I had my second fill-in gig last night - this time on WCBM 680AM in Baltimore for an hour.  Last night, we talked about Tiger Woods' and Hunter Mahan's performance, how Phil played poorly with a chance at #1 (again), who my Captain's picks would be, and MORE!

Take a listen with the audio player, or download the whole show.

We're going to start a new segment here for the weekends called the Sunday Bag.  (Yes, even if we do it on Saturday.)  I'll answer your questions and comments that you send to ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com or through Facebook & Twitter.  Just remember, if you send a question, I can print the e-mail. 

First is from Sue:

Ryan,

I don't know who you are, but maybe my frustration will get through for you to get through to the Golf Channel. It's not supposed to be the Tiger Woods show, there are so many other players and for a female golfer to have to watch all of the show and see at least 75% of the show being Tiger Woods is just disgusting. Peter Kostis is so in enamored with him and that it is sick. Just wanted to vent my frustration. Enjoy Waggle Room.

With Tiger at +11 through three rounds, it might be time to start re-thinking the Tiger 24/7 strategy.  The bottom line is, though, that Tiger drives ratings - even when he is a train wreck.  In fact, there's probably an element of the population that is enjoying seeing Tiger struggle.  I think with a new number one in the world that Golf Channel and everyone who broadcasts golf will consider showing more players.  It's the lack of diversity and ac

Our other question comes from Twitter and @joemadison89:

Is this Tiger's worst showing as a professional? Sometimes it's worse when there's no cut.

That's a great point in the second sentence.  When Tiger missed the cut at Quail Hollow, at least he could walk away after shooting 43.  At Sawgrass, when he suddenly withdrew with whatever problem he had (he claims a neck issue), he again could just leave and save himself further frustration and potential embarrassment.

So far at Bridgestone, though, he has gutted it out.  It'd be too transparent it Woods WD'd, so he has to stick it out.  And the results definitely have not improved through three rounds.  In that way, it really has the potential to make things worse for Woods.  I'm left to wonder how it might boil over on Sunday.  As our Futures Tour correspondent Steph Connelly has said, you just gotta play through slumps.  Right now, though, Tiger doesn't know if that'll yield some kind of 65 tomorrow to avoid finishing a shocking DFL, or an 80 to cement it.

Arguably, it has to be the worst performance of his career based upon prior track record here (7 wins, no worse than 5th).  A case could also be made for last year's Open Championship, but this seems much worse.  Charlotte this year is a contender, too.  43 on a side is pretty terrible.

Remember, send your questions in via e-mail or Facebook & Twitter, and I'll answer them each weekend.

This past weekend at the US Open, we had a chance to meet and interview Golf World/Golf Channel/NBC crossover hyperstar Tim Rosaforte.  We talked about the new digital Golf World Monday publication, balancing his busy work schedule, and the changes in the journalism world.  Take a look!

Had a chance to speak on the phone with Brad Faxon this morning.  He, along with pal Billy Andrade (who we talked to last year), put on the CVS/Caremark Charity Classic each year in Rhode Island. Now in its twelfth year, the tournament has raised millions for charity in the state.  With 10 teams of players this year, it should be another great event.

After discussing his tourney, we talk about his qualifying for the Open, what we'll see at Pebble, and how we'll hear him augment NBC's telecast of the championship.  Also, Fax weighs in on the comments of Nathan Green, the young Australian who said he would rather watch World Cup soccer than play in a major championship.

Download the interview here or listen on the MP3 player here.

We are just about a month away from the US Open at Pebble Beach.  Waggle Room will be there to cover the tournament and, thanks to Lexus, we're offering you the opportunity to be at the Open as well.

Lexus has provided us here at Waggle Room with a pair of tickets for Saturday or Sunday at the Open.

At the Open, the winner will have access to:

• The Lexus hospitality suite
• The chance to hang out with the Lexus sponsored golfers such as Chi Chi Rodriguez Peter Jacobsen and Annika Sorenstam (depending on Saturday or Sunday), and
  
• Experience the U.S. Open Lexus-style.

