If Tiger's domination of Aaron Baddeley in the Presidents Cup Sunday singles wasn't enough to convince you that he's back on track, maybe the fact that he's inked two endorsement deals in the last six weeks will do the trick. His agreement with Rolex, which Tiger's agent at Excel Sports Management, Mark Steinberg, suggested was the first of several endorsements to come, is significant in that it clearly illustrates that major global brands are more than ready to do business with the former No. 1 player in the world. Woods's newest deal with Fuse Science, a Florida-based nutrition company, further extends Tiger's reach to a new product category and will surely inspire more confidence in Tiger's endorse-ability. 

"This company is laying the foundation for some very significant things," Woods said in a phone interview Monday with USA TODAY. "The more homework I did the more I was amazed with the technology that is not only applicable for me in what I do, it's applicable for everyone. And how easy it is to use -- that's where it really is ground-breaking. The technology is phenomenal. Some people don't like to take pills. Now you can just put a drop under your tongue. It's that easy. And it really does get into your system in 90 seconds. It's something you need so you don't get dehydrated on the golf course, especially when you're out in the sun all day long."

Tiger will sport the Fuse Science logo on his golf bag beginning at the Chevron World Challenge next month. Steinberg told Golf.com that there have been several opportunities to place corporate sponsorship on Tiger's bag recently but none "felt right." Tiger's confidence in the Fuse technology is such that Steinberg says he would have been interested in signing a deal with the company at any time in his career, even during his days with AT&T, Gillette and Gatorade. 

"We did a lot of due diligence on the Fuse technology, and it could legitimately change the way people injest medicine and vitamins in the future," Steinberg said. "It could be revolutionary. They have an unbelievable group of executives and we're extremely impressed with the company." 

As Tiger's game continues to round into form heading into his own tournament, don't be surprised if more good results on and off the course continue to come El Tigre's way. Tiger returning to the top of the world rankings wouldn't just be good for him it would be good for TV ratings, corporate sponsorships and the game of golf in general. 

Norman hopes Presidents Cup performance puts Tiger back on top

The bit of tit for tat between Greg Norman and Tiger Woods over the Presidents Cup has been well-documented. Norman criticizes Fred Couples for picking Tiger instead of Keegan Bradley. Then Tiger closes out the Presidents Cup and says something to the effect of, "Greg probably wishes he kept his mouth shut." Regardless, Norman knows as well as anyone how important Tiger is to the game of golf and said so in a recent interview. 

"Tiger's Tiger -- he stepped up the plate," Norman said. "I said to him, 'You need golf as much as golf needs you.' We all want to see him up there. Any player hates to see a great player struggle.

"We all know what it's like to go through the ins and outs of the game," he explained. "You want to see the player who dominated the game come back so that when you beat him you feel like you beat him at the top of his game."

Fred Couples, who was initially stung a bit by Norman's criticism, has clearly gotten over it in Freddy-like fashion. 

"I don't know if I've ever felt vindicated in golf in 30 years, but I feel like I know what I'm doing," he said. "There's a reason I picked Tiger early. He worked hard and when a guy says 'Don't worry about me' you are going to smile. I got frustrated a bit because I felt I was picking the greatest player I've ever seen play."

Tweet of the Day

Tiger Woods signed a new endorsement deal with Fuse Science, according to a story on TigerWoods.com. The product is not on the market yet, but, according to Fuse Science, the company has developed a new delivery system to help athletes absorb supplemental nutrients “in a concentrated "DROP" form that is simply applied under the tongue.”

Fuse Science research and development team has engineered a faster and more efficient way to absorb nutrients when the body is at its highest demand. By combining pre, during, and post workout dosing athletes may find they can handle more intense workout with shorter recovery times.

Woods, who recently announced a partnership with Rolex, will be the company’s “primary spokesman in professional sports.” He lost sponsorships with AT&T, Accenture, Gillette, General Motors and Gatorade in 2010 following his sex scandals. The terms of the Woods's deal with Fuse Science were not disclosed.

"When I learned about Fuse Science's groundbreaking technology, I immediately understood that this will be a game-changer in how we live our lives every day," Woods said. "We will improve energy, nutrition and medication delivery in several global categories, and we will enhance every athlete's ability to perform at their natural best. This company is laying the foundation for some very significant things and after personally talking to them, I wanted to be Powered by Fuse."

