Par was 72.

Girls
Samantha Bates, Arnold 90 - Medalist
Kali DeBerry, Arnold 108
Lura Edge, Arnold 110
Joslyn King, Freeport 111 - Advanced to Regional
Olivia Stein, Arnold 114
Kayla Frost, Arnold 117
Booke Sneed, South Walton 117
Krista Tuta, Marianna 125 - Advanced to Regional
Claire Deville, South Walton 134
Aisha Scott, Walton 149 - Advanced to Regional
Amanda Laird, Freeport 152
Rebecca Cantrell, South Walton 157
Katarina Sykes, South Walton 165
Taylor Christmas, Marianna 196
Kendra Bennett, Marianna 207

Boys
Paul McClure, Walton 72 - Medalist
Tyler Chavira, Arnold 76
Heath Morgan, Walton 79
Devin Patridge Walton 80
Billy Davis South Walton 81 - Advanced to Regional
Clay Cawthon Walton 83
Bronson Hill, Arnold 85
Brandon Chavira, Arnold 86
Hudson Meeks, Arnold 86
Jared Kane, Arnold 87
Chase Arnold, Holmes County 88
Dakota Melo, Holmes County 90
Shawn Howard, South Walton 91 - Advanced to Regional
Curtis Miller, Walton 91
Dylan Smith, South Walton 92 - Advanced to Regional
Rodney English Holmes County 94
Cameron Oliver Marianna 97
Luke Rowell Chipley 98
Tyler Harris Marianna 98
Justin Chamber Chipley 99
Jordan Rudd Chipley 99
Ben Palkowski Freeport 100
Trevin Howell Holmes County 100
Aaron Miller Holmes County 102
Coty Porter Freeport 103
Ethan Ellerbee, Marianna 105
Austin Woodard, Freeport 105
Alton Stone, Marianan 107
Brett McDaniel Chipley 109
Samuel Taylor, Chipley 109
Harrison Fuqua, Marianna 109
Shane Schofield, Freeport 110
Bryce Gerber Wewa 111
Tyler Whitten Wewa 111
Matthew Fleming Wewa 113
Ryan Leaman Wewa 113
Derek Fannin, Freeport 117
Jake Vermillion, South Walton 120
Charlie Horton South Walton 122
Benjamin Smith Wewa 132

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Is this racist? Especially when there are 121 foreign players on the tour, including 45 from South Korea?

I don’t think so. Of course this topic will have its supporters, who will say that if they live, play and get paid in America then they should respect this country and speak the most common language. Opponents of the policy could come right back and say English isn’t the official language of America, and isn’t this a melt-ing pot of a country to begin with?

Both sides are right and yes, the LPGA does have the right to do this.

Now, here’s why I think it’s smart. Sports at the touring level are a business. To support that business, the athletes and the LPGA itself have sponsors. If these sponsors can’t communicate with the athlete(s) they’re giving sometimes millions of dollars to, why should they keep emptying their pockets into those of athletes.

Then there’s the media coverage. The LPGA is like the WNBA, it’s on the bottom of the media food chain. They NEED the exposure. And sure they get it abroad, in all these athletes’ home countries, they need it in America most of all. How can an English speaking reporter interview a non-English speaking golfer? They can’t. There goes the coverage. No highlights. No interviews. No one cares.

The golfer’s home countries will still follow these women. They’re not forgetting their native language. They’re just learning how to communicate in new land. This isn’t like team sports. Some have said what about foreign baseball players or basketball players, who instead of trying their limited English skills or trying to lean the language, just shrug and walk away from questions. They should learn English, too, but they’re also saved by the majority of their teammates who do speak English. Golfers don’t have teammates.

In order to promote themselves and the sport, they should learn our language.

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I don’t usually disagree with such a respected and powerful publication such as The Wall Street Journal, but I will now. The financial bible of America has typically stayed at bay with its sports reporting, covering it from an arms-length distance. It writes, by many standards, safe, analytical sports stories, that usually concern the most pertinent sports issues that day or week.

On Friday, the Journal went in over its head. The WSJ took up most of a full page with a story headlined “The World’s Greatest Athlete?” The story says that the Journal “asked a panel of sports experts to sift through a mountain of date and pick the fastest, strongest, most agile man of Earth.”

