NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller thinks a Masters victory for the world's No. 1 player would create a big run of momentum for Tiger in 2013.

“The bottom line is this one, if he can win here and not finish second or third, it’s going to open the floodgates a little bit.”

Miller, a two-time major winner, said on Golf Channel Wednesday morning that Augusta National is "tailor-made" for Woods, but that he will be watching how Tiger handles the tricky greens at Augusta. Woods is currently leading the Tour in strokes gained-putting and needed only 100 total putts, a career low, to win at Doral last month.

“He knows his game is back. Now the question mark is can he make those same putts? He’s been making everything, but can he make them at Augusta, where he hasn’t been making them for several years? That’s been the reason he hasn’t won at Augusta, whether it’s a little bit nerves, getting a little older -- I’ve seen never him yip a putt, by the way -- because as we get older, a lot of putts start lipping out."

If Tiger's putter doesn't fail him this week and he finally gets off the 14 major mark, there will be no doubt that he is 'back," Miller said. Only Augusta National stands in his way.

“If he can win at Augusta, he is going to be a tough guy to handle the next few years. I think it makes his year if he can win the Masters. It shows he’s back, that he’s back on track to break Jack’s record. But he’s got to go through Augusta, though.”

Two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange took Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo to task for their criticism earlier this year of Rory McIlroy's equipment change from Titleist to Nike, according to Reuters' Tony Jimenez. Miller said that the swtich could cost McIlroy at the 2013 majors and Faldo called it a "dangerous move."

"(Nick) Faldo and (Johnny) Miller have been somewhat critical of it -– they are so far out of line, so out of touch with club manufacturers now. All the clubs these days are top line, top shelf, perfectly fitted for each player. Faldo and Miller caused a stir when there was no reason to."

Strange said he switched clubs multiple times, and each time it took one day to get used to the new equipment.

"I don't think clubs have anything to do with it at all ... switching clubs is no big thing. It's all overblown. I think all the top clubs are virtually identical. Rory's problems are not with his clubs. His troubles of late have been more with the swing than anything else. I love watching Rory play, I love his swing and I don't think it's time to panic or worry too much about him. He's not playing well right now, but he can be explosive overnight and he's proved that."

McIlroy agreed with Strange's assessment that the swoosh on his equipment isn't causing any problems. In his pre-Masters press conference, McIlroy spoke fondly of his new clubs saying, "I feel they're a part of me now."

For what it's worth, Curtis Strange is a member of the Nike player team.

Photo: Curtis Strange at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii in January (Chris Condon/PGA Tour).

Despite three-straight canceled rounds, Hyundai's Tournament of Champions is making headlines this morning for a twitter-fueled spat between Johnny Miller and Ian Poulter.

Miller's on-air remarks about Poulter stirred up trouble, according to a report by Golf Channel's Jason Sobel:

While Poulter backed off a putt on the 11th green multiple times, Miller referred to him as “fairly dramatic.” Minutes later, when he took some time to hit an approach shot into the 12th hole, Miller had the following exchange with fellow commentator Dan Hicks:

Miller: “It's like he's starring in the movie ‘The Winds of Maui’ and is trying to make it very dramatic.”

Hicks: “Well, he is a man comfortable in the leading role isn't he?”

Miller: “Yes, he sure is.”

After play was halted, Poulter heard varying accounts of Miller's remarks and took to Twitter to defend himself.

Johnny miller why don't you come interview me live and say that stuff straight to my face...... Was you watching a different channel.

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) January 6, 2013

After hearing Johnny's comments himself on a later re-broadcast, Poulter took to Twitter again:

Just watched coverage on @golfchannel. Really sorry I took way to long on 11th.... Just trying to win a golf tournament. Trying to do my job

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) January 7, 2013

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. It's hilarious listening & watching the replay from earlier. Sorry for being dramatic... Hahahaha really.

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) January 7, 2013

“I’m afraid of three things: I’m afraid of crowds, I’m afraid of the dark, I’m afraid of heights.”

2. Rory McIlroy, on why he might not compete in the 2016 Olympics

"I feel Northern Irish and obviously being from Northern Ireland you have a connection to Ireland and a connection to the UK. If I could and there was a Northern Irish team I'd play for Northern Ireland.”

3. Johnny Miller, on what he expects from Tiger Woods in 2013

"I think he's due for a win at the Masters. It'll be interesting to see if he can get all the little bugs out of his head."

4. Carl Pettersson, on the anchored-putter ban

“It feels a bit like a witch hunt to me. They keep harping on the younger generation using them, but I think they're going to ban it because it looks bad.”