"This is a very big day for our company and what it means to be Powered by Fuse," added Brian Tuffin, president and chief operating officer. "Our partnership with the world's best is an enabler to have a worldwide impact sooner than later. Tiger recognizes the significance of the journey we're on as a company and wants to be part of our growth while leverage the technology to make a difference globally."

"Beyond sports, this technology applies in so many ways," added Tiger. "The long-term potential is significant. To me, that's something much bigger than golf."

Couples leads Norman in captain’s bracket at Aussie Open

The captains of the U.S. and International Presidents Cup teams still have plenty of game, if the first-round results of the Australian Open are any indication. The 56-year-old Norman shot a 1-under 71 to tie for 42nd place, and his American counterpart Couples, 51, shot a 5-under 67 to finish T4. ESPN’s Bob Harig talked to Couples after his round: 

"This is probably the best ball-striking round I had all year," said Couples, 51, who plays most of his golf on the Champions Tour -- although he tied for seventh at the Northern Trust Open and 15th at the Masters.

"On the front side I hit it close every hole. I played really well. I don't know if I can accomplish that tomorrow, but today was a very, very good round. I'm not just here to get ready for next week. I want to compete. It sounds stupid, but at any age I think I can still play, although it's a lot easier on the Champions Tour."

Hall-of-famer Mickelson still wants 50 wins, career slam

A sprightly hall of famer at 41, Phil Mickelson said he still has plenty of goals to accomplish before he’s done, including getting to 50 career wins (he’s at 39), at his hall of fame announcement in Singapore on Wednesday.

I'd like to get to that magical number of 50 that only a few guys have gotten to as far as total tournaments, but also I think that finally getting a U.S. Open would mean a lot to me as well as a British Open, which would complete the career slam. I came very close last year at Royal St. George's to getting that British. I've had five seconds in the U.S. Open; I've been very close. And I'm going to try to take that knowledge I've gained over the years that have led to those good performances and see if I can get over the hump and win those. I think that would be two special monumental feats for me to accomplish.

Tweet of the Day

Almost three years before caddie Steve Williams made his ill-advised comments about his former boss Tiger Woods in Shanghai, Williams took a shot at Phil Mickelson, calling him a “prick” while at a function in New Zealand in December 2008. However, journalists were not able to get Mickelson to talk about Williams at the Barclays Singapore Open, where Mickelson is playing this week. The Times of India has the story:

Mickelson, who was famously described as a "right prick" by Tiger Woods's former bagman and ridiculed about his weight, first tried to dodge the question and then flatly refused to answer.

"I think it was a very sly way to draw me into that and very well done on your behalf. But I'm not going to bite," he told journalists ahead of the Singapore Open.

Mickelson, who hasn’t played competitively since the Tour Championship in September and has fallen out of the top 10, said he is looking forward to playing this week, according to CBS Sports.

"I've been back home practicing and playing for about a month, and I've been itching to play because I feel I've been playing well and shooting some low scores," Mickelson said on Wednesday. "I'm excited because I feel like I have some really good golf ahead of me."

Matt Kuchar says Greg Norman was a key mentor

For Matt Kuchar, playing in the Australian Open this week will bring back memories. In 2000, Kuchar played his first professional tournament here, and Greg Norman was one of his mentors. The Sydney Morning Herald has the story:

Norman has done so much for Australian golf but, on this occasion, he carved the path a certain way for the young American, who just before he turned pro was, like the Great White Shark, a Florida resident.

''I was spending a bit of time with Greg,'' Kuchar said. ''That was a really cool experience. Greg was great at giving back to the up-and-comers. He was great to me. And when I came down and made my debut down here [in the 2000 Open], I remember playing practice rounds with Greg. It was fun to watch, fun to be a part of, a learning experience.''

And while Kuchar will be playing for Team USA against his old mentor’s International Team at next week’s Presidents Cup, he doesn’t expect any bad blood.

''I saw him [on Tuesday],'' Kuchar said. ''We crossed paths. We stopped and had a nice chat.

''I don't think there is going to be any coldness between us. In the sport of golf you want everybody to play well. You want your best to be hopefully better than their best.''

Y.E. Yang says YouTube is his new swing coach

Y.E. Yang, one of the quirkiest and funniest guys on tour, said that he’s not working with a coach anymore. Instead, he’s watching swing videos on YouTube to improve. And he admits that might be the reason he hasn’t won this year. Here’s more from Agence France Presse:

 "I've tried to put a lot of methodology into it," Yang told journalists before the Singapore Open. "I've researched quite a few players, tried to emulate some of the good things that I see on YouTube. The swing plane, how I grab my club... those are probably the biggest changes.

