Thousands of golf balls wash up on California beach after winter storm

Updated: 1:25 AM EST Jan 20, 2023

Golf balls have begun to wash up on the shores of Carmel Beach in California.Residents there are collecting the plethora of balls that have been deposited on the beach after recent winter storms.Conall Jones, of Carmel Valley, collected golf balls for several days after the rain subsided."This is my third day back down here, and I get about 50 to 100 in a half hour," Jones said. "There is still a lot, and they will keep getting pushed up on the beach, so there is plenty."Many of the balls likely came from different golf courses along the rivers and creeks of the Carmel area.As recent storms raised the water levels, swelling rivers could have pushed dormant golf balls all the way to the ocean.Watch the video above to see the unique sight.

Tiger Woods is back, competing on a golf course for the first time since a car crash that crushed his leg in February.

Woods is competing with his 12-year-old son, Charlie, in the $1 million PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes in Florida, this weekend. The tournament is a two person, 36-hole competition partnering champions with their family members.

The pair, known for their similar mannerisms from their swing to their celebrations, made a birdie putt — one stroke under par — on the first hole.

"Although it's been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the @PNCchampionship with my son Charlie," Woods said on Twitter. "I'm playing as a Dad and couldn't be more excited and proud."

A big crowd surrounded the legend as he teed off, cheering him on and welcoming him back after he was seriously injured when the Genesis SUV he was driving veered off the road in February.

On Friday, Woods and Charlie spent the day on the course ahead of the tournament.

"It was an awesome day," Woods told reporters Friday. "It was just awesome to be out here playing and be out there with my son, and we just had an absolute blast."

Woods, the winner of 82 PGA Tour titles, including 15 major championships, said he still has the hands and the feel for the game, but endurance is the biggest issue since the wreck that caused multiple fractures to his right leg.

"Unfortunately, this year has been very hard, and I hadn't been able to play at all until, I think this might be my second or third round this year. So it has been a long year."

Woods used a golf cart to get around the course Friday, which no golfer is allowed to do on the PGA tour.

"I'm a long way away from playing tournament golf," Woods said. "This is hit, hop in a cart."

The golf superstar said that after spending three months in bed, he worked every day to play again.

In an exclusive interview with Golf Digest last month, Woods said his days as a full-time golfer are over.

"Something that is realistic is playing the tour one day, never full time, ever again, but pick and choose, just like Mr. (Ben) Hogan did," Woods told interviewer Henni Koyack.

"Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that. You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. And you play. I think that's how I'm going to have to play it from now on."

Father and son had their tournament debut at the 2020 PNC Championship, finishing seventh with back-to-back 62s.

Justin Thomas and his father Mike seek to become the fourth duo to successfully defend the PNC Championship title after winning last year.

'Never full time, ever again': Tiger Woods says his days of being a full-time golfer are over

Updated: 9:08 AM EST Nov 30, 2021

In an exclusive interview with Golf Digest, Tiger Woods spoke publicly about his golfing future for the first time since his car crash earlier this year."I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day, never full time, ever again, but pick and choose, just like Mr. (Ben) Hogan did," Woods told interviewer Henni Koyack."Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that. You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. And you play. I think that's how I'm going to have to play it from now on."It's an unfortunate reality, but it's my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it."Woods began the remote interview from his South Florida home by walking into the room with what he called a slight "hitch" in his stride, evidence of the serious leg injuries suffered in a car crash near Los Angeles in February.Woods says during his grueling rehabilitation, things as simple as watching his son play or listening to birds sing have taken on greater meaning."I have so far to go ... I'm not even at the halfway point. I have so much more muscle development and nerve development that I have to do in my leg. At the same time, as you know, I've had five back operations. So I'm having to deal with that. So as the leg gets stronger, sometimes the back may act up ... It's a tough road."I'm just happy to be able to go out there and watch Charlie play, or go in the backyard and have an hour or two by myself with no one talking, no music, no nothing. I just hear the birds chirping. That part I've sorely missed."Woods will be in attendance at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this week. The 20-man tournament benefits Woods' foundation.

Golfing legend Tiger Woods posted a short video of himself taking a practice shot out on a golf course on Sunday.

