President Barack Obama has played more than 70 rounds of golf since taking office, including a high-profile round with his biggest rival in Washington, Republican House Speaker John Boehner. Clearly, Obama views golf as an acceptable part of business. But in Vietnam, government officials have a different take on the game. The nation's transport minister has banned his staff from playing golf -- even during non-working hours.

Vietnam's transport minister has ordered his senior staff off the golf course, complaining that their focus on the game is hurting their work.

High-ranking officials were instructed not to play golf or organize golf tournaments but instead concentrate on their jobs, according to the transport ministry website.

The ban even includes golfing outside of office hours.

"As the country and businesses are in economic difficulties, we would do better to focus our intellect and time on our work," Transport minister Dinh La Thang was quoted in Tuoi Tre newspaper on Thursday.

Golf was once seen as a bourgeois activity in the communist country, but it has become increasingly popular among officials in recent years.

How will this policy be enforced? Through the use of spies, of course. Ben Bland at Beyondbrics has more:

The head of the transport ministry’s organization department, a key Communist party-controlled unit responsible for internal monitoring and promotions, warned that his spies will be out watching for bourgeois recidivist golfers.

“We will have many secret methods to supervise how staff will follow the minister’s regulation,” Pham Tang Loc told Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper. “In this very difficult time, senior officials should concentrate on completing important projects rather than spending time playing golf. It’s a waste of money and time and they even use their government-provided cars for this.”

So, just so we're clear here: playing golf after work is a waste of government time and money, but hiring spies to covertly tail potential golfers during their day-to-day activities is an acceptable use of federal funds. Communism, everybody!

(*Note to communist readers: no offense intended. In a democratic society, journalists are allowed to make jokes. Please don't spy on me.)

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

Add James Driscoll to the list of the PGA Tour pros who want the belly putter banned from competition. But that doesn't mean the 34-year-old won't consider dropping one in his bag soon -- he's 125th on the money list and looking for an edge. Emily Kay at Waggle Room has the report.

“Why wouldn’t you switch to this?” Driscoll said of the long putter he tested with almost 100 percent accuracy from some 20 feet during a stint Monday at The International Golf Club & Resort’s TaylorMade Performance Center. “I think it should be banned.”

A purist as far as the flat stick is concerned, Driscoll believes the longer models eliminate “the art of putting.” But as long as they’re legal, the 34-year-old Boston native won’t be left behind by the hordes of pro golfers tinkering with sticks that Bridgestone Invitational winner Adam Scott, PGA champ Keegan Bradley, and money-title leader Webb Simpson have used with such success.

“It’s not just people looking for a cure for their bad putting,” Driscoll said. “Good putters are going to it too -- [Jim] Furyk, [Phil] Mickelson. It’s clearly an easier, better way to putt.”

Rory McIlroy tribute video of the day

Devout YouTube watchers are no doubt familiar with the stylings of German producer/singer/songwriter Flula Borg, aka "D.J. Flula," but since I am not, I was only recently directed to Flula's tribute to U.S. Open champ Rory McIlroy. Here it is.

Short Game

* J.B. Holmes is in good spirits and expected to fully recover from brain surgery, according to GolfWeek's Jeff Rude.

* Rafael Nadal teed it up with his buddy and fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia at the Castello Masters pro-am.

Tweets of the Day

Dutch Destruction

There was heavy rain in the Netherlands on Thursday morning, but that wasn't the only reason for the delay at the Euro Tour's KLM Open. NBC Sports's Ryan Ballengee fleshes out an AP report on some unauthorized maintenance to the host course:

The start of play at the KLM Open was delayed on Thursday in the Netherlands when officials discovered four greens at Hilversum Golf Club had been vandalized. Greens at the fourth through sixth and ninths holes had been dug up, causing a 45-minute delay.

The areas that required fixing on those four greens will be considered ground under repair, similar to what was done at the PGA Championship when equipment used by maintenance staff caused damage to two greens at Atlanta Athletic Club.

Still no word on who the culprits were or what their motivation may have been. But assuming they're eventually brought to justice, this incident may turn out to be even more litigious than the PGA Championship mishap that it resembles. 