"I've put more focus on the technical aspects of my game whereas previously I've been more of a feel player."

Yang said he was happy with his progress despite being on course for his worst season since 2008, the year before he made history by winning the 2009 PGA Championship.

"Throughout probably a year-and-a-half now I've been self-taught. I have no coach right now," he said. "Maybe it's because I've been teaching myself that I haven't had as good results as 2009, but I'm still confident and very satisfied with where I'm heading to."

Tweet of the Day

Rory McIlroy Unicef from FUSIO on Vimeo.

Caddie Steve Williams called the backlash over the racially insensitive remarks he made about his former boss Tiger Woods over the weekend "absolutely ridiculous" in an interview with New Zealand's Newstalk ZB radio on Monday morning.

"It's kind of like a locker room environment—everyone's just having a good time. My comments were by no means the worst comments that were passed. There was a lot of profanity and a lot of other kind of remarks, but just because I make a remark regarding my former employer, it gets blown way out of proportion and it's absolutely ridiculous."

During a caddie banquet in Shanghai, Williams was asked on stage why he gloated following Adam Scott's victory at the Bridgestone Invitational shortly after Woods fired Williams. He replied, "My aim was to shove it right up that black a------!" In the radio interview, Williams disagreed that "all the jaws dropped at the same time" as some reports said, and he cited a "difference of opinion" between those present at the banquet and media reports afterward.

"It was a fun sort of thing and everyone laughed their heads off. So, I mean, what you read is absolutely ridiculous."

According to a statement on his website, Williams's boss Adam Scott considers the "matter closed" and "will not be making any further comment" on the controversy surrounding his caddie. 

Greg Norman says Steve Williams is not a racist

Greg Norman said that his former caddie Steve Williams is not a racist, but that Williams's remarks about Tiger Woods in Shanghai were "stupid." Speaking with The Telegraph (UK), Norman said: 

"Steve's not a racist, not at all. We've all made stupid comments at stupid times, unfortunately his stupid comment became global news and I know he probably regrets it.” 

"But I guarantee you in that room, that night, there were some heavier things said." 

"Because of the temperature of what was going on between the two of them, anything that was said was going to exacerbate that feeling. I hope it gets resolved. Golf doesn't need it, golf needs Tiger back playing great golf the way he used to.” 

Norman is also openly supporting Adam Scott’s decision to keep Williams on his bag for the Australian Open and Presidents Cup and he doesn’t believe there will be any issues between Woods and Scott. 

"Adam's a professional. Whatever Steve said was Steve's opinion, not Adam's.” 

"Steve obviously does a great job for Adam because Adam's been playing some great golf since Steve's been on his bag. I don't think there's any issue between Tiger and Adam at all. 

And Norman doesn't expect fireworks when Woods and Williams eventually come face to face at either the Australian Open or President’s Cup.

"Does he [Tiger] like to hear the things that run around? No, of course he doesn't but he's a strong-minded professional and I don't see him having problems with it at all.” 

"He'll walk by Steve and who knows what happens? He'll have prepared himself in his mind much as Steve has prepared himself in his mind so ... it's all done, it's been said, it's in the past."

Tiger is scheduled to speak at a press conference in Sydney at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on Monday (10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Syndey time). 

Tiger and Scott to be kept apart at Australian Open 

Unwilling to let the Australian Open turn into a “sideshow,” GOLF Australia officials have announced that they are consciously keeping Tiger Woods away from Adam Scott and caddie Steve Williams when they sit down to make the pairings for the event. Brent Read of The Australian has the story: 

Golf Australia had already made the decision to keep Woods and Scott apart when they sit down to make their pairings for the opening two rounds of the Open, fearing Williams's presence would turn the entire event into a sideshow. There may be no avoiding it now. 

"It's such a great field," Golf Australia chief executive Steve Pitt said. "It's such a deep field. There are so many really good players who are playing. I don't think it will become too much of a distraction. 

"Certainly, once the tournament starts, it will look after itself. There has never been any plan to play Tiger and Adam together.” 

Reports indicate that Tiger hit the ball well after playing two corporate events in Perth and Melbourne. Pitt is hoping that Woods's strong play follows him to Sydney. 

