Darren Clarke has never been known to turn down a pint. But now Ryan Ballengee at Golf Talk Central reports that 2011 British Open champion has given up alcohol in an effort to back up is 2011 British Open title with a strong season in 2012.

“My golf career has been extended somewhat by winning the Open Championship, and I just thought that enough is enough, and it was time to get myself into better shape,” Clarke wrote on his blog this week.

Clarke has hired Belfast-based trainer Jonny Bloomfield to get him back into shape. Bloomfield came at the recommendation of Lee Westwood’s trainer, Steve MacGregor.

The Ulsterman has shelved the Guinness with the hope of a great 2012 season, which begins this week in South Africa at the Volvo Golf Champions at Fancourt.

“Therefore, my alcohol consumption is taking a massive dint...currently down to zero! However, no pain, no gain, and I'm very excited about the route that we're going down - it's a long road, but I will give it my best shot,” he wrote.

Can this New Year's resolution possibly last? Stay tuned.

Kim ready to think less, play better in 2012
One of the more intriguing debuts this week at the Humana Challenge is that of 26-year-old Anthony Kim, who is coming off a disappointing season and is currently ranked 84th in the world. Kim told the press that a late-season surge in 2011 was driven not by mechanics but by a clear head, which he hopes to carry into 2012.

Q. You talked about what a difficult year last year was, was there a particular turning point and also anybody that helped you a lot in the learning process?
After Deutsche Bank, golf was so frustrating I didn't know where the ball was going. And I didn't know whether to go grind and practice or whether to take time off or whether to just put it away until the Humana tournament came around in Palm Springs and take three months off.

So I took a month off, I started practicing the day before I left for Asia, practiced in L.A. for one day, got on a plane, went to Korea, hit the ball as good as I've hit it all year.

And then went and played in China at the Shanghai Masters, and my game held up. I didn't know what to expect, but my game held up.

And I took a week off in Bali and didn't touch a club again, just kind of vacationed there and tried to think about what I could do to get better. And I realized that if I just let it go, my natural ability will take over and I'll be able to get the ball in the hole. That's what I'm good at. I need to just let it go, be free, and that's how I play my best golf. Some people need to think more, some people say I need to chip better, I need do this. I just need to let it go and be free. So that's what I'm going to be doing this year and hopefully it will work out and hopeful three will start this week.

Trick-Shot Video of the Day
Real of fake? You be the judge.

Tweet of the Day

Is this Golfweek stat good or bad news for Tiger: 25 of the past 100 majors have been won by guys age 36 or older.

— Steve Elling (@EllingYelling) January 19, 2012

Most people probably don't remember, but Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said back in 2006 that Tiger Woods should get ready for a run for president himself in 2016: 

"Tiger will be 40 years old in 2016," Cain wrote. "The Republican Party should begin grooming him now for a run at the White House. His personal attributes and accomplishments on the golf course point to a candidate who will be a problem solver, not a politician."

Sounds like Cain might have jumped the gun a bit, and now he's trying to play it off as a joke in an interview with Alex Pappas of The Daily Caller. He responded to questions about his Tiger advice by saying, "That was a joke. That was a joke, okay? Americans got to learn how to have a sense of humor, okay?"

Okay, Cain, but back in '06 you not only thought Tiger would be a good candidate but compared him to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Ronald Reagan, and also said something like, "The 2016 candidate shouldn't come from inside the beltway, but from inside the fairway." 

Good stuff, and good luck in the next election, okay? 

Mickelson and McDowell headed to Singapore
There's been quite a bit of talk lately about more big golf events being played in Asia, and if the Barclays Singapore Open is any indication, it seems players will be a lot more likely to make the lengthy trip in search of not just appearance fees but actual winnings. The event, which will be co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours, respectively, will offer a purse of $6 million and will sport a large field headlined by Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell, Y.E. Yang, Padraig Harrington, Anthony Kim, and Camilo Villegas.  

TWEET OF THE DAY

The season gets serious now. I'll be covering three tourneys in a row beginning in San Diego, so expect some dispatches from the mean streets of La Jolla, Scottsdale and Pebble Beach ...

Who's more dynamic, Davis Love or Cory Pavin? lol... — Dave A., New York
I get the sarcasm, but Love will have more of a rally-the-troops effect than his flat-lined predecessor. He's a much more popular figure in the clubhouse and on the range because he's a schmoozer and a guy's guy, forever chatting about snowboarding or hunting or fishing or course design or his other interests and hobbies. Love's placid demeanor as a competitor is deceptive; he cares deeply. That was obvious with his teary introductory press conference during which he showed more passion than during Pavin's entire glum, two-year reign. Love also has just enough of a mischievous streak to start a little ruckus with the British press, which is a key bit of entertainment for any Ryder Cup.

