When state and city leaders place a friendly wager on their hometown teams, the stakes are usually small potatoes. (Or apples, as was the case when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg collected a bushel of Honeycrsisps and a case of beer from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak after the Yankees beat the Twins in the 2009 ALDS.) In the run-up to Monday’s BCS Championship game, however, Louisiana Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne has upped the ante. Should Alabama knock off LSU, Dardenne’s office will cough up a big-time prize to the Crimson Tide's links-loving faithful: 200 rounds of golf on Lousiana’s Audubon Golf Trail.

One hundred winners will be selected at random from the entries to win a round of golf, including cart fees, for two players. Contest begins Jan. 1, 2012 and ends at midnight, Jan. 31, 2012. ’Bama residents can enter here.

Portrush to host Irish Open. Is British Open next?
Northern Ireland’s famed Portrush has landed the 2012 Irish Open, which might be the first step toward the beloved links landing an even bigger Open, reports Philip Reid of the Irish Times.

In returning to the cliff top links on the Causeway coast, the Irish Open—albeit a tournament still without a title sponsor and to be bankrolled by tourism bodies North and South and by the European Tour itself—is set to fulfill a further role in setting out Portrush’s case to return to the rota as a British Open venue.

The earliest that can possibly happen is 2016, as Open dates up to St Andrews in 2015 have been determined, but it could require a number of successful stagings of the Irish Open to gain the approval of the RA.

The tournament will be conducted from June 28-July 1, with local boys Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell serving as ambassadors.

“Fantastic news on the Irish Open 2012 coming to Royal Portrush,” McDowell tweeted. “Always been a dream of mine to play a top event in my home town.”

Masters badge owners face price hike
One of the most priceless possessions in sports just got more pricey. Masters badges, which provide access to every day of the hallowed tournament, will now cost their lucky owners $250. It is the first increase since 2009, when the price jumped $25 to $200, reports John Boyette of the Augusta Chronicle.

A Masters badge has long been considered one of the toughest tickets in sports. A waiting list for series badges was established in 1972 and closed in 1978 when demand far exceeded the club’s supply.

Ticket prices for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds will cost $50 each in 2012, up from $36 for Monday and Tuesday and $41 for Wednesday.

That's a 39 percent price hike, but it's unlikely you'll hear much kvetching. Considering it costs an average of $85 to watch the Yankees and a whopping $260 for a seat at Foxboro, Masters practice rounds tickets remain one of the best bargains in sports.

Tweet of the Day

Not counting the majors and the Ryder Cup, here are the top 10 tournaments to watch in 2012.

1. Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 26-29

Officially replaces Torrey Pines as the unofficial start of the 2012 golf season now that Tiger's playing, although the field would still be pretty strong without him. Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel and Jason Day will all make the trip to the desert this year.

2. AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach, Calif., Feb. 9-12

There’s been a lot of buzz that Tiger Woods is considering adding Pebble to his 2012 schedule. If he does show up, he’ll be the third-biggest star here, after the course and a former greenskeeper who became the pro-am champion last year.

3. Accenture World Match Play Championship, Manana, Ariz., Feb. 22-26

March Madness comes early for golf fans. Last year, Luke Donald announced his candidacy for world’s best golfer with a dominating performance. Match play always creates some compelling drama, especially in a Ryder Cup year.

4. WGC-Cadillac Championship, Miami, Fla., March 8-11

The best players in the world are all together in a stroke-play event for the first time all year. The golf season might start at Kapalua, but it gets serious at Doral.

5. Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, Fla., March 22-25

The King's tour stop is one of the crown jewels of the PGA Tour: great field, great atmosphere and great history.

6. Kraft Nabisco Championship, Rancho Mirage, Calif., March 29-April 1

Do you think having the world’s most dominant athlete in any sport (Yani Tseng) and a teenage phenom who’s won twice before even becoming an official LPGA member (Lexi Thompson) could create some stirring battles at the 2012 LPGA major? Yeah, us too.