"The people who have played with him say that he's driving the ball really well. They're all expecting him to play really well in tournaments again. We're hopeful he will do that." 

"It would be a huge result if he was to win the Australian Open for him and for the tournament to add him to that list of winners. I think the next time he wins is going to be a big deal, no matter whether it's here or somewhere else."

Tweet of the Day

Greg Norman created a brouhaha when he criticized Fred Couples for selecting Tiger Woods as a captain’s pick for the upcoming Presidents Cup. Steve Stricker, though, is defending both his captain and teammate. Speaking with Gary D’Amato of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Stricker said:

"I’m for it. I think it’s a good thing. I don’t know why Greg said what he did. He did basically the same thing with Adam Scott a couple years ago when Adam wasn’t playing well. It kind of turned Adam's game around. So I don’t know where that came from.”

The Stricker-Woods team has had great success at both the 2009 Presidents Cup and the 2010 Ryder Cup, going 4-0 and 2-1, respectively, in the team portions of the events. According to Stricker, he has been in touch with Tiger and is confident that his former partner will silence many of the critics once he hits the course in Australia.

"I talk to Tiger through texting every now and then. He’s really excited. We’re looking forward to it. I think he’ll be ready, too. He’ll find a way to get it done. When you play him one on one, he’ll find a way. Just like at the Ryder Cup last year. He trounced the guy he was playing. He loves match play."

Yani Tseng says she would like to play a PGA Tour event

Yani Tseng has emerged as the most dominant force in golf this season, picking up her 11th victory of the year at the Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open. Speaking with the Chinese media, Tseng expressed interest in testing her skills out on the PGA Tour in the future:

“If an opportunity presents itself, I would like to play in a PGA tournament to learn more from male golfers. I wouldn’t care about the results because I’d just want to enjoy the feeling of playing with guys and learning from them to further improve my skills.” 

Hog wild 

A gang of wild boars have inhabited the Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Fla., tearing up the golf course in the process. Local news station WFTV has the story: 

The hogs are tearing up the grass along a number of holes on the golf course at the Suntree Country Club near North Wickham Road. 

Residents say they spotted one boar that appeared to be 300 lbs. with two and a half inch cutters, which are like small tusks. 

"They are razor sharp," said wildlife trapper James Dean, about the boars.  "They are coming into the backyards on the golf courses and rutting up the ground, and I mean tearing it up with their snout to get grubworms, insects, snakes. They just get down with their tusks and keep going and going and going.”

One resident of the golf course community described the mess he found in his back yard as a “two-foot deep, eight foot by eight foot, swimming pool.”

Trappers have already caught 17 wild boars but believe there to be at least six more of the hogs in the area. Sounds like a job for Bagdad, Fla., native Boo Weekley.

Tweet of the Day

Adam Scott would like to cap what has been a resurgent year for the No. 7-ranked Aussie with a win at the Presidents Cup in November. It will be a home game both for Scott and International captain Greg Norman—the matches will be played at Royal Melbourne—and Scott plans to take a proactive and vocal role to ensure the best results for his squad. Ben Everill at The Age has the scoop:

"I know Greg wasn't happy with losing last time and he's really going to want to win in front of our home fans. I'm ready to help him fire up the boys for sure.

"It makes a big impact, especially on the younger guys, if an older guy stands up and says how he feels, shows a bit of passion and makes it clear how much he wants it.

Adam Scott is an older guy? Oy...

"Ernie [Els] did it for me in the past, and made it very clear that everyone wants it and we're not just there to slap it around for the week.

"Then you just have to go out and play hard, lead by example and just give the Americans nothing."

The Internationals have won just one Presidents Cup in eight prior attempts. On the U.S. side, captain Fred Couples is very likely using one of his two wildcard picks on Tiger Woods. [See "Tweet of the Day" below.] That means that if the teams were picked today players like Zach Johnson, match-play machine Rickie Fowler, and PGA champ Keegan Bradley would all be jockeying for Couples’ other captain’s pick. (Check out the Presidents Cup point rankings for the U.S. team here.)

Detroit and PGA Tour can't come to terms
In another blow to down-on-its-luck Detroit, General Motors’ mission to bring a Cadillac-sponsored Tour event to the Motor City has stalled. GM had been looking into bringing a tournament to Detroit Golf Club, a wonderful old-timey hangout just a few miles from downtown, reports The Detroit Free Press:

When no date on the tour schedule opened this year, Cadillac sought a date in 2012. But finding a date on the tour’s schedule during Michigan's few dependably warm months proved too difficult, according to a person familiar with the situation.