Five judges, mostly exercise health and science experts, from across the country, started with 79 male athletes and came up with 10:

The judges used the following criteria to decide the Top 10: speed; vision and reflex; stamina and recovery; coordination and flexibility; power, strength and size; and success and competitiveness.

So where’s Tiger Woods?

Especially after his remarkable U.S. Open playoff, which was made even more remarkable when it was announced Wednesday that Woods was playing on two stress fractures in his left leg and an injured knee. Now, I bet the voting and design of the package was done well before Woods’ dramatic tournament. But still, why wasn’t he a choice before the Open?

Let’s go through each criteria and how they relate to Woods.

Speed: We don’t know if he’s fast, and that seems to be OK with the Journal. In James’ explanation it says: “He scored high in every category except speed…” So Woods didn’t need to be a speed demon to be considered.

Stamina and recovery: Woods’ average time of performance, a four-round golf tournament, lasts considerably longer than everyone else’s “games” on the list. Woods doesn’t have the benefit of timeouts, halftimes, period breaks or any time to sit and rest. He walks 18 holes per round, which equals roughly four miles per day. Tomlinson would have to run the length of a football field 72 times to reach the length that Woods walks in one round.

Coordination and flexibility: Hitting a golf ball is like hitting a baseball. It needs great hand-eye coordination. On top of that, the torque that Woods puts on his body is not found in any other sport. Even Federer can move his feet when he strikes the ball so he doesn’t put the amount of force that Woods does on his knees.

Power, strength and size: Not many people in this world can hit a golf ball the distance that Woods can. Those who can are usually on some cable specialty show. They can’t play a complete round of golf like Woods can. Look at Woods’ body, it’s comparable to anybody’s in any sport. Woods is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. But I’d put his body and physique up against any in the Top 10, certainly against any hockey players.

Success and competitiveness: Come on, there’s really no comparison here. Nobody in the Top 10 has dominated their respective sport like Woods has, individually or on a team. He’s now four majors short of the all-time record, held by Jack Nicklaus. He’s won 10 of his last 13 tournaments, and that includes being off from April to June. He’s arguably the greatest golfer to every play. One of the Journal’s stipulations for the last category examined success as records held and victories, as well as competitiveness, based on the sport’s popularity. While golf isn’t soccer, but it’s one of the most popular sports internationally. A quick Internet search turns up more than 400 million are fans of or play golf worldwide. More than baseball.

Now take into consideration the impact the athlete’s had on their sport. No one tops Woods.

The world knew he was a great athlete before Monday’s 19-hold playoff to defeat Rocco Mediate. But after Wednesday’s revelation of Wood’s injury, which would keep most people, athletes or not, bedridden, it’s hard to think how he’s not the greatest athlete in the world. Not many athletes, if any, for that matter, has played in an entire game, match, meet in Wood’s condition. That alone is another category.

Sports Illustrated doesn’t take on Wall Street, and the Journal shouldn’t take on sports.

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Recently crowned U.S. Open champion Tiger Woods will undergo reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament surgery on his left knee that will cause him to miss the rest of this year’s PGA Tour season, according to a statement on his Web site.

Woods was also suffering from a double stress fracture in his left tibia discovered in late May, just before the Memorial which was Wood’s initial target to return. Woods’ Web site attributed stated the stress fracture was a result of intense training by Woods to meet his target return date of the recently-completed U.S. Open.

A surgery date has not been set yet.

“I know much was made of my knee throughout the last week, and it was important to me that I disclose my condition publicly at an appropriate time,” Woods said on his site. “I wanted to be very respectful of the USGA and their incredibly hard work and make sure the focus was on the U.S. Open. Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee.”

Woods initially injured his ACL in July 2007 after the The Open Championship and elected to not have surgery.

Last week, Woods, who recently celebrated his 500th week as the world’s top-ranked player, was visibly in pain throughout this five-round playoff win over Rocco Mediate. He winced during tee shots and used golf clubs to help him walk.

“I was determined though to do everything and anything in my power to play in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, which is a course that is close to where I grew up and holds many special memories for me,” Woods said. “Although I will miss the rest of the 2008 season, I’m thrilled with the fact that last week was such a special tournament.”

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As far as sports lore goes, golf wants Tiger Woods to win today’s U.S. Open playoff against Rocco Mediate.

