He’ll really be driving in circles

One small step for man, one giant drive for Mikhail Tyurin.

He’ll be getting in a little pre-Thanksgiving golf Wednesday -- in space. The Russian cosmonaut is scheduled to hit from one to three shots (one-handed) just outside the International Space Station.

The ultra-light golf balls -- said to weigh about as much as three dollar bills -- could stay in orbit for two to three days, according to NASA officials.

Take that, John Daly!

Tyurin, who grew up wanting to be a hockey player, has been practicing his swing. But imagine the headline if he has difficulty connecting: A Good Spacewalk Spoiled.

Trivia time

Who was the only person to play golf on the moon and when did he do so?

Martians prefer mints

Meanwhile, back on Earth ...

Two men have invented Tasty Golf Tees. The 25-cent tees come in flavors including mint, cherry, strawberry and grape.

“It will knock out the foulest of cigar, beer breath within five seconds,” co-inventor John Packes told Reuters. “... Some people just look at you funny. ‘Do you really put it in your mouth?’ They give it a shot and say, ‘This is kind of cool.’ ”

Monty unplugged

Colin Montgomerie had a highly original answer when he was asked recently about his weirdest moment on the golf course by the British publication Observer Sport Monthly.

“Driving Meat Loaf up the 18th fairway in a Mini Hummer playing ‘Bat Out of Hell’ was a bit surreal,” he said. “What a character he is. His credit card says M Loaf on it and you call him Meat. As a kid he loved eating meat loaf and the name stuck.”

Monty also was asked an obvious question: Has he ever laughed at his hecklers?

“In America!” he said, laughing. “There are times you hear something and think: ‘That is funny.’ There are these students from Dunblane [Scotland] who dress up as me and call themselves the ‘Fool Montys.’ They always shout, ‘We love Monty!’ They are superb.”

Too easy a punch line

Fact I: AEG purchases the Champions on Ice figure skating tour.

Fact II: AEG owns the Kings hockey team, winners of six of their first 21 games.

Punch line: Nope. Some putts are simply too easy.

Trivia answer

Alan Shepard in 1971.

He hit two shots with a six-iron on the moon, hitting one-handed because of his bulky space suit.

Shepard, after his first golf shot on the moon: “Got more dirt than ball. Here we go again.”

And finally

British rugby player Stuart Fielden, on getting flattened by Australian rival Willie Mason: “I can take a punch with the best of them, but if you get caught sweet it doesn’t matter if you’re Lennox Lewis.”

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com