Each week, 14 staffers from SI Golf+, Golf Magazine and GOLF.com  vote for  their top 10, awarding 10 points to their first choice and proceeding in descending order to the 10th player, who gets one point. The points are then added and the ranking calculated. This ranking aims to be an of-the-moment measure of who’s playing the best right now. Tell us your top 10 in the comments field below.

RANK (TOTAL VOTES, FIRST PLACE VOTES, LAST WEEK'S RANK)

1. Tiger Woods (126, 8, 1) - Last three finishes: T3, British Open; MC, The Greenbrier Classic; 1, AT&T National
- Official World Golf Ranking: 2

2. Ernie Els (104, 4, 2) - Last three finishes: MC, RBC Canadian Open; 1, British Open; T52, Scottish Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 15

3. Webb Simpson (99, 2, 3) - Last three finishes: T7, The Greenbrier Classic; T29, Travelers Championship; 1, U.S. Open Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 5

4. Luke Donald (75, 0, 5) - Last three finishes: T5, British Open; T16, Scottish Open; MC, U.S. Open Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 1

5. Graeme McDowell (70, 0, 6) - Last three finishes: T5, British Open; T17, ALSTOM Open de France; T16, Irish Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 11

6. Jason Dufner (68, 0, 4) - Last three finishes: T31, British Open; T4, U.S. Open Championship; 2, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
- Official World Golf Ranking: 8

7. Zach Johnson (59, 0, 7) -  Last three finishes: T9, British Open; 1, John Deere Classic; T64, Travelers Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 12

8. Adam Scott (40, 0, 8) - Last three finishes: 2, British Open; 3, AT&T National; T15, U.S. Open Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 6

9. Lee Westwood (32, 0, 9) - Last three finishes: T45, British Open; T40, ALSTOM Open de France; T10, U.S. Open Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 4

10.  Bubba Watson (24, 0, NR) - Last three finishes: T23, British Open; T2, Travelers Championship; MC, U.S. Open Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 7

Others receiving votes:
Matt Kuchar (19)
Hunter Mahan (16)
Rory McIlroy (15)
Dustin Johnson (9)
Brandt Snedeker (6)
Fred Couples (2)
Louis Oosthuizen (2)
Rickie Fowler (1)
Padraig Harrington (1)
Geoff Ogilvy (1)

Golf's return to the Olympics in Rio is four years off. That's 16 majors away. The Olympic golf course has yet to be built.

Which means it must be time for the NBC family of networks to start their deluge of promotional material. In a press release issued Monday, The Golf Channel rolled out its first round of 30-second video spots for a series entitled "Golf's Return to the Olympics." Be prepared for more:

"In media, there is nothing as powerful as the Olympic Games and Golf Channel plans to follow the most compelling storylines as golf returns to the Olympics in 2016,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley. “We'll tell the stories about which golfers will represent their countries and who will have to stay home. We'll cover the construction of the Olympic golf course in Rio and the profound, positive effect that the Olympics will have on golf’s global growth."

Golf Channel is joining other networks in the NBCUniversal family promoting the London Olympics, while also looking forward to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when golf will return after a 112-year absence. Golf was last an Olympic sport at the 1904 Games in St. Louis. The vignettes also will air on NBC Sports Network.

So far, videos include American's Keegan Bradley and Paula Creamer, Spaniard Belen Mozo, and South African Trevor Immelman. They're half-interview, half sales-pitch, set to alternating mystical or motivational back tracks. For their part, the athletes interviewed say they're excited. So is NBC. See for yourself below.

Fred Couples won the 2012 Senior British Open at Turnberry this weekend.

Congrats to my Assistant Captain on the win yesterday at the Senior British Open!

— Davis Love III (@Love3d) July 30, 2012

Great victory by Fred Couples at Turnberry in the Rolex Senior British Open in Scotland. Congratulations!!!!

— Gary Player (@garyplayer) July 29, 2012

Have to give a close friend some serious CONGRATS and kudos...Mr. Freddie Couples!!! #Winning

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 30, 2012

Several pros are following the Olympics:

Enjoying my time at the Olympic Village :)

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) July 26, 2012

This is absolutely amazing..speechless #London2012 #beachvolley

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) July 30, 2012

And I met The legendary Mr. Carl Lewis who couldn't have been cooler. #9olympicgoldmedals #likeaboss

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) July 30, 2012

Can't wait to watch as many events as possible in the Olympics. Go USA!!!