A potential opening on the tour's schedule closed when the Heritage, a longtime tour stop in Hilton Head, S.C., found a new sponsor in Royal Bank of Canada, signing a five-year deal in June.

A 67—with borrowed clubs!
Next time you try to blame your poor play on rental clubs, consider the plight of Pedro Oriol, who after his clubs were lost in transit en route to the Czech Open, was forced to play with loaners. The result? A cool first-round 67 that left the Spaniard a shot off the lead.

"I'm not sure I'm going to switch back to my own clubs now even if they arrive," the 25-year-old Oriol told reporters.

"I was worried about my round because even though I practiced very hard for the past two weeks my confidence has been quite low ... but then I go and shoot a 67 which just goes to show what a crazy game golf is."

Long-putter sales still slow (for now)
Long putters have been all the rage this summer, what with Adam Scott’s torrid play and now Keegan Bradley’s theatrics at the PGA Championship; both players wield broomsticks. ("Personally, I think that it's an easier way to putt," Bradley said. "Especially when there's some nerves. It's just very, very comfortable for me.") Still, those successes haven’t translated into big sales for manufacturers, at least not yet, reports Edgar Thompson of The Palm Beach Post:

Consumer sales have picked up a bit this summer, said Danny Germaine, manager of Edwin Watts Golf in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and one of the top amateurs in the area. But he said just one in 25 putters sold are long putters, which are produced by most major manufacturers and cost between $30 and $50 more.

Look for sales to pick up. Now that two of the coolest cats on Tour have won with long putters, you and your golf buds should no longer feel sheepish about toting a flatstick that barely fits in your trunk.

Tweet of the day

From Ryder Cup captain extraordinaire Paul Azinger...

According to a report in The Ireland Herald, young and talented Rory McIlroy has broken up with his girlfriend of six years, Holly Sweeney. Evidently the two began dating when Rory was sixteen and Holly was fourteen, while they were both growing up in their hometown of Holywood (think Northern Ireland, not SoCal).

Since McIlroy hit the big time in both fame and bucks he's been pretty good about avoiding the late night carousing scene and has spent most of his free time with his gal pal in their shared home in Ireland. But according to sources close to the burgeoning superstar, things just weren't "working out," between the two. Earlier this year, McIlroy announced he would forgo PGA Tour membership in favor of playing the European Tour, in part, according to some, because he wanted to be close to his special lady friend. In light of recent events, one could speculate that McIlroy might be inclined to change his mind about playing full time in the U.S. in the future.

McIlroy's ex is currently pursuing a career in sports technology at the University of Ulster.

Old guys still dominate the "real" money list
Despite his well-publicized travails over the last year or so, Tiger Woods still sits atop golf's financial world. Though his bottom line took a hit to the tune of around $48 million last year, Tiger still managed to rake in a cool $74.2 million in 2010 (down from $121 million and change in 2009). Though he's hardly hurting, El Tigre's income in 2010 was his lowest in a decade.

What might be a bigger surprise for those not in the "know," is that four out of golf's eight top earners in 2010 haven't won a meaningful tournament, or any tournament for that matter, in a long, long time. After Tiger and Phil, Arnold Palmer came in third with $36 million in earnings, followed by Greg Norman with $30 million, Jack Nicklaus with $25 million, and Gary Player, who came in eighth, with $15 million.

According to Arnold Palmer, late IMG founder Mark McCormack's innovative vision is the reason behind this seemingly unusual business trend for golf's past greats.

"A brilliant part of Mark's strategy was never to tie my endorsement of a product to how I was fairing on the golf course," Palmer explains. "His aim was never to pitch me as a winner because there always comes a day when a winner no longer wins; when his appeal, accordingly, dramatically dips."

So how did McCormack set his client's up for long-term endorsement and business success? He focused their appeal on traits like personality, reliability, and integrity. Has to make you wonder how Tiger will fare after his playing days are over.