What's with 7 of world's top 12 in Abu Dhabi this week? Love of appearance fees or hatred of pro-ams like Hope? —Bert Stewart, Philadelphia
Yes.

When will the young Americans (O'Hair, AK, Mahan) step up the way the young Europeans have and become consistent winners? — Brian Rosenwald
Maybe never, but let's hope that's not the case. The Euro tour created so much buzz last year with the stellar performances of its top players, but the fact remains that there is much more depth on the PGA Tour. By playing mostly in Europe, talented youngsters like Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer get a lot more chances to win early in their careers. They bank invaluable experience learning to manage their emotions and their games under pressure. Also the money is a lot less so finishing fourth doesn't feel as good. On the PGA Tour young players have to fight so hard for just a couple of chances to win. I think they get seduced into thinking a top-10 is a satisfactory result. I think Mahan and Kim and O'Hair are finally at a point in their careers where they understand a lucrative tie for sixth is not good enough. They've been through enough Sunday dogfights now to know what it takes to win. It takes longer over here, but the best players eventually figure it out. We'll see who among them can apply that knowledge.

Is Anthony Kim overrated? Three wins and 20 career top 10's is hardly compelling. — Anthony Iser
To this point Kim has gotten a pass based on his youth and tantalizing potential, but it's time for him to put up or shut up. I understand he's 25 and wants to have fun and chase tail—hey, the Mailbag can't begrudge him that. But there's 27 weeks a year for that, when he's not playing a tournament. Last night, following the second round of the Hope, I got a text from a friend in Palm Springs who wrote, "AK and his entourage are here at the bar hitting it pretty hard." Until he takes his life on the road more seriously, I fear we won't see Kim's best golf. Correction: Anthony Kim is not playing the Bob Hope this week, so the Mailbag fully endorses his night on the town in Palm Springs.

I read "Swinging from my Heels" a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I read "Bud, Sweat and Tees" years ago and enjoyed that also. So, who will you next stalk for a year? Can I suggest G-Mac? I suspect that would be pretty darned entertaining! — Mark Limbaugh
Clearly Mark is a very discerning reader. It's funny you'd mention G-Mac because I'm presently trying to arrange a trip to Portrush to hang out with him and his mates for an SI story. To understand a guy like McDowell you have to see him in his native environment. Anyway, I've always loved the Euro tour. I think spending a year over there writing about the players and their madcap adventures would make a killer book. Alas, it's tough to pull it off with little kids. But you can look forward to my chronicle of the 2026 season over there.

(Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Anthony Kim finished T25 at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in his first appearance since his controversial withdrawal from the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open after reports of a wild night in Las Vegas. He told the Golf Channel's Andrew Both that his surgically repaired thumb is feeling better.

“This is the first week I’ve hit it well since I’ve been back,” Kim told GolfChannel.com after a 2-under-par 70 left him 13 strokes from the third-round lead at Sheshan on Saturday. “I’m starting to hit my driver as far as I used to, so I’m looking forward to future success. “I have another month of rehab to go but the doctor says I’m looking good. I feel I’m about 85-90 percent there.”

Kim also disputed reports that had him yelling at craps tables and spraying the dance floor with high-priced champagne at a nightclub during the week of the Tour's Las Vegas stop.

“I didn’t even feel like I needed to defend myself, they were so outrageous,” Kim said of the reports. “I can’t do anything about it now and they’re going to say what they want to say.”

Francesco Molinari says facing Tiger was good preparation for HSBC win

Francesco Molinari won the HSBC Champions in Shanghai by going head-to-head with World No. 1 Lee Westwood. Afterward Molinari said that playing former No. 1 Tiger Woods in singles at the Ryder Cup helped prepare him for facing down Westwood. (Woods beat Molinari 4 & 3).

It's been four fantastic days, and especially the last two playing head-to-head with Lee was really tough.

I think the experience of playing with Tiger in The Ryder Cup definitely helped me in the last couple of days, because when -- obviously they are different players, but when you are playing against the No. 1 in the world, it is not easy to always stick to the game plan and do your own game.

