Fans virtually getting closer to tweeting superstars

More than 200 professional golfers, from the seldom-recognised Nationwide Tour guys to 76-year-old Gary Player (@garyplayer) use Twitter to interact with fans.

The tip of the cap or wave on the course has been replaced by a 140-character recap of whatever is going on in their lives.

Bubba Watson (@bubbawatson) and his wife, Angie (@angieb1433), tweeted the news that they adopted a baby last week.

When it was announced in the Masters media room earlier this week that Dustin Johnson had withdrawn, media were told to contact his representative to know why. It wasn’t necessary. A few minutes later, Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) tweeted, “First I have to apologize to the fans and sponsors. With heartfelt regret, I won’t be playing in the Masters due to a tweaked back. #imsorry”.

News travelling faster than a titanium-powered drive happened again Friday during the second round of the Masters. There was an announcement about a discrepancy between the scorecard Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) signed and what his score was thought to be. A few minutes later, his wife, Donna (@DianeDonald), tweeted, “Just got off the phone with Luke, NOT disqualified.”

“We’ve seen an explosion of our athletes embracing social media, each in a way unique to them,” said Ty Votaw, PGA Tour (@PGATOUR) executive vp of communications.

Votaw wouldn’t say if the Tour has ever reprimanded anyone over a tweet. He did say players seem to understand the message that how they interact with fans on the internet is as important as their interaction on the course. A tweet can carry as much weight as a handshake.