FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker joined the chorus in support of a ban on "anchored" long putters and belly putters in an appearance on Golf Channel's "Morning Drive" show.

"I've got no problem with longer putters if you want to make sure they're not anchored; I've just got a problem with anchoring.

"There's a reason why guys that have belly putters use them – they work," he continued. "If they didn't work, they wouldn't use them."

"Anchored" refers to swinging the putter around a fixed pivot point. Someone who uses a long putter but swings it like a normal putter--Angel Cabrera, for example -- would not be affected by a ban on "anchoring" the putter. Snedeker, one of the best conventional putters on Tour right now, cited concern for the future of the game and upholding the traditions of golf as his main reasons for supporting the ban:

"I think it's the influx of junior golfers using belly putters," he noted. "There's a whole generation of kids right now that are growing up playing golf, never using a short putter. Is that keeping with the traditions of the game?"

Snedeker was sympathetic toward players who would be hurt by a ban. But, as the saying goes, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs:

"Their charge is protecting the game of golf, not making sure it's OK for Tour players," he added. "What's best for the game of golf might hurt a couple guys in the short run, but it might benefit the game in the long run."

Ah, the playful, figurative violence of golf trash talk. It seems to pop its head up biennially, and, even though the captains have said they expects a friendly few walks around Medinah, players are giving Chicago fans what they want.

ESPN UK has been chronicling the talk, which, as usual, begins with Europe's fiery Ryder Cup imp, Ian Poulter, who said he wants to "kill" opponents once he steps on the course.

American rookie Brandt Snedeker went on to raise Poulter with a zombie-inspired taunt of his own, again via ESPN UK:

"I'm very, very competitive," said the Nashville native. "People don't get that, because I'm polite. But when I tee it up on Friday here, or tee it up against anybody, I'm going to try to beat their brains in as bad as I can."

He may be a rookie, but he has the rhetoric down.

Players from both teams enjoy the days before competition begins:

Final practice day! Gala was great last night & Opening Ceremony today. @rydercupteamusa is ready...just like our #13thMan fans! THANK YOU!

— Davis Love III (@Love3d) September 27, 2012

Going to take it all in today because tomorrow I'll be laser focused on helping Team #USA get that W!! #LetsDoThis

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) September 27, 2012

“@alanshipnuck: Is @jasondufner overmarried? You make the call... twitter.com/AlanShipnuck/s…” why would u ever under marry? DUH!!!😆

— Jason Dufner (@JasonDufner) September 27, 2012

The clarke's & Poulter's all dressed up for the gala dinner. Girlies look beautiful. twitter.com/IanJamesPoulte…

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) September 26, 2012

Could have been my most favorite moment of my career today when I walked to the 1st t and heard that crowd Let's go #CHICAGO!

— Keegan Bradley (@Keegan_Bradley) September 26, 2012

Big thanks to Sergio and Paul today for their cash! @graeme_mcdowell and I are very appreciative! #plentymorewherethatcamefrom

— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) September 25, 2012

Many of the players wives and girlfriends (WAGs) will be in attendance this week:

Pretty fancy! #RyderCup twitter.com/DianeDonald/st…

— Diane Donald (@DianeDonald) September 27, 2012

What is this?? @mcilroyrory ... Should I be jealous? Lol...;) twitter.com/CaroWozniacki/…

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) September 26, 2012

Valentina Molinari and I both wearing @ralphlauren #RyderCup twitter.com/DianeDonald/st…

— Diane Donald (@DianeDonald) September 26, 2012

Having a great day in Chicago with the ladies!!We took a carriage ride downtown. @dianedonald is a fab tour gal!!! twitter.com/kristinstape/s…

— kristin stape (@kristinstape) September 25, 2012

The Euro Wags enjoying some bubbly and the view! #RyderCup twitter.com/DianeDonald/st…

— Diane Donald (@DianeDonald) September 25, 2012

Welcome to Chicago! twitter.com/KateVRose/stat…

— Kate Rose (@KateVRose) September 24, 2012

Will do my best to post lots of useless tidbits 4 u guys this week. Follow my fellow Euro WAG tweeters as well @katevrose & @kristinstape 😃

