No stopping Mason Kresge, Justin Rose's back aches, and more

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Els and Kresge continues push for autism support

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- Like any 7-year-old boy, Mason Kresge loves to take action-packed trips to New York City. He spent time with his dad in the Big Apple last summer and the young weather buff grinned from ear to ear when he got a chance to give a mock weather broadcast.

He's also a huge fan of Tiger Woods. In fact, he keeps begging his dad to introduce him to Woods.

Mason Kresge wants dad Cliff Kresge to introduce him to Tiger Woods. (Photo courtesy Cliff Kresge)

Mason's father Cliff, a PGA TOUR golfer, promised Mason he will make the introduction this summer. That will likely make the smile that frequently brightens Mason's face even bigger.

As similar as Mason is to other 7-year-olds, he's also different. Mason, like nearly one million Americans, has autism but doesn't let it control his life. He's a very fast reader and began working his way through books at age three.

"We are mainstreaming him, trying to get him into the regular schools," said his dad Cliff, who is currently three shots off the lead at the Verizon Heritage after rounds of 69 and 66. "He's doing well and is improving every day. We have high hopes for him. We have him in Tae Kwon Do now, so that's exciting."

Sometimes he take questions too literally and doesn't always understand the meaning behind a comment. For instance, Mason met Bill Cosby on their trip to New York City. When Cosby asked Mason what his unique middle name was after, Mason replied, "my first name."

His dad is wearing an Autism Speaks pin on his hat at the Verizon Heritage, something many of the TOUR players are doing this week. Since April is Autism Awareness Month, pins were placed in TOUR lockers to show support for the cause.

As Cliff proudly shows off a bevy of pictures of his adorable, smiling son, the fatherly love is completely evident in Kresge's voice.

"[Autism is] out there, but it's not the end of the world. It's something you can live with," Kresge said. "My son is a very, very happy child. It doesn't have to be a negative.

"It can happen to everybody [so my advice is], if it does happen in your life try to get early therapy. That was the key to help him develop as early as possible."

FIT FOR A CHANGE: Lucas Glover holds the 36-hole lead at the Verizon Heritage after shooting 10-under-par 134 over two days.

If not for a self-described "hissy fit," however, he might be far from the top.

Glover had spent countless hours early this season working on a few aspects of his swing. He needed to position himself a little closer to the ball and rotate his shoulders more quickly. Swing harder, so to speak.

But the changes would not click. In the meantime, Glover barely mustered a finish inside the top 50 at '08 events. He tied for 22nd at the Northern Trust Open but never got in a position to win.

"It's Monday morning at 8:20 a.m. on the range at [the Shell Houston Open]. And it was after a hissy fit," Glover said. "I got mad and I said, alrighty, I'll refocus and work on it. I know it's the right thing to do. And I almost kind of made it work and made myself have some confidence."

He was a bit worried about immediately translating it from the range to the course. But he committed to the changes and wound up in 14th place.

"It [worked] 15 holes each day and three holes it [was] kind of squirrelly every day," said Glover, an alum from the South Carolina-based Clemson University. "[But] that was a good week for me. And it helped having the next week off [to work] on it."

His scorecard certainly reflects the recent improvement. Glover's two consecutive 66s gave him a one-shot lead over defending champion Boo Weekley heading into Saturday.

ROSE'S BACK'S OUT: Justin Rose withdrew from the Verizon Heritage on Friday morning citing a back injury.

Rose, 27, teed off the first hole at Harbour Town Golf Links early Thursday morning and began his day with a birdie on the second hole. His round turned sour at the eighth hole, however, when the young Englishman made a double bogey there then made matters worse with four bogeys in six holes on the back nine. Rose carded a 76 in the opening round.

This is not Rose's first time facing a bothersome back. The talented European took six weeks off in 2007 to nurse his aching back and had to withdraw from a string of tournaments, including the World Golf Championships-CA Championship last year.

He returned in time for that season's first major, the 2007 Masters Tournament, where he tied for fifth to kick off a string of top-12 finishes in all four '07 majors. Rose won twice on the European Tour last season and captured the prestigious European Tour Order of Merit, but is still searching for his first PGA TOUR victory.

At last week's Masters, Rose shared the first-round lead with eventual winner Trevor Immelman. His location at the top after 18 holes at Augusta National Golf Club was typical Rose, considering he'd been in the lead at the Masters after Day 1 for three straight years. But he sandwiched a 78 between an opening-round 68 and a 73 on Saturday. After a 76 on Sunday Rose tied for 36th.

In a little less than three months, the British Open will return to Royal Birkdale Golf Club. A decade ago, Rose burst onto the international golf scene when, as a 17-year-old amateur, he finished fourth there.