Check out Tiger Woods' sparkly new $50 million bachelor pad

By Jay Busbee

From: http://sports.yahoo.com/

Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter at @jaybusbee.

If you happen to be a single dude in south Florida and you think you're going to impress the ladies with your car or your oceanfront condo, you might just want to pack it in now. Tiger Woods is in town, friends, and his place has room to store yours in a forgotten corner of the attic.

Behold Tiger Woods' personal Xanadu, the recently completed $50 million estate in Jupiter Island, Florida. In this aerial photograph, commissioned by Jeff Lichtenstein Realty, you can clearly see not only the $35 million original estate but much of the $15 million sunk into improvements. As FanHouse noted when Woods purchased the property in 2007, the original estate was 9,729-square feet on a 12-acre lot. The additions included a 6,400-square-foot gym/media room/bar, as well as an elevator, a reflecting pond, and a slim lap pool.

[More obscene wealth: Adam Sandler gives $800,000 worth of wheels to 'Grown ups' co-stars]

Eagle-eyed observers will note that there appears to be several golf-type formations scattered around the estate. Cary Lichtenstein, part of the real estate group that took the photographs, offered this assessment of the golf aspects of the estate. [Note that this photo is taken looking eastward, so north is to the left and south is to the right.] Lichtenstein's take:

It appears he has one tee box in the southeast ... corner to hit drivers. The entire area just west of the lap pool can be used to hit long, medium and short irons into any of the 4 greens. Each green is guarded by a single trap except the green in the northwest corner which appears to have 3 pot bunkers.

Tiger has enough open space to practice his short game from any angle, any wind condition, which really appears what this practice area is all about.

His putting green is totally surrounded by dense vegetation. One wonders if he is trying to block out the wind by doing this or if he is cutting off both sunlight and air circulation. He probably has a sub-air temperature/humidity control system beneath the green, otherwise it would be worthless in the heat of the summer, especially if the grass there is bent or some northern grass.

What, no windmills?

News broke about Woods' mansion right about this time last year, and at the time it appeared to be a fortress for him and his beloved Elin to hide from the world's prying eyes. Shortly after that, Woods had a close encounter with a certain hydrant, and pretty much everything changed forever.

[Photos: Latest images of the world's greatest golfer]

Regardless of all the hue and cry about Woods, both pro and con, the guy made his own bed, and now he's going to have to sleep in it. Clearly, though, that bed's going to be in one heck of a swank house.

[Visor tip: FanHouse]

[Photo by Terry Yeager, Above & Beyond Aviation Services. Cary Lichtenstein is a former rater of golf courses for GolfWeek Magazine. He started playing at the age of 7, and has played all top 100 golf courses in the United States. Cary served on the greens committee at Admirals Cove, and now sells homes in Admirals Cove, Jupiter, Florida, with his son Jeff Lichtenstein at Illustrated Properties & Christies Great Estates.]

Nike Airing New Tiger Woods' Commercial During Masters

By Will Brinson 

From: http://backporch.fanhouse.com/

Not many people stood by Tiger Woods as his personal life was falling apart. And even fewer sponsors seemed to be by his side.

Nike, however, can count themselves among the loyal. Which is probably why they're the first sponsor to feature Tiger in a commercial, which will air beginning Wednesday night.

"We support Tiger and his family as he returns to competitive golf," said Nike spokesman Derek Kent. "The ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father."

The ad, seen below (via Darren Rovell at CNBC), features Tiger -- in black and white -- staring into the camera with the familiar voice of his father asking questions in a presumably omniscient manner.

Earl Woods says, "Tiger, I am more prone to being inquisitive, to promote discussion," Earl says in the spot. "I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?"

This isn't the first time Tiger and Nike have used his father in commercials; one of the most awesome displays of marketing came around Father's Day in 2008 when they played Earl's voice over clips of the two practicing golf and some sentimental music (the "You'll never meet someone as mentally tough as you ..." commercial; embedded below the new ad).

The only issue here is that whereas Nike harnessed their ability to market and combined it with a very touching appeal to fathers and sons -- while the appeal to second chances here does make sense, something about the commercial as a whole comes off a tad bit off.

Is it the combination of appealing to the consumer for forgiveness amid a pile of swooshiness all while using Earl's voice? Well, it might be. Having said that, Nike stuck by Tiger throughout this whole sordid mess, so, by all means, advertise away.



And the old one, for comparison's sake:

Tiger thrills at Bay Hill with winning putt on 18

By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Tiger Woods drove away from Bay Hill wearing the navy blue blazer traditionally awarded to the winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is more interested in a jacket of a different color, but this was a good start.