Sergio Garcia says he's re-energized after soccer sabbatical

He’s looking to reclaim his place in the game at the Australian Masters after a difficult 2010. Yup, Sergio Garcia has his work cut out for him. However, Garcia told the Australian media that his soccer-playing sabbatical this fall helped him regain his passion and energy for golf, according to The Australian Age newspaper.

''It was something that I needed to do, mainly because I'd just been playing so much, not only as a professional but before as an amateur, too,'' the 30-year-old said. ''I just felt like I needed a little bit of recharging the batteries.''

He feels like the experience has been positive. ''I've definitely thought about a lot of things, learned a lot about myself,'' he said. ''I always enjoy life away from golf. I love life with golf, but I think one of the reasons why I love golf is because I have so many things going on in my life outside of golf, and those things help me get back to golf stronger. I feel fortunate in that way. I have really enjoyed those two months.''

Garcia also made some headlines Down Under for pointing out the obvious, that Tiger Woods does not have the same aura he brought to this tournament last year.

''Maybe not as much,'' Garcia said yesterday, when asked if defending champion Tiger Woods was as fearsome a foe as he was a year ago, when No. 1 ranking and reputation were both intact.

Perhaps pointedly, Garcia dodged an invitation to anoint Woods as ''the man to beat'' this week, saying only ''he's one of them."

Allenby paired with Tiger at Aussie Masters instead of amateur

Australian golfer Robert Allenby thought it would be great if Tiger Woods was paired with the top Australian amateur at the Australian Masters in Melbourne this week, but instead Allenby got the Tiger draw, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

[Allenby said] at last week's WGC event in Shanghai that it would be a waste to give the opportunity to seasoned players like him who play with Woods quite often on the US PGA Tour.

"It would be an awesome thing for the No.1 amateur," Allenby said. "For Australian golf, that's what they need to do."

But the organizers -- IMG and PGA Tour of Australasia -- on Monday announced Allenby and experienced West Australian pro Brett Rumford would play with Woods in the opening two rounds at the Victoria course on Thursday and Friday.

Scottish pro thanks girlfriend for supporting him

In pro sports, the guys at the top are celebrated so much that it’s easy to forget about the hundreds of players in that next tier just struggling to get into the next tournament. Which is why it was nice to hear Scottish golfer Richie Ramsey thank his girlfriend after his third-place finish at the HSBC Champions got him into the Euro Tour’s Dubai World Championship later this month, according to The Scotsman.

The Scot sealed his place in the 60-man field after finishing third behind Italian Francesco Molinari and world No 1 Lee Westwood in the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

He's delighted his hard work in recent weeks has paid off in securing his top target for the year and says the support of his American girlfriend, Angela Hudinski, has been invaluable.

"She has two jobs and works really hard but still finds the time to support my golf," said Ramsay after picking up a £232,000 prize. "Hopefully she'll be able to come to Dubai as a little treat and a thank-you for all of the support she's given me."

Stray Shots: Stuff we saw while wondering if John Daly is going to sue the creators of the HBO series Eastbound & Down for stealing his life story.

Australian fans who heckle Tiger Woods will be booted from the course after one warning. (Via The Australian Herald Sun)

The family of superagent and IMG founder Mark McCormick donated his archives to UMass-Amherst. The archives include letters to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. (Via The Boston Globe)

Rickie Fowler committed to play in the season-ending Children's Miracle Network Classic at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Fowler is just one stroke behind in the $1 million Kodak Challenge, the Bizarro World FedEx Cup, which consists of a player's best cumulative score on 18 of the 30 holes throughout the year. The Kodak hole at Disney’s Magnolia Course is the par-4 No. 17. (Via PGATour.com)

Anthony Kim's withdrawal due to his "thumb injury" at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open had many questioning whether reports of Kim's partying in Las Vegas was the real reason behind the WD. However, Chris DiMarco knows better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, according to Fox 5 News Las Vegas.

Kim had a 7 a.m. tee time Wednesday, the official word from the tournament director and the PGA tour is that Kim withdrew because of a thumb injury. His spot in the tournament was filled by tour veteran Chris DiMarco, who had a message for the no-show.

"I'd like to thank Anthony Kim for either staying out too late or gambling too much -- I don't know what it was -- I'm glad I got in," DiMarco said.

In other AK news, FoxSports Robert Lusitech has a must-read column on Kim's antics.

Anthony Kim is a train wreck, as he's proven yet again by pulling out of this week's Las Vegas Open.

Everyone on the PGA Tour knows Kim's an out-of-control party animal – or, as one multiple winner told me, "just a punk" – though only Robert Allenby has had the cajones to publicly call him out.