Lewis Won't Take the Easy Way Out

When 20-year-old Tom Lewis burst onto the scene with a 65 in the first round of this year's British Open, there was some speculation that the English amateur would immediately turn pro. Instead, Lewis insisted that his true goal for the year was to play in the Walker Cup, a goal he's finally getting around to this week. According to James Corrigan of The Independent (UK), Lewis is all-in on his golf career, as his determination to be a pro and his struggle with dyslexia have left him without any fallbacks. That's not to say Lewis didn't have the opportunity for an education, though:

Yet despite his dyslexia and his lack of interest there was the chance to further his education. The majority of those who will line up with and against him at the Walker Cup are on University scholarships and the talent-hunters focus on the scorecards rather than the exam marks. "I was asked if I wanted to go to US college and was told not to worry about my schoolwork – they would do it for me," said Lewis. "But I didn't want to do that. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it properly. I wasn't going to sit in class and let someone else do my work. What's the point of that?"

I'd really encourage you to read the entire story, as Corrigan does a fantastic job exploring one of the game's best amateurs.

Win-derful

Golf Channel has a great behind-the-scenes video detailing Win McMurray's photo shoot for Golf Magazine's No. 1 Issue. You can read her interview from our No. 1 People Portfolio here.

Tweet of the Day

Some great news from J.B. Holmes on Thursday:

Best of luck to Holmes, who is recovering from brain surgery and likely still months away from any sort of competitive golf.

Of all the waitresses, club hostesses, party girls and porn stars who emerged into the spotlight during Tiger Woods's sex scandal, Rachel Uchitel is the one figure who's extending her 15 minutes of fame. Uchitel actually first came into the public eye in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, when her fiance was killed at the World Trade Center. ABC News reports that Uchitel is preparing to sue the The New York Post over the tabloid's recent interview with Uchitel about the 9/11 tragedy.

Rachel Uchitel isn't "almost happy" about how 9/11 killed her fiance.

The former night club hostess and Tiger Woods mistress is fuming about a story put out by the New York Post's Page Six Magazine that quotes her as saying she's "almost happy" her relationship with investment banker James Andrew O'Grady ended on 9/11 when O'Grady died in the World Trade Center attacks. She first made headlines in the days after 9/11, when the New York Post published a photo of her in front of Bellevue Hospital grieving for her fiance.

"I believe Andy was meant to die because he was too good," the magazine quoted Uchitel, 36, as saying. "I'm almost happy it ended the way it did because I've learned so many lessons from him. It would have been tragic if we got into fights and then divorced."

Uchitel's publicist told ABCNews.com that the ex-VIP hostess was misquoted and plans to sue.

"They took Rachel's comments from another article wholly and completely out of context," Uchitel's publicist said in an email. "Rachel is demanding an apology and a retraction. She is seeking legal counsel to protect her rights and to make sure this does not happen again."

Asked to respond, a representative for the Post told ABCNews.com, "We stand by our story."

Clarke cursed his putting stroke right before Open win
Next week, Darren Clarke will tee it up for the Britain and Ireland team in the Vivendi Seve Trophy, and the Irish Golf Desk blog has a hilarious story from Clarke's coach, Pete Cowen, who found his pupil completely out of sorts just days before this year's Open Championship, which Clarke went on to win.

The Ulsterman was certainly living up to his 'Prince of Darkness' nickname when Cowen caught up with him on the range at Sandwich:

"Darren walked up to me Tuesday morning at the Open, down the range near the Mizuno truck.

"And I said: 'Alright, Darren?'

'No, I'm f***ing not. I cant f***ing hit it. I'm f***ing useless. I've got no pressure on it, no flight, the f***ing spin is out of control, I'm hitting about that far behind it, I'm narrow on the downswing and I can't f***ing putt.'

'Oh. Okay. What are we going to do about that?'

'We'd better f***ing sort it, f***ing right out.'

"So two hours later he's hitting it great and turns around and says to me: 'I still can't f***ing putt!'

"I wish I'd had that tape recorder so I could play it back to him on the Sunday night [after winning] and say, 'Who's this guy?'”

J.B. Holmes recovering from successful brain surgery
Good news on J.B. Holmes, who is expected to be released from the hospital this week following brain surgery.

American J.B. Holmes had successful brain surgery last week and plans to return to the PGA Tour next year, his manager said Tuesday.

