Teeing Off Against ALS

The second annual Jeff Julian and Friends ALS Foundation Golf
Classic was held on Monday in the host's hometown of Branson,
Mo., raising an estimated $75,000 for research on the disease,
which Julian, 42, is battling. Last year his team won the
better-ball competition with a 69, but Julian has lost most of
the movement in his arms and was unable to play this time around,
though he did putt on some holes. Tom Watson was in the field,
aided by his caddie, Bruce Edwards, who is also afflicted with
Lou Gehrig's disease.

Seve Ballesteros set the standard for best use of a captain's
cart in an international team competition at the 1997 Ryder Cup,
but Catrin Nilsmark rolled in a distinctive style at the Solheim.
Aching from a ruptured disk in her back, Nilsmark's cart was
outfitted with an oversized beanbag in place of a seat back,
which allowed her to recline in imperial splendor, like a
Cleopatra of the links. Nilsmark had actually begun the week
conducting team meetings from bed. Asked what got her through the
Cup, she said, "A mixture of LSD and morphine and cocaine."

Is Bobby Jones the son of God? Yes, according to Hollywood
casting agents. Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's
controversial upcoming film The Passion, is the lead in Bobby
Jones: Stroke of Genius. The biopic, directed by Rowdy
Herrington (Roadhouse), centers on Jones's sterling run during
the Golden Age of American sport. Principle photography began on
Aug. 24 in St. Andrews, and Dean River Productions expects a 2004
release.

THE POLL
VOTE AT GOLFONLINE.COM

THIS WEEK: The U.S. has lost the most recent Ryder, Walker and
Solheim cups. All three results were considered upsets. Do the
Americans lose because they don't care as much as their opponents
or simply because they're not as good?

LAST POLL: Augusta National announced that 36 pine trees were
recently planted along the right side of the par-4 11th hole,
pinching the landing area. Have the extensive changes of the last
few years made the course better or worse?

Better..........48%
Worse...........36%
No Change.......16%
--Based on 1,619 responses to our informal survey