They said it... 2010

Last updated: 15th March 2010

"You know, my wife can say, 'try and be as positive', Chubby can, Ricci can, Bob Rotella, whoever, but I really trusted myself today."

Ernie Els on his return to the winner's circle in Miami (14 Mar).

Question: "Have you ever had a round with so many brilliant recovery shots?" Answer: "That's how I play normally. I'm not saying I am brilliant. I am saying I am normally in the sh-t."

The ever honest Laura Davies (13 Mar).

"He might be sleeping in the garden."

Ernie Els on his house guest Charl Schwartzel prior to their head-to-head finale in Miami (13 Mar).

Journalist: "How tall are you?"
Stefanie Michl: "I am 170 cm."
Journalist: "What do you weigh?"
Michl: "I think about 55 kilos. I won't tell you my bra size."
Journalist: "I've already guessed that."

An extraordinarily risque exchange between an Australian journalist and Austria's Stephanie Michl (12 Mar).

"You never look on the way down, you only look on the way up."

Padraig Harrington on keeping tabs on his world ranking (10 Mar).

"I'm a bit more experienced and I tend to not really give a monkey's what anybody thinks anymore."

Lee Westwood has learned to cope with expectations (10 Mar).

"I try to establish a little relationship with the golf course so that we are able to talk to each other. If you listen well and you don't get caught up in your emotions, then the golf course really talks to you. And when it's a difficult golf course like this one, you really have to pay attention."

Italy's Giulia Sergas and the Commonwealth GC were getting along fine when she took the halfway lead in the Australian Open (11 Mar).

"The only time I've ever played with him was in Tenerife. He hit it about 30 or 40 yards left of the first green with his second shot, and the ball was actually sitting on a stone wall and he got up-and-down from a stone wall. That's all I wanted to see. I saw it on the very first hole. It was fantastic."

Paul Casey recalls playing with Seve (9 Mar).

"Nike 1, blue dot."

Casey again, explaining what he'd say to Tiger on the first tee if paired with him on his return to golf (9 Mar).

"Practice rounds are beyond slow. I gave them up about 20 years ago."

Laura Davies doesn't do time wasting (9 Mar).

"My attitude is a lot better. Yesterday I really wanted to break every club in the bag, but then I wouldn't have had a set to play with today, so I'm glad that I didn't."

Anthony Kim on a close shave with looking silly (7 Mar).

Question: "Why are you wearing Jack Nicklaus' logo?"
Answer: "I like Jack Nicklaus, I love him! And they pay me a lot of money!"

Young Korean Ji-Na Lim can't decide if it is love or money (5 Mar).

Question: "What can you say in English?"
Answer: "I love you."

Possibly the sweetest addition to They Said It from another young Korean, Bo-Mee Lee (5 Mar).

"Unfortunately, I hit a man on 12 in the head. Shook me up pretty bad. He is OK thank goodness. Rough after that."

Tweet relief for Ryan Palmer (5 Mar).

"Just took a Drug Test (I hope I pass)!! This old man stood in front of me and watched me pee, I don't want his job!!!"

Too much information, Bubba Watson (5 Mar).

"Country Club of Bogota is located at 8,5000 feet. Pros: 400 yard drives. Cons: Gasping for air after walking up a flight of stairs."

Young American Jamie Lovemark finds the energy to tweet from Colombia (5 Mar).

Question: "Does she give you tips?"
Answer: "Not really. Well, she does, on how to clean the house and vacuum the floor, hang up the picture and all that, yeah."

Brazil's Alexandre Rocha is asked about his wife who works for The Golf Channel (3 Mar).

"I am seriously considering withdrawing - will have to see if the cold medicine does its job tonight - good night everyone."

YE Yang tweets the night before the final round of the WM Phoenix Open - whatever he took it worked because he shot a 65 to finished third (27 Feb).

"I was unfaithful, I had affairs. What I did was unacceptable."

Tiger Woods confesses (19 Feb).

"I do plan to return to golf but I don't know when that day will be. I do not rule out [coming back] this year"

And then Woods stuns the golf world by hinting he may be away a long time (19 Feb).

"Character flaw of mine but not much sympathy for a billionaire with a sex addiction - maybe more like pity."

PGA player Jay Williamson with a Tiger tweet (20 Feb).

"I'm sick of hearing about it."

Rory McIlroy was hoping the announcement might end matters. Maybe not ... (17 Feb)

"I've never seen him look so depressed about things."

Graeme McDowell responds to the sight of tense Tiger talking to a carefully assembled audience (19 Feb).

"Monogamy and professional golf do not happily co-exist."

Melanie Hickey, Nick Faldo's first wive and now a PR consultant, adds her spin to the Tiger story in the Observer (21 Feb).

"It's selfish. This takes away a lot from the tournament. I feel sorry for the sponsor."

