She finished the tournament’s final round with a 3 under par 69, but her card said she shot a 4 under par 68.  Inglis signed and submitted the card, and under the USGA rules that governed the tournament, she was automatically disqualified for submitting an incorrect scorecard.  The issue arose from the fact that her playing partner inadvertently credited her with a par on the last hole, when, in reality, Caroline had a bogey on the finishing hole.

There are a few things that are incredibly unfortunate about these events.  The first being that the score was being kept by Inglis’ playing partner, so Caroline did not even incorrectly record her own total.  Obviously, it was her responsibility to make sure the score was correct, but I’m sure she was swept up in the emotion of winning her 4^th straight state title and simply overlooked the error.  The other thing that makes this so regrettable is the fact that she was 9 shots better than the next closest competitor, so the 1 stroke difference on the scorecard really made no difference at all, unless you take into consideration the whole disqualification thing.

Caroline Inglis can find solace in the fact that she will be taking her talents to the University of Oregon in the fall.  I would be willing to bet that she is more diligent in confirming her score in the future.

You can view all of Carl’s RantSports articles here and follow him on Twitter @CarlConrad81.

Another reason for the lack of star power could be the fact that the course is simply not very popular among touring pros, ranking 49^th out of 52 courses that are in regular use on the tour.  The course seems to have fallen out of favor since it was overhauled 5 years ago.  There are, however other reasons that individuals are not making the trip; as Dustin Johnson, who had previously committed to play, is skipping the tournament due to a back injury, and Masters Champion Bubba Watson is still enjoying life with his new family.

Last year’s champion, Keegan Bradley, who seems to be on everyone’s weekly sleeper list, will be making the voyage to sunny Texas, hoping to retain his title.  Bradley beat Ryan Palmer in a playoff last year to win the Byron Nelson and then went on to win the PGA Championship, so it is understandable why so many analysts are banking on him.

According to most major sports books, Phil Mickelson is the odds-on favorite to win this week, followed very closely by Adam Scott and Players Champion Matt Kuchar.  Not far behind the lead pack, the books have last year’s champion Keegan Bradley with a legitimate shot to repeat.

You can view all of Carl’s RantSports articles here and follow him on Twitter @CarlConrad81.

Now, add the story about Josh Beckett playing golf while supposedly being skipped in the rotation due to an injured lat.  That’s right…the man at the center of “beer, video games and fried chicken-gate” has found himself embroiled in another controversy (whether or not it’s deserved is up to you).  Beckett was spotted at a golf course in the Boston area on May 3^rd, which was the day after he was scratched from his May 5^th start.

There are 2 basic opinions to this story:  1) Who cares?  A leisurely round of golf is just that, leisure.  Just because he had a little discomfort that prevented him from throwing a 95 mph fastball doesn’t mean hitting a driver was going to do him any harm, and 2) What the hell is wrong with this guy?  He’s a schmuck and a lazy ______ (insert your own expletive string here).  If he wasn’t healthy enough to pitch he should be in the training room 24/7 getting treatment.

The reality of the situation probably lies somewhere in between the two extremes.  Was it the best idea Beckett ever had?  No, probably not.  Is it that huge of a deal that he played a round of golf while experiencing some slight discomfort in his lat?  Again, no, probably not

The one thing that people are overlooking is the fact that if the Sox were not currently “boasting” a win-loss record of 12-18 (.400) and were not 7 ½ games back in the American League East (in last place by 4 games), none of this would be an issue; Beckett would have just been having a relaxing afternoon on the links and Valentine’s candid statements to the media would be considered “refreshing in an era when coaches don’t really say much at all”.  If the team didn’t crumble at the end of last year, the fact that pitchers were eating fried chicken, drinking beer and playing video games would have simply been “blowing off steam and building camaraderie”.

The bottom line is that when things are going good, the majority of what happens is skewed in a positive light and when things are going bed, those same occurrences are the end of the world.  All Boston needs to do to get this mess to blow over is start winning; whether or not that happens is yet to be seen.

You can view all of Carl’s RantSports articles here and follow him on Twitter @CarlConrad81.

Every year there are a few notable exceptions to the powerhouse field The Players Championship draws, and this year is no exception.  Bubba Watson has pulled out of the tournament in order to spend time with his newly adopted son, while Dustin Johnson is the only one of the 6 players in the top 50 that will be absent due to injury.

While big hitters are usually at an extreme advantage on the PGA Tour, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass rewards shot makers with excessive feel and the ability to shape shots as opposed to those that can simply “grip it and rip it”.  This course is a true equalizer among the field, making it incredibly difficult to save errant shots.  Players that are struggling with consistency coming into this week (see:  Tiger Woods) are likely to be frustrated early and often, leading to difficulty making par.

