LISTEN TO SABBATINI ROAR.

Byline: JILL PAINTER

GOLF

Rory Sabbatini really wanted to play with Tiger Woods in the final pairing at the Wachovia Championship last weekend. Sabbatini wanted to prove he could beat the world's best player and he said as much.

How dare he!

Sabbatini, ever confident and cocky, actually looked forward to it, especially after his Nissan Open victory in 2006. It bothered him that people questioned that victory, which came after Woods withdrew because of the flu.

"And he's here this week -- best opportunity I've had to put any of that criticism or doubt aside," Sabbatini said.

The nerve!

Then again, Tiger has never won at Riviera in 11tries.

When asked if he'd ever played with Woods in the final pairing -- an assignment that has morphed many of the world's best players into weekend hackers -- he said proudly: "Nope, and I'm looking forward to it.

Have you ever heard anything so brazen?

That's all it took for Sabbatini to ruffle a few feathers. You'd think he'd demanded Woods' first-born child (due this summer) or something.

Sabbatini didn't beat Woods on Sunday. He had a one-shot lead over Woods entering the day and finished in a tie for third.

Who cares?

Sabbatini showed moxie. His knees don't buckle at the prospect of playing with Woods, and he's not afraid to say it. In the NBA, this statement would have merited nothing more than a quote buried in a story. But this is the hush-hush world of golf, where everyone is expected to play nice and most oblige.

Anyone who knows Sabbatini is well aware that he's always been confident and cocky, so this should not have been a surprise.

Woods has the same mentality. He wants to crush every opponent. He loves the affect he has on players when he makes the turn on the final round Sunday or when his gallery roars every time he birdies, a sound he knows is ringing in the ears of players ahead of and behind him.

He makes no apologies for it. He can't even play a round with Charles Howell III, his neighbor and friend, without wanting to beat the snot out of him.

So when Roar-y says he wants to prove a little something against Tiger, why persecute him?

Perhaps it has something to do with the Ben Crane incident.

Sabbatini has been a knucklehead at times, and many remember him storming off the 17th hole of the Booz Allen Classic and playing the 18th solo while his playing partner, Crane -- possibly the slowest player on earth -- was still in the fairway on the 17th. Sabbatini and Crane had been warned for slow play and Sabbatini had finally had enough.

It was classless and unprofessional, no doubt. It was a mistake and Sabbatini learned from it. He now keeps his head buried in his yardage book to pass the time.

If we can forgive John Daly for all of his transgressions, why not Sabbatini?

But Sabbatini doesn't need forgiveness, because he doesn't care what people think.He has an opinion, and he'll share it.

Wouldn't it be nice if Phil Mickelson shared his more?

Ever since Mickelson claimed Woods was playing with "inferior equipment" when he signed with Nike, Mickelson has straddled the fence on important issues, including the decreased playing time for locals at Torrey Pines, where he had an opportunity to play at will as a youngster.

Sabbatini is bold. He's brash. He's a hothead sometimes.

He's good, too. He finished tied for second at the Masters and has four top-10 finishes. He's been in the top 3 in his last three tournaments. If he continues to play well, and we know Tiger will, we might see another rematch.

Sabbatini might be different but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

Let Roar-y do his thing.

Woods takes shot at 17th hole

When Tiger Woods -- who's won 12 majors -- reviews a course, people listen.

He does not like the signature 17thhole -- a par-3 on an island green -- at the Players Championship at Sawgrass, site of this week's tournament. At least based on its location.

"I've always thought that that hole is too gimmicky for the 17th hole of a championship," Woods said Tuesday in a press conference. "As far as (an) 8th hole, I think that would be a fantastic 8th hole, but not as the 71st hole of a tournament or 17th hole of your round."

A reporter asked why he disliked the 137-yard, 17th so much.

"I didn't say that," Woods said.

When asked the question differently, Woods again called the hole "gimmicky."

Whether players like it or not, the hole certainly adds drama to the tournament, which starts Thursday and fancies itself the unofficial fifth major. No lead is safe with water surrounding the green at No. 17.

It's made-for-TV. The hole wasn't devised with the idea of keeping players happy. The island green, one of the toughest holes PGA players will tackle all year, was actually an accident on the Pete Dye-designed course.

It was originally drawn up as a basic par-3, but Dye ran out of room and his wife, Alice, came up with the idea for the island green.

"I just think it's a wonderful hole, but I don't agree with it being the 17th or 71st hole of a championship because I just think that it is a little gimmicky in that sense," Woods said. "I think it's a great eighth hole or another part of the golf course."

The hole isn't moving, so fans can expect another thrilling end Sunday.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1) Rory Sabbatini said over the weekend he relished being in the final group with Tiger Woods.

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

(2) WOODS

Box:

(1) THIS WEEK

(2) Etc.