Woods, who has not played in a golf tournament since his car accident in February, shared a three-second video on social media with the caption "making progress."

In the video, Woods is seen taking a swing, with a basket filled with golf balls at his side and noticeably wearing a black sleeve on his right leg.

The 15-time major champion suffered serious leg injuries in a single-vehicle rollover accident near Los Angeles on Feb. 23, when his SUV crossed a median, went across two lanes of road, then hit a tree and landed on the driver's side in the brush.

In recent months, the 45-year old has been seen in attendance at his son's golf tournament standing without crutches.

PGA Tour greats Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will pair with NFL legends Peyton Manning and Tom Brady for a charity golf event to be held on May 24.

The event will air live on TNT, TBS, Tru TV and HLN.

The event comes as the PGA Tour suspended play earlier in 2020, with a number of events postponed until later in the year.

As of now, the PGA Tour is set to resume next month.

In 2018, Mickelson competed one on one with Woods, with Mickelson winning the one-day event. This time, Mickelson and Woods will have partners.

During a media event featuring the four golfers, Mickelson showed off his trophy for winning the 2018 event. Moments later, Woods casually put his Masters Tournament “Green Jacket” on like a blanket.

“As an athlete, I miss that,” Woods said about competition as the sports world has been on hiatus for two months. “I miss watching my friends compete.”

Team U.S. regained the Ryder Cup on Sunday following a dominant performance over Europe at Whistling Straits.

Having been beaten convincingly in 2018 at Le Golf National, France, the hosts were on top from the outset, racing into a 9-3 lead after the first three sessions.

Although the visiting Europeans hinted at a comeback on Saturday afternoon, the U.S. was able to enter Sunday leading 11-5.

And during the Singles matches on Sunday, Collin Morikawa claimed the decisive half point to ensure the U.S. had the required 14.5 points to regain the Ryder Cup and the famous trophy remained in the U.S.

Rory McIlroy set a good opening tone for the Europeans on Sunday, beating 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, but after, it was a run of American winners, bringing the victory home for the hosts in impressive fashion.

For Morikawa himself, he's had a breakthrough 13 months, winning two majors at the PGA Championship and the Open. But being the man to clinch the winning half-point at the Ryder Cup means "everything," according to the 24-year-old.

"It means so much, everything, wanting to make that putt, it was a great match against Viktor (Hovland)," he told the media afterward.

"I don't think he really missed too many shots. I had to earn my birdies. But to clinch this and bring the Cup back to home soil, it feels so good."

It's the first time the U.S. has won back-to-back Ryder Cups on home soil since 1979 and 1983 cups.

Strong from the start

The value of experience or the benefit of being unscarred by previous bad experiences?

Those were the options weighed up by team captains Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington.

The two opted for differing approaches, with Stricker picking six rookies in his team while Harrington turned to the tried-and-tested veterans who have had success in recent years.

And from the opening session of foursomes, Stricker looked vindicated. The pairings he chose won three of the four matches, giving the hosts the perfect start as they aimed to reclaim the Ryder Cup after losing it three years ago.

Jeff Roberson

For Harrington and his team, it only got worse from there.

In Friday's afternoon fourballs and Saturday's morning foursomes, the U.S. went 3-1 in both sessions, building an impressive 9-3 after three sessions.

It was the largest lead for either side after three sessions of the Ryder Cup since the U.S. led by 7 points in 1975.

The Europeans showed some fight Saturday afternoon, splitting the four matches 2-2 but leaving a momentous effort needed to mount a comeback.

McIlroy, who had previously had an unsuccessful time of it, looked back to his best in the opening singles match Sunday, impressively beating Schauffele 3&2 to add to his extensive resume.

But McIlroy needed some help from his teammates, but it wasn't forthcoming against some impressive U.S. golf.

Patrick Cantlay, the FedExCup Playoff winner earlier this month, was unflappable in his victory over Irishman Shane Lowry, and Scottie Scheffler was dominant in beating world No. 1 Jon Rahm.

Unfortunately for the Europeans, the star-studded U.S. team didn't let up, with Bryson DeChambeau also recording an impressive victory.