Holmes was diagnosed with Chiari malformations, structural defects in the part of the brain which controls balance, and had surgery at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital on September 1.

"The surgery was performed by Dr. George Jallo ... and he reports that J.B. did extremely well and his team of doctors is very happy with the results," Holmes's manager Terry Reilly said in a statement.

"J.B. is still recuperating in Baltimore. He will head home to Orlando, Florida, Thursday, where he expects to make a full recovery through rehab over the next few months. He looks forward to returning to the Tour in 2012."

For a mere $170,000,001 Doral Resort can be yours
After foreclosing earlier this year, Doral Resort will have a new owner. A group has agreed to pay $170 million, but Bloomberg reports that the property will be placed on the auction block to see if a higher bidder emerges.

The Doral golf resort's owner agreed to sell the Miami property for $170 million as part of a restructuring of a group of luxury resorts.

A joint venture that includes hedge fund Paulson & Co. took control of eight resort properties including the Doral through a foreclosure earlier this year. The Doral, which was put into bankruptcy, was then put up for sale.

The $170 million bid is subject to higher offers at an auction, according to a Sept. 2 court filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. Edward Sassower, a lawyer for the resorts, didn't return a phone call seeking information about the identity of the buyer.

Personally, I just want it to continue to host its annual PGA Tour stop -- it's a great event, and that place has history.

Tweet of the Day

From CBS Sports's Steve Elling:

Freddie's Back at It
It's a shame every time Fred Couples does something great on the golf course he has to be asked about his back. With temperatures expected to only be in the high 50s, and Couples saying he's going to try something "pretty drastic" next week to help ease his back pain, it looks like he will be battling more than the golf course and a long list of challengers this weekend.

But after his bogey-free 66 on Friday, Couples easily brushed aside the back questions with his laid-back demeanor that's become his trademark.

"I can play this course blindfolded," Couples said. "It doesn't mean I'm going to shoot a good round, but I've played here 29 years, pro-ams, practice rounds, haven't missed many cuts, so I've got 150 rounds on this thing, so it's an advantage for me. But you know, I did play well, and my back feels pretty good."

Bombs Away
With a list of past champions such as Nick Faldo, Corey Pavin, Mike Weir and Steve Stricker, Riviera has never been described as a bomber's paradise. Not so fast, says J.B. Holmes. Holmes, who is averaging more than 318 yards off the tee this week, would be tied for the lead if not for a sloppy double bogey on 18 Friday.

Despite the gaffe, Holmes is only two shots behind Couples and likes his chances this weekend on a course that's known for putting a premium on accuracy and angles.

"I really like this golf course," Holmes said. "I don't see it as much precision as everybody else says they do. There's not a whole lot of rough, and the fairways are fairly big. The greens are -- you've got to hit it to the right spot on the greens, but you've got to do that on every golf course."

Coming off a T5 in Phoenix and a T13 at Pebble Beach, Holmes says his swing is fine, but he needs to stay mentally focused for the final 36 holes.

"I can hit all the shots, so I'm trying to get where I need to be to compete out here between the ears," Holmes said.

Immelman's Comeback
If trying to rebound from a 2009 wrist surgery wasn't enough, Trevor Immelman nearly withdrew from the Northern Trust Open on Thursday after spending the night battling food poisoning. Immelman told Reuters, "From about 10 o'clock [Wednesday] , I was throwing up all night long. I didn't get much sleep. My alarm went off at five and I took some medication to try and slow things down."

The 2008 Masters champion held it together to shoot a 1-under 70 in the first round. Then with rain falling late on Friday afternoon, Immelman made four birdies on the back nine to shoot a 4-under 67, finishing three shots behind Couples.

Immelman, who has fallen to No. 294 in the world, is seeking his first top 10 since 2008.

(Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

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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.

Geoff Shackelford of GeoffShackelford.com, is on the scene at Sawgrass, and observed Tiger Woods' charm offensive up close Thursday. He says it's working, despite the PG-13 rating.

