Woods Says 'There's No Fine' For His Remarks

CHASKA, Minn., Aug. 11 -- Tiger Woods's criticism of PGA Tour officials for putting him and Padraig Harrington "on the clock" over the final three holes of last weekend's Bridgestone Invitational did not result in a fine, Woods said Tuesday, though the discussion of slow play -- and how both Woods and Harrington handled it -- worked its way from Akron, Ohio, to Hazeltine National Golf Club, site of this week's PGA Championship.

In discussing the issue, Woods, who beat Harrington by four shots Sunday after Harrington made a triple bogey immediately after being warned about slow play, did not back down from his original comments.

"I thought they would have used better judgment," he said. But in the hours after the Associated Press cited an anonymous PGA Tour official in reporting that Woods would be fined, Woods said that was not the case.

"I've heard from the tour, and there's no fine," Woods said. "That was an erroneous report."

Ty Votaw, a spokesman for the PGA Tour, said the original report of a fine was "inaccurate." Votaw said Commissioner Tim Finchem had read and considered Woods's remarks.

"There has been no process started with respect to any disciplinary action," Votaw said by phone. "The commissioner has reviewed the reports, and based on the reports that he read, Tiger's comments related to the impact of the decision. He did not read them as an unreasonable attack or as being disparaging."

When Harrington and Woods arrived at the 16th hole at Firestone Country Club, Harrington held a one-shot lead. European Tour official John Paramor informed the pairing, the last of the day, that it needed to speed up. PGA players can face fines for slow play or, if the fines and warnings are ignored, ultimately be docked a shot, though that last happened in 1992.

"It certainly influenced us in how we played and influenced the outcome of a tournament," Woods said.

Harrington, who admitted he was unnerved by the warning, said he had not read Woods's comments.

"Having won the tournament, he can take the moral high round and say what he wants," Harrington said of Woods. "Having lost the tournament, I'm going to sit back and just . . . take it on the chin and say it was my mistake."

Beem Remembers Scene

Seven years ago, Rich Beem -- a relatively anonymous pro from Texas -- did the unthinkable, staving off a hard-charging Woods at Hazeltine by downing Pepto-Bismol to calm his nerves and winning a thrilling PGA Championship by a shot.

Since then, though, Beem hasn't won a tour event, and his highest finish on the money list is 71st.

"This championship really changed my life, and it was fast and furious," Beem said Tuesday. "To be honest with you, I wasn't prepared for it, and I think it took its toll, and . . . I think that's why my golf game suffered a little bit."

Beem, 38, has made the cut in just 10 of his 20 tour events this year, with one top-10 finish. . . .

Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, withdrew from the field because of a nagging wrist injury. That leaves the field with 98 of the top 100 players in the world, which matches the record for a PGA Championship, set in 2002 here at Hazeltine. Sweden's Robert Karlsson is out because of an eye injury.