off on TV:

According to my friends on Twitter, Tiger Woods has officially missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. Why is this news? Because this is only the eighth time in Tiger's career that he hasn't made it to the weekend in a golf tournament. I wonder what he'll have to say about this in his next fan question segment. (Note: Don't worry, it likely won't come up.)

Tiger had the following to say after his round:

"I figured I needed to get to 3 under to be safe, 2 under for sure," Woods said before departing. "It's frustration. I'm not playing a weekend where I have a chance to compete for a title. I've missed my share of cuts in the past, and none of them feel good."

Woods' next stop will likely be The Players Championship next week. Maybe golf swing guru Sean Foley will come up with another band-aid solution for his prized pupil. (Note: Don't worry, not likely)

Rickie Fowler One Shot Back at Quail Hollow; Moore Tied For Lead

Rickie Fowler is among a group of players tied for second place after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship, placing him in a situation the young PGA TOUR star has not found himself often in his career. Fowler is joined by four others at 6-under par for the tournament.

Fowler was actually tied for the lead upon the completion of his opening round, however a late-afternoon surge from Stewart Cink, Webb Simpson and Ryan Moore catapulted the trio to a tie for the lead by day's end, currently at 7-under.

While each of the leaders has a win to his credit on tour, Fowler - and others tied for second - hope to break the seal on their first career victory this week. Fowler certainly has the talent to be a multiple-time winner on the PGA TOUR, however he has routinely fallen short whenever near the top of the leaderboard.

"I wouldn't be surprised if a win is right around the corner," Fowler told reporters following a flawless round that included an eagle on Quail Hollow's par-5 seventh. "Once it does, hopefully the doors open and we'll go from there."

This is not to say Rickie hasn't won a professional tournament before. In fact, his win at the Kolon Korea Open last season came in a tournament that also featured oft-World #1 Rory McIlory.

In other news, Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 71 in his opening round. Whoop dee doo.

Jason Dufner: Second Best Athlete Coming Out of Auburn!

A funny thing happened this past weekend at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Jason Dufner won a golf tournament on the PGA TOUR (and even showed a bit of emotion - although I am still not convinced what emotion that might have been).

While this was certainly a grand achievement for Dufner on a professional level, the 35-year old veteran from North Olmsted, Ohio is no stranger to receiving attention for his golf talents.

As a student at Auburn University, Dufner walked-on to the university golf teamand played for three years (along with fellow-PGA TOUR player Roland Thatcher). As his talents progressed, Dufner would ultimately earn an Honorable Mention All-American nod in 1997 (and nothing says "success" like an honorable mention!). He would graduate from Auburn in 2000 with a degree in Economics.

Dufner still makes his home in Auburn, which by no means is a large city. He often trains at the Moores Mill Golf Club, whose name was predominately displayed on his golf bag the last few PGA TOUR events. Commonly known as a gentleman around town and on tour, Dufner routinely stops to sign a few autographs for fans both at his home driving range and other tour events.

In terms of recent Auburn Tiger athletes, Cam Newton certainly holds his place as "most recognizable" in the eyes of most sport fans. With any luck - and continued success on tour - Dufner may just become the second-best athlete out of Opelika-Auburn.

2012 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Dufner Making a Charge

While first-round leaders Ken Duke and Cameron Tringale - "The Triangle" - have yet to tee-off Friday, Jason Dufner has surpassed the duo to take the lead at 9-under par in New Orleans.

Dufner started his morning with a birdie on the par-4 opening hole, followed by three consecutive birdies on holes five through seven. He is currently playing his back-nine for the second round, but history tells us that Dufner will likely remain towards the top of the leaderboard for the remainder of this week thanks to his hot start.

The Auburn alum has been playing quite well over the past few months, but Dufner continues to search for his first win on the PGA TOUR. He came close twice in 2011 - including a major - but lost both of his playoff matches (Waste Management Phoenix Open to Mark Wilson; PGA Championship to Keegan Bradley).

Dufner also made some noise early on in this year's Masters tournament but would ultimately fall to a tie for 24th place.