— Diane Donald (@DianeDonald) September 24, 2012

Celebs and fellow golfers share their Ryder Cup excitement and show their support:

There will be only one Molinari this time but he will be good enough! #goEurope #rydercuptime @f_molinari

— Edoardo Molinari (@DodoMolinari) September 27, 2012

Excited 2 be singing the Anthem at todays @rydercup opening ceremonies! I have my Grandpa in tow...he LOVES golf! Make sure you tune in! :D

— Jordin Sparks (@JordinSparks) September 27, 2012

Which pin should I wear today on @gcmorningdrive ? twitter.com/ANNIKA59/statu…

— Annika Sorenstam (@ANNIKA59) September 27, 2012

Now, THIS is cool... #RyderCup #I'makidinacandystore twitter.com/jtimberlake/st…

— Justin Timberlake(@jtimberlake) September 26, 2012

Thanks to @rydercupteamusa for a great time today. Thanks to all the fans lets get rowdy

— Robbie Gould (@RobbieGould09) September 25, 2012

President Clinton just accepted my $100 bet on the Ryder Cup. Don't let me down @mcilroyrory @lukedonald @ianjamespoulter @westwoodlee ! CNN

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 25, 2012

Landed!! Ryder cup allll week!!! Time for some more golf!!!!

— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) September 24, 2012

Looking forward to watching the Ryder Cup this week. USA

— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) September 24, 2012

Fans arrive to the course for practice rounds and the U.S. Past Captain/Celebrity Scramble:

There really are no words! We may not be many, but we know how to dress #RyderCup #MorphWouldBeProud instagr.am/p/QFrhb_SHMI/

— Ryder Cup Team EUR (@RyderCupTeamEUR) September 27, 2012

#13thMan cheering on @rydercupteamusa at the 1st tee! #RyderCupinstagr.am/p/QAO6F6yV7V/

— Ryder Cup Team USA (@RyderCupTeamUSA) September 25, 2012

Plenty of European support already lining fairways at Medinah. Check out these strapping young men #RyderCup

- Ryder Cup Team EUR (@RyderCupTeamEUR) September 25, 2012

Scottie and Richard #RyderCup yfrog.com/kh57yjhj

— Rafer Weigel (@RaferWeigel) September 25, 2012

Re-placement caddies for the week if needed!! #RyderCup #TeamEurope moby.to/s6oc44

— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) September 26, 2012

Both U.S. and Europe team members express their excitement for the week as they arrive in Chigago:

Everyone on the plane to Chicago for RYDER CUP........... Yeh #Avit t.co/cf5XmPOr

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) September 24, 2012

Let's go USA! So pumped for the Ryder Cup. Out at Medina right now!

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) September 24, 2012

Just landed in Chicago. Enroute to team hotel. To say I'm excited is an understatement. Team get together this evening. #itbegins#Europe

— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) September 24, 2012

Just landed in Chicago!! #RyderCup

Rory McIlroy looks back at his favorite moments from the 2010 Ryder Cup:

Brandt Snedeker collected $11.44 million on Sunday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta when he won both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.

Snedeker shot two-under 68 to finish 10 under and hold off a star-studded field in Atlanta. The tournament earned Snedeker $1.44 million and gave him the FedEx Cup points title, worth another $10 million. Before Sunday, Snedeker had earned $14.6 million in his six-year career.

Despite a double bogey at the long par-3 sixth, where nine of the 30 players in the field found the water with their tee shots, Snedeker seemed to be in total control all day. He made five birdies in the final round, including a chip-in at the par-4 17th. Justin Rose finished second at seven under.

"I had complete confidence in what I was doing,'' Snedeker said.

Rory McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world who had won three of his last four tournaments and two playoff events in a row, struggled on Sunday, shooting 39 on the front nine with a double bogey at the sixth. His four-over 74 left him one under for the tournament and second in the FedEx standings.

Tiger Woods also made double at No. 6, part of a front-nine 38 that knocked him out of contention. He finished with two-over 72 on Sunday and was two under for the tournament, third in FedEx points.

This is the sixth year of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Woods has won it twice, in 2007 and 2009; Vijay Singh won in 2008; Jim Furyk in 2010; and Bill Haas in 2011.