To win one of the two pairs of tickets, all you have to do is become a fan of Waggle Room on Facebook before or on May 27.  Then shoot me an email or leave a comment in this thread to let me know that you've become a fan.  (If you're already a fan and want to enter, just let me know and you'll be in the running also.)

Many thanks to Lexus - the exclusive vehicle of the U.S. Open Championship and the automotive partner of the USGA - for the tickets!

On Saturday morning, Sports by Brooks reported that Tiger Woods would be "parting ways" with Hank Haney, citing an unnamed source.  The source told SbB that Haney was unaware of his pending demise, but that Woods would make the news public soon.

Waggle Room reached Hank Haney for comment on the story.

"Just part of the job, isn't it?," Haney said via an e-mail message denying the report.

Haney elaborated that he went to just four tournaments with Woods last year and that those were only for the practice rounds at the major championships.  Haney was not in Charlotte for the Quail Hollow Championship this weekend, but was at the Masters.

Woods and Haney have been working together for nearly six years.

Beyond the white & green curtain, TV magic happens

Over the course of my life, I've had a few opportunities to be on television.  In 2001, I was on Jeopardy! (Yes, really.)  I did a local quiz bowl show a few times in high school.  (Yup, I was a loser.)  And I did one TV appearance about a local political issue.  (Ok, that was funny.)  But on Wednesday at the Masters, I was asked to do two TV appearances to promote Trailing Tiger. 

I was to do the spots within 15 minutes of one another.  One was with the Fox affiliate in the ATL, and the other was with the NBC station in Augusta.  I was instructed to meet them at the scoreboard next to the first fairway.  I got there at the arranged time for the first interview with Fox Atlanta with Buck Lanford.  We chatted for a minute while the camera dude set up his shot in front of the scoreboard.  The spot was a two-parter: one for the 6PM newscast and another exclusively for the Web.  We did the Q&A thing, just like I would when I interview others and the conversation went great.  (Did it in one take!)

After we got the shot, Buck told me that we had to walk together.  It wasn't a Nicholas Sparks book come to life, but rather a part of doing TV.  Basically, we captured an action shot of Buck and I walking opposite the camera angle so it looked natural.  We didn't talk Tiger at all.  Probably something about the weather.  We wrapped, shook hands, and I moved to the other end of the scoreboard to meet up with Jason Folk at NBC Augusta.

On the other end, I didn't see Jason, but did see a guy with a camera that was donning a NBC 26 shirt.  His name was Cameron and I introduced myself to him.  He went and got Jason - who called me, but I didn't have a cell phone there because of the ban - who came over to us.  Then something bizarre happened: Jason picked up the camera and gave Cam the mic.  He said, "Ryan, look at Cam like you're answering the questions to him.  Don't look at the camera." So, Jason asked me questions and shot the interview, while I talked to the cameraman like he was the reporter.  Surreal. 

Then we did the whole "act like we're talking about stuff, but we're not" shot.  This time, we talked about Wendy Nix and how she was lookin' good.  And well, we'll leave it at that.

That was in front of the scoreboard at one fairway.  Behind it, though, is where the networks are.  There is an area hidden behind the scoreboard where the major networks do their on course live shots.  There were three setups there - ESPN, Golf Channel, and some Atlanta station.  They were arranged in that order with ESPN closest to the back of the leaderboard itself.

Tom Rinaldi was doing his shots during the par 3 contest.  Just off camera was some dude from ESPN Deportes, nodding politely at Tom when he did reports.  Rinaldi is a pro; he wore a full suit (that's how you know).

You ever wonder how the TV reporters know just when to come back from stock footage?  They have a monitor.  Fancy, right?  I digress.

Next to Rinaldi was Golf Channel.  Manning the coverage at the time were Golfweek's Jeff Rude and Alex Miceli.  Neither was wearing pants.  They were wearing shorts.  The beauty of being a TV reporter is that pants truly are optional almost all of the time.  Not to say that Rachel Nichols is sporting bikini bottoms like the chick in that Vegas tourism commercial.  For the record, Rich Lerner was sporting a full suit and always looks suave.

