Golf notebook: Sergio Garcia makes a Twitter dream come true; Tiger in trouble

--Sergio Garcia made a very persistent fan of his extremely happy.

The fan's 206-day long Twitter campaign, starting in July asking to become Garcia's caddie, finally succeeded with a tweet from the Spanish golfer inviting him to carry his bag later this year.

Mark Johnson of England started sending Tweets to Garcia last summer, hashtagging each one with #Letmecaddieforyou. He told Garcia about his family and his golf trips, wished him happy birthday, and complimented him on his tournament play.

"I noticed him the first time from the first tweet he posted at me," Garcia said. "I thought it was quite funny and it was very sincere."

In December, Johnson said in a Tweet that he might be giving up on his dream -- but he kept going long enough – 206 days – to get the response he was waiting for:

"Ok @markjohno6969 I think I found the perfect day for you to get a taste of carrying my bag & make your dream come true! Are you ready?"

Responded Johnson: "@TheSergioGarcia As long as it's not today I'm ready Bud."

Garcia came back with, "@markjohno6969 not today, don't worry!! Haha. It's going to be the Wednesday, Pro-am day of the British Masters, ok?"

Said Johnson: @TheSergioGarcia Top man Sergio Wednesday 27th September its in the diary!"

For his part, Johnson was thrilled to finally hear from his idol. He tweeted that he could hardly sleep and still couldn't believe his luck. Garcia said he was glad to be able to make a dream come true.

Johnson obviously was even happier later in the week when Garcia captured the Dubai Desert Classic.

--Tiger Woods' immediate future is in question.

Woods, playing his second official tournament in 17 months following back surgery, withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic before the second round on Friday because of back spasms, one day after shooting 5-over-par 77 in the first round.

Mark Steinberg, Woods' manager, said Woods began experiencing back spasms after dinner on Thursday night.

"Tiger Woods went into a spasm in his lower back fairly late last night ... got treatment done early this morning for 3 1/2 hours, but can't get it out," Steinberg said. "He says it's not the nerve, but back spasm, and he can't get the spasms to calm down. He can move around, but he can't make a full rotation in his swing."

Woods shot 76-72 -- 148 and missed the cut a week earlier in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in his first PGA Tour event since he tied for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015.

After taking next week off, Woods is scheduled to play in the Genesis Open at Riviera in Pacific Palisades and the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

"I wasn't in pain at all," Woods said after his first round in Dubai. "I was just trying to hit shots and I wasn't doing a very good job."

Woods has won 79 times on the PGA Tour, but not since the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.

--A federal judge in West Palm Beach, Fla., ordered a golf club owned by President Donald Trump to pay $5.77 million to former members who claimed the club wrongfully refused to refund their deposits after Trump took ownership in 2012.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra ruled that Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Fla., must repay $4.849 million plus $925,010 of interest to 65 former members for breach of contract.

Marra, who presided over a non-jury trial in August, said the club had no right to keep the deposits after locking out members who declared their plans to resign before Trump's purchase was final in November 2012.

Before Trump took over, the club permitted members who wanted to resign to keep playing golf until their replacements were found.

But Trump changed the rules, declaring in a letter that "as the owner of the club," he did not want such members to use the club, and telling them "you're out."

Marra said this deprived the plaintiffs of their "continuing right" to use the club until new members joined.

"By categorically denying class members all rights to club access because they remained on the resignation waiting list as of December 31, 2012, defendant revoked or canceled their memberships," and should have refunded their deposits, Marra wrote in his ruling.

The Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment, but intends to appeal, according to media reports.

"Our clients are thrilled that they are getting exactly what they deserve," said Brad Edwards, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. " ... I think President Trump is going to respect this judgment."

Marra noted that Trump was a "private citizen" at all times relevant to the lawsuit, and that he would refer to Trump as such in the decision.

"In doing so, the court means no disrespect to him or to the esteemed position he now holds," wrote Marra, an appointee of former President George W. Bush.

--Steven Bowditch of Australia was arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI early Friday morning by Scottsdale Police after playing in the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, according to The Arizona Republic.

Media reports claimed someone called police around 1:10 a.m. and reported that an impaired driver was swerving all over the road in a white pickup truck.