7. Wells Fargo Championship, Charlotte, N.C., May 3-6

Less than 10 years old, the Wells Fargo Championship is already one of the most important regular events on the schedule. Wells Fargo is back in the tournament name after a couple of years as the Quail Hollow Championship. Let's hope the Michael Jordan-Tiger Woods pro-am pairing returns as well.

8. The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., May 10-13

Forget what the doubters say -- this is still the fifth major, and the finishing holes are as recognizable as any in the game. When Rory McIlroy was at home tweeting during last year’s Players Championship, you could tell he wanted to be there. He’ll be back this year.

9. BMW PGA Championship, Surrey, England, May 24-27

The best final round of 2011 that didn't happen in Augusta, Ga., was the playoff duel between Luke Donald and Lee Westwood at the European PGA Championship with the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking on the line. We can't wait for the rematch.

10. The Barclays Championship, Farmingdale, N.Y., Aug. 23-26

The USGA doesn't sound too keen on returning the Bethpage Black any time soon, so this year's Barclays Championship will be your best chance to see America's greatest municipal golf course, unless you want to sleep in your car.

The Big Ones:

The Masters, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga., April 5-8

U.S. Open, Olympic Club, San Francisco, Calif., June 14-17

British Open, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Lancashire, England, July 19-22

PGA Championship, Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, S.C., Aug. 9-12

The Ryder Cup, Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Ill., Sept. 28-30

The Carbrook Golf Club in Brisbane, Australia, may have the most unique water hazard in the history of the game -- a lake full of man-eating bull sharks, according to Fox News. Yep, killer sharks that measure up to 10 feet in length are regularly seen poking their fins through the surface of the water by golfers as they set up to hit their shots just yards away. Evidently the toothsome carnivores made their way into the lake some time ago when the course was flooded by a nearby river. When the flood receded, the sharks were stranded, creating an unusual attraction for the golf club.

"You can't believe how close you are ... just six feet [1.8m] away," club general manager Scott Wagstaff said. "There's no drama, it's become a positive thing for the golf course. They are amazing. I've become a shark lover since working here. I'm sure they are aggressive when you are in the water but when you are out here feeding them they are beautiful to watch," he said.

Here's what Wagstaff's talking about: 

Westwood calls for fifth major in Asia or Australia
Lee Westwood, ranked No. 2 in the world, has been doing a bit of traveling and playing in Asia, and the experience has definitely had an effect. In fact, the burly Englishman recently said he'd like to see a fifth major added to the schedule and contested in either Asia or Australia, according to ESPNStar.com. 

"... I think the men's game has got it pretty much right, although I'd like to see another Major somewhere else in the world. Somewhere like Asia or Australia," said Westwood, "I see the way that the Asian economy and markets have supported golf over the last few years and they deserve to have big tournaments there. Asian golf is getting bigger isn't it? Asia seems to be one of the places that hasn't been hit so hard by the financial crisis....Sponsors are more likely to want to put money into sporting events there because they've got it."

Well, his reasoning seems sound considering the growth of the game around the world, but a fifth major? We're not so sure. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Fowler welcomes rivalry with McIlroy
Having just won his first pro tournament at the Korea Open on Sunday, Rickie Fowler was well aware of the fact that he had beaten U.S. Open Champion Rory McIlroy in the process. He also made it clear that he looks forward to competing with, and beating, the young Ulsterman for years to come, according to Golfweek's Sean Martin.

He’s beaten me, I’ve beaten him before, but to win a golf tournament and beat him was different. It was cool. He was there for the first part of the awards ceremony. I respect him greatly. He’s a really cool guy. It’s been fun to play against him, and nice to get a win against him finally. I look forward to playing against him for a long time. With the two of us being 22, we’ve got some years left.

Fowler will play one more event this year at the McGladrey Classic, and then will most likely shut it down until 2012. 