— Natalie Gulbis (@natalie_gulbis) July 30, 2012

Gotta love all of the #Olympics action! The Brits are great people and dedicated fans!! With that said... #USA

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 30, 2012

Men's Beach Volleyball at the Olympics in my Loudmouth!! Rocking Captain USA! Yeah--that's what's up!!! #USAOlympics #Loudmouth #Dalhausser

— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) July 29, 2012

Beach volleyball in the center of London. So crazy. #London2012

— Jeehae Lee (@jeehaeda) July 30, 2012

Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose celebrated their birthdays.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my buddy @Graeme_McDowell!!

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 30, 2012

@JustinRose99 happy birthday JR!!

— Darren Clarke (@DarrenClarke60) July 30, 2012

RT @JustinRose99 @Graeme_McDowell happy B'day fella. Hope another good year ahead for ya. >>Same to u pal!! Another year on the clock!!!

— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) July 30, 2012

Thanks for all the birthday wishes guys! 33 today and like someone reminded me.....only 17 years until the Senior Tour!! #stayfresh #fb

— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) July 30, 2012

Thanks for the B'day wishes! 32 and all grown up! Yes, that's make u all pretty old if u can remember me chipping in at Birkdale! #timeflies

— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) July 30, 2012

Some of the LPGA ladies shared pictures from the final night of the Evian Masters Tournament.

At the party

— Paula Creamer (@ThePCreamer) July 28, 2012

And the girls and I all dressed up: @TheVickyHurst @Walsheyyy @CindyLaCrosse and Jodi

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) July 29, 2012

Aaaand our famous sock-tanned feet adorned in fab shoes. Guess whose feet/shoes they are!

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) July 29, 2012

Last but not least all the pretty girls of the @lpga @evianmasters :-)

— Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf) July 28, 2012

Editor's Note: This story cites a report which states that Duval's Cherry Hills home had entered foreclosure. Duval told the Associated Press in a story published on Tuesday that this was not the case, but he declined to further explain his negotiations with the bank.

No one is safe from an angry economy. Not even former World No. 1s.

David Duval, once golf’s top player, has been hit by the housing crunch as hard as anyone. According to the Daily Mail, Double-D's house in the Denver suburb of Cherry Hills is in foreclosure:

According to legal documents seen by TMZ, some of the repayments on the £3.7 million ($5.9m) loan have not been made.

The paperwork allegedly states that Duval and his wife Susie were loaned the money in 2005 so they could buy a £7.8 million ($12.4m) home in plush Cherry Hills.

However, the bank is struggling to get the money back from the golfing star so has issued a foreclosure on the property.

According to the article, Duval is still estimated to be worth roughly $19 million, so he's many, many pages away from Chapter 13. But his cash flow, at least from golf, appears to be in a decade-long slide. This year, he's only made $26,696 on tour. And, in 2011, Duval and his wife put the Cherry Hills house, along with an additional property, on the market for $14 million -- almost $6 million less than they paid for it. So far, no buyers have emerged.

Duval's mansion -- which you can check out in the uncredited Daily Mail photo below -- will go up for public auction Nov. 7 if the loan isn't repaid. So, note to any Duval fans out there with more money than the man himself: Mark your calendars.

There are a few things I wouldn't let John Daly do to me. A lot of things, actually. But none of them are higher on that list than letting him slash a drive teed up in my mouth.

I'm not David Feherty. The Golf Channel host let Long John do just that on the season finale of his TV show, Feherty, which aired over the weekend. Watch the clip below:

Now, as the video mentions, John is a pro. But some might say pegging a ball on a head the size of Feherty's is a high tee indeed. We think Ernie Els may have taken a little divot.