Rush Limbaugh speaks: Golf is no game for liberals
In a recent interview in USA Today, radio personality Rush Limbaugh discussed his role as the latest subject of The Golf Channel's The Haney Project, as well as his feeling about the game of golf in general. When it came to the question of politics in golf, Limbaugh made some interesting comments regarding which party members were better golfers:

I don't know any liberal golfers. I've met one pro golfer who was a liberal and that was Scott Simpson. He came to my TV show a long time ago with Paul Azinger. And Scott was a nice guy. If I had to say, there would be no question conservatives make better golfers. Golf is an individual game. It's about self-reliance. There is no team. You can't depend on a government regulation or a grant or a subsidy to help you. You can't arbitrarily punish somebody else for doing better than you are doing, like liberals do all the time. There is no question that liberals would have a tough time with this game and wouldn't like it because they'd have to rely on themselves. How's that? I dare you to print that.

Tweet of the Day

@paulazinger: Ouch..tough miss for Robert..Nice start for J Byrd..........And it looks like a new hair color for Sir Nick..Blimey!!!

Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski has ranked the 32 most painful finishes in sports history. Two finishes from pro golf made the list. The first, checking in at No. 6, is Greg Norman's historic meltdown in the final round of the 1996 Masters. Posnanski writes:

When Greg Norman played the Masters in 1996, I was a columnist for an afternoon paper, the Cincinnati Post. This only matters because we did not have a Sunday edition. This had a positive and negative effect. The negative effect is easy: I couldn't write live about Saturday events, and you might know that Saturday is kind of a key day in sports. I couldn't write live on Ohio State-Michigan or on big Kentucky basketball games or on important baseball games played on Saturdays. There were no blogs then, either.

The positive is easy, too: I couldn't write about Saturday events. So when I went to various sporting events Saturday was, in a sense, a forced day off. We would call them Boast Saturdays (Boast for Post -- long story) and we would enjoy watching our fellow writers working on NFL preview stories or deadline college football games and shrug. Sorry. Can't write.

But I was so inspired by Greg Norman's first three days at the Masters that, essentially, I reached the person who ran the Scripps Howard News wire (the Post was owned by Scripps Howard) and asked for a chance to write. I didn't even care if anyone ran it. I just thought I had something to say.

Permission was granted -- funny, nobody ever turns down requests to do more work -- and I wrote an entire column about how they should shut down the Masters, not even bother to play on Sunday because Norman (who was ahead by five shots) had already won the thing. The rest, I wrote, was guaranteed to be anticlimax.

So, yeah, I was an itty-bitty bit off there. Norman's ludicrous collapse (combined with Nick Faldo's masterful 67) turned Augusta Sunday into a very lush psychiatrist's couch. Even Faldo clearly felt bad for the guy. Norman came into the press tent afterward and, with great class, went through his emotions. He had wanted very badly to win a Masters. He never did.

At No.2 on the list is Jean Van de Velde's epic collapse at the 1999 British Open. Here's Posnanski:

This was my first British Open and I have to tell you … it could not have been more boring. The tournament was played at Carnoustie -- I went because that was where Tom Watson had won his first British Open, and he suggested to me that he had the game to make another run (he did have the game … but his amazing British Open run wouldn't happen for another decade). But Watson was dreadful. Well, it fit. Everyone was dreadful.

Someone named Rod Pampling was leading after Day 1 -- he had managed even par.

Someone named Jean Van de Velde was leading after Day 2 -- he was one over par.

That someone named Jean Van de Velde had a five-shot lead after Day 3. It could not have been more boring.

And Sunday played out just as boring -- Van de Velde played well enough that had a three-shot lead going into the 18th hole. A double-bogey and he won. He could hit nothing but putters and make double-bogey (he really could -- later he tried it just for fun and got his double-bogey). Instead, he whacked his driver to the dismay of anyone with a working brain and the ball sailed way right into the rough.

Only he caught the strangest sort of bad break -- when he got there, he saw that he had a PERFECT LIE. Why was this a bad break? Because the lie was so good that it inspired Van de Velde to go for the green. Had it been in the rough he might have tried to chop the ball back into play, limped up to the flag and left with the Claret Jug. Instead, he went for the great shot -- like Billy Conn, he went for the knockout -- and he hit it into grandstand, where it bounced back into thick rough. He then hit the ball out of the rough into Barry Burn, the water that runs in front of the green. Van de Velde took off his socks and shoes, rolled up his pants, leading the BBC announcer to say something like: "This poor man has lost his mind."

Eventually he decided not to try and hit the ball out of the water. He chipped into the bunker, then pitched to seven feet and then, in what can only be attributed to muscle memory, he made the putt for the triple-bogey that at least got him in the playoff. Of course he wasn't going to win the thing -- and he didn't. But it has always amazed me that after all that, he still made that triple-bogey putt. And it was the most painful ending I've ever watched in sports.