And that meant it was left to the 24-year-old Morikawa to wrap up the one-sided victory. Playing another Ryder Cup rookie with plenty of potential, Viktor Hovland, he remained nonplussed, losing the last hole to the Norwegian but reaching the required 14.5 points to regain the trophy.

Ashley Landis

The imperious Dustin Johnson created his own bit of history in beating Paul Casey, becoming just the third player ever to win all five of his matches in one Ryder Cup.

Justin Thomas wrapped up a comfortable victory against Tyrrell Hatton, before Ian Poulter gave the European fans something to cheer for, beating Tony Finau.

For the experienced Poulter, who remains unbeaten in Ryder Cup singles with the victory, it was an emotional moment, as he sunk to his knees immediately afterward.

Mike Whan as the USGA’s next CEO? To hear Whan tell it, the odds, as he saw them, were “overwhelmingly” stacked against him. What seemed like such an obvious next step to so many for the outgoing LPGA commissioner wasn’t a slam-dunk to the man himself.

That is, until Whan made a few quiet phone calls to other leaders in the industry – Jay Monahan (PGA Tour), Keith Pelley (European Tour), David Abeles (TaylorMade) and the man he would replace at the USGA, Mike Davis.

“Their reaction was the game-over point for me,” said Whan. “Their reaction of ‘Please do this, this should be good for all of us. Let’s continue to do what we’re building together.’ It mattered to me that it mattered to them. Those are all the people that we’re going to have to pull together to make real change.”

One week ago, Whan signed on to join the USGA later this summer as CEO, becoming the eighth top executive in the organization’s history. The USGA’s announcement on Wednesday comes six weeks after Whan announced his decision to step down as LPGA commissioner after 11 years at the helm.

USGA President Stu Francis, who oversaw the CEO search process, said he’d wake up at 3 a.m. worrying about whether or not Whan would take the job. They’d interviewed a number of promising candidates, Francis said, but Whan was the shining light, the man who checked every box and could come in ready to move at 100 mph. (At this point during his video chat with Golfweek, Whan raised his Coke Zero bottle, a nod to the fuel behind his blistering pace.)

As one executive committee member put it on a recent call, “Shame on us if we don’t get this done,” Francis noted.

“The USGA has a unique role in golf in terms of we need to lead the way,” said Francis, “but we need to get people to come along with us.”

Particularly in the case of the ongoing distance debate, which as the USGA moves to the solution phase of its Distance Insights Report, there continues to be strong feelings on both sides of the aisle.

Rory McIlroy, a measured and respected voice in the game, recently called the report a “huge waste of time and money.”

Whan acknowledged that the distance problem won’t be solved in a team meeting in a board room at USGA headquarters. It will instead take an “industry huddle” to get to the finish line.

Much of Whan’s success at the LPGA – building the tour up from near ashes when he took on the job in 2010 and then passing the ultimate stress test by seeing the tour through a global pandemic – has been the strength of his partnerships. He knew what it was like to sit on the other side of a table as a check writer and used that experience to grow the tour from only 24 tournaments and official prize money of $41.4 million to the record $76.45 million and 34 official events that’s on the 2021 calendar.

As a former vice president of marketing at TaylorMade and vice president and general manager at the Wilson Sporting Goods Company, Whan brings instant credibility and can relate to equipment manufacturers and tour leaders from first-hand experience.

Whan said TaylorMade CEO Abeles was the first person to call and ask if he was thinking about the USGA job.

“I just got off the phone with a recruiter and I gave him your name,” Whan replied.

“I know that in this role I’ll spend a lot of time with David Abeles, or John Solheim or Bob Parsons or the whole team from Acushnet. All people that I would spend time with if I retired.”

The distance debate is a 100-year-old problem, Whan said, and he’s impressed that the USGA and R&A have committed to making changes that will be good for the game for the next 100 years.

“We understand that we have to protect the game enough to make sure we don’t obsolete ourselves,” said Whan, “but at the same time were not trying to stick R&D in a box.

“The people on the manufacturing side know me well enough to know I’m a marketing guy at heart. I love the innovation and we want to keep seeing innovation. We just have to make sure that the out of bounds stakes aren’t so far out that we wake up without the sport.”