Ernie Els is not impressed with the timing of the Woods announcement (18 Feb).

"We screwed up on that. That's just a screw up on my part."

But two days later PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem takes the blame for not "getting the players briefed" about the timing of the statement (20 Feb).

"I don't think Tiger will be number one in five years' time. If you ask Rory who his hero is, it's Ishikawa. How's that? He's the coolest golfer in the world."

Agent Chubby Chandler with one prediction and one slightly amazing revelation in a Sunday Telegraph interview (21 Feb).

"Poulter is busying playing, so I'll tweet for him: Just ironing my clothes, watching Arsenal. C'mon boys!"

Doug Ferguson, the Associated Press golf reporter, helps Ian Poulter out during the World Matchplay (20 Feb).

"For those LPGA players in Singapore who can't watch game, USA 2, Canada 1. You are welcome, as Bubba Watson would tweet."

Sports Illustrated's golf writer Steve DiMeglio keeps the LPGA on-side during the big game (21 Feb).

"Mike Weir has obviously gone bananas."

Paul Casey reflects on the fact that his second round opponent had 9 birdies in his first 10 holes when defeating Alvaro Quiros (17 Feb).

"My second nine this year on a Sunday. How about that? The other one was on a par-3. So I'm a 17 hole player, I guess, on Sundays."

Paul Goydos reacts to his quadruple bogey nine on the 14th at Pebble Beach (14 Feb).

"A few nerves kicked in."

After missing a short putt for a 59, Alistair Presnell owns up to getting shaky - but he still won the Victorian PGA with a last round 60 (14 Feb).

"I hit my second shot from 99 yards on 15, it landed straight in the hole, and I mean straight in, it didn't touch the sides, jumped 20 feet up in the air, rolled off the front of the green from where I three putted. It didn't make one mark on the hole, no damage, nothing, just straight in and out. Thanks very much."

Richard Finch's first round misfortune cost him three shots - and he only lost the event by one! (12 Feb)

"Unless you consider Tiger Woods on Xbox from about 2005 to 2007, this is the first time I've seen all the courses."

Rookie Alex Prugh on his lack of course knowledge on the PGA Tour (12 Feb).

"So, I can't see depth perception on green ... and it's not like I'm never on it."

Jason Gore recently went for a sight test and discovered he has a problem - when the letters appeared before the green light he couldn't see a thing! (27 Jan)

"Like a good wine, I get better and better."

A happy Miguel Angel Jimenez is maturing into a very nice vintage (7 Feb).

"Groove verdict: Def a change in spin, haven't seen 1 ball spin back in 3 weeks.Will have to change game plans occasionally but not massively."

Oliver Wilson tweets his post-Middle East Swing verdict on the big issue so far of 2010 (7 Feb).

"I didn't play bad forever, you know."

Steve Stricker compares conditions at Riviera to the worst he ever encountered at Muirfield in 2002 - and is then asked how he qualified for that event (6 Feb).

"My wife and my mother were more unimpressed than anybody. And since my grandmother passed away, it has been my mum who has taken on the mantle of my language control."

A contrite Lee Westwood apologises for swearing as he left the 16th green in the Qatar Masters (4 Feb).

"No security envy, but I am disappointed at the stark comparison of media attention Korean and Japanese golfers receive - good for Ryo. From my count he had 34 people following him and 4 security guards. I have AJ with me. And to think he has yet to graduate high school."

The tweeting YE Yang compares and contrasts the Asian experience at Riviera (4 Feb).

"He is unconventional, thinks outside the box, and is an excellent judge of character and talent."

Corey Pavin explains his selection of Paul Goydos as a Ryder Cup assistant (3 Feb).

"I have as much as Michael Jordan."

Asked about his lack of Ryder Cup experience, Goydos responds from left-field just as Pavin expected and wants (4 Feb).

"This week I won't be playing that wedge. My point has been made. It was a ridiculous rule change and even worse timing."

New appointed shop steward Phil Mickelson leaves the contentious Ping Eye 2 wedge in the locker room having ruffled a few feathers (3 Feb).

"It's cheating and I'm appalled Phil has put it in play."

Scott McCarron's opinion of Phil Mickelson's use of Ping Eye 2 wedges were the most explosive (and potentially expensive) words of the week (27 Jan).

"A line was crossed, and I just was publicly slandered, and because of that I'll have to let other people handle that."

Phil Mickelson responds with a heavy hint that lawyers might become involved (30 Jan).

"It's a very strong word to use, cheating. I don't think it's breaking the rules, it's bending them."

Lee Westwood adds some balance to the debate (31 Jan).

"I can't compete. I can't play like I used too. I can't keep taking spots from guys out here playing this bad. It's not worth it. I'm tired of embarrassing myself in front of (my fans). I can't do it any more."

