FanHouse Mark OMeara

SAN FRANCISCO -- Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods had just improved their Presidents Cup record together this week to 4-0 and were about to do the obligatory network interview Saturday evening when a leather-lunged voice from bleachers behind 16 green stopped everything.

"Wisconsin and Stanford in the Rose Bowl!!"

Sticker laughed out loud. Even Woods, who can ignore a marching band, turned to look into the stands, shook his head in disbelief and responded with a smile. Some things just are not going to happen, but this week at Harding Park Golf Club the loud guy was on the right track. Stricker, a big cheese in Wisconsin, and Woods, the Stanford dropout, are the granddaddy of all golf pairings.

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People these days know Hank Haney as the instructor of Tiger Woods, the best golfer in the world, but Haney is more than that. He's been instructing golfers for 32 years, teaching over 200 touring pros in that span. Haney now owns and operates four teaching facilities in Dallas, Texas, and is the star of The Golf Channel's The Haney Project, which puts Hank with celebrities that want to improve their game. Along with that, Haney has signed a deal with Charles Schwab that includes a program they've called "Talk to a Pro," which allows Haney to give special tips about the golf world.

FanHouse caught up with Hank right before the Presidents Cup, and talked to him about Mark O'Meara, Tiger Woods and what he would do to evaluate someone in a first lesson. Read the exclusive FanHouse interview below.

It doesn't matter how well Tiger Woods has previously played, or how many top 10s he has logged, when he has a poor week -- especially if that somehow includes a missed cut -- the reaction is predictable: Tiger needs to a) fix his swing and b) jettison Hank Haney for good measure.

I can't disagree with tightening up his swing -- Tiger looked like a 4-handicapper at Turnberry -- but Woods continues to support Haney, at least publicly. Skepticism remains (via Gold Digest's Local Knowledge blog):

It happens more often than you'd think. As with the rain in London, the weather during the summer in Scotland has lead some locals to tell you simply, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

Some days you'll land beautiful skies with hardly a hint of wind, and some days it'll blow like you're on the set of "Top Gun." Thursday at Turnberry, the conditions were benign and many golfers not named Tiger Woods took complete advantage. The one that went the lowest? Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, who at 6-under 64 is a shot ahead of the field at the British Open.

Fifty-nine, 52 and 49. Nope, those aren't scores shot on the front nine Thursday by different golfers struggling with the wind; those are the ages of Tom Watson, Mark O'Meara and Mark Calcavecchia, respectively, three past Open Champion winners who are all in contention in 2009 after opening rounds that would make you think it's 1998 again.

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Tiger Woods is coming. The when and where are still to be determined, but the propaganda machine is, with each passing day, gearing up in anticipation of the inevitable.

Usually, when athletes return from an eight-month layoff brought on by serious injury, the expectations are dampened. In Tiger's case, it's just the opposite. Part of me thinks it's all some elaborate PR plan to intimidate his opponents even before he tees it up. But there's also the very real possibility that Woods is better now than ever because that seems like something he'd do. Just to be spiteful.

Some 24 hours after Tiger Woods' wife, Elin, gave birth to Charley Axel, the couple's second child, the world's best golfer had his swing coach on the phone. Apparently, Tiger's really close to making his triumphant return to the PGA Tour. And let me just say: hurry.

Yes, Camilo Villegas has played well, but Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson have not. And while it's nice to see young guys like Nick Watney win big events, it's no substitute for Eldrick. Obviously.

The question then, of course, is when, exactly, Woods will tee it up.

Word on the street has Tiger Woods making his triumphant return to the PGA Tour as soon as February, which must've been wonderful news for arch-nemesis Phil Mickelson. No, seriously. You see, the world's No. 3 player admits that he pines for those halcyon days of watching Woods blow away an entire field while everybody watched on helplessly.

"The entire golf world cannot wait for his return. I miss him as a player. I miss him as a person. And I miss trying to track him down because that is always a great challenge."

Lefty does admit that he blew a great opportunity to make up ground on the hobbled Woods last season, and has spent much of the winter trying to rectify his putting woes. I blame his short-game coach and resident egghead, Dave Pelz. Honestly, Philbert doesn't need fancy-pants gadgets, he needs to quit doing stuff like this. I'm pretty sure there isn't a golf robot on the planet that can fix Lefty's above-the-neck issues.

Whatever, Mickelson could still make a dent in Tiger's lead early next year. Despite Mark O'Meara's proclamations, it's not clear when Woods will actually return, and even when he does, you'd have to expect him to be rusty. I know, this is Tiger we're talking about, but between caddying and building golf courses, there hasn't been a lot of time for working on his game.

Which means we should only expect him to win one major in 2009. And definitely no more than two.

In golf news these days, there are basically two things to talk about -- Tiger Woods and Tiger Woods' bum knee.

The top golfer in the land (as of now) has been quoted as saying he has absolutely no clue when he will be back on the links in top tournament form, but Mark O'Meara said he could see Tiger being back as early as February.

"Tiger is doing really well and he is pleased with the way the operation went," said O'Meara.

"I'm afraid the (Dubai Desert) Classic (on Jan 29) is coming round a little early for him to be able to defend his title. That's a real pity. He is going to aim for a return in late February or early March.

He is not going to start hitting balls until the end of December so it would be pushing it for him to come here in January. I imagine he will make his comeback in one of the Florida tournaments. His plan is to play a couple of events before the Masters [in April]."

It has to be depressing to fire a six-under 65 in the first round of the LPGA Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic and be five shots back of the leader.

Paula Creamer, starting on the tenth hole at Highland Meadows Country Club, went out in four-under, which is extremely salty by itself, made the turn, and just went "Megan Fox in July at Scottsdale while eating an Atomic Fireball" hot.

A seven-under 27 on her second nine matched the LPGA record for raw score on nine holes and had her within a shot of that untouchable number in golf, 59.

Not to be outdone by Mark O'Meara's ability to predict things in golf, Creamer said this in a pre-tournament interview.

"This is a great golf course. It sets up really well for my game. You have to hit really good irons out here. You have to hit it in the right part of the greens, and you have to be a good putter. People make a lot of birdies out here. You are just trying to eliminate the bogeys."

Well, 11 birdies and no bogeys is a little what you were looking for, right Paula?

Only Annika Sorenstam, shooting a 59 in the second round of the 2001 Standard Register PING, has bested Creamer's 60.