Big Play with John Elliott

WHO: CharlesHowell

WHAT: 40-yardpitch off a cart path

WHERE: 315-yardpar-4 10th hole at Riviera Country Club

WHEN: Secondplayoff hole at the Nissan Open

WHY

Never give up adecent, predictable lie for an unpredictable one. When Howell's ball came torest on the cart path, he made a good decision when he decided to play it fromthat spot rather than taking a drop in the rough. He played the shot well butclipped the tree because he used a wedge instead of an eight- or a nine-iron.Luckily, that mistake didn't cost him, as he redeemed himself by stiffing thenext shot from the rough.

JOHN'S TIP

Hit the Pavementto Get off the Path

Address the ballwith your head, sternum and hands--but not your lower body!--ahead of the ball.On the downswing, try to have the clubhead hit the path just ahead of the ball,which assures that the club hits the ball first and prevents scooping. Atimpact you should feel two things: the club accelerating and a jarringsensation that'll cause you to make an abbreviated finish.

John Elliottteaches at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club in Ocala, Fla.

... AND ANOTHERTHING

"Hank Haneysays that kids who want to maximize their potential should skip college. Theyshouldn't, and it's a horrible message."

Jet Set

The most amazingthing about Phil Mickelson's decision to stay home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.,last week and fly 100 miles each way from Carlsbad to Santa Monica for theNissan Open every day is that Mickelson, a licensed pilot who owns a GulfstreamII jet (a.k.a. G2), didn't even use his own plane for the commute. Phil's rideis too much club for the short hop, so while it presumably sat idle, Mickelsonchartered a Cessna Citation from Jet Source, where a spokesman said theleast-expensive such aircraft goes for $3,000 per two hours of flight time.Nice. Here's a rundown of the pros who have their own set of wings.

[This articlecontains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

Player	Model	Bluebook Value	Pilots Himself?	Why Own One
Ernie Els	1997 G5	$34 mil	No	He splits time between South Africa, London and Orlando
Retief Goosen	1985 Challenger CL601	$7.8 mil	No	Well, if Ernie has one ...
Phil Mickelson	1978 G2	$2.6 mil	Yes	Home to the family on Sunday night--and off with the guys on Mondaymorning
Jack Nicklaus	1998 G5	$35 mil	No	Jack fashions himself a high-powered CEO, and all those guys have one
Greg Norman	2003 G550	$47.8 mil	No	Says he would've been a pilot if not for golf; loves his toys
Arnold Palmer	2002 Citation X	$15.5 mil	Yes	He has loved to fly since he was young and once held an aviationrecord
Corey Pavin	2002 Citation CJ1	$3.2 mil	Yes	Not enough leg room on commercial flights?

TIGER'S *HIT LIST
Tiger Woods's catalog of grudges reads like a best-seller list. No one wants tobe on it, but here's who is and why

This Week	OFFENSE	Last Week	Weeks On List
1	Retief Goosen The usually reticent South African said Tiger skipped L.A. because "hewants to keep his streak going--he's never won here yet." TDub's notamused.	--	--
2	Peter Kostis Pesky CBS ingrate is allowed to reenter Woods's personal space for postroundinterviews, then cracks, "Tiger only likes pat questions, so he can givepat answers."	1	89
3	Vijay Singh El Tigre is not likely to ever forget that TIGER WHO? hat.	2	300
4	Ernie Els Goosen's childhood buddy says he's gunning for No. 1. Tiger's less frosted thanhe is motivated to step on Big Easy's neck at every opportunity.	3	8

GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 TEACHERS POLL

Which TV analystdo you prefer: Nick Faldo or Johnny Miller?

Faldo ...56%

Miller ...44%

" Nick Faldois a breath of fresh air. I mute Johnny Miller."

--KEVIN WALKER,NANTUCKET GOLF CLUB

SIX PHOTOS

GEORGE HALL/CORBIS (JETS); COURTESY OF CBS (HOWELL); ERICK W. RASCO (BACKGROUND, ELLIOTT, 2); MICHAEL COHEN/WIREIMAGE.COM (FALDO)