Except this man wants Mediate to win. The more you listen to him, who wouldn’t?

“I’m nuts,” Mediate said. “Come on, seriously. I’ve always been that way. It’s nervous energy anyway. I can’t be quiet, that’s for sure. But I obviously won’t bother anybody. I don’t do that, either. I’ll talk to people outside before I — but Tiger will talk a bit, I’m sure. He has no choice. It will sure be a lot of fun.”

Mediate knows he talks a lot. Just watch him. After every swing, he’s looking around for someone to talk to. He knows how important today is, but he’s staying humble, not taking anything too seriously. After Saturday’s round, Mediate said if he could defeat Woods, he might just quit. He wasn’t serious but that’s the way Mediate is. He doesn’t take his day job for granted and he realizes how fortunate he is to play with the world’s No. 1 player, especially since he’s ranked No. 158.

“That will change this week,” Mediate said of his ranking. “It won’t get to second, but it won’t be 158th.

“To go up against the best player in the world and have a chance to beat him, there’s nothing else you can ask for, period. Of course I want to win. Of course I do. I wanted to win (Sunday) and I thought I had a pretty good shot at it and I made him do something today and he did it, which is amazing. He does it all the time.”

Woods is working toward his 14th golf major, which, if he wins today, would be four shy of tying Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major wins.

A win by Woods would have all the storylines of a storybook ending: he came back from knee surgery, wincing through pain on nearly every shot gaining the gallery’s condolences and hitting a tournament-tying, playoff-forcing 12-foot putt on the very last shot of the 72-hole regulation tournament.

Phew. Cinderella has nothing on this one.

Except for Mediate.

While most of the attention has been on Woods throughout the tournament, especially on Thursday (when Woods was paired with Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott) and Sunday, Mediate has been reveling in every moment at Torrey Pines, located in La Jolla, Calif.

“I bet you didn’t think I’d be here today, did you?” Mediate asked to start his post-round press conference Sunday night. “I believe you, I know you didn’t think I’d be here. You didn’t, really? That hurt. Go ahead, sorry.”

Mediate wasn’t lying. He really didn’t think he was going to be there.

Three weeks ago, the 45-year-old from Naples wasn’t planning on playing five rounds in San Diego. He wasn’t even planning on teeing of Thursday. Mediate had to play his way into the U.S. Open through a sectional qualifier in Columbus, Ohio, along with Ben Crane, Davis Love III, Jesper Parnevik, Chad Campbell and Justin Hicks.

But Mediate’s journey to the second Monday of the U.S. Open didn’t just go through Ohio. Plagued by back pain throughout his career, the Pennsylvania native nearly won the tournament of his lifetime, the 2006 Masters. Leading on the final day, Mediate shot a 10 on the Par 3 No. 12 and finished tied for 36th. Soon after he became a broadcaster for the Golf Channel.

“I can’t explain it,” Mediate said. “It was, after the announcing, I was pretty in bad shape. And I met a woman who saved me. You’ve heard this I’m sure before. Made me able to play again and found the problems and all of a sudden I’ve had one setback since then. And it was a disk anyway, no one would have prevented that. And that’s what made me able to keep going.

“This is a big one for me. This is along one for me, so yeah, a lot of things have happened. Talking about was I ever going to play again, or do this or have a chance to win one of these, get back to Augusta National, which I still have some things to settle there and I’ve done that, too, which is cool. Yeah, I can get back in there. So, all that stuff, I can’t really believe I’m sitting here. I really can’t.”

Woods will win his tournaments. Reaching 18 majors is inevitable, save a catastrophic event. Mediate doesn’t know what the pressure of today would be like, but to him, it doesn’t matter. While Tiger’s knee is getting stronger, Rocco is running on fumes.

“I have nothing left right now,” he said Sunday night. “I’m toast. It was the most amazing day of golf I’ve ever experienced. (Today) is going to be pretty amazing, too, but (Sunday) was absolutely remarkable. I’ve never been there like that before. And I just found out what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter how you get it in, you’ve just got to get in and trust what you’ve worked on all your life. The putting. There’s no technical anything going on, it’s all make the ball go where you want it to go. It’s amazing.

“The thing that’s most amazing is the man I’m going to play has won 13 of these. It’s amazing how much it takes. I gave all of what I had today and I can’t complain.”

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