And that's just the lede...

Nicklaus says No. 1 ranking 'doesn't mean anything'
Add Jack Nicklaus to the millions of golf fans who don't understand the Official World Golf Rankings and really don't care. Nicklaus told The Palm Beach Post that the best player is decided on the course, not by computer calculations.

...Nicklaus never was ranked the world's No. 1 player because the computer rankings didn't exist until 1986 - the year of his last major championship win, at age 46.

Nicklaus doesn't feel like he missed out on anything because he can't figure out how the world rankings work.

"I don't think it means anything," Nicklaus said Wednesday. "How could it mean a lot? Tiger (Woods) is No. 1 and hasn't won a tournament all year. To me whoever is playing the best right now is the No. 1 player, not a bunch of computer rankings."

Mass. high School golfer DQ'd for wearing iPod
Auburn (Mass.) High School senior Matt Carville was disqualified from the Central Massachusetts Division golf tournament Tuesday for wearing an iPod during the last two holes of the match, according to The Worcester Telegram, costing his team the tournament and a chance to play in the state playoffs.

The Rockets shot 321 and edged Groton-Dunstable by three strokes at Highfields Golf and Country Club, but then had to toss out senior Matt Carville's 6-over 78 after he was disqualified for listening to his iPod during the final two holes.

A "Coaches and Players Responsibilities" rules sheet states, "No electronic devices (including cell phones) allowed on course (penalty disqualification)," and the rules sheet was read to coaches at an 8:30 a.m. meeting, according to tournament director Ron Spakauskas, who said he asked coaches to pass along the information to their players before they teed off.

"The rules are clear," he said. "No electronic devices are allowed. It was headphones connected to a device. They were reported. Both the coach and the player were notified, and they accepted the penalty."

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association defended the local rule against electronic devices in The Telegram on Thursday.

The MIAA rule, Spakauskas said, was put in place to avoid unnecessary distractions and speed up play. The rule — which also bans cell phones, cameras, texting devices and other music players — was included on a list of "Coaches and Players Responsibilities" distributed before Tuesday's event.

"We're doing everything we can to look out for the players' safety," Spakauskas said. "Obviously, this was a unique situation, but any player using an electronic device on the course potentially puts himself in a dangerous situation. That's what we're trying to avoid."

In the absence of a local rule, players are allowed to listen to music on an iPad during their round under Rule 14a as long as it doesn't communicate information (e.g., a recording from a swing coach) that would assist your play. In other words, there's no rule against looking like a jerk.

Stray Shots: Things we noticed while wondering when Justin Timberlake is going to put down the golf clubs and start making music again...

Arnold Palmer displayed that old magic at the Adminstaff Small Business Classic Pro-Am in Houston. (Via The Houston Chronicle)

Colin Montgomerie described his harrowing car accident near Glasgow on Thursday, and credited his car for saving him. Don't miss the cheeky headline. (Via The Scotland Daily Record)

Sergio Garcia consulted a "sophrologist," a European self-help expert, during his golf sabbatical. Garcia returned to professional play at the Castello Masters in Spain this week. (Via CBSSports.com)

Anthony Kim may be leaving Las Vegas earlier than planned. After a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal described the young Tour star as a "loose cannon" who cursed up a storm at the craps tables, AK has officially withdrawn from the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, citing the thumb injury that sidelined him for most of this season.

When I asked Kim's agent about the extent of AK's thumb, which had apparently been been bothering him earlier in the week, IMG's Dave Haggith described it as part of the "recovery process."

Haggith also said that the incident at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino--where Kim was reportedly admonished for being loud and rowdy--has nothing to do with Kim's WD from the tournament.

"The two are completely unrelated," says Haggith, who also believes the media coverage of the incident at the Bellagio as been overblown. "He was being boisterous and he was asked to calm down and he was compliant."

Normally a story about a Tour player going out and having fun on a Monday night wouldn't make many headlines, but Kim has been in this position before. At the 2009 Presidents Cup, Robert Allenby referred to AK as the "current John Daly," saying that the then-24-year-old was up drinking until 4 a.m. the night before a match. Allenby later apologized, but the damage to Kim's reputation was already done.

Since then, however, Kim has largely avoided controversy, and was tearing up the ranks until his injury sidelined him earlier this season.

"One thing that [Anthony]'s been very smart about and that he's made clear is that he understands what's expected of him during tournaments," Haggith says, "It's different than his off-days, when he's on his own time."