John Daly talking to a Golf Channel camera crew who are filming him for a reality show (28 Jan).

"I'm not retiring and never said I was retiring."

Daly clears things up 24 hours later (29 Jan).

"When a credit card expires on 2/10 does it run out at the start or end of February?"

Geoff Ogilvy prompts a rush of eager-to-help responses with his entertainingly domestic tweet (27 Jan).

"Well, if I have to be honest, I think I hit it longer now. It's difficult to believe, but now I can coordinate more and the turn of the body is always the same, so I don't need to accelerate with the hands."

Alvaro Quiros' news about his altered swing will strike fear in the hearts of those already in awe of his length (27 Jan).

"I played myself, so I'm typecast now. I can't get any other acting jobs because nobody wants me - how many times can I play me? But it was fun. It was a blast. No acting involved, just kind of throwing a few lines out there."

Rocco Mediate discusses his guest appearance on CSI (26 Jan).

"I'm happy with everything, every part of my game. I'm happy at home. The kids are getting on great at school and we have got a new puppy and I'm happy on the golf course. What more can you want? When there's other parts of the world that are suffering right now, you just realise how fortunate you are to be in the situation playing golf the in sunshine and earning an awful lot of money, so very fortunate."

Ian Poulter maintains perspective (24 Jan).

"And I was kind of bitching and moaning because how bad I was playing and (my family were) telling me just relax, it's the first week. My uncle Bob (Goalby) gave me a tip to just move my right foot, it was closed and just opened up my right foot and it allows me to turn a little better."

One week Bill Haas didn't feel too good, the next week he was a winner (24 Jan).

"I just made some Twitter videos, hit some shots from out of the house. Hope the person I rented it from doesn't know I hit balls from out of their house."

Bubba Watson explains how he filled his time during the rain delay at the Bob Hope Classic (22 Jan).

"I was about three years old and had a late night asthma attack, and from what my parents tell me, I couldn't sleep, about one o'clock in the morning and the '88 British Open was on and Greg Norman was playing. He seemed to catch my eye and the next week my dad took me down to the golf course and I've been playing golf ever since."

Young Aussie Rick Kulacz on his curious introduction to the game (22 Jan).

"I know a lot about knees, shoulders, elbows, and I'm getting an education on wrists. I think I could pass a pretty good test on bones. No brain surgery yet. Luckily, I've stayed away from that."

Bart Bryant might have to miss the 2010 season with yet another of his many career injuries (19 Jan).

"Got a lot of bad golf out of the way early in the year ... looking forward to a couple free days in Hawaii with my parents, gf, and bf."

Twittering American wonder kid Rickie Fowler brushes off the missed cut at the Sony Open (15 Jan).

"Playing alongside CPavin is a treat - he will print $$$ on the Champions Tour this year - amazing short game!"

Jay Williamson makes a early bid to get in the Ryder Cup captain's good books via Twitter (14 Jan).

"Are you saying he is getting skinnier or I am getting fat?"

Zach Johnson responds when told John Daly is thinner than he is (13 Jan).

"You actually have to shape your ball a little here. You actually have doglegs. This course must be at least 30 years old."

Paul Goydos, who rarely takes his tongue from his cheek, on Waialae (Jan 13).

"He looks about eight years old. I saw him in the locker room - whose kid is this?"

Goydos again, this time discussing Rickie Fowler (13 Jan).

"What a great trip ... meeting the President of the USA and being in the Oval office. Lots of fun."

Paula Creamer tweets from the White House and, like the rest of the winning Solheim Cup team, shows a bit more enthusiasm about meeting a democratic President than the 1993 Ryder Cup team did (12 Jan).

"They wouldn't let me in. If I weighed 300 pounds and had four chins, I'd have no problem. No-one recognised me."

Slimline John Daly can't get to the pro-am party he was co-hosting because the guards didn't know who he was (12 Jan).

"I have the honour of naming the five white women in America that Tiger Woods has not slept with."

US comedian George Lopez introduces the nominees for Favourite Movie Actress at last week's People's Choice Awards (7 Jan).

"It's only four women up here who have not slept with Tiger Woods ... Just kidding! I'm SO just kidding!"

And the award winner Sandra Bullock can't resist an ad-lib (7 Jan).

"I think I'm a slow learner, but a pretty good learner."

Geoff Ogilvy, a winner of the US Tour's seasonal opener for the second year running, ponders his ability to improve his game (10 Jan).

"I played well at the WGC event in China after I started working with a new swing coach. Not really a swing coach. It was my best friend. But we just started working together."

Ryan Moore adds to the impression that he's a bit more relaxed than other golfers (9 Jan).

"My wife and I played the National Clay Court Husband and Wife Tennis Championship. We did not win. We won the consolation draw which was like finishing fifth."

Matt Kuchar talks about what he got up to in the off season (8 Jan).