Van de Velde became a media star afterward. He was impossibly funny as he went over his round. "I talk about everything except 18, OK?" he asked as he walked into his press conference. Then he talked about 18 and pain and how life goes on.

Those were the only two examples from golf that cracked Posnanski's list of all-time agonies of defeat. What do you think? What other meltdowns should be included? Leave your answer in the comments below.

Greg Norman, who along with design partner Lorena Ochoa plans to submit a bid to build the Olympic course for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, says he expects the gig will involve a lot more than just moving dirt around. The winning architect(s), he says, better be prepared to circle the globe, preaching the merits of the game. Greg Hardwig of the Naples News reports:

“In my mind, it’s not just all about the design and the building of the golf course,” Norman said. “It’s actually — whoever wins or gets the nod to build this golf course — has to spend four or five years promoting the game of golf. I truly believe that. It’s not just going out there and getting a design job, because it is a big step.”

Norman said there will likely be three final design teams chosen, and they will then submit presentations. He’s planning on going down to Brazil in early 2011 to look at potential sites, and figures a final design team will be selected in the middle part of the year.

If Norman’s right about the number of finalists Olympic officials will select—and if he and Ochoa are one of them—that leaves just two other spots, one of which presumably will go to the powerhouse pairing of Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam. The third candidate? Does it even matter? It’s hard to imagine another designer—even a big name like Tom Doak or Tom Fazio—getting the nod over either Team Norman or Team Nicklaus. In fact, the Golden Bear has already said that he and Sorenstam are all but shoe-ins to land the job. (“I’ll be surprised if they don’t select us,” he said in June.) Norman, ever a fiery competitor, will have something to say about that, and if keeps saying all the right things, like he did at his Shark Shootout yesterday, he’s sure to garner serious consideration.

“To be honest with you, my competitive drive is more in the development and growth of the game of golf on a global basis now, not on the golf course …

“I’m going to [submit a bid], because I see the chances for the game of golf almost doubling in the number of participants in the game of golf over the next 20, 25 years is huge. If I just have one tiny piece of that, it’s going to be so rewarding for me.”

In more ways than one.

Finchem: New ‘Jim Furyk rule’ is intentionally ‘vague’

Among the sundry topics Tim Finchem addressed in his end-of-year powwow with the press Thursday: the so-called "Jim Furyk rule," which the Tour instituted earlier this year after Furyk was DQ’d from a FedEx Cup playoff event when his PDA failed to get him to the pro-am on time. Kowtowing to player and public sentiment that the rule was needlessly penal, the Tour repealed it not long after the Furyk fiasco. The new policy? Here’s how Finchem "explained" it:

“If you’re negligent with respect to a tee time in the pro-am—negligent, meaning, you made a mistake for whatever reason—it’s not a disqualification.

“If you blow it off, then you’re not going to be able to play in that tournament.”

The rule, Finchem admits, is “somewhat vague, but intentionally so, because we want the flexibility to deal with situations that may differ.”

Grey areas in the rules are generally a bad idea, especially in this case. If a player's alarm is on the fritz, he gets a pass, but what happens if he's tardy because, say, his personal assistant botched his Outlook calendar, or he passed out drunk in front of a Hooters? Surely those too are “mistakes,” all be it of a different ilk. Keep on eye on this policy. More controversy is sure to ensue.

Oosthuizen learns success can be exhausting

Call him Louis OosthuiZzzzen. There are several reasons we haven’t heard much from the British Open champ since he sautéed the field at St. Andrews in July: first, he hasn’t played particularly well (just one top-10 finish since the middle of August); second, he’s been hurt (he missed seven weeks after tearing ankle ligaments on a hunting trip); and third, he's tired. Worn out. Bushed. Ken Borland of Reuters has the story:

"The Open win has definitely sunk in, I've been feeling drained for the last five months," he says.

"The year is getting very long, I had a very difficult schedule with the [South African] Sunshine Tour at the end too. You want to do everything, but it's tough being mentally tired. It makes it difficult to play well, it gets to you in the end.”

O.K., lesson learned. Louis will take it easier in 2011, right? Nah, course not. First-time major-winners never get the message...

Oosthuizen is planning an ambitious split schedule next year between the U.S. PGA and European tours.

"It would be nice to win in America. I'll be playing both tours, splitting it 50/50, which will be tough. But I want to get my mind focused on being on top of my game at the majors," Oosthuizen explained.