Tweet of the Day

Phil Mickelson appeared on the Charlie Rose show on Monday night to promote the Mickelson Exxon Mobil Teachers Academy, a weeklong professional development program for teachers designed to inspire students in math and science.

Rose is known for getting his guests to open up through his engaging, conversation-style interviews, and he gets Mickelson talking about coming up short at the British Open, his difficulty with easy shots and his rivalry with Tiger. You can watch the full interview here.

Some highlights:

On being "in the zone": "It becomes more reactionary, it's like throwing a ball. I just see the target and swing and the ball goes where I want it to go."

On missing short putts: "The easier the shot, the less focused I am, and that's something I need to work on. The harder the shot, the more tuned in I am."

On whether he and Tiger will ever have a rivalry: "When he was playing his best, he brought me to play my best but we never really had a head-to-head rivalry in the final round of a major. When we did play in the final round he beat me pretty good, but in 2007 things started to change a little. In fact, my head-to-head record changed from getting beat like a drum to I actually started to pull ahead, but we haven't been able to do that in a major championship yet."

But who will be on the bag?

Tiger Woods, who has been resting his injured left knee and Achilles tendon since withdrawing from the Players Championship in May, is expected to return at next week’s Bridgestone Invitational, which begins Aug. 4 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, according to The Guardian UK.

Tiger Woods, expected to announce this week that he is returning to action at the Bridgestone Invitational on Thursday, is out of the world's top 20 for the first time since January 1997.

Woods has until this Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern time to officially enter the event, which would be his first Tour event since firing longtime caddie Steve Williams.

Manager says Darren Clarke ‘almost broke’ before Open win

Necessity is the mother of invention. It’s also pretty good motivation for playing well in a major.

According to The Daily Mail (UK), Darren Clarke solved some short-term money problems by cashing in with his British Open win.

Open winner Darren Clarke's big payday came just in time to avert a major cash crisis, his manager Chubby Chandler has revealed.

'The timing could not have been better,' he said. 'Darren has had a big cash flow problem.'

Apart from collecting the Open's €999,000 prize money ($1.43 million), Clarke also picked up a long-awaited €2.2million bonus ($3.15 million) from his clothing sponsors Sports Direct and Dunlop, along with other undisclosed bonuses expected from his endorsement of Taylor Made clubs and other equipment.

The 42-year-old, who has several properties dotted around the globe, was hit hard by the worldwide recession and was strapped for cash when he arrived in Kent for the year's third Major.

Tweet of the Day

From CBS Sports’ Steve Elling...

It wasn't too long ago Rory McIlroy was saying how big an influence his long time girlfriend, Holly Sweeney, was in his life. Fast forward to last week's British Open and Rory was releasing a statement saying that the two had split up, amicably of course. It's good to be young, rich, and famous -- and last Sunday the very recently single U.S. Open champion was spotted on what appeared to be a date with none other than Caroline Wozniacki, the world's top-ranked female tennis player.

Evidently a tennis blogger happened to see the two star athletes having dinner together in a London restaurant and discreetly snapped a couple of photos, which you can see here. This comes on the heels of a flirtatious Twitter exchange last week (which didn't go unnoticed) between the two in which McIlroy wishes Wozniacki a happy 21st birthday, to which she responds, "at least now you will be able to buy me a drink."

Are the two young stars actually a couple? The truth is anyone's guess, but the photo of them appearing to steal a kiss on a London street speaks for itself.

Darren Clarke cashes in on British Open win

It's safe to say the golf world was happy to see Darren Clarke finally get a well-deserved British Open victory on Sunday as he outlasted a talented field of challengers including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Rickie Fowler. But what most fans probably don't know is that Clarke took home a lot more than the claret jug.