The LVRJ story isn't the only one that describes Kim's "boisterous" Vegas nightlife, however. Palms Casino's DJ Exodus treated his followers to this tweet at 3:02 AM Tuesday morning:

Anthony Kim is an animal 115 bottles then to top it off a 25k bottle of Dom, which he showered the dance floor with...

No word yet on whether or not Dom Perignon has been approved as a treatment for a torn thumb ligament, but I hear the clinical trials have been very encouraging.

Anthony Kim has promised to cut down on his partying ways, but apparently that doesn't mean he's going to become a homebody. AK is in Las Vegas for Justin Timberlake's tournament this week and, according to Norm Clarke of The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the young Tour star is making his presence known...loudly.

Pro golfer Anthony Kim could use a lesson or two to brush up his gaming table etiquette.

His salty language and screaming was so bad that Kim, 25, was asked to tone it down Monday by Bellagio management.

"He is one loose cannon," said a dealer, who said Kim may have set a personal record for F-bombs while playing high-stakes craps over the weekend.

Kim and poker superstar Phil Ivey were seated at the same table on Friday, ordering cognac and high-end whiskey.

I'm going to give Kim the benefit of the doubt here for a couple of reasons: 1. These stories seem to always make a mountain out of a molehill. (I find it pretty hard to believe that Anthony Kim was the hardest cursing guy any Las Vegas dealer has ever seen...though I guess someone has to be.) 2. There's no way Phil Ivey is going to let anyone, even Anthony Kim, sully his reputation in Vegas. That would be like letting someone walk into your house and insult your children. Regardless, while it may not seem like it at first glance, this story is great news for the PGA Tour. Somebody actually recognized an American golfer out in the real world, and he isn't named Tiger or Phil!

Tiger's missing club

As we get closer to November, we get closer to the unthinkable--the one-year anniversary of Tiger Woods' last win. Since his two-stroke victory at the JBWere Australian Masters in 2009, Woods has been shut out, and Down Under legend Ian Baker-Finch thinks he knows why:

Ian Baker-Finch calls it the 15th club.

It's what made Tiger Woods arguably the greatest player the game has seen, allowing him to run roughshod over opponents for most of his career.

But according to Baker-Finch, Woods won't be armed with his 15th club when he returns to Australia in less than three weeks to defend the Masters.

"I think Tiger will come back to the same level of performance we have seen him at over the years -- I don't think it will take him long," Baker-Finch said.

"I don't think he will ever be the player he was before because he had a 15th club in the bag.

"He knew he was the best and he knew everyone else knew he was the best, and I think that was a big thing."

You can be sure that Tiger has his eye on the Australian Masters as an opportunity to bookend the worst year of his career (and possibly his life) with wins. I expect Woods to play like a man on fire--this tournament is about nothing but pride and honor for Tiger...oh, wait, I almost forgot the $3 million bribe appearance fee Woods gets just for showing up. Ok, maybe it's about pride, honor and a boatload of cash, but he's still going to be in it to win it.

IMG boss says he bet on Vijay, not against Tiger

The Daily Beast has a great story on a lawsuit filed by James Agate against his "friend," billionaire Teddy Forstmann, who is the head of talent agency giant IMG. I highly recommend reading the whole article, but the most intriguing plot line (for this blog at least) involves the accusation that Forstmann is a habitual gambler who has laid down millions of dollars over the years, including betting against his own client, Tiger Woods:

Forstmann, Agate says, had a massive and nasty gambling habit (wagering millions over the years), he was dipping into IMG company funds to pay off loses; Forstmann bet against IMG's clients, including Tiger Woods...

In terms of betting against Tiger Woods, one of IMG's biggest clients, Forstmann said he can disprove Agate allegation. Woods, he explained, was playing Vijay Singh at the Masters, and he placed a bet through Agate on Singh because Singh was a personal friend.

"This guy is making it sound like I'm betting against Tiger Woods," Forstmann said. "Vijay is my friend for many years and I bet maybe $5,000 on him winning the Masters. It was a 15, 20-to-1 shot and I would have felt like a genius if he won."

It's going to take quite a bit of wrangling before all of this is sorted out, so don't expect this story to go away for a while, especially because Forstmann is also accused of betting on tennis matches--including those between IMG clients Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Since gambling and tennis seem to be (at least we hope) a more lethal combination than gambling and golf, Forstmann may have a lot of explaining to do if this case makes its way to trial. Although, considering the suit also claims Forstmann (who has adopted two African children and is dating celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi) is a racist, you might want to take some of this with a healthy grain of salt.