First things first, Louis: go get some shut-eye.

The Golf Channel’s interview with Tiger Woods on Wednesday went over some well-charted territory, but TGC’s Steve Sands attempted to pepper Woods with some unusual questions, including this exchange:

Question: 18 holes to play at Augusta. You right now or Jack in his prime? You’re tied after 54 holes

Tiger: Me. Did I say that too fast? [smiling]

Question: Why?

Tiger: I like my chances.

Sands also got another interesting response when he asked Woods, “Who’s the best player in the world?” Without missing a beat, Woods said, “Lee Westwood.” However, Sands had less luck getting Woods to talk about his personal life. He asked Woods if he would ever get married again. Woods’s response: “I don’t know.”

Rory to PGA Tour: It’s not you, it’s your playoffs
If you want to know what Rory McIlroy thinks, just follow his very active Twitter account. However, sometimes 140 characters isn’t enough for a nuanced statement, so it’s worthwhile to check out McIlroy’s press conference Wednesday at the Chevron World Challenge, where he explained his decision to give up his PGA Tour card to play primarily on the European Tour next year.

The reason is that McIlroy doesn’t like where the FedEx Cup playoffs fall in the schedule.

“At this time last year I was all for it, and I love playing over here, and I think that's the thing that people are forgetting, I'm still going to play ten events over here next year," McIlroy said. “I love playing over here. It's just the time of the year that the playoffs are on over here, it just -- I just didn't -- how can I put this? It's not as if I wanted to be playing golf over in Europe, I just did not want to be playing golf at all.

"The main part of our season is from April until the end of August when we have all the majors and all the big tournaments, and then I mean, for me personally I'd like to have a two- or three-week break after that, and it doesn't really let you have that,” McIlroy said. “So that was one of the reasons. And that was basically it.”

McIlroy said that if the Tour Championship ended in October or November then he might have remained on the PGA Tour since it would make it easier to play the 15 required events.

Because he gave up membership on the PGA Tour, McIlroy is limited to 10 PGA Tour events in 2011, something PGA Tour player and Players Advisory Council member Jim Furyk said isn’t fair.

“I love the PGA Tour and I'll protect us through and through, but I don't understand why if you are a member and you decline membership you're treated differently if you're someone that's declined membership for your career,” Furyk said. “Colin Montgomerie, who's never joined as a member, he can still play in 13 events. Why is Westwood or Rory, who took membership up, docked and now decided he's not going to take it, why is he docked any more than Montgomerie?

“I'd rather give Rory the benefit of the doubt,” Furyk said. “He at least came over and played and supported our Tour. We should help him, not hurt him. Nothing against Colin, but he's never joined, so I don't understand why he's given a better benefit of the doubt than Rory is.”

Greg Norman thrills fans at Day 1 of Aussie Open but falters at end
Greg Norman celebrated his 2008 marriage to Chris Evert by almost winning the British Open at Royal Birkdale. Would he do the same at the Australian Open this week after his recent marriage to Kirsten Kutner? The answer is probably not, although the Shark showed flashes of his old brilliance, according to Martin Blake of The Sydney Morning Herald.

Norman was headed for a good day in the best scoring conditions, but then allowed it to slip on the back nine with three consecutive three-putts. His bete noir was at the eighth hole, his 17th, a par-five. A newspaper photographer disturbed him in the backswing and he went sideways into deep grass. The photographer had stumbled and accidentally set off his motor drive, and was apologetic, but this scarcely helped Norman. He had already driven into a pond down the right; he double-bogeyed a hole that offered up a potential birdie.

Still, by the time he reached his last hole, the par-three ninth, the crowd was healthy and still supportive. Tournament director Tony Roosenburg was at the green, waiting and hoping, for organizers need Norman around this weekend. Norman signed for a two-over par 74 with a dreadful 34 putts, and headed off for lunch in the clubhouse with his new in-laws; he has some work to do today.

Stray Shots: Things we saw while picking up easy paychecks at all those silly-season blogging events...

Tiger Woods didn’t make the cut for Barbara Walters's “Most Fascinating People of the 2010” list. “We try to keep it positive,” she explained. (Via The Orlando Sentinel)

Lee Westwood says the No. 1 ranking doesn’t give him an extra pressure, just more interview requests. (Via Reuters)

Is Twitter making golfers less boring? (Via The Guardian)

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