T-Minus Four Years 'til Rio
Pro golf has a pretty strong couple of weeks coming up, with a World Golf Championship event (Bridgestone Invitational) and one of the world's biggest tournaments (PGA Championship) occuring in the next fortnight. But the Sport of Kings is going to be fighting for attention with some big to-do going on in the Queen's backyard. It's tough for anyone to compete with gymnastics’ quadrennial moment in the sun.

But golf will get its due in four year's time, and golf writers are already curious about who might be playing for medals in Rio. So if you can't beat 'em, join the hype.

Ryan Ballengee gets the ball rolling, running the numbers for Golf News Net to give us a (very) early look at the possible fields for men and women.  Apparently, if the men's field were set today, it would include eight Americans and reach down to the 334th ranked player in the world to fill out the 60-man lineup.

The women's field would dig even deeper, pulling 446th ranked Paola Moreno of Colombia into the fold.

The reason, Ballengee explains, is the selection criteria. The top 15 men and women will automatically qualify; after that, 45 players are added by rank. The catch is -- after the top 15 -- no more than two representatives from any single country can play. So Moreno and Norwegian Espen Kofstad would get the call.

But before they book flights remember this -- along with really any other aspect of the golf event -- is subject to change. In the meantime, we recommend any Norwegian with Olympic dreams to hit the range. Your tee time may only be four years away.

Tweet of the Day 

Charles Barkley -- Hall of Fame basketball player, Dream Teamer, friend of Tiger, and noted golf victim -- told Golf Channel's Morning Drive that he believes the days of Tiger dominating golf are over. Reid Cherner at USA Today was watching:

"He's back," Barkley said on the Golf Channel's Morning Drive.

"He's won three times. Nobody else has won three times." But he thinks the competition will make it too difficult for Woods to return to his former glory.

"...he's not going to dominate majors like he did in the past," he said. "These young players are so good now and anybody can on any given week can win out there. I think he will win some more majors. I'm hoping for him. I root for him. I'm a big Tiger Woods fan. No disrespect to Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, but this new generation, they're like Tiger Woods clones."

In other Tiger news, Ryder Cup vice captain Fred Couples said he will keep Woods loose at the Ryder Cup in Chicago this fall, according to The Scottish Daily Record: 

Couples, who plays in this week’s Senior Open, said: “You’d be an idiot to say that what happened to him wasn’t something he regretted but I don’t talk to him about that. I talk to him about golf. I tell him how great he’s playing and how much fun it is to see him winning again.

“And when he wasn’t playing well I was telling him, ‘Your swing looks terrible. When is it going to improve?’

“So there’s a lot of teasing and a lot of building him up and that’s my relationship with him. “Now in the Ryder Cup, he’s one of our best players again and there’s no reason to worry.

“Anyone would choose Tiger Woods but I feel with my friendship with him, he’s an easy guy to handle and be around.

“When we get to Chicago I’ll get to take care of three or four guys and it will be a lot of fun. It won’t be too serious, golf is golf.”

Phil Mickelson blames missed cuts on lack of focus

Phil Mickelson appeared on CBS This Morning to promote his efforts on behalf of the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy and chatted with golf fan Charlie Rose about his recent struggles. (Mickelson missed the cut at last week's British Open and his play has been uneven since finishing third at the 2012 Masters.

"I've tried to spend these last five days being introspective and trying to figure out what's going on. I think I've identified a couple things. One of the biggest areas, Charlie, is that mentally I haven't been focusing as fine as I need to."

...

"I've been a little lethargic these past two months."

Rose also asked Mickelson what coach Butch Harmon helps him with ("Butch has got such a great eye for the golf swing that he's quick to identify what's wrong and how to fix it") and what was the best swing he's ever seen (Tiger, circa 2000). However, Mickelson added a caveat to the best-looking swing question: "More than having an aesthetically pleasing golf swing it's understanding your golf swing that allows you to take out half the course. ... You can't play effectively if you don't know which side you're going to miss on."

Oh, and Mickelson shared his favorite golf course. No surprise, it's Augusta.

You can watch the full interview here.