In addition to the nearly $1.5 million winners check, the 42-year old Northern Irishman received a bonus worth more than $3 million from Dunlop, whose logo he wears on his chest. Clarke's windfall stems from unique deal negotiated by his agent, Andrew "Chubby" Chandler, which guarantees no compensation unless the Ulsterman wins a major (in case you were wondering why Lee Westwood wears a Dunlop logo on his chest, he's also a Chandler client).

But the spoils for Clarke's victory don't end there. According to Chandler, the big win is a game-changer for the burly Irishman, who is now exempt into all four majors for the next five years, including an exemption into the British Open until he turns 60. Clarke also moves from 111 in the world rankings to 30, which gets him into the remaining World Golf Championships this season.

Tiger texts help Clarke win first major

For those who thought Tiger was a selfish scoundrel who wanted nothing but wins for himself, guess again. Yup, El Tigre actually sent Darren Clarke a couple of text messages in which he gave the soon-to-be Open Champion tips on how to win a major.

"Darren got two text messages from Tiger," confirmed the Ulsterman's manager, Chubby Chandler, yesterday. "They weren't just 'play well' messages either. It was a real bit of sports psychology."

What exactly Tiger related to Clarke is unknown, but clearly the content of the texts were significant, as Clarke went out of his way to acknowledge their importance.

"I wouldn't want to go into what Tiger said to me in the texts, but they were very much appreciated and helped when it came to believing that I could win."

TWEET OF THE DAY

@PGA_com: RT @DaphnesCovers: "I was three over. One over a house, one over a patio, and one over a swimming pool. ~ George Brett. #golf quotes

[Photo: EPA/Everett Kennedy Brown/Landov]

We all knew this was coming. When the European Tour’s leading bon vivant wins the major championship he wants the most, he’s going to throw a great party.

Here’s a report from Clarke’s manager Chubby Chandler from after 1 a.m. Sandwich, England, time:

The party continued straight through until morning, according to the European Tour’s web site. Here's the post-celebration report from a bleary-eyed Clarke posing with the claret jug Monday morning:

"I probably won't get any sleep until tomorrow at some stage. Have to enjoy it when you can.

"I had quite a few pints and quite a few glasses of red wine and it all continued until about 30 minutes ago.

"It's been a very good night."

Nothing, though, had been poured into the trophy.

"I'm a little bit of a traditionalist. I feel a bit funny about putting stuff in the Claret Jug that shouldn't be in there. "There's nothing in it as yet. That may not be the case as the week goes by!"

We’ll give Rory McIlroy the final word.

Tom Watson visited D-Day sites before playing British Open  

Before traveling to Royal St. George’s in Sandwich for the British Open, Tom Watson made an emotional visit to the World War II battlefields and graveyards of Normandy in northern France. Watson talked about the experience after his round on Sunday.

TOM WATSON: I visited the British military grave site at Ranville first and then I went on to Sword Beach, which was the eastern flank, and then we overnighted in Caen, and then the next day we went to the U.S. cemetery and Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach. It was very emotional.

Q. You've been here, seen it, done it. There must be few things that can move you, but that must have been...

TOM WATSON: Oh, there are a lot of things that can move me. There are a lot of things. That certainly is -- you know, that particular turning point in World War II certainly was a -- it was a feat extraordinaire.

Q. Describe your emotions around a place like that.

TOM WATSON: Well, the visuals there are -- I wanted to see, first of all, Pointe du Hoc. It was man against man and gun against gun. Talk about a disadvantage. It was like me playing Phil Mickelson on this golf course. The Rangers, the Second Battalion Rangers, had to go up 115 feet in the air, straight up, and the Germans were up there shooting at them. And they managed to do it. Omaha Beach was a disaster in a lot of different ways. The weather forecast was not exactly right, and the seas were really, really big, and they lost a lot of men before they even got to shore. They couldn't get to shore. To see the cemetery there and the 9,000-plus marble crosses is a striking reminder of what the human condition can do. I was very emotional, very emotional seeing that.