Snedeker's win also validated his selection by captain Davis Love to the United States Ryder Cup team. He'll join 11 other American players for the biennial competition against Europe, which will be held this Friday through Sunday at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago.

Related: Leaderboard | FedEx Cup Winners | Tiger Woods career gallery | Rory McIlroy career gallery

Photo: Carlos M. Saavedra/SI

We know how this works by now. Davis Love picks four of the best American golfers in the world. We cry doom and injustice that he didn't pick one of the other best American golfers in the world. Then, we watch the Ryder Cup: If his guys win, Love's a golfing Bill Belichick; if they lose, he's Josh McDaniels.

Until then, though, let the rampant and unchecked speculation begin.

The most curious cry coming across the interwebs is this: Did Davis Love pick with his heart and not with his head? John Feinstein at The Golf Channel and ESPN's Michael Collins seem to think so. Both allege cronyism.

Feinstein, immediately after prefacing his thought by saying no one should accuse Love of "playing favorites," does just that, questioning the pick of Brandt Snedeker:

No one would ever accuse Love, one of the game’s good guys, of playing favorites but it’s worth pointing out that Snedeker and Love are both represented by the same company. Snedeker is part of what is known on Tour as the “Sea Island mafia,” – players like Love, Snedeker, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar and Jonathan Byrd who all live in Sea Island, Ga.

Another Golf Channel guy, Rex Hoggard, whose article features some great in-the-war-room color, quotes assistant Captain Mike Hulbert as saying that Love was thrilled to make his last phone call to Snedeker. "“He was most excited for Snedeker,” Hulbert told Hoggard. “Davis was pacing around the room he was so happy for him.”

Of course, it would be more fun to call a guy you picked than the five or six you didn't. According to Hoggard, Love called everyone in consideration: Hunter Mahan, the last man left on the bubble, Rickie Fowler, Nick Watney, Bill Haas, Bo Van Pelt…all the way down to Robert Garrigus. All of this happened late in the game, too: Love, according to Hulbert, was still 50/50 on his last pick until 6:45 on Monday night.

Meanwhile, Michael Collins is skeptical of another pick. He (quite adamantly) thinks that Love's selection of his friend Jim Furyk -- a surprise pick to many golf fans, based on his recent poor performances under pressure -- was the example of heart-clouding-head.

"Congratulations Captain Love, you made three really solid picks," Collins said on ESPN.com. "But one of them? You made a mistake. You chose a friend, over business, and that may cost us the Ryder Cup."

Collins makes his case in the video below:

I'm sure all parties involved will have a great time asking and answering questions about this over the next few weeks. The Ryder Cup hype machine is motoring along at full bore. And sorry, FedEx, your Cup is going to get caught in its long shadow.

Photos: The U.S. Ryder Cup Team | The European Team
Related: 2012 Ryder Cup Preview

Each week, 15 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.  Rory McIlroy (149, 14, 1)   - Last three finishes: 3, WGC-Cadillac Championship; 1, Honda Classic; 2, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 2

2. Luke Donald (132, 1, 7) - Last three finishes: 1, Transitions Championship; T6, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T33, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 1

3. Lee Westwood (90, 0, 3) - Last three finishes: T29, WGC-Cadillac Championship; 4, Honda Classic; 4, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 3

4. Justin Rose (77, 0, 6) - Last three finishes: T29, Transitions Championship; 1, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T5, Honda Classic
- Official World Golf Ranking: 8

5. Phil Mickelson (76, 0, 2) - Last three finishes: T43, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T2, Northern Trust Open; 1, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- Official World Golf Ranking: 13

6. Keegan Bradley (72, 0, 4) - Last three finishes: T8, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T12, Honda Classic; T17, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 20

7. Hunter Mahan (64, 0, 5) - Last three finishes: T24, WGC-Cadillac Championship; 1, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship; T24, Northern Trust Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 12

8. Bill Haas (29, 0, 8) - Last three finishes: T29, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T33, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship; 1, Northern Trust Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 15

9. Charl Schwartzel (22, 0, 9) - Last three finishes: MC, Transitions Championship; T4, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T5, Honda Classic
- Official World Golf Ranking: 6

