Wounded Tiger talks with Rube, hosts his Hero World Challenge

PGA Tour Hero World Challenge leaderboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/hero-world-challenge/leaderboard.html

The last time I was with my friend and colleague Lorne Rubenstein was at Dick Grimm's funeral when he was one of several who gave a eulogy on the great man who has contributed so much to the game in Canada.

Lorne and I hit it off from the get go and he would always come on my Fairways golf show and provide his trademark clear and concise, straight forward analysis of whatever the topic was, he and Stephen Brunt were the two guys you would always get the Globe and Mail sports section to read.

He has since been spending even more time in Florida with his own golf radio show, and this week had his very open sit down with Tiger published in Time magazine. I have put the link to Lorne's entire interview here.

The bottom line for me is that Tiger, still trying to recover from his third back operation is now grown up, and far enough removed from the game and the spotlight that he can start to open up with guys who he trusts in the media about himself, his ex wife, his children, his game and it is must read stuff for all who follow this game and the most important man in it for the last 20 years or so.

CLICK HERE TO READ LORNE RUBENSTEIN’S TIME INTERVIEW WITH TIGER WOODS

Well Tiger is in the broadcast booth hosting his Hero World Challenge, now being played at the very posh Albany Golf Club in Providence, Bahamas.  It was at his Isleworth club last year in Florida, but I associate it the most at the Sherwood Country Club in California.

This event and the Nedbank should never count in the PGA or European Tour standings in my opinion, for goodness sake there are only 18 players (30 in Sun City), with no cut obviously, and a purse of $3.5m, but more importantly a ton of cash mainly from the sponsor and TV, raised for the Tiger Woods foundation.

They should just leave it as it is, a nice exhibition over 2 days if you like, for some of Tiger's buddies and their families on holiday down in Nassau. Heck there are hardly any spectators, not more than 25 fans were seen around any green yesterday.

For the record, Paul Casey who hasn't won anything all year, birdied the final hole at for a -6 66 to give him the lead along with Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson

If you were wondering about Walker, he is now being coached by Butch Harmon and  hasn’t played since October and believe it or not after finally starting to win and enjoy all the trappings that go with winning late in his pro career.... he is changing his swing !

Jordan Spieth has flown up from Australia and he made a hole-in-one with a 6-iron on the second hole and is in a pack with 67 that includes Adam Scott, who has one of his several homes at the course.

The play, and that's what this event is, continues today through Sunday, and if you want to take the 3 hour flight down to Nassau there are plenty of tickets available.

Bryan Angus