Honestly, if you’re going to go ahead and talk some smack, you better be able to back it up. Or at the least, don’t wuss out when you get rattled, because that just looks pathetic. During the final round, Sabbatini got irritated with a fan on the 9th hole and acted in the most pussified of ways.

Seconds later, after Sabbatini made a double bogey and was walking away from the ninth green, retired firefighter and paramedic Steve Banky casually said to him, “Hey, Rory. Still think Tiger’s beatable?”

Sabbatini wheeled and pointed to Banky, telling a police officer that he wanted Banky removed from the course. He was escorted to the course’s front entrance by two officers.

“We’re out here to do our job - let us do our job,” Sabbatini said later. “Have a little bit of decorum, a little bit of class out there. I guess a few too many beers were talking.”

So Rory’s allowed to say that Tiger’s beatable, but then he can’t handle it when a fan calls him out. What a puss. Really, he needs to have his crap-talking license taken away after that display.

(Photo Courtesy Amy Sancetta/AP)

Wow, Nike certainly outdid themselves with this one. They sponsor the best tennis player in the world, and the best golfer in the world. They sponsor two of the most dominant athletes in the world. They sponsor Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. Their sponsorship of these two men allowed them to put together this outstanding commercial. I had the pleasure of viewing it just prior to the start of the Wimbledon men’s singles finals between Federer and Rafael Nadal. It is fantastic. Pay close attention to the man doing the voice over, and enjoy:

The commercial is fantastic for several reasons. For one, it’s always cool when you get to see a picture timeline of a future star growing up. Secondly, I knew the voice was familiar, but didn’t realize who it was until the end; how often do you expect Tiger Woods to do a voice over? Third, the commercial pairs two of the most dominant athletes on the planet. Fourth, the commercial also shows the mutual respect and hearty competition that exists between Federer and Woods. And lastly, Tiger gets in that great dig at the end, a playful jab which provides more incentive for Federer to win. What an outstanding commercial, great job by Nike.

But let’s be fair, that’s what you were hoping to do with her. Heyo! This news means Wie won’t be playing in the John Deere for the first time in three years. It’s a sad day for the Wie family. From the wire:

Wie decided Tuesday to withdraw from the John Deere Classic as she tries to return from wrist injuries that have sent the 17-year-old from Hawaii into a deep slump of high scores and shrinking confidence.

Here’s the deal, I’d rather have her withdraw not because of a wrist injury, but because her parents realized it was detrimental to her career. Still, this is a step in the right direction, and one that I commend. I hope we don’t have to see little ‘ole Wie in any men’s tournaments any time soon.

Photo Courtesy Getty Images

Let me make this perfectly clear: I am as far from a golf expert as you can get. I don’t play it, I hardly watch it, and that’s probably why I don’t understand why Tiger Woods only wins tournaments when he’s leading going into the final round. It still makes me wonder. I understand that you’re not competing against yourself; you’re competing against other golfers who can shoot well and similarly lower their scores. So even if you’re shaving strokes off your total, there can be another golfer doing even better. That I understand. But if it’s a matter of a few strokes to make up in the final round, why can’t Tiger come back?

Why is Tiger so outstanding when holding a lead going into the final day (I believe Zach Johnson was the only golfer to come back and beat Tiger in a major on Sunday)? Why can’t he ever step up his play and shoot a few birdies to come back and win a tournament? If he’s not that far behind, shouldn’t he be able to win a major? I don’t know too much about competing in tournaments, but I certainly think that should be well-within the cards for the best golfer in the world.

Let me get this out of the way first: I have no problem ripping on Michelle Wie. I feel she is fair game because of her parents, and because she hasn’t shied away from the spotlight and endorsement dollars. Until she tells all of the aforementioned parties to bugger off, she’s on my hitlist. Oh yeah, and did I mention she plays with the men when she has no business doing so? OK. On with the awesomeness. Michelle Wie withdrew from the Ginn Tribute on Thursday because of a low self-esteem wrist “injury.” It was quite a well-timed withdraw:

The somewhat obscure Rule of 88 states that a nonmember who shoots 88 is forced to withdraw and subsequently banned from LPGA co-sponsored events for the remainder of the calendar season. Wie said later that she never considered the possibility, but soon after her score ballooned to 12-over on the par-72 course, her parents began consulting with each other and William Morris manager Greg Nared, who had a cell phone to his ear. Chris Higgs, the LPGA chief operations officer, soon drove up in a cart and spoke with Nared. Higgs had been talking about the Rule of 88 in the media tent, but he said he came out to Wie’s rope line for “no particular reason.”

Wie’s score climbed to 14-over, and then, after she finished up on the seventh hole, Nared approached and Wie told him she was hurt. Moments later, she announced, “We’re not going to play anymore.”

How great is that? That’s even better than when a pitcher gets lit up, and is subsequently placed on the DL the next day. The team then will find an injury that didn’t exist before the start to justify the DL placement. I really, truly, cannot get enough of this. Another excellent move by the Wie clan. Heck, I might have to even create a Golf category on the site if they’re going to keep up these antics. Fantastico!

(As first seen at Winning the Turnover Battle, via Ballhype)

Except for this group of ex-jocks. Golf Digest has ranked the top golfers in sports and it’s really cool to see who some of the top golfers are. For some reasons, seems like there are a lot of quarterbacks on the list. Maybe that’s what they do when they’re not in the film room, slackers. Let me just get this out of the way right quick: any list that has Chris Sabo in its top 15, I’m a fan of. So check out who Golf Digest ranks as the best golfers in sports (does that mean they don’t consider golf a sport?):