O.b.

Several European tour players believe Miguel Angel Mart�n of Spain is giving new meaning to the term lie. After playing with Mart�n in last month's Portuguese Open, Maarten Lafeber of Holland accused Mart�n of illegally improving his lie in the rough by pushing down the grass behind his ball with the head of his driver, ostensibly while deciding which club to hit. Later at the same event, Martin found taped to his locker a magazine article by Tiger Woods titled "How to Play Out of the Rough," and during the French Open the following week, a sign bearing the word CHEAT was stuck to Mart�n's locker. The issue was raised during a players' meeting last week at the Volvo PGA. According to Lafeber, nobody mentioned Mart�n by name, "but everyone knew who they were talking about." Mart�n wasn't at the meeting. "It doesn't make me feel good because there is no evidence I did what [Lafeber] said I was supposed to have done," says Mart�n, who adds that he has recently had balls and gloves stolen from his bag.

? Sergio Garcia had a new man, Anthony (Ant Man) Knight, on his bag at the Memorial after his regular caddie, Glenn Murray, went home to South Africa to be treated for reactive hypoglycemia, a blood-sugar condition.

? John Cook secured a U.S. Open berth with a tie for second at the Memorial, which vaulted him to 42nd in the World Ranking—the top 50 through last week are automatically exempt. Charles Howell, meanwhile, dropped from 50th to 53rd by finishing 27th at the Memorial and will have to get through sectional qualifying.

?It seemed every picture that ran with a Sam Snead obituary last week featured him in his trademark straw hat, but Byron Nelson told SI that Snead's heady habit was due to more than a sense of style. "Several guys used to call him Nude Knob," Nelson said. "Once that name got around, you never saw Sam anywhere without that hat on."

?Bad Hair Days, Part II. Dottie Pepper on LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth, who was as famed for her hair-sprayed bouffant as she was for her 88 wins: "Whit used to help us with club selection. If her hair was moving, it was at least a two-club wind."