Yes, surprises, controversy, sportsmanship and shocks. Four words that best describe golf over the last couple of weeks. We haven’t covered golf much at all, but with so much going we figured we’d better at least do a quick round up of the major stories.

Let’s start with Tiger Woods. He’s back in golf after taking time out for ‘treatment’ for his promiscuity and it’s like he’s never been away. Except for the fact he appears to have forgotten how to play golf, that is.

His ‘car crash’, the sex scandal and his sponsors leaving him in droves has definitely affected Woods. He returned at the Masters and finished tied for fourth after a bad start. Impressive stuff. However, he is currently playing in the Quail Hollow Championship, carding a disappointing 74 in the first round with four bogeys and a double bogey.

Woods had said he was enjoying his golf again and has already signed up for the Players’ Championship. We can’t imagine he’s enjoying it right now and who knows how he will react to this comparative failure. Females everywhere, be worried.

Monty: Moody bastard

Some things don’t change, however. Colin ‘Monty’ Montgomerie has always been considered a moody character. His flare ups on the golf course at spectators and officials for perceived injustices against him are famous.

Well, he’s been at it again. The Ryder Cup captain, playing in the Spanish Open, was outraged after scoring a bogey on the seventh. He blamed, rather amusingly, loud music coming from a nearby hospitality tent.

He raged at Miguel Vidaor, tournament director:

“Should never have happened in the first place. Is this a party or a golf tournament?”

Hilarious stuff. He then, of course, refused to speak the media after his round. Ah, Monty, what would we do without you?

Finally, the retirement of Lorena Ochoa, the world’s number one woman golfer, has been met with surprise. Mexican Ochoa decided to hang up her golf clubs to concentrate on her family and charity work.

The surprise is that she is only 28 and has been world number one for the past three years – in theory, she should have had many years at the top ahead of her. In comparison, Annika Sorenstam, the woman she replaced as number one, retired at 38 in 2008.

Ochoa tearfully explained:

“I wanted to retire as the world number one and this is the moment.

“I realised I didn’t feel [the same] motivation this year and that I wanted to start a new life,” she told a news conference in Mexico City, crying as she read a letter thanking her parents for their support.

“I want to dedicate to my family the time I have taken from them all these years.”

It’s any sports person’s right to retire when they wish, of course, but Sporting Fare reckons this is just a bit premature…and that she’ll be back at some point in the future when it sinks in that she’s missing the game.

Oh, we must make mention of Brian Davis’ extraordinary sportsmanship during the play-off at the Verizon Heritage tournament on the PGA tour, even if it was a while ago now.

He owned up to the possibility that he may be liable to a two-stroke penalty for moving a loose impediment in a hazard on the backswing of his third shot on the first extra hole. Nobody saw it, he barely felt it. He could have kept his mouth shut and got on with it. It might not have allowed him to win the play-off against Jim Furyk, but it certainly would have given him a better chance.

In the end, Furyk won, of course, and paid tribute to Davis’ honesty.

“To have the tournament come down that way is definitely not the way I want to win the golf tournament. It’s obviously a tough loss for him, and I respect and admire what he did.

“To be there and be in the battle and have an opportunity to win, and then have to call a penalty on yourself has got to be extremely disappointing.

“It’s a testament to our game and the people that play on the Tour, and that we have so many guys that do that.

“It’s just awkward to see it happen at such a key moment. Awkward for him to lose that way, and a little awkward for me to win.”

Fair play.

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