Sips of Maginnes: Driving a NASCAR guy, rulings and fun

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John Daly has made four cuts in a row on the PGA TOUR. He is entered this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- The players competing in last week's Verizon Heritage made their wishes clear. They want to keep the event on the PGA TOUR schedule.

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The contract with title sponsor Verizon has now run its course and the Heritage is searching for a title sponsor. Obviously this is not a unique situation; many tournaments like the Heritage are feeling the crunch of the economy.

What is unique is the players' allegiance to this particular event. Hilton Head Island and Sea Pines create a special week for PGA TOUR players and their families. This tournament, beautifully positioned the week after the Masters, is an opportunity to exhale for the best players in the world after a trying week at Augusta.

• On Sunday morning there were still at least two dozen players who believed that they had a chance to win the Verizon Heritage. Jim Furyk had a one-stroke lead but there were 23 players within five shots. Compared to the 2009 Verizon Heritage that Brian Gay won by 10 shots this shaped up to be a good old fashioned shoot out -- and it was.

• Jim Furyk eventually beat Brian Davis in a playoff. On the first extra hole, the Englishman had to call a penalty on himself when his sand wedge inadvertently caught a loose impediment on his backswing in the hazard left of the 18th green. As soon as he hit the shot from the beach Davis asked TOUR rules official Slugger White if what had occurred was a penalty.

Slugger was on the radio within seconds as officials watched the slow-motion TV replay to determine if an infraction had occurred. While the brief deliberation was taking place some of the rowdier fans in the double-decker grandstand expressed their disdain for the delay. Furyk raised a disapproving hand to the gallery in a gesture asking for decorum.

The simple gesture was enough and moments later the jeers were replaced by cheers as Jim holed the winning putt. Davis may not have gotten the win he had hoped for but he earned a tremendous amount of respect.

• Several players making their way from the Masters to the Verizon Heritage took a slight detour and stopped by Myrtle Beach to play in the "Monday After the Masters Pro-Am." Ricky Barnes and Jim Furyk were among those who participated in the six-man scramble that featured a professional and a celebrity in each group.

Cowan

Mike "Fluff" Cowan, Furyk's caddy, played as a celeb while your humble scribe teed it up as a broken-down old professional. I was paired with eight-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner Kyle Petty ,who had me at the wheel of the golf cart. "I don't drive anything this slow," Petty told me before we teed off. Other celebs included Samuel L. Jackson, Jim McMahon, and Sterling Sharpe.

I assure you a good time was had by all, especially on Monday night when the boys from Hootie and the Blowfish were joined by Josh Kelly and the folks from Sister Hazel.

• John Daly was among 10 players who survived the 36-hole cut but didn't play on Sunday due to the rule instituting a second cut on Saturday if 78 players or more make the original cut. J.D., Chris DiMarco and D.J. Trahan were among those left out of the action on Sunday. For all, though, it was officially a made cut and for J.D. it was four in a row.

The last time John made four consecutive cuts was back in 2005 (and the fourth was the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational where everyone plays four rounds). He is back in action this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on a course that may suit the big man's game a little more than the narrow confines of Hilton Head.

• Finally, Jim Furyk wore black pants on Sunday. The classically-clad Furyk wouldn't admit that he had donned the trousers knowing that they would match the tartan plaid -- but they did. For the man who had finished runner-up at the Verizon Heritage on two previous occasions the outfit was a fashion success.