Next stop, Augusta National.

Woods couldn’t have written a better script Sunday, even if he’s guilty of plagiarism. For the second straight year at Bay Hill, he made pivotal putts along the back nine and came to the 18th hole needing a birdie to win. From the middle of the fairway, he had 164 yards to the hole—eerily, the same distance as last year.

Sean O’Hair was in the final group, same as last year.

The putt was far easier this time—only about 12 feet up the hill with a slight left-to-right break—but the outcome was predictable to just about everyone except for the lone voice from the bleachers that blurted out, “Playoff.”

Not a chance.

Woods holed the putt, and broke into a routine that also was similar to a year ago. He crouched and backpedaled as the ball rolled to the hole, but instead of slamming his cap to the ground, he punched the air with a roundhouse and hugged his caddie, Steve Williams, who lifted him slightly into the air.

“It feels good to be back in contention, to feel the rush,” Woods said. “It’s been a while, but God, it felt good.”

The final birdie in fading sunlight gave Woods a 3-under 67 and a one-shot victory over O’Hair, who had a five-shot lead going into the final round. It matched Woods’ largest comeback on the PGA Tour, and while it wasn’t quite as stunning as his rally at Pebble Beach nine years ago, it was no less special.

Woods won for the first time since he returned from reconstructive knee surgery a week after his U.S. Open victory, which kept him out for eight months.

He had two indifferent performances at World Golf Championships—one match play, one stroke play—and there were questions whether he would be ready for the Masters.

Might the blue jacket help him win a green one?

“It does, a lot,” Woods said. “This win definitely validates all the things I’ve been trying to do.”

He hit the ball beautifully two weeks ago at Doral and couldn’t make a putt. He scraped it around for the better part of three days at Bay Hill and was saved by his short game. Everything fell together in a final round Sunday that was delayed for two hours by rain.

The victory was helpful, but it was the manner in which he won that excited Woods.

For the first time since Torrey Pines, he felt his heart race and his adrenaline rush. After spending four hours trying to catch up to O’Hair, he spent the final hour trying to hang on.

It wasn’t without some drama.

O’Hair, who made only one birdie in his round of 73, was clinging to a one-shot lead on the par-3 14th when Woods caught a plugged lie under the lip of the bunker. He blasted out to just over 12 feet, while O’Hair had a 15-footer for birdie.

“Sean looked like he made his putt, and if he makes and I miss, all of a sudden there’s three shots,” Woods said.

Brandt Snedeker hits a shot fr…
AP - Mar 29, 9:29 pm EDT

O’Hair missed. Woods made his par putt.

And on the next hole, Woods drained a 25-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead.

The sun began to dip behind the trees, lowering the temperatures, and O’Hair believes that might have cost him. He had a 7-iron from the 16th fairway that was going right of the flag when it fell short and tumbled into the water. Woods hacked out of the rough and hit a splendid wedge to 3 feet to save par, giving him a one-shot lead.

“I think what happened is when the sun was going down a little bit, I guess that kind of proved to me that the ball wasn’t quite going as far,” O’Hair said.

Woods could relate. He posed over a 4-iron that was headed right for the flag when it came down short and into another plugged lie under the lip of a bunker. This time, Woods made bogey and they were tied again.

It came down to the final hole, which is Woods’ domain—especially at Bay Hill.

He won with a birdie on the 72nd hole for the third time at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. There was a 15-foot bending birdie to beat Phil Mickelson in 2001, and the 25-footer to beat Bart Bryant last year.

Sean O'Hair reacts after h…
AP - Mar 29, 9:28 pm EDT

Woods, who finished at 5-under 275, won for the 66th time in his career. And while the finish was so similar to his Bay Hill victory last year, this was different.

“Last year … there wasn’t any big comeback or anything. I was out there just competing as usual,” Woods said. “This time, it was a little bit different. I hadn’t been in the mix since the U.S. Open, so it was neat to feel the heat on the back nine again.”

And did that heat feel any different?

“No it didn’t,” he said. “It’s like Stevie was saying out there, this feels like we hadn’t left. You can understand sometimes when some of the older players haven’t been in contention in a while and they come back, and then all of a sudden they put themselves in contention and then they win. You just remember how to do it.

“It hasn’t been that long for me, but you just have that feel of what to do and it’s a matter of getting it done.”

Woods got it done, as always.

It was his sixth victory at Bay Hill, the fourth tournament he has won that often. And it kept Mickelson from having a chance to overtake him at No. 1 in the world rankings this week.

But that’s of small importance to Woods. He is more interested in silver trophies and green jackets.

For now, navy blue will have to suffice.