Police reported that the truck was later found at an intersection, where it sat through two green traffic signals without moving. Police officers had to wake up Bowditch, who was at the wheel, and he was removed from the truck.

Bowditch posted this Twitter message on Saturday morning: "Life is about choices. Last night I made a very poor one. I'm very sorry to those I have disappointed. I must and will, do better."

Extreme DUI in Arizona is a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or greater within two hours of driving.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported through Sgt. Ben Hoster, a Scottsdale police spokesman, that Bowditch's BAC was .204 when he was taken into custody.

A police spokesman said Bowditch was booked into Scottsdale City Jail "due to the fact that he is an out of state resident."

The 33-year-old Bowditch, whose two PGA Tour victories came in the 2014 Valero Texas Open and the 2015 AT&T Byron Nelson, was bonded out of the Jail later in the morning and played in the second round of the tournament.

Bowditch shot 74-74 -- 148 and missed the cut by seven strokes, the 11th time in his last 12 starts that he has failed to reach the weekend on the PGA Tour.

--Pat Perez withdrew from the 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open after seven holes in the first round because of soreness in his left shoulder, which required labrum surgery early last year.

Perez's wife, Ashley, said his shoulder tightened up, so he withdrew as a precaution rather than risk a recurrence of the injury.

"My phone has been blowing up all morning and everyone has the same question," Ashley Perez wrote in a message online. "What happened to @patperezgolf to clarify the situation -- his shoulder tightened up and he didn't want to push it without having it immediately looked at. Last thing we want is a setback since all the hard work and rehab he has gone through. He saw the PGA doctor after he WD and the Dr. confirmed nothing was torn it was just inflamed at the bicep and just needs ice and rest. All is good and he will be in Pebble next week. Thanks for all the concerned texts xox."

The PGA Tour's medical staff confirmed that Perez's left shoulder area was inflamed at the bicep muscle, and that there was no other medical issue.

Perez, who has finished in the top 10 four times since returning in October, including his second PGA Tour victory in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba, made five pars and a triple-bogey 7 on the fifth hole in the round at TPC Scottsdale before withdrawing.

--Larry Dorman, a former New York Times sportswriter and golf industry executive, has been named the recipient of the 2017 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism by the Golf Writers of America.

Dorman will be honored on April 5, the day before the start of the Masters, at the 45th GWAA Annual Awards Dinner at Savannah Rapids Pavilion in Augusta, Ga.

Dorman, 66, is the 28th recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism, which honors members of the media for promotion of golf, both locally and nationally.

"Larry's career is a remarkable journey of one of this country's most versatile sportswriters," President Paul Levy of the PGA of America. "He achieved success at the highest level in delivering the finest coverage of major events and didn't stop there. He also made an indelible mark upon our industry while spending a decade in public relations.

"For over 40 years, Larry's quality work brought us closer to those who make golf the best game. We're proud that he now joins one of the most honored clubs in American sports journalism."

Dorman, who was born in New York City and raised in Miami, Fla., didn't begin playing golf until he started college.

After graduating from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1973, he began his newspaper career as a features writer for the Palm Beach Post, where he worked from 1973-75 and 1977-80.

Dorman also wrote for the Albuquerque Tribune, the Miami Herald and was golf writer at National Sports Daily for the two years of its existence in 1990-91.

Dorman wrote for the New York Times from 1993-97 and 2007-11, working for the 10 years in between at Callaway Golf. He was hired by the late Ely Callaway in 1997 to become vice president of Public Relations and Advertising at Callaway.

"I'm thrilled to be recognized by the PGA of America for this award, and honored to be in the company of the distinguished past recipients," Dorman said. "I remember delivering the Herald as a 9-year-old kid in Miami and dreaming about one day working there. And the New York Times? Twice? Beyond my wildest dreams.

"So many great writers and editors mentored me, challenged me, and encouraged me to get better at the craft. It's humbling to have worked alongside the giants of the business, to have met and written about athletes and coaches and entertainers and business leaders who were the best at what they did. I'm grateful beyond words."

Dorman covered 98 major golf championships, eight Ryder Cups, 10 Super Bowls, the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and two world boxing championship bouts.