For those of you keeping track at home: no post round autographs for the kids, three F-bombs on 18 tee and one sky ball from Tiger. That said--and eye-rolling is understandable--Tiger's effort to engage the crowd is having a positive impact on the atmosphere surrounding his group. Hecklers are no where to be found. There feels like plenty of goodwill and forgiveness out there. And plenty of kids who just want to be see Tiger and maybe have their hero acknowledge their screams (which I saw on several occasions).

Hay Carlyon of The Florida Times-Union agrees it was a good day for Woods, who he notes posted his best-ever first round at the Players Championship in addition to getting a warm reception from fans.

Woods didn't have to worry about the fans embracing him.

He received constant encouragement from the large gallery following him and playing partners Hunter Mahan and Ian Poulter. There was no heckling. The cheers grew loudest as Woods walked up the 17th hole to the Island Green.

"It felt great being out there and the people were great all day," Woods said. "The support was great all day."

Woods did not sign autographs after his round. Despite his efforts to curtail his language, Woods did utter three clearly audible obscenities. The first came at No. 12 when he realized his ball was stuck in the sawgrass. After Woods' tee shot got wet on 18, he barked out two more profanities.

Here to see, Mr. Stockton? Take a number
Booking a putting lesson with putting guru Dave Stockton must be like getting a brunch reservation at a nice restaurant for Mother's Day. You cross your fingers and keep calling. And if you don't get through, you're not going to have a nice Sunday.

The two-time major winner turned putting-stroke doctor fixed Phil. He fixed Michelle Wie. He fixed your Players Championship round-one leader J.B. Holmes. Now he's fixing Adam Scott.

GolfWeek's Jim McCabe has the details of how Scott turned to Stockton after a brutal putting display at Quail Hollow--he had a five-putt with four putts from the same side of the hole!--and how Scott saw improvement Thursday at the Players.

A few putting lessons later, Mickelson closed with a 65 to beat Tiger Woods by three in the Tour Championship, and one could argue that the lefthander has been the best player in the world.

Scott will settle for a more gentle forward progress, the foundation of which might have been poured on the Stadium Course’s back nine. OK, it wasn’t flawless – a missed 10-footer for birdie at the 10th, a missed 7-footer for eagle at the 11th, a missed 9-footer for birdie at the 12th – but what the scorecard doesn’t show is the commitment he felt in his mind.

“I have to say, the putting felt great on the back nine,” Scott said. “It was simple. I gripped down more on the putter.”

J.B. Holmes' private struggles
When cynics and old-timers see these young players surrounded by a phalanx of mental-game coaches, nutritionist and trainers, they roll their eyes, but The New York Times Larry Dorman reports that J.B. Holmes' mental game coach Dr. Julie Elion has been a big help to the long-hitting Holmes. Elion has not been responsible for totally transforming Holmes from a one-dimensional player to an all-around one. His process has been steady, and began with the most important discovery. “J.B. is dyslexic,” she said, “and when he came to me, it was a heavy burden for him. He really felt stupid. He would say things like, ‘I’ve got all these smart friends.’ The more I talked to him, the more I thought, ‘This guy is brilliant.’ We did some I.Q. testing with him, a battery of tests, and sure enough he scored off-the-charts gifted. That’s one of the best things I could have done for him.”

Confessions of a range rat
Old friend Vijay Singh's been struggling with back injuries all year so it was nice to see him in action at his local hangout TPC Sawgrass, where he posted a 3-under 69. Singh told Reuters the toughest part of his layoff was not being able to practice.

Asked what he had done to alleviate the boredom when he was unable to practice, Singh replied: "I try to walk a lot, you know. Just try to do a lot of other things besides hitting balls because you can't do it. "You just try to make do with time and do other things. Go to the beach, look at the ocean and watch guys play golf."

Looks like we've got a new leader in the clubhouse for Best PGA Tour Event of the Year. That would be the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

While the Dustin Johnson versus Paul Goydos duel wasn't quite the final-round, David-versus-Godzilla showdown that was expected, the tournament turned out to be a pretty compelling show.

For starters, there is no better televised golf than Pebble Beach when the sun is out and the surf is up. CBS knows all the camera angles and the blimp shots of the mesmerizing surf pounding against the rocks more than covered the cost of blimp rentals for the whole year. The appropriate word for the weekend pictures is "wow!"