Ryder Cup reactions (and overreactions)
Welcome to a Ryder Cup selection edition of Truth and Rumors. It seems like every sportswriter under the sun has an opinion on Corey Pavin's picks, and most of the heat in this debate centers around young Rickie Fowler. As The Golf Channel's Randall Mell points out, Fowler represents an unusually high risk on Pavin's part.

Rickie Fowler is a gamble.

He’s as much a captain's risk as he is a captain's pick.

There’s no way around it.

He’s a PGA Tour rookie who has never won a professional event.

That makes Fowler the boldest American captain’s pick in the history of the matches.

He seems destined to meet one of two spectacular extremes Oct. 1-3 at Celtic Manor in Wales. He seems destined to blossom or melt down.

A rookie on that stage? Is there any middle ground when you make your debut in the seventh game of the World Series? Because that’s what the Ryder Cup is like. It isn’t anything like golf’s major championships, where confidence and pressure build to a Sunday back-nine rush. The Ryder Cup is searing heat before the first shot is hit. It’s about winning and losing from the first hole. It’s about triumph and failure every hole. It’s about a player feeling as if he is lifting his team and country with every shot ... or letting them down. It's the kind of pressure that made American Mark Calcavecchia weep after he melted down and began hyperventilating at Kiawah Island in 1991.

“People tell you that you will be as nervous as you have ever been on the first tee of the Ryder Cup, and you say, `Nah.’ ... but you are that nervous,” American J.B. Holmes said of his Ryder Cup debut two years ago at Valhalla.

And that was a home game for Holmes.

The nature of the Ryder Cup stage is what makes Fowler a glorious gamble and a wondrous risk.

While it may seem like hyperbole at first, it really is impossible to think of an American captain's pick who has accomplished less than Rickie Fowler, so it stands to reason that Mell is right to call Pavin's choice a risky one. At the same time, I disagree that we should be expecting either a spectacular or spectacularly bad performance from Fowler in Wales. He's a young kid with a lot of talent who has played well but not broken through, a trend I expect to continue in the Ryder Cup. I see Fowler playing well but not brilliantly, which is probably all Pavin can hope for given his other options. In the short term, I think that J.B. Holmes himself would have been a better selection for this team, but I see Fowler being a leader for the American squad in years to come (something I can't really say for Holmes), so I suppose the sooner he gets his feet wet in international competition, the better.

The only other divisive pick for the American side was also the most obvious one: Tiger Woods. Despite the Pavin/Gray near-brawl of 2010, did any of us really think this Ryder Cup would be Tiger-free? Despite the obviousness of the pick, not everyone can agree on whether it was the right one to make. Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union thinks that the U.S. team would be better off without the world number one

Woods brings obvious baggage to the U.S. team. He hasn't won since last year. He's played a bit better recently since his abysmal performance at the Bridgestone Invitational, but hasn't been in serious contention. His divorce is final but that won't stop the British tabloids from hounding him in Wales -- which could affect the team.

And the U.S. proved it could win without Woods, a marginal match-play performer who has been unable to mesh on a consistent basis with anyone, in Valhalla in 2008.

Now, let's play amateur psychologist for a bit. Woods will bring heat and pressure on himself and the U.S. team. But European captain Colin Montgomerie has been prone to rash and controversial statements during his tenure, and he created controversy when he left off the world's No. 8-ranked player, Paul Casey, and Justin Rose, who was 3-1 in the last Ryder Cup.

Monty is the Ozzie Guillen of golf. It's almost a sure bet he will say something during the run-up or during the week of the Ryder Cup himself to bring unwanted heat on the European team. With Woods on the U.S. team, that will be minimized. There will be a lightning rod on both sides...

Also, who will Pavin pick to play with Woods? And does he trot Woods out for all five sessions, as in the past? Woods' Ryder Cup report card has very large red letters that say, "Does not play well with others." Right now, who would want to play with Woods? He could be the drag on any doubles team.

The idea of forming a Ryder Cup team, through the points system and captain's picks, is to get the best team possible as close to the Ryder Cup as possible. Right now, I don't believe the best 12 U.S. players includes Tiger Woods.