Defending champion K.J Choi is looking to become the first player to ever win The Players in consecutive years.  The only people to ever repeat as champions have been Jack Nicklaus (’74, ’76, ’78), Fred Couples (’84 & ’86), Steve Elkington (’91 & ’97), Davis Love III (’92 & ’03) and Hal Sutton (’83 & ’00).  Most odds makers have Rory McIlroy as the favorite to win, followed closely by Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker.  Rickie Fowler is looking to win back to back tournaments after his impressive victory last week at the Wells Fargo Championship.

You can view all of Carl’s RantSports articles here and follow him on Twitter @CarlConrad81

The Players Championship takes place May 10 – 13 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL and is one of the biggest stops annually on the PGA tour.  Watson will forgo his attempt to win a huge purse totaling $9.5 million, whereby the winner receives $1.71 million in addition to 600 FedEx Cup Points.

Thanks to his win at the Masters a few weeks ago, in addition to his 4 top 10 finishes this year, Watson currently sits in 2^nd place in the FedEx Cup point standings, a mere 6 points behind leader Hunter Mahan.  On top of his standing with respect to FedEx Cup points, Bubba is also currently the 4^th ranked golfer in the world, behind Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood.

According to his twitter feed, Watson announced:  “I’ve decided to pull out of the Players. I need to spend more time with Caleb and Angie, plan to take at least a month off”.  He followed that tweet with another one, stating:  “The Players is one of the best weeks of the year but bonding with my son and wife is what it is all about right now.”

This is going to be a controversial decision to many, but in my opinion, I love the fact that Watson, a new father, clearly has his priorities in order.  He feels that spending time as a family with his wife and new son is more important than competing in professional golf events.  It’s refreshing to see an individual that has experienced as much success as Watson has in recent years stay totally grounded and able to prioritize the things he finds truly valuable in life.  Hats off to Bubba, and we’ll be waiting anxiously for your pink driver to appear back on tour soon.  In the meantime, enjoy the time you will get to spend with your family.

Stories of Kim’s lackadaisical attitude towards his golf game are well known, as is his penchant for partying, even in the midst of tournaments.  Anyone who has tried to golf after a long night out with friends, even at your local muni, can attest to the fact that it doesn’t make things any easier.  Kim was trying to do that on some of the most difficult courses in the country and against the best competition in the world.  At the same time, you can’t blame a guy in his mid-20’s who skyrocketed to stardom and became a millionaire for enjoying some of those spoils; he just has to know that there is a time and place for everything.

Kim has been quoted as saying that at one point last year, he went 6 months without a lesson and would often not even pick up a club during his off weeks.  For those of you that argue that Bubba Watson has never taken a lesson, that doesn’t mean that Bubba does not work diligently to improve his game.  The same cannot be said for Anthony Kim.

As with any professional athlete, injuries can quickly derail a budding career, and Kim has not been able to avoid them.  Two years ago, he suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb, and struggled to overcome it for quite some time.  He began to develop bad habits to overcompensate for the injury (perhaps due to lack of practice), and those bad habits became incredibly hard to break.  At that point, he began to lose confidence, which is a death sentence for a professional golfer.

It seems as if Kim has begun taking his career more seriously and has dedicated more time to honing his craft.  It seems that he has finally realized that talent can only take someone so far, and it is hard work and dedication that propels you to excellence.  This may simply be because he has gotten older and has matured, or the realization might have hit him that he is in danger of losing his tour card if he doesn’t pick up his game.  Either way, let’s hope that Kim can find a payoff from his renewed work ethic.

As the saying from the movie A Bronx Tale goes:  “The worst thing in life is wasted talent”.

According to the account first reported by The Ledger, Miller was attempting to find his ball near a pond on the course when the enormous reptile grabbed a hold of his leg, only after he had turned his back.  If that wasn’t bad enough, the gator decided it did not feel like letting go, and attempted to pull Miller back into the lake.  Apparently, the man’s friends acted quickly and began a match of tug of war with the gator in an effort to keep their friend from behind pulled to his death.

As the animal was pulling Miller, the miracle that he had been praying for throughout the entirety of the ordeal came true.  “He let me go,” Miller said. “I was three feet from my life. He had me submerged up to my belt buckle. That was my miracle of the month.”  Once he was let go, Miller’s friends were able to pull him to safety.  Miller made it through the initial surgery, but the extent of the damage to his knee has yet to be determined due to the excessive swelling.