The finish also had a little of everything. Dustin Johnson struggled, but impressively birdied the par-5 18th hole to win with a sweet up-and-down from a greenside bunker after bombing a drive down the fairway into the wind.

Everyman hero Paul Goydos waited to play the par-5 14th hole while Bryce Molder finished off a quadruple-bogey 9, then Goydos duplicated the feat without the aid of a penalty stroke. Nobody roots against the underdog, especially one as fun as Gouydos, but many viewers like to see reminders of how vindictive the game of golf can be.

The Cinderella factor not already covered by Goydos was left to David Duval, the former No. 1 player in the world, then the former 882nd-ranked player in the world, trying to cement his comeback legacy with a victory. Duval did what he had to do, making birdie at the 17th, and waiting on the putting green tied for the lead while Johnson played up the 18th.

Lost in the mix was the early-season revival of J.B. Holmes, who also had a chance to be in a three-way playoff if Johnson hadn't birdied the last. Holmes did some off-season putting work and it appears to be paying off.

Johnson's third win and his successful defense of his Pebble Pro-Am title means the rush is on to anoint him as the next big thing. Randall Mell made that point on GolfChannel.com:

Move over Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Anthony Kim. You don’t win back-to-back at Pebble Beach without being a special talent.

You might have wondered when Johnson made his first PGA Tour title a Fall Finish event as a rookie two years ago. Who did he really beat? You might have wondered when he didn’t have to play the final round and was proclaimed the champ after 54 rain-soaked holes at Pebble Beach last year. Would he have survived the finish? There’s no wondering now, not after the way Johnson kept his composure Sunday with all hell breaking loose around him in a tumultuous finale.

Johnson’s caddie, Bobby Brown, is more impressed by Johnson’s head than he is by Johnson’s considerable skill. “I know I’m biased, but I tell you what, this kid is special,” said Brown, who has caddied for all three of Johnson’s victories. “I can’t believe it’s taken so long for people to catch onto him the way he hits the ball.”

The finish by Johnson at 18 was the talk of the final round. The 9s by Molder and Goydos at the 14th were a close second. Goydos saw Molder hit three chip shots up a steep bank roll back to his feet so Goydos intended to hit his approach shot long and over the green, then get up and down for par. Unfortunately, he pulled his approach shot into the danger zone and he, too, didn't get his first chip on the putting surface. Gary Peterson of The Contra Costa Times covered the Goydos angle, complete with Paul's sardonic quips.

"That was one tough hole," a reporter said, trying to break the ice.

"Which one might that have been?" Goydos asked. "It wasn't like I didn't try on all nine shots. Well, the ninth one I wasn't real excited about."

Goydos was classy in defeat. As Johnson lined up his tournament-winning birdie putt on 18, Goydos held up his left hand to quiet some distracting conversation in the greenside bleachers. Later he spoke glowingly of Johnson's complete game, saying it was a "disservice" to focus merely on his colossal drives.

Mainly he seemed to take the day in stride. When informed that Arnold Palmer had once taken a nine on the 14th hole while leading the tournament, he said, "Me and Arnold have a lot in common."

And when asked about the pro-am competition, Goydos suddenly recalled that he and amateur partner Robert Stuart had won. "I got something out of it," he said. "I got one win. It's a five-year exemption I hear."

None of us are truly exempt. Paul Goydos understands that better than most.

Bob Harig provided the Duval report for ESPN.com:

Duval remembers rifling drives into fairways and striking iron shots with such precision that he wondered how he ever lost. Those days seem so long ago, but they are not forgotten.

"I'm just pleased to get out of my golf game over the course of four days again what I feel like I should be getting out of it," Duval said. "I feel very comfortable in what I'm doing. And in a strange way, it makes me proud. I feel like I kind of have given the folks who have given me starts this year good firepower for what they did it. That makes me feel good, too."

Although Duval has often maintained that his results have not been justified by the way he played, the numbers speak for themselves this week. For the first time since the 2001 Buick Challenge -- a tournament that no longer exists and that Duval lost in a playoff -- he shot four rounds in the 60s.