Rory McIlroy goes to London Olympics to watch Caroline Wozniacki

Rory McIlroy is in London to support girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki at the Summer Olympics. And while this trip was a short hop from Open venue Royal Lytham & St. Annes, McIlroy's good buddy Graeme McDowell suggests that McIlroy's frequent travel might be tiring him out. Devil Ball Golf's Jonathan Wall has more:

Coming off a T-60 at the Open Championship -- his fourth straight major finish outside the top 25 -- he has one final major start to turn things around, but as fellow countryman Graeme McDowell noted during a recent visit on Golf Channel's Morning Drive, his recent struggles may have something to do with the amount of time he's spending in-between starts traveling to watch Wozniacki in tournaments, instead of working on his game.

"There's no doubt, all the travelling is wearing him down a little bit and we are seeing a little bit of fatigue," McDowell said on the Golf Channel yesterday as he co-hosted the Morning Drive show. "But he's a fit kid and he's a young kid and he has all the talent in the world. It is only a matter of time [before he comes back]."

Tweet of the Day

If you birdie it, they will come... twitter.com/alan_bastable/…

— Alan Bastable (@alan_bastable) July 27, 2012

Fred Couples fired a stellar three-under 67 to win the Senior British Open by two shots over Gary Hallberg. Bernhard Langer played with Couples in the final group, but stumbled to a 75. Tom Watson shot a 69 and tied for 10th

The 2012 Senior British Open was held at the storied Ailsa Course at Turnberry in Scotland, site of the "Duel in the Sun" between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus at the 1977 British Open.

• Official leaderboard at europeantour.com
• Photos: Senior British Open at Turnberry
• Photos: Tom Watson's career in pictures
• Video: 'Duel in the Sun' at Turnberry in 1977

Bunkers will count as waste areas at Kiawah
Dustin Johnson may do a little victory dance when he hears this news. As Jonathan Wall writes, the PGA of America announced on Wednesday that all sandy areas on The Ocean Course at Kiawah, site of the PGA Championship, will be considered "through the green" and not designated as bunkers.

"With the unique topography of The Ocean Course, natural sandy areas spread throughout the entire property, The PGA of America Rules Committee has determined that all of these areas will be treated alike and played as through the green" PGA of America President Allen Wronowski said. "We believe that by establishing the Condition of Play for the 94th PGA Championship well in advance of the Championship it will help players and spectators prepare for this spectacular Major Championship experience."

In layman's terms, this means that if your ball happens to find the sand, you'll be allowed to move loose impediments, take practice swings and ground your club.

Johnson incurred a two-shot penalty after grounding his club in a bunker on the last hole of the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. The mistake cost him a spot in the playoff. Hopefully this year there won't be any issues.

Kim Jong-un reveals wife at miniature golf course
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, visited a recently-finished amusement park in the capital of Pyongyang and was accompanied by his new wife, Ri Sol-ju. The pair began their tour of the park with the miniature golf course.

The setting deemed appropriate since Mr. Kim’s late father, Kim Jong-il, was a big fan of the game of golf. For more on the story, visit The New York Times The Lede blog.

McDowell shows off to girlfriend
After the British Open, Graeme McDowell and his girlfriend, Kristin Stape, took a visit to Celtic Manor -- the site of McDowell's Ryder Cup shot-heard-round-the-world. Randall Mell has more on the story:

“She wanted to see the 16^th and 17^th holes herself because she had heard so much about them,” McDowell said. “So, we swung down and showed her the scene of the crime. Obviously, it’s a special place and was a special moment in my career.”

In 2010, McDowell sunk a 15-foot birdie putt that helped the European team earn its victory. It was even named the European Tour's Shot of the Year. McDowell is likely to be a part of the Ryder Cup action this year.

Tweet of the Day

Yeah yeah yeah, I know where all the bunker-ish areas are at Kiawah!! Thanks everybody!! #GolfHumor

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 26, 2012

Could being on the wagon have been a factor in Ernie Els's British Open win?

David Facey of The Sun gives fascinating insight on the new Ernie from his caddie, Ricci Roberts:

“We were having dinner one night a couple of months ago when Ernie suddenly announced: ‘I’m not going to bother having a glass of wine tonight.’

“He said: ‘In fact I may not have a drink for a while — even if I never have another party night for the rest of my life, I still think I’ll be well ahead of the game.’

“And I haven’t seen him touch a drop since.

“Even when he was handed a glass of champagne after he won the Open, I didn’t see him take a single sip.

“I know he said he wants to meet Nelson Mandela again to share a drink from the claret jug, but there’s a good chance it might be filled with Diet Coke!

“I’m not saying the big man has gone soft — just that he’s become a little more sensible than the rest of us."

Coach Claude Harmon had this to say about Els's revived dedication to the game:

“No one seems to appreciate how hard Ernie has been working.

“When you consider he has a private jet — or will have again soon — all the money he could need, a son with autism and a family he adores, it would be easy to for him to walk away into the sunset.

“But the drive and the desire are as great as ever.

“He took a lot of encouragement from playing himself into contention at last month’s US Open, and that put him in great heart for Lytham. This won’t be Ernie’s last Major win, I’m sure of that.”

Related photos: SI's best from the 2012 British Open | See Els's Callaway clubs

Geoff Shackelford passes on the news from online sports book SportsBettingOnline.ag that the site will refund every pre-tournament bet on Adam Scott at 45/1 odds.

 "With so many of the favorites including Woods not cashing, it was a good day for sportsbooks. But that wasn’t the case for those who dropped money on Scott,” stated Dave Johnson, head oddsmaker for SportsBettingOnline.ag.  “We feel it’s our duty to refund the players for taking such a bad beat. His collapse was historic and we know the bettors who had him must feel as awful as he does.”

In fact, it’s the second time in nearly as many months that SportsBettingOnline has extended this kind of pardon. The book also issued a refund to Manny Pacquiao bettors after his shocking loss to Timothy Bradley in June.

Bold move Mr. Johnson. Bold move indeed.

Olympic golf trophy visits Canadian Open

One thousand points to you if you actually knew there was an Olympic golf trophy. It's the kind of thing that often gets overlooked when an Olympic event doesn’t occur for 112 years. But the trophy does exist (posing with it are Gordon M. Nixon (left), president and chief executive officer of RBC, and Scott Simmons, chief executive officer of Golf Canada), and it paid a visit to the RBC Canadian Open yesterday according to PGATour.com’s Tour Report:

So a rare piece of history was on display this week at the RBC Canadian Open, when the trophy awarded to Canadian George Lyon, the last Olympic golf gold medalist, was brought to Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ancaster, Ontario.

The sterling silver trophy cup stands about 1 1/2-feet tall and resides at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.

Lyon won the trophy — and gold medal — by beating reigning U.S. Amateur champ, American H. Chandler Egan, 3 and 2, at Glen Echo Country Club in Normandy, Mo., just north of St. Louis — site of the 1904 Olympic Games.

Also a sport at the 1904 Games: Tug of War. Seriously.

Police say slow-play argument turned violent at Calif. course

Beware! Your golf clubs may be "deadly weapons." At least that was the case in Angels Camp, Calif., where a local high school vice principal was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon at Greenhorn Creek Golf Course. What could cause a man to attack another golfer with a club? According to the Sacramento Bee's David Ruiz, slow play was the trigger:

[The suspect Robert E.] Rappleye became frustrated at the slow pace of a group of golfers playing ahead on the 18th hole, the press release said.

A husband and wife in the group ahead approached Rappleye to talk about the problem. Witnesses say the husband became angry when Rappleye used foul language directed to the husband's wife, according to the release.

The argument turned violent when Rappleye swung one of his golf clubs at the husband, the press release said. The husband tried to block the swing with his left arm, injuring him. Rappleye swung a second time with the husband turning his back to defend himself. Rappleye struck the husband's left shoulder blade, the press release said.

Video: Watch Heather Mitts and the U.S. women's soccer team play golf

Finally, they said we could never manage to incorporate soccer into Truth & Rumors for three consecutive days. Okay, nobody actually said it, but that didn’t stop us from pulling it off.

Today we bring you video from the U.S. women’s national team getting some holes in at what appears to be Rockliffe Hall in Darlington, England during a break from Olympic training.

The 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup runners-up begin their Olympic campaign Wednesday at noon against France.

Tweet of the Day:

(Photo Credit: Eric Bolte/Golf Canada)