Heard On The Range

Bumpy greens? Busy schedule? Stanford-Arizona? Tiger Woods had
plenty of reasons to skip Pebble Beach. The best reason, though,
has never been mentioned: As one of the 120 silent partners who
kicked in $2 million to $10 million each to buy a stake in the
company that owns the course, Tiger can play the famed links any
time he pleases.... Super Bowl MVP and Pro-Am participant Tom
Brady, his parents and his girlfriend, actress Bridget Moynahan,
holed up behind Pebble's 18th green last week as the guests of
Pebble Beach Company CEO Bill Perocchi, a rabid Patriots fan....
Get used to seeing sitcom star George Lopez, who teamed with
Jesper Parnevik to tie for third in his Pro-Am debut. He recently
bought a house off 17-Mile Drive.... With $7.7 million in
Champions tour earnings, Jim Thorpe says he became a reluctant
sugar daddy to 11 siblings and more than 40 nieces and nephews.
No more. "I don't like it when people try to take advantage,"
says Thorpe. "Now I'm only going to spend money on my wife and
daughter." ...During Ernie Els's wire-to-wire win at the
Heineken Classic, he noted that Augusta has gone downhill. "It
was one of my three favorite courses, but what they did just
makes it so different now." According to the Golf Channel's Mark
Lye, "It's dumb, but a lot of people--in the media, even some of
my bosses--probably think, Is he a good enough player to be an
announcer?" Well, is he? After nearly shanking a wedge during a
first-round 75 at the Royal Caribbean, Lye shot 73-78 and came in
57th.
--J.G. and Farrell Evans

COLOR PHOTO: TODD BIGELOW/AURORA (THORPE) SENIOR SLAM Thorpe says he's cutting off his ingrate relatives.