Meanwhile, the people over at Atlanta were about as obnoxious as the fourth hour of Today.  Holy cow, if Kathy Lee Gifford looks refreshing and less spastic than you do, consider a new profession.

Perhaps the funniest part is what happens when the patrons get bored at the end of the day.  It's like they're moths draw to the bug zapper that is television lights.  (Monty Burns would be happy to know that the TV lights are used to block out the sun so that the unnatural light can do its magic and add ten pounds.)  Miceli and Rude were doing a shot at the same time as Rinaldi, and the patrons were trying to get in the shot.  Or trying to take photos of themselves staring at a TV camera.  Honestly, I considered doing my own version of Zach on the Set, but then I would probably never manage to earn my way on Golf Channel's air.  Sometimes restraint pays off.

What did I learn from being around TV people?

They wear a whole lot of wires, so it's no wonder that someone would want to wear shorts and sneakers if they can get away with it.

There is a lot of funny banter that will never get on TV, but really should because golf on TV could be so much more entertaining if it wasn't as polished.

I'd like to be on TV one day.  But I knew that anyhow.

A month ago today, Puma Golf announced that it was purchasing the Cobra Golf brand from Acushnet and Fortune Brands.  It was Puma's move to make a foray into the equipment manufacturing arena.  After making quite a splash with its unique fashions, Puma will likely seek to do the same thing with its new equipment arm. 

Puma will have to make the transition from being an apparel company to being a full service golf company.  No company knows how to be a golf conglomerate better than TaylorMade-adidas golf.  They run their two namesake brands, as well as the Ashworth brand.  (They formerly owned Maxfli, but have sold most of their stake to Dick's Sporting Goods.) Hovering at the top of the market in many areas, their success has been built upon a decade of experience.

What that experience says, according to Harry Arnett, Vice President of Brand and Product Marketing at TMAG, is that it is best for the apparel side and the equipment side to be run completely separate of one another.

"There are not a lot of consumer synergies by marketing equipment and apparel together," Arnett said in an interview with Waggle Room.  "We operate them with very little overlap on the consumer side.  Product launches, promotions - they're all separate."

Arnett says that TMAG does push their multitude of brands as a package to Tour players, and even to their bigger retailers for improved service.  That is where it ends, though.

"Most consumers don't know that all of our companies are one in the same."

What prompted this differentiation in marketing started from nearly the beginning.  "We thought about [marketing them together] at first, but we never really tried.  We felt like the brands were different, and what works in selling each is different."

When asked what advice he would give to Puma now that they will transition from an apparel company is the approach his company has taken successfully.

"Equipment is very much an enthusiast type of branding.  In our apparel lines, though, we push sportiness and athleticism."

Arnett offered a cautionary tale about how Nike has handled its marketing and branding, saying that they have struggled to gain market share because of how they promote their full golf suite of products.

"Nike learned that apparel and footwear are not the same as equipment.  Their share in the equipment market is almost nonexistent.  There's a power of being fairly separate.  Nike has struggled to make their brand work, but marketing separately is not their model.  But they're spending a lot."

Arnett believes that the best way to sell golf equipment is to allow the equipment to speak for itself.  "We subscribe to the idea that we make equipment better than everyone else, and that has been validated by Tour players.  We are dedicated to the best players in the world.  We don't market out way to growth."

For Puma Golf specifically, Arnett said that the major challenge of the transition for them is that their wheelhouse is fashion and performance.  They will have to find a way to transition fashion and performance to the equipment world.

"Doing that requires a deep understanding of the golfer.  All of us at TMAG are deep in the sport.  Our CEO is a plus handicapper."

TMAG has been very strong for well over a decade now, and Arnett has been with the company for much of that run.  That longevity has given him a perspective about how to measure Puma's success.

"Any shiny new key gets attention, but longevity is continuing to do it every year.  Sustainability is relevance.  But Puma's purchase is exciting for the golf category.  It shows that Puma believes - like we do - that golf is worthy of investment."