One other thing: Even though Phil Mickelson continued his disappointing run on a West Coast swing that was filled with expectations as he was a non-factor at Pebble and tied for eighth, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group was impressed enough to to make a rash statement: 

A clear-cut favorite has emerged for this summer's U.S. Open at the ever-majestic Pebble Beach Golf Links. No, it isn't Dustin Johnson, who does deserve high praise for winning his second straight AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. No, we speak not of Tiger Woods. He will be too busy fending off paparazzi, if indeed he makes an encore to his 2000 U.S. Open rout here. Mark it down: Phil Mickelson will win his first U.S. Open championship June 20.

And yes, this really, really will be the year for the Chicago Cubs. All things considered, ignoring Nick Faldo's ill-fated decision to try to talk football with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during Saturday's telecast, Pebble Beach provided golf's best week of the year... so far.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley have a down-home style that clicks with the Louisville crowds. On the driving range Friday afternoon, Holmes was bombarding the stage where the opening ceremonies were held on Thursday. It was about about 325 yards away, and the grandstands erupted in cheers every time Holmes bounced one off the roof.

As Weekley practiced his putting, a man wearing a camouflage hat said to his pal, "Man, I love Boo. He's wearing blue pants, black shoes and white tube socks!" With a Tennessee accent, his friend replied, "Hell, he's just happy he found a pair of socks."

Everywhere the pair went during their four-ball match against Lee Westwood and Soren Hansen on Friday, choruses of "Boooooo" filled the in the air. Holmes, who was an All-American at the University of Kentucky, was greeted with hollers of "Go Cats!"

But for all the flag-waving and cheering the pair incited, Holmes and Weekley's inexperience was glaringly evident in two key situations.

There’s a reason “EXPERIENCE” is the first thing we list on our resumes: It matters. Experience is where we’ve been. It’s what we’ve done. It’s who we are. It’s a “massive asset,” England’s Lee Westwood said today at Valhalla.

Westwood was speaking of Ryder Cup experience, and he should know, having amassed 15 1/2 points in five Ryder Cups. But what if a player has only losing Ryder Cup experiences in his back pocket? Or, worse yet, only drubbings? (See the Team USA members of 2004 and ’06.)

What’s that kind of experience worth?

“Anybody who has played Ryder Cups in the last 12 years, I mean, we've lost five of the last six Ryder Cups, so most of their experiences are bad experiences,” U.S. captain Paul Azinger said last month. “So it’s not like experience is going to be a great help.”

Zinger wasn't just yapping. He went on to award three of his four captain’s picks to players without a lick of Ryder Cup experience: J.B. Holmes, Hunter Mahan and Steve Stricker. It’s better to have no Ryder Cup memories, Azinger seemed to be implying, than a scrapbook full of bad ones.

Westwood today took the discussion a step further, noting that to gain experience, you, well, need experience. “There might be a rookie on the American team that’s just made for the Ryder Cup, really raises his game for that situation. We’ve yet to find out,” he said. “I think it may be the same on our team. We've got four rookies and they might settle in quite easily. Who is to say Justin Rose isn’t going to be an unbelievable Ryder Cup player and never lose a match? So you never know all of these things.”

Which has helped make the Ryder Cup the game’s most consistently compelling drama. Even in blowouts, it’s great fun seeing which Ryder rooks can weather the pressure -- and which fold like Origami. 

“These guys have all withstood a lot already to get here,” Stewart Cink, a four-time U.S. Ryder Cupper, said today of the American debutantes, who also include Ben Curtis, Anthony Kim and Boo Weekley.

“I think being a first time Ryder Cupper in 2008 is maybe quite a bit different than it was in the ’80s or the ’70s because there are so many big tournaments around the world. Golf is scrutinized more than ever before, and the Ryder Cup is just another event of which you have to really perform well. So they are tested. The six guys that are on our team that have never played the Ryder Cup before have a lot of experience in other ways.”

Just look at their resumes.

Hungry for information about the midway leader of the 90th PGA Championship? I present you the J.B. Holmes Web site at, of course, jbholmes.com.

Yes, J.B. Holmes is a fine player. Decent fellow. Kills the ball.

But his own site?

We're not talking about Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson or even Ernie Els, on whose site you can learn about Stellenbosch wine. I think a PGA Tour player should have at least five wins or one major to be able to launch his own Web site. Holmes, with two victories, could meet that criteria with two more good days at Oakland Hills.

(Photo by Shamus Gregory/Getty Images)