Mediate’s Chances Collapse in a Spill

Friday was a busy day at the airport. Rocco Mediate withdrew from the PGA Championship because of a lower-back injury, Tom Lehman withdrew because of a sore knee, Dudley Hart withdrew because of a back injury and Jim Carter and Ben Crenshaw withdrew for reasons that were not made public.

Mediate had a first-round 77, Lehman an 82, Hart a 79, Crenshaw an 83 and Carter an 85.

Mediate’s injury turned out to be controversial. Before Thursday’s first round, he was sitting in a chair on the patio of the players’ family dining room and it collapsed. In the fall, Mediate hurt his right wrist and shoulder and his neck in addition to his lower back.

Mediate’s representatives at Gaylord Sports Management were not happy.

“We are beyond disappointment and particularly upset that Rocco would suffer such consequences due to something that could have and should have been avoided,” Gaylord said in a written statement.

Mediate won last week at the Buick Open and was in position to make the Presidents Cup team.

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Don’t look now, but Colin Montgomerie has lost 20 pounds since the British Open.

“I just woke up one morning and thought, ‘Well, look, if you don’t have to be something in life, don’t be it,’ ” Montgomerie said. “And I was overweight. I don’t want to be overweight anymore.”

Montgomerie, whose weight is listed as 195 pounds, said he tries not to eat after 7 p.m., works with a trainer and exercises.

Montgomerie said losing weight has helped his self-esteem.

“There is no point in doing one’s job in public if you don’t have good self-esteem,” he said. “I hadn’t had that for a couple of years and I wanted it.”

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More (or less) Monty: He says the galleries are taking notice of his slimmed-down frame.

“They were giving me some Snickers bars and stuff on the course,” he said. “They felt I was obviously ill.”

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Stewart Cink has enough on his mind--he’s at one-under 143--so he doesn’t have to worry about Tiger Woods.

Said Cink: “I know he’s done some pretty amazing stuff the last two majors, but it’s still golf and anything can happen out there.”

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Nick Faldo followed his opening 79 with a 68 and was asked whether the pace of play was the difference:

“No, the difference is I was 11 shots better.”

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Friday morning’s Louisville Courier-Journal headline on the first-round play that left Woods and Scott Dunlap tied: “Co-leaders: Guess Who and Who’s He?”