Jack Wagner takes down Tony Romo in celeb tournament

Darren Clarke’s win at the British Open was drama-free after Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson flamed out on the back nine, but that wasn’t the case for soap star and celebrity golf stick Jack Wagner, who had to shake a charging Tony Romo down the stretch at the American Century Championship in Reno, Nev., according to Dan Hinxman of The Reno Gazette-Journal.

By the time the two reached the par-3 17th, Wagner's lead was down to two. He sank a 10-footer for birdie right after Romo missed his 12-foot birdie try, and then both players hit their second shot on 18 into Lake Laimbeer. Romo needed to make about a 30-footer to force Wagner to get up and down in three shots, but he missed and Wagner claimed his second ACC title in five years.

It put the finishing touches on a day of quality golf, with Wagner shooting a three-under 69 and Romo shooting a 66. Wagner finished with 80 points, the second-highest total in the tournament's modified Stableford scoring history (since 2003).

Good thing it didn't go to a playoff. Cowboys fans know how that would end.

When is Tiger Woods returning to the PGA Tour?

In case you missed it, Tiger Woods is planning to play Stanford bud Notah Begay’s charity tournament on Aug. 31 in Upstate New York. However, the CEO of the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia said that rumors of a Tiger return at the Greenbrier Classic on July 28 are just that, according to Dave Morrison of The (Beckley, W. Va.) Register-Herald.

“There is absolutely nothing to the Tiger rumor, absolutely nothing,” Justice said, without even being asked. “That means I have heard nothing (from Woods’ camp),” Justice said. “Surely to goodness, I would have been the first to know that. It would be great news, and we would love to have Tiger. But as far as Tiger committing, there is nothing to it.”

In other Tiger news, Woods texted his pal Darren Clarke some final-round advice before, but Clarke declined to say what it was. (Via The Associated Press). Also, Palm Beach Realtor Jeff Lichtenstein does the math and figures that – in addition to his mortgage -- Tiger has about $5.4 million in monthly taxes and expenses on his Jupiter Island, Fla., mansion. No wonder he might come back soon! 

Sports Photo of the Year

If the average picture is worth a thousand words, this one posted on Twitter by Brian Keogh of IrishGolfDesk is worth 10,000.

SANDWICH, England—The sky here looks like a mixing bowl. That’s not unusual, and I imagine it drives the weather forecasters here to throw their hands up in resignation. Anything can, and will, happen.

One thing is certain for today’s final round: it’s going to be windy. The wind is up already, the flags are straight out and the gusts are ferocious. The official forecast calls for gusts of 30 to 35 miles per hour, and the winds are already as strong as they've been for any of the previous three rounds.

One brief shower hit this morning, and the forecast calls for “a passing sharp shower.” (For the latest forecast, go to weather.com.)

The sun was out as amateur Tom Lewis took the tee. The sky was a blend of blue patches, white puffs and long gray smears.  The sun is going to come and go. Maybe the rain, too. Who knows? But the wind is going to blow all day, and pretty hard at times.

Play on, gentlemen.

SANDWICH, England -- The players have been positive in their appraisal of Royal St. George's at the 140th British Open this week, with one exception: The fourth hole drove them mad Saturday.

Although it didn't play to its full 495 yards, the par 4 still wreaked havoc. The field averaged 4.93 strokes, making it easily the hardest 469 yards on the course.

"It's 250 to reach the fairway in a howling gale; can't get there," said Paul Lawrie, who made a triple-bogey on the hole and shot 81. "I hit it in a bunker. You could have put that tee much farther up. It was only about three or four people in the field that can hit the ball 250 in a howling gale."

The hole was too long for many players to reach in two. Jason Day, 23, estimated it would have taken a 240-yard shot to reach the fairway off the tee, and playing into the teeth of the wind, he moved his ball only about 200. He tried to tell himself a 5 would be a great score, but he still made 6.