 5. Caroline Wozniacki, denying that she received an engagement ring from McIlroy

"It was a Christmas present and it fit on this finger and I put it on."

6. Gary Player, on why he supports the ban on anchored putting

“If you have a slight tremble with putting, you can never be a superstar or win majors. Straightaway, when you anchor it, it takes away the tremor.”

7. Hunter Mahan, on his off-season visit to Israel in November

“There were missiles at Tel Aviv and we were in Tel Aviv. Once we heard that and once my wife heard that, she said, ‘We're out of here.’”

8. Charlie Beljan, on disliking food

“I've eaten the same Subway sandwich five days a week for the last eight years and haven't changed it, and I'm not willing to try.”

9. Steve Stricker, on his ‘semi-retirement’ at age 45

“When I get home, I'm not there. I'm focused on where I go next. ... I've had enough of being totally focused on golf.”

10. Colin Montgomerie, on being elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame

“I had my fun in America but at the same time all good banter and good competition, and I'm very competitive, and so were they and it made it quite interesting.”

"Parity" is often used with disdain by commentators and pundits who surround team sports. It's regarded as the worst of the worst when it comes to creating interest from fans, while so called dynasties, like the Bulls with Michael Jordan, the Yankees with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, and the 49ers with Joe Montana, appear to be the highest peak on the mountain. It's no surprise then, that the Tiger era was considered by many to be the greatest period in the history of golf, and the viewership and participation numbers seem to back them up. 

But have we now reached an era of parity in golf's major championships? Don't Tiger, Phil, and Rory dominate? No, actually they don't. As Carl Steward of The Oakland Tribune points out, in the last 14 majors there have been 14 different winners, and Tiger isn't one of them. That's only one major short of the longest streak of non-repeat winners in the history of the game since the Masters was started in 1934 (when Lee Janzen won his second U.S. Open at Olympic in '98 it had been 15 majors without a repeat winner).  

If you're looking for further evidence of parity, consider this: seven of the last 14 winners were first timers, and most of them weren't even the top players in the world. In fact, Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, Bill Haas, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar, and Adam Scott have combined to win exactly zero majors. And all of them reside in the top 25 in the world. 

So what's the deal? How come nobody has stepped up in Tiger's absence to grab a bunch of majors? According to U.S. Open and British Open champion Johnny Miller, a lot of the top players, like Lee Westwood, just aren't up to the task. 

"Some guys just can’t handle major championship pressure, Westwood can handle it well enough to have a chance to be in contention but not enough to hit that heroic shot on the last hole and do whatever he needs to do. He’s had many chances. And so that opens the door for a lot of other people that were maybe surprised that they won."

Miller also thinks the attitude of many of today's players is holding them back. 

"What you don’t see is that fire to sort of determine who he is and his self-worth by championships," he said. "You know, I was never that way. To me, it was like, yeah, I’d like to win an Open. But I was also enjoying my family and life, where some of these guys, self-worth was about how many championships they won." "Even with Jack Nicklaus, going out fishing with him, he told me, ’You know, I could have won more majors if I really focused a little more,’ " Miller continued. "I was like, ’Dang, Jack, you won 18, how many do you want?’ I didn’t ever think that way. And I think Rory is a lot like I am. He’s just happy being as good as he is."

In the end however, Miller does think a dominant player could emerge on the scene, but warns that it won't be just anybody. 

"There’s always room for a dominant player, it’s that just dominant players don’t fall off trees."

What do you think: Has parity been reached in golf's majors, or will another Jack or Tiger come along to dominate? Let us know in the comments section below. 

Olympic Club makes adjustments for U.S. Open
Like a lot of storied old championship tracks that were built at a time when players used decrepit old golf balls, weak-lofted muscleback irons and woods made of wood, the Olympic Club's Lakeside course was significantly altered to stand up to today's stronger players and juiced up equipment. According to The Monterey County Herald, the various changes include: 

1. Nearly 400 more yards of length.

2. An entirely new 8th hole. 

3. The removal of thousands of pine, cedar, cypress, and eucaplyptus trees from sides of fairways.

4. The first hole made into a long par 4 instead of a par 5.

5. Bentgrass greens instead of poa annua, making the greens more consistent but much faster and even more treacherous. 

What will be the result of these changes? Nobody can know for sure until the tournament is contested, but it's safe to say the USGA has gone to great lengths (no pun intended) to do what they can to protect par. Of all the changes, the most significant will likely be the switch from poa annua to bentgrass greens. The former is common on west coast golf courses and tend to be bumpy and inconsistent throughout the day due to a fast growth rate. But bentgrass, while smoother and more consistent, can be very fast, and with Olympic's small and difficult greens, and the USGA's penchant for creating incredibