BACKSPIN ANOTHER TAKE ON THE HEADLINES

TIGER WINS LID-LIFTER
The stage was set for something special--Woods and Tom Lehman,
mano a mano, for 18 glorious holes. Instead we get the Tour's
version of rock-paper-scissors: a one-hole playoff on a par-3.

SORENSTAM WHIPS WEBB IN T OF C
Fabulous players, but just a little...dull. The LPGA needs
someone with pizzazz, someone with a great nickname.

JOANNE (BIG MOMMA) CARNER TO PLAY FULL SCHEDULE IN '97
Never mind.

MUSBURGER'S OUT, TIRICO'S IN
The subhead should read, "ABC gets rid of announcer who doesn't
know anything about golf, hires announcer who doesn't know
anything about golf."

NORMAN NIPS HOCH IN ANDERSEN FINAL
They call this thing a world championship? All you have to do to
reach the final is blow a Masters to Nick Faldo.

TIGER TURNS DOWN BOB HOPE
The world's in an uproar, but give the kid a break. He says yes
to one 93-year-old living legend, he has to say yes to them all.

DAVID EGER RESIGNS PGA TOUR POST
VP of competition says the parting was amicable, he'll be
consulting on special projects, blah, blah, blah. Sorry, Dave,
but your Tour career was rained out the minute you canceled the
tournament at Pebble.

COLOR PHOTO: ROBERT BECK Tirico's as much of a golf guy as the man he replaced.[Mike Tirico]