Speaking of Masters champions, Bubba Watson currently sits at 1-under par and will tee off a little later today. Watson is also the defending Zurich Classic champion and has his work cut out for him as tournament leaders are quickly approaching the 10-under par mark.

Bubba Watson Returns to Action

Tomorrow morning the PGA TOUR will tee off at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and defending champion Bubba Watson will be the talk of the town as he competes for the first time following his Masters victory earlier this month.

Quick, cue the Overly-High Expectations Committee!

There's no doubt that all eyes will be on Watson when he tees off tomorrow, and rightfully so. The Rogue Golfer (which is a nickname I literally just made up for Bubba right now based on his lack of a swing coach and the fact that it is kind of difficult to think of a nickname for a guy named "Bubba") will continue to smash monster drives all over the golf course, work his golf ball around trees and over hills, and likely find himself in good position by week's end on the leaderboard. That's just how Bubba operates.

But it is important for golf fans to not lose sight of the fact that Bubba is a risk-taker, and he didn't win the Masters by playing it safe. In fact, he hasn't won anything on a golf course by playing it safe, so let's not be surprised if and when we see an odd shot by Watson sail into the woods or into a hazard. Again, that's just how he operates.

The spotlight is nothing new for the man from Baghdad, Florida. He has won TOUR events in the past, he's made a fool out of himself (in a good way) on YouTube, and he has begun starring in PING commercials that showcase his... um... skills as an actor. Bubba is a man who loves to have a good time when all eyes are on him, which is a far cry from his past anger management issues and poor attitude.

But he has never been in a spotlight this bright before. After all, he is now the only man who has a chance at winning the Grand Slam this year (which is highly unlikely to happen, but who would be surprised if it did?). Furthermore, American golf is yearning, begging, pleading for a new top-golfer to lead the United States in this country's uphill battle to match talents and accolades with our neighbors across the pond.

A lot is resting on the shoulders of Bubba, but I couldn't think of a better player to handle all the pressure.

Just Kidding! Posts to Resume Shortly

Remember that time I said I was leaving to only work on SB Nation's golf section? Well, communication lines got crossed a bit and your friend Adam got himself all sorts of confused. So what does that mean?

Golf thoughts and other ramblings will continue to be posted here on Waggleroom from yours truly and the other writers! I know you are all incredibly excited to hear that news. Please, hold your applause.

Anyway, sorry for the confusion. You can still check out content from me and Emily over at SB Nation's golf section in addition to other content found on Waggleroom.

PGA TOUR & Appearance Fees: What Say You?

Earlier this morning I posted a story on the SB Nation golf section that involved a brief opinion on appearance fees for professional golfers at the sponsor's discretion. In that article I wrote:

A funny thing happened this past weekend on the PGA TOUR: Ben Curtis, winless since 2006, won an event where he very well could have been one of the bigger names in the field. That's right; Ben "I Almost Lost My TOUR Card" Curtis was one of a few standouts at the Valero Texas Open.

Meanwhile, Lee Westwood, the third-ranked player in the world, successfully defended his title at the Indonesian Masters, a tournament he likely would not have even played in had it not been for the appearance fee he was paid to attend. As a result, the Indonesian Masters became a strong ratings competitor to the Valero Texas Open, all because of one name golf fans everywhere recognize.

Now there is definitely more to the offering of "appearance fees" than what I lead on in the above excerpt, but the question remains the same: why doesn't the PGA TOUR allow for appearance fees?

ESPN.com's Bob Harig also chimed in on this topic in January 2012, this time involving Tiger Woods playing in Abu Dhabi instead of California to begin his 2012 season:

Asked if the payment of appearance fees influences his scheduling decisions, Woods said, "I'd have to say yes, it certainly does. That's one of the reasons why a lot of the guys who play in Europe, they do play in Europe, and they do get paid. I think the only tour that doesn't pay is the U.S. Tour."

The PGA Tour prohibits the payment of appearance fees. While the subject is not officially discussed among European Tour officials, it is a widely accepted practice. It is perhaps the biggest reason this tournament has attracted the best field of the year to date.

Seems to me that the PGA TOUR might be missing out on a practice many of the "big names" in the U.S. are already accustomed to when playing overseas. Then again, I'm sure Ben Curtis isn't complaining.