Spencer Levin made a quadruple-bogey 8. There were no birdies on the hole Saturday, one of three holes at St. George's to pitch a shutout. (No one birdied the third or 18th holes, either.) And only 18 of the 71 players who made the cut managed to par number four. Ten players made double-bogey or worse.

"It was 40 miles an hour into the wind, and rain sideways," said Richard Green. "I think my driver went just 200 yards, and then a 3-wood just as far again. Then I pitched up onto the green and made par. I walked off there, I couldn't believe it."

The Saturday turnout at Royal St. George’s proves that virtually nothing can keep British fans from the  Open Championship. They are just mad about their golf.

Despite the wind blowing steadily at 20 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts up to 35 mph, and the rain pelting down, thousands of people braved the weather (and possibly caught pneumonia).

Most had dressed appropriately, or at least tried, but rain jackets can only take so much. Most were drenched, but they still managed to clap for good shots while huddled under umbrellas.

Barry Skinner left his home in Lincolnshire at 4 a.m. and traveled roughly 200 miles to Sandwich for the Open. He arrived at 9 a.m., but at around 2:30 he was headed for the exit.

“We knew the weather would be bad, but we came, anyway,” said a glum-looking Skinner while trying to fix his umbrella, which had blown inside out. “Saturday was the only day we could make it. It was worth it, but it’s just too wet now.

“The most miserable part is having to leave.”

Too bad Skinner couldn’t have lasted another hour, as the weather started to clear around 3:45.

Shelter from the storm

Steve Sanders from nearby Deal was making a dash for the exit around the same time. He had brought his son Damon and Damon’s friend Joe, both 12, but had to take the drenched kids home early.

“It’s too much for these two; they are a bit cold,” said Sanders.

But at least they watched Tom Watson for a few holes and saw Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson tee off.

Richard and Jennifer Madaris of Charlotte, N.C., who came over just to watch the Open, also exited early. The drenched Americans hadn’t properly packed for the weather.

“It was fun but blustery,” said Richard, who had forgotten his rain suit. “We watched Tom Watson a fair amount. And we got a feel for it. We’re heading back tomorrow a little better prepared.”

While many left early, thousands more stuck it out. Massive golf fans Neil Ferguson and Oliver Walker both traveled 300 miles from Macclesfield to watch. They forgot their umbrellas, but that didn’t stop them from sitting in the grandstands in the rain, or from following Darren Clarke.

 
Neil Ferguson and Oliver Walker hang out along the first fairway

“Because we’re stupid,” Ferguson said half-jokingly. “We could do with it being a bit of a dry off.”

As the final pair of Darren Clarke and Lucas Glover prepared to tee off, Andrew East, Ian Farminer and his sons Matt and Mark Farminer had just left the Bollinger Tent to grab a spot along the first fairway to watch.

Asked why they chose to stay, East quipped, “We wanted to get wet and drink champagne. We’re just happy and social people.”

The four men from Guilford, Surrey, weren’t going to miss the golf, no matter what. While they drove about an hour and a half, Royal St. George’s is considered their local Open since the others on the circuit are further north or in Scotland.

Andrew East, Ian Farminer, Mark Farminer & Matt Farminer fresh out of the champagne tent to watch Darren Clarke tee off

And despite the miserable conditions, they all agreed it was well worth it.

“For Americans, they’re used to playing what we call target golf,” said Ian Farminer. “In this country, you have to put up with this all day and every day. We’re getting to watch the best golfers in the world try to cope with these conditions.

“It’s fantastic. They’re trying to maneuver the ball and things they wouldn’t normally do because of the conditions.”

Mark Farminer was responsible for dragging the group out of the Bollinger tent.

“We love our golf, and we’d rather be in the rain watching golf than sitting down, doing nothing,” he said. “We had a bit of drinking, and then we come back out to get drenched.

“This weather is what makes this championship quite special, actually. It makes it different than anything else.”