The fast-talking Whan is quick to admit that there are plenty of areas within the USGA in which he is no expert. When asked about the rules, he said he’ll have a fast-forwarding system set up to send all rules questions directly to Thomas Pagel, senior managing director of governance. He wouldn’t dream of faking it but also requested to get signed up for the next virtual rules seminar so that “I won’t embarrass you probably more than I already will.”

LPGA players consistently praised Whan’s transparent approach. He often went off-script with reporters, apologizing to executives in the back of the room.

Whan, who has admitted that he might not be a great fit culturally for the USGA, will no doubt change the culture of the organization as it will inevitably change him. Hopefully there’s something powerful in the middle, he said.

Just as he recruited the rest of the industry to commit to growing girls golf on a larger scale, Whan sees the USGA’s role in capitalizing on the game’s recent participation boom as part of an industry-wide effort.

As Whan moves into a broader role in golf, his passion for the women’s game isn’t going anywhere. In fact, now that he oversees the biggest championship in women’s golf, the subject of equal purses at the U.S. and U.S. Women’s Open seems especially relevant.

Whan said it’s been on his list since 2010.

When asked last month what he’d miss the most about the LPGA, Whan said the front-row seat he had to watching young women achieve their biggest dream in real time ­– whether that was earning a tour card or winning a tournament.

“That’s going to be hanging on some plaque in my office,” he said, “so that every time I turn the lights off I remember to ask, am I doing enough to make sure that young girls all around the world, when I’m going to bed, are putting somewhere saying this one is for the U.S. Women’s Open.”

Mike Whan with an LPGA-USGA Girls Golf member (Getty Images/LPGA).

When asked if he had any ideas jotted down on cocktail napkins yet, a classic Whan-ism, he held up a legal pad with seven bullet points.

At the top of that list: invest in the best.

“The first thing we’re going to invest in is to make sure we’re the best championships in the world,” he said. “You don’t get there by historical relevance alone. You’ve got to invest in them.”

He’ll no doubt reveal the rest of that list in one of his many upcoming conference calls with his new staff. Francis said Whan will start full-time with the USGA in the middle of the year and that Davis will help with the transition.

As the governing body strives to connect with a growing and evolving golf culture, Whan’s dynamic personality and effective communication skills will be paramount to an organization that has had its fair share of PR struggles in recent years. There will be no shortage of bridge-building.

More than anything though, he’ll strive to be golf’s champion.

“I can promise you this, however long I’m head of the USGA,” he said, “there will be no louder promoter of the game, no matter what portion of the game we’re talking about. Of course I want to preserve the game, but only after I promote it.”

Video above: Car data recorder will aid in Woods crash probe

Tiger Woods was moved Thursday to another Los Angeles hospital after undergoing surgery to his right leg after being badly injured in a car crash.

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center said Woods was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for “continuing orthopedic care and recovery."

The hospital didn't provide any other details, saying it was respecting patient confidentiality.

“On behalf of our staff, it was an honor to provide orthopedic trauma care to one of our generation’s greatest athletes," Dr. Anish Mahajan, Harbor-UCLA's chief medical officer, said in a statement.

Woods was hurt Tuesday when a 2021 Genesis SUV he was driving on a downhill stretch of road struck a raised median in a coastal Los Angeles suburb, crossed into oncoming lanes and flipped several times.

Mahajan earlier said Woods shattered the tibia and fibula bones of his lower right leg in multiple locations. Those injuries were stabilized with a rod in the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones in the foot and ankle required screws and pins, Mahajan said in the statement released on Woods’ Twitter account late Tuesday night.

Woods was wearing a seatbelt and there wasn't any evidence that he was impaired by drugs or alcohol, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said after the crash.

However, the crash investigation continues.

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is a Level 1 trauma center, meaning it is qualified to provide the most comprehensive surgical and other care for such injuries. Cedars-Sinai has a renowned Sports Medicine Institute that has catered to professional athletes and a rehabilitation program for sports-related and orthopedic injuries.

The wreck happened on the border between the communities of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes. The county supervisor who represents the area has requested a safety review of the roadway, where cars are known to gain speed because of the steep grade and authorities have said wrecks are common.

In 2017, Woods was arrested on a DUI charge when Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of his car parked awkwardly on the side of the road, with its engine still running, two flat tires and a blinker flashing.