10. Bubba Watson (21, 0, 10) - Last three finishes: 2, WGC-Cadillac Championship, T17, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship; T13, Northern Trush Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 16

Others receiving votes:
Brandt Snedeker (15)
Steve Stricker (14)
Kyle Stanley (11)
Mark Wilson (11)
Webb Simpson (9)
Matt Kuchar (8)
Sang-moon Bae (7)
Jim Furyk (5)
Johnson Wagner (4)
Bo Van Belt (3)
Tiger Woods (3)
Martin Kaymer (1)
Alvaro Quiros (1)

Mickelson puts Southern California home on the market for $7 million

With his missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in the past, Mickelson is now focusing on the future. According to Market Watch, he and his wife, Amy, have recently put their luxurious Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., estate [right] on the market for $7.095 million.

"Simply put, this is one of the finest and most private estates you'll find -- anywhere," said Susan Bartow, listing agent for the Mickelsons. "The materials used and craftsman who built this incredible estate are second to none."

The 9,500 square foot, five-bedroom, Tuscan-style home sits on 4.88 acres and comes with two guest villas. The estate includes lavish landscaping, a swimming pool, and its very own putting green. 

Graeme McDowell's luck of the Irish

In Sunday's final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Graeme McDowell hit two memorable shots. His first was a beautiful hole-in-one on the 12th hole par 3. But his next shot on 18 wasn't as glamorous. Jonathan Wall at Yahoo! Sports has the story:

After knocking his second into a bunker short of the 18th green, McDowell caught his approach shot thin and half expected it to end up in the grandstands behind the green. But instead of ending up with an incredibly difficult fourth shot, McDowell's ball ricocheted off the grandstand and rolled back to within a couple feet of the cup.

McDowell made the birdie and finished the tournament with a tie for third. 

Finally, a great lie for the Donald

According to The [Newark] Star-Ledger, Donald Trump plans to seek New Jersey state approval in order to build a burial ground next to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. 

The 1.5-acre site would become the exclusive final resting place for wealthy club members who pay as much as $300,000 in membership fees. And a section of the lush plot would be carved out for Trump and his next of kin, said Ed Russo, a Trump consultant.

"It’s a very personal decision, but he’s considering it," Russo said. "This is really about members, but we do plan to set something aside for Mr. Trump and his family."

Tweet of the Day

[Photo of Mickelson house from Prudential Realty]

PARAMUS, N.J. -- Glamour alert, glamour alert! This FedEx Cup thing might actually be working! Having Tiger out for a few months is helping too!

Few were more dubious about the FedEx Cup than I was, and it's still way early, but pro-am day at Ridgewood was spectacular. Yes, pro-am day! First off, the course is an old-fashioned, rich-people country club with an elegant clubhouse. It has a real veranda where you can order real food (if you sneak in, as I did) and watch Players You've Heard Of doing their thing on the massive practice green. The weather was positively shipped in from Maui--blue skies and low humidity and 75ish. With school and camp out, the course was loaded with kids, many of whom requested autographs. Phil signed forever, and Padraig Harrington was right behind him, and somewhere else Vijay Singh was practicing long bunker shots. There's so much more golfing celebrity to spread around when Tiger is not around. Look, pa--isn't that Steve Stricker?! Yes it is, son. You can tell your children someday you saw him.

One forty-four in the field, and chances are you've heard of all of them, if you're an agate reader. Certainly the top 30. There's the guy you saw at the Masters, Brandt Snedeker. There's the guy you saw at the British Open, the one who wears pink. (Ian Poulter, son.) Where's the other guy from the U.S. Open? Rocco, Rocco--there was an APB out for Mr. Rocco Mediate, Esq. (And I don't care what you say about his name, Johnny Miller.)

I've never been to a post-PGA Championship event that had the kind of--someone give me a better word here--buzz that the Barclays had on Wednesday. Now comes the hard part: a tournament with guys puking and choking and making charges and knocking down flagsticks and rubbing their hands when they look at the pile of money. This could be the real deal, and marketing had only the slightest something to do with it. Pro-am day was the kind of day when a kid could come to the course and, with his head on the pillow that night, be swamped with a single thought: "How do I join the circus?"