Thursday, December 17, 2009

Martin Ureta finishes 12th at World Cup in China

4u Management client Martin Ureta traveled to Shenzhen, China the last week of November to compete in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup. Martin and his playing partner Hogo Leon represented Chile in the 28 country battle. This year's event was the 55th World Cup of Golf. While many of golf's top stars and countries considered to be superpowers competed, they went head to head with some of the sport's emerging nations. The World Cup was played at the magnificent Mission Hills Resort. Martin and Hugo finished tied for 12th and pocketed $80,000. Congratulaions!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Limbaugh: "This report is wrong, so what about the rest?"

Posted on: December 11, 2009 1:29 pm

Agent: This report is wrong, so what about rest?

The torrent of bad news has been unrelenting, with steamy, saucy developments revealed almost daily as the tabloids and celebrity websites chase secret sources, cops leaking documents or folks who knew a dude who once met a chick who served Tiger Woods a glass of orange juice at a Florida pancake house.

Based on sheer volume, it looks darned incriminating. Woods even admitted, however vaguely, to committing indiscretions.

But Thursday, there was a development that should give us pause. To those sitting in the jury box at the court of public opinion, be aware that a news report was posted on a tabloid magazine website that was flatly denied and appears to have been just plain wrong.

“This makes me question the credibility of the other [Tiger] stories, too,” said Tommy Limbaugh, a longtime agent for several PGA Tour players.

The tabloid Life & Style on Thursday posted a story that included scathing comments attributed to one of Limbaugh’s clients, Ben Crane. He was quoted as saying, verbatim: “This is no surprise to anyone who knows Tiger. He's a phony and a fake and he can't retain that squeaky-clean endorsement deal any longer."

Limbaugh said he called the magazine and was told that the interview with Crane was conducted last week at PGA Tour Qualifying School finals. One problem – Crane is fully exempt for 2010 and never set foot in West Palm Beach, Fla., where the finals were staged. Charles Warren, another tour veteran who played at the finals and was quoted in the story, likewise denied speaking with the reporter and said he hadn’t been interviewed by anybody in months.

“Once something is out there, how do you pull it back when it’s wrong?” Limbaugh said. “When the bloggers get hold of it, how do you fix it?”

Limbaugh said the sequence of events has made him rethink the whole Woods feeding frenzy. With Woods remaining mum and refusing to confirm or deny any of the reports, either from tabloids, gossip websites or more traditional news outlets, the easy temptation is to believe almost all of it.

“After what we have been through, I can’t believe all those other stories are true,” Limbaugh said. “I can’t imagine what the Tiger camp is going through. This was one instance [where facts are in dispute]. They are dealing with a runaway train. It has taken on a life of its own.”

When it’s a hot topic, stuff can go viral in a heartbeat.

“I see the bloggers winning and Tiger losing,” Limbaugh said. “There’s just so much stuff out there that hasn’t been confirmed by anybody.”

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Ben Crane denies comments concerning Tiger Woods



“Ben Crane was very surprised and shocked when he heard the quotes that were attributed to him in Life & Style magazine concerning Tiger Woods” said Ben Crane’s Manager Tommy Limbaugh, President of 4U Management, LLC in Orlando, Florida.

“Ben has never talked to anyone at Life & Style magazine. In fact, Ben has not had any interviews since the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Disney on November 15th, 2009.

“Ben wishes only the best for Tiger, Elin their marriage and their family.”

--4U Management is a sports marketing and consulting company that provides management services to professional athletes, sporting events, coaches, and companies. Our clients range across a wide array of sports areas and locations. At 4U Management, we are not just professional sports agents; we are much, much more to our clients. Our sole mission as a company is to do something for you, to work for you, and to always have your best interests at heart. Our web site is designed to give you an in-depth look at 4U Management's dedication to our clients and the vast amount of services we offer. www.4UManagement.com

Friday, December 4, 2009

Tommy quoted in USA Today

USA Today December 4, 2009
Report: Tiger's mom, Elin's mom were at the house

Kimberly Harris, who was one of the neighbors on the scene after Tiger Woods' crash last week outside his home, told police Woods' mother and mother-in-law were at the home the night of the crash, according to an audio recording of the interview obtained Thursday by the Associated Press.
Woods has faced intense media scrutiny after a car accident outside his home early last Friday morning and sordid allegations of affairs. In a 317-word statement on his website Wednesday, Woods acknowledged he had "let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart."

The audio recording of an interview the FHP conducted with Woods' neighbors was obtained Thursday by the AP through a public records request. Troopers interviewed Jarius Adams, who called 911, and his sister, Harris.

Harris told troopers that Woods' mother, Kultida, and mother-in-law, Barbro Holmberg, were at the scene. The AP could not independently confirm whether the two women were present.

"Did they ever talk to anybody at the scene that showed up, any emergency workers or anything?" a trooper asked Harris.

"The cops came, the Windermere cops came first, then the security guards came," Harris said. "And then it appears Mr. Woods' mom, and Tiger's wife's mom came out after the fact. I don't know if they heard the commotion, I don't (know) if she, his wife, left and came back. But they walked across the grass and were outside as well."

A voice that strongly resembles Woods' mother is heard in the background during the 911 call saying loudly, "What happened?"

Canceled:

A lawyer for a New York woman who has denied having an affair with Tiger Woods canceled a news conference scheduled for Thursday in Los Angeles. Attorney Gloria Allred said the news conference was canceled for unforeseen circumstances. Allred told the Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that there will be no further statements on the matter. Allred earlier had planned to make a statement about Rachel Uchitel's relationship with Woods. Last week the National Enquirer published a story alleging the world's No. 1 golfer had been seeing Uchitel, a New York nightclub hostess. Uchitel denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by the Associated Press.

Rookie seminar:

The media frenzy surrounding Woods is extreme for golfers, but all PGA Tour rookies are given instruction about media relations and personal conduct when they finish qualifying school. It's part of a two-day orientation that comes after Q-school, which is underway in Florida. This year the orientation will be Tuesday and Wednesday.

"We'll tell them the same thing this year that we tell them every year," said Rick George, the Tour's chief of operations. "We talk about our image; our code of conduct and the personal brand of the player."

With new forms of media —Facebook, Twitter and cellphones with cameras — George said players must be more cautious about their conduct. "Once you step out of your house there is no privacy," he said.

Agents also try to instruct young golfers about their image, said Tommy Limbaugh, who owns 4U Management in Orlando. "I basically tell young players that they have a great opportunity to make a living playing golf, but with it comes a great responsibility," Limbaugh said.

Limbaugh said golf as a sport has a lot of integrity, but "the golfers are human and they make mistakes. John Daly has struggles. The public knows about them. But people are forgiving."

Limbaugh, a former college football coach, said public trust is important to a player's career.

"The key to getting endorsements is that companies think the public will trust you," he said. "When you lose that trust you lose the ability to attract those endorsements."