Woods said he had an unexpected reaction to pain medication. He eventually pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving. Three weeks after the arrest, he entered a clinic for help dealing with prescription medication and a sleep disorder.

The crash this week was the latest setback for Woods, who has won 15 major championships and a record-tying 82 victories on the PGA Tour. He is among the world’s most recognizable sports figures, and at 45, even with a reduced schedule from nine previous surgeries, remains golf’s biggest draw.

He was in Los Angeles over the weekend as the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Monday and Tuesday had been set aside for him to give golf tips to celebrities on Discovery-owned GOLFTV.

Related video above: 2020 Olympics -- opening ceremony

Positive COVID-19 tests knocked Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau out of the Olympic golf tournament Sunday, in a pair of surprises that reinforced the tenuous nature of holding a massive sports event during a global pandemic.

Word of Rahm's positive test came from the Spanish Olympic committee about four hours after USA Golf delivered the same news about DeChambeau.

They are among the best-known of the some 11,000 athletes descending on Japan for the 17-day sports festival at which negative COVID tests — but not vaccinations — are required to participate.

Spain's Olympic federation explained that Rahm had two negative tests after leaving England, where he played in the British Open earlier this month. But a third test that was also required came back positive.

The country said it would not seek to replace Rahm, leaving Adri Arnaus as its only player in the men's tournament, which starts Thursday at Kasumigaseki Country Club outside of Tokyo.

This is the second positive test for Rahm in fewer than two months. He was holding a six-shot lead after three rounds at the Memorial in early June when he was informed as he was coming of the course that he had tested positive and would have to withdraw.

He came back two weeks later to win the U.S. Open and vault to No. 1 in the world. And now, Tokyo will be without the last two U.S. Open winners; DeChambeau won it at Winged Foot in 2020.

After his win at Torrey Pines, Rahm said he was vaccinated when he tested positive at the Memorial, but still had to be quarantined because he had not been vaccinated for 14 days.

“Looking back on it, yeah, I guess I wish I would have done it (vaccination) earlier,” Rahm said then. “But thinking on scheduling purposes and having the PGA and defending Memorial, to be honest it wasn’t in my mind.”

Though not common, there have been people who catch COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. Likewise, there are rare examples of people getting re-infected.

DeChambeau said he was "deeply disappointed not to be able to compete in the Olympics for Team USA.”

“Representing my country means the world to me and it is was a tremendous honor to make this team,” he said.

He will be replaced by 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, who must go through COVID protocols Sunday and Monday in order to travel to Japan and be ready for the tournament later in the week.

Reed found out after finishing his third round of the 3M Open on Saturday in Minnesota, where he immediately took one of his required three COVID-19 tests that each must be 24 hours apart. He was planning to start his flight to Japan on Tuesday and arrive Wednesday, which won't leave him enough time for a practice round.

“These days with how good yardage books are and with how much we have to kind of figure things out on the fly as it is, I expect to go in there and play well and be able to manage the golf course and hit the golf shots,” Reed said on Sunday, after shooting a 71 to finish at 6 under for the tournament.

True to his “Captain America” nickname, Reed has long been more gung-ho about the Summer Games than many of his peers on the tour. He's now the only two-time Olympian on the men’s side of the sport, which was reintroduced to the program in 2016. He shot 64 in the final round in Rio de Janeiro and finished 11th.

“It feels like an obligation and a duty of mine to go out and play for our country whenever I can and whenever I get the call. To be able to call myself not just an Olympian but a two-time Olympian is pretty sweet," Reed said.

Reed will join Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele on the four-man U.S team. Reed had been third in line to be a replacement, behind Patrick Cantlay and Brooks Koepka.

Koepka had previously sounded unenthused about the prospect of playing in the Olympics, saying the sport’s four majors, plus the Ryder Cup and other big events, give players plenty to strive for. The Ryder Cup this year is set for Sept. 24-26 at Whistling Straits.

DeChambeau had been looking to write a new chapter to his theatric 2021 season. It has included months of sparring with Koepka, a sudden break with his longtime caddie, and, most recently, a spat with his club sponsor when he said his driver “sucks” after struggling at the British Open.