"Sign Boy" is back! One of the most beloved characters that the game — and certainly FootJoy — has ever had is returning to television this year. The "Sign Boy" commercials were very successful for FootJoy and will be re-appearing in commercial spots this season starting with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

As if the market wasn't wacky enough. Last Thursday, Bloomberg broadcasted a report that Callaway Golf was unable to meet the terms of its credit line. The stock took a 10% dive on heavy trading, costing Callaway shareholders close to $70 million. The report was in error and quickly retracted. It was later reported that Callaway actually has cash reserves in excess of $100 million and no credit line problems.

Rich Beem finished dead last at the PGA season opening Mercedes Championship, earning him the dubious distinction of being the first person to do so twice. Last year's golden boy and PGA Champ, Beem first participated in the Mercedes Tourney in 2000 after winning the Kemper in 1999. For the record, Beem fell off the map in 2001. But he emerged victorious in 2002 with wins in the International and the PGA Championship. His enthusiasm and joy of the game make him a crowd favorite.

Ernie Els has started off the 2003 tour as hot as a proverbial "smoking pistol." His Mercedes Championship victory was a record-setting 31 under for 72 holes. (For those slow with math, that's like birdie, par, birdie, par for 72 holes.) He followed up that remarkable performance with a playoff win over Aaron Baddeley at the Sony Open this past weekend. Both shot 16 under. His two wins start him off with $1.8 million in winnings in January and place him squarely atop the money list at this early stage of the 2003 season. Oh yeah, Mercedes also tossed in the keys to a new Mercedes-Benz SL500 Sport for the Mercedes Championship win.

Golf is often analogized to life because of the many similarities. Surely there are some great quotes out there that we can all "spout off about knowing" on the tip of our tongue. However, after some intense research and scrutiny, this crack team at Off the Fringe feels we have selected the ten most outstanding golf quotes of all time ... that not everyone has heard!

1. Ben Hogan — As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.
2. Lee Trevino — I am not saying my golf game went bad, but if I grew tomatoes they would have come up sliced.
3. Harry Tofcano — I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them.
4. Winston Churchill — Golf is a game whose aim it is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose.
5. Anonymous — Real golfers don't cry when they line up their fourth putt.
6. Jack Benny — Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner ... and you can keep the clubs and the fresh air.
7. Gardner Dickinson — They say that life is a lot like golf — don't believe them. Golf is a lot more complicated.
8. Bobby Jones — Sometimes the game of golf is just too difficult.
9. Steve Ballesteros — I'd like to see the fairways more narrow. Then everyone would have to play from the rough, not just me.
10. Tommy Bolt — Always throw your clubs ahead of you. That way you don't have to waste energy going back to pick them up.

Do you know some not-so-famous quotes? Click here to post your favorites and see others you can use at next week's golf outing.

Have we crossed that line in our beloved sport when Tiger's knee rehab is a bigger story than Ernie Els (a superstar in his own right) shattering the 72 hole scoring record in a PGA Tour event? As a member of the media, surely I can be held responsible for such a travesty. Thankfully, however, my ability to introspect has given me pause to reflect. (Note, I never said I was humble, just introspective.)

31 under is what he shot last week at the Mercedes Championship. Forgive me for using vocabulary with which I am sure you are unfamiliar, but holy schnoookzies! That's headline-worthy! You now have my word that Tiger only comes first when it's necessary.

Faithful, I hope you were watching Els dismantle that volcanic island's landscape. And for the rest of this year keep a close eye on the man that may soon become one of golf's ten best players of all time. The Big Easy is determined to make a run at Woods that no one else can conceive.

Two tournaments in Hawaii to start the season following a two month vacation for men that play golf for a living. I'm just in the wrong profession.

Has anyone seen Ty Tryon in the last six months? Maybe Nike should have made him his own ball, too. Speaking of which, has anyone seen David Duval?