Smits seems to be suffering from the bane of all hyper-reactive sportswriters: a very selective memory. Referring to Tiger as a "marginal match-play performer" is as popular as it is ridiculously untrue. Tiger Woods is the best match play golfer of all time and if you don't believe me, ask anyone who's played him in a WGC event. As for the Ryder Cup, Woods is 3-1-1 in singles. Yes, he's been mediocre or worse in doubles (struggling mightily to find a partner who could play with him...or stand him), but the question of "who would want to play with Woods" was answered last year, when Tiger and Steve Stricker went 4-0-0 in their Presidents Cup matches. There's plenty to worry about with Tiger's game, and you can play "amateur psychologist" all you want, but you can't rewrite history.

Snubbed?
If those are the biggest question marks for the guys who made the team, what about the guys who didn't? ESPN's Justin Ray takes a look at the three players he considers to be the biggest snubs of this year's Ryder Cup class.

It can be argued that every baseball season, when the managers for the All-Star game announce who will be filling out the rosters for their respective leagues, that the most interesting part of the entire event is seeing who made the teams and who -- to use a cliché -- was 'snubbed.'

Golf fans don't have that rock-solid tie to a collective group of players (unless you work for Nike, or Adidas, or the like), but there have to be fans of Nick Watney, Lucas Glover and Anthony Kim who have been left disappointed by Pavin's announcements Tuesday morning. All that being said, let's look at a few of the players who have the most legitimate gripes about not being picked for the team that will be heading to Wales for the Oct. 1-3 matches.

Anthony Kim Higher world ranking (16th) than: Cink, Johnson, Fowler                                                     More FedExCup points than: Cink

Nick Watney Higher world ranking (31st) than: Cink, Fowler                                                                     More FedExCup points than: Woods, Cink

Charley Hoffman Higher world ranking (51st) than: None of the four                                                         More FedExCup points than: All of the four

Ray goes into detail on all three players, and I think he'd readily admit that the term "snub" can barely be applied to any of them. Kim is a victim of his injury (even one top-20 after his return might have gotten him the invite) and Hoffman, besides being barely more proven (and seemingly significantly less talented) than Rickie Fowler, turned it on too late. The only real option on this list is Watney, and given the choice, I don't think I would have taken him over J.B. Holmes or even Justin Leonard, much less Fowler. If this list tells us anything, it's that Corey Pavin's options were pretty limited. Let's put it this way, if Paul Casey suddenly found an American passport under his mattress, he wouldn't be watching the Cup on T.V.

It's Greensboro, it's the week after the last major championship of the year, it's a bottom-heavy field and, oh yeah, it's the last chance to qualify for the FedEx Cup series (where everyone who can play dead gets in anyway, so no suspense there). So what else would be a hot topic of conversation but the chance to see yet another 59 this week at the Wyndham Championship?

This Just in: America Stinks at Golf
You could feel it starting with all of those "English Invasion" stories at the beginning of the year: whispers that we were entering a new era in golf, one where the United States was no longer the (or even a) force to be reckoned with on the PGA Tour. At first I thought it was pure conjecture, but Art Spander of realclearsports.com is ready to make it official: We suck.

It is an accepted premise the United States, until proven differently, isn't going to be a winner in soccer. From a parochial view, tennis is rather hopeless, other than Ms. Serena. Now we can't play golf, at least as well as the rest of the world.

Still, there is that event called the Ryder Cup, the biennial competition between Europe and the U.S., this year scheduled in October in Wales, and the results figure to be deflating for America.

Even if the U.S. has the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the world rankings, a placement order which is not going to last very long, Tiger Woods, No. 1, was bewildered by the greens at the British Open at St. Andrews where he had won the last two in succession, and tied for 23rd. After a competent 67 the first round Tiger never mattered.

Phil Mickelson, No. 2, and about to be overtaken in the rankings by Lee Westwood, was bewildered by everything and tied for 48th. Steve Stricker came in 55th, unimpressive for the No. 5 player in the world.

Tiger may say as he did when confronted with the non-American revolution, "I just know them as players," but in Britain they relish them as homeboys stomping on the United States and giving a lie to the thought the PGA Tour is the superior golf circuit.

Westwood, the Englishman who's a close No. 3 in the world, took a poke, good-natured that it might have been, at the decline of American players. At the British Golf Writers dinner prior to the Open, Westwood congratulated PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem on Steve Sticker's win a few days earlier at the John Deere Classic and said, "Lovely to see an American win on your tour."

It hurts. But it hits. Including the Open, an official event as part of both tours, non-Americans have won nine of the last of 12 PGA events. Rory McIlroy, Westwood, Justin Rose (twice), Adam Scott, McDowell holding trophies but not a U.S. passport. And no American came in higher than seventh at St. Andrews.