This incident comes just days after Brian Gay’s caddie, Kip Henley, wielded a rake from the sand trap to defend Gay at the RBC Heritage.  He ended up playing the ball from the edge of the water that was the gator’s home.  Talk about pressure.  For future reference for both Brian Gay and Albert Miller, PGA rules allow a player to take a drop without penalty if their ball ends up in a dangerous situation.

I cannot even imagine the trauma that Mr. Miller experienced.  The worst that has happened to me is coming within about 5 feet of a relatively large copperhead while hacking through the weeds to find my ball.  I wish him the best of luck with a speedy recovery that will hopefully get him back out on the course and playing again.  One word of advice, however:  I know ProV1’s are pretty expensive, but next time just take a drop.

When asked about the ordeal, Albert Miller responded “You’ll never get me to look at a gator, touch a gator or eat a gator”.  I don’t think anyone can argue with his sentiments.

The course is in the midst of some major changes, including the only change that will be in play this year; the pros will be playing from the “member tees” on the vicious par 3 17^th hole that is surrounded by water.  This will move the tee shot from 217 yards to 150-180 yards with a much better angle to the putting surface.  Next year, however, players will see a relatively major redesign to the 4^th and 8^th holes, while the 12^th green will be overhauled.  There has been some harsh criticism about the severe undulations on the greens, which is most likely the impetus behind the club’s plans to modify them in the future.

The list of past champions includes the likes of David Toms, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods and Anthony Kim (when it was the Wachovia Championship) and Sean O’Hair, Rory McIlroy and defending champion Lucas Glover (since it has been known as the Quail Hollow Championship).

According to Golfodds.com, Rory McIlroy is the favorite to win this week at 7/1, while Tiger Woods (9/1), Phil Mickelson (10/1) and Lee Westwood (12/1) are not far behind.

This should be a great 4 days of golf at an incredible course.  Let’s hope the perceptions (reality?) about the unreasonable undulations on the greens don’t cost anyone the tournament.

Youkilis, affectionately referred to as “The Greek God of Walks” for his patience at the plate, is hitting .219 through 18 games with 2 homeruns and 9 RBI.  He had started to come on after a very disappointing opening stretch to the season.

In addition to his early season woes at the dish, Youk has had to contend with some less than encouraging comments from Sox manager Bobby Valentine.  In the middle of April, Valentine said of Youkilis “I don’t think he’s as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason. But [on Saturday] it seemed, you know, he’s seeing the ball well, got those two walks, got his on-base percentage up higher than his batting average, which is always a good thing, and he’ll move on from there.”

Middlebooks is currently batting .333 with 9 homeruns and 27 RBI with Pawtucket thus far in 2012.  He will get the start tonight at third in place of Youkilis.

Add this to the long list of injuries that the Red Sox have had to overcome in the young 2012 season, including their new closer and a handful of outfielders.  If they can weather this storm, it will be interesting to see what they can do later in the year.

Now, the NFL is encouraging the Eagles (and the other 31 NFL teams) to offer fan conduct classes.  That’s right, the NFL wants teams to teach fans how to not act like complete idiots during their trips to the stadium.  According to CBS Philly:

The NFL is pushing the Eagles (and every other team in the league) to add a “fan conduct class,” designed to improve stadium safety.

If a fan gets kicked out of a game for bad behavior, some venues won’t let him back in until he takes the online course by anger management expert Ari Novick.

“The focus of the class really addresses issues related to alcohol abuse, disruptive behavior, and teaches coping skills to fans who are ejected for violating the stadium’s code of conduct policy,” Novick tells KYW Newsradio.

To sum that up for everyone; the NFL wants teams to teach classes to people who get kicked out of the stadium before they’re allowed back in.  This, in my opinion, is a complete and utter waste of time.  If some drunken slob gets kicked out for starting a fight with a fan of the opposing team, he isn’t going to learn one thing from a class that is supposed to teach him how not to be a jackass.

Just a couple questions that immediately come to mind:

Who determines what is “bad behavior” that warrants being required to go to the classes?  Does everyone that gets kicked out for any reason have to attend a class?

Is there a test?  And if so, is it pass/fail or a percentage grade?  If there’s a grade, what is considered passing?  Do they grade on a curve?

What is the cost for this course?

Can they be fined/cited on top of this?

Idiot fans exist in every sport, in every town and every venue.  Arrest, fine or cite these morons for their behavior.  At least that revenue will go back to the municipality where the incident occurred, instead of into the pocket of Ari Novick.  What a complete sham.