Matt Lauer vs. Kitty Kelley: guess who wins?

[Rev. Day-Bu]

Here's the setup, with all the NewsMax smugness and certainty:

From NewsMax:

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004 9:30 a.m. EDT

Lauer to Catty Kitty: You Got My Story Wrong, Too

Poison pen celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley shot herself in the foot on the "Today" show this morning when she claimed to have inside knowledge that "Today" host Matt Lauer once played golf with President George H.W. Bush - a charge refuted by Lauer on the spot.

Lauer was questioning Kelley about why, after four years of investigating three generations of the Bush family, she couldn't find one positive thing to report:

LAUER: The reality has to be that there are some nice things that need to be said about them. And why aren't they in this book?

KELLEY: Matt, you've played golf with former President Bush.

LAUER: I've never played golf with him.

Kelley did not challenge Lauer on his denial - or explain how many sources she had for her false claim.

Still, undeterred by yet another misreport, Kelley contended that the Bush family enjoys a "Donna Reed Show" family image when the truth is closer, she claimed, to "The Sopranos."

Now, something seemed funny here. Kitty Kelley doesn't make claims that aren't true. So I did a quick bit of research: a simple Google search for three words: Lauer Bush Golf. Perhaps NewsMax should have tried a Google search, because here's what came up.

From FieldTurf:

President Bush Installs Fieldturf At Vacation Home In Kennebunk Port
George Bush Sr. loves his golf, and what better way to stay on top of his short game than with a FieldTurf putting green. President Bush had spoken to a PGA Tour player about wanting a backyard putting green, and TourTurf by FieldTurf was the recommendation.

The putting green was a gift to President Bush from some of his friends for his upcoming 80th birthday. Palmer Design did the original layout, and on site Tom Burke and President Bush made modifications. The green is a little more than 800 square feet with a two and a half foot fringe.

President Bush did an interview with Matt Lauer for the TODAY Show on his FieldTurf putting green. President Bush loves his new putting green, so much so that he decided to challenge Matt Lauer in a putting contest. Check out the video to see who wins.

And here's the video.

So that's what I found. How did I do? :)