Golf, as many sports, is cyclical. But it will be a long while until this cycle of non-American success in golf is broken.

On one hand, Spander ignores some pretty obvious points, including the suddenly frantic personal lives of Tiger and Phil (both of which, we hope, will only improve) and, more importantly, the temporary absence of Anthony Kim, who was playing downright filthy golf before being sidelined by a thumb injury. Not to mention that, had Dustin Johnson played one more decent round of golf at Pebble Beach, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

That having been said, there are two things to take away from the first half of this season. First, some of these young Euros are really, really, really good (I'm looking at you, Rory). Even if Oosthuizen and McDowell fade into the background, there's no reason to assume that McIlroy, Rose and Casey aren't here to stay. Second, as this Doug Ferguson story points out, some of America's last Ryder Cup competitors have all but fallen off the face of the Earth, leading me to wonder how we managed to win in 2008. Still, you never know what's going to happen in match play (or if the real Tiger Woods shows up), so I wouldn't count out team USA just yet (got that, Poulter?).

Wale(s) of a snub?
Speaking of the Ryder Cup, picking vice-captains can be a bit of a tricky business--the process is as much political as strategic, and it's nearly impossible for a captain to manage not to offend someone in the process. Unfortunately for Colin Montgemerie, who announced his choices yesterday, Anthony Woolford of walesonline.com thinks he may have managed to offend an entire country.

WELSH sport was last night involved in a second buggygate row with the omission of 2002 Ryder Cup hero Phillip Price from Colin Montgomerie’s Celtic Manor plans.

Instead, the 47-year-old Scot is banking on rugby legend Gareth Edwards and 40,000 fans to provide the Welsh cheer as Europe bid to wrest back the trophy from Corey Pavin’s grip.

Price was widely expected to be named one of Montgomerie’s vice-captains yesterday and, though the choice of Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Irishman Paul McGinley was expected, the European skipper sprang something of a surprise by plumping for Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke to ride the third buggy.

Montgomerie has insisted he wants Welsh involvement at the Celtic Manor, but with Bradley Dredge and Rhys Davies struggling to make it on the playing front, Price seemed to obvious choice among the backroom staff.

He was a key figure at the Belfry eight years ago beating world No 2 Phil Mickelson in a famous victory and, being a member of the Twenty Ten Course at the Newport resort, his in-depth knowledge of the Celtic Manor layout would have proved invaluable to the European cause.

Monty did explain his choices (and nobody's really questioning them as bad in and of themselves), but Woolford points out that this still doesn't jive with Mongomerie's earlier statements:

There he said: “As a past Ryder Cup player at the Belfry in 2002, we all know how well Phil did on the Sunday, in particular, and he’s one of my potential candidates to be in the backroom staff here.

“That’s of course if he doesn’t perform well enough to make the team on his own merit. “If I don’t have a Welsh representative on the course playing, I’d like to have a Welsh help in the background and it’s very good for everybody.

“Nearly 70% of the spectators here next year will be Welsh and it’s only right to encourage my backroom staff to be of that nationality.”

The best case scenario for all involved would be for Darren Clarke to actually make the team as a player, thereby opening up the vice-captaincy for Price. Still, I'm surprised by Monty's decision to leave him off in the first place. I totally get why Clarke is a great pick for vice-captain: he's universally loved by the players and the fans. But with such a large Welsh fan base expected at Celtic Manor, Monty should know better than to give them any reason not to be as pumped up as possible.

Oosty still in shock
Still finding it hard to believe that Louis Oosthuizen is a major champion? The New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro can assure you, you're not the only one.

British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, clutching the Claret Jug that's his to keep for the next year, still wore a look of disbelief yesterday morning when he met with reporters the day after his life-changing victory.

"I put it next to my bed [Sunday] night, and after my friends and everyone had it, and I woke up this morning and I looked at it, you know, and I immediately grabbed the phone and texted Chubby Chandler, my agent, saying, 'I've got this funny old jug next to my bed,'" Oosthuizen joked. "Man, oh man. That was special waking up next to it. It was good."

There's something to be said for these guys who have no expectations and come through huge: they always seem to appreciate it more. The reason I like this little Post piece is really because I hate those canned stories after a first time winner takes home a major. You know the ones: "Oosthuizen out to prove he's not a one-hit wonder" or "Oosthuizen eyeing number two". This guy just one the freaking British Open, let's celebrate it a little bit before we start worrying about whether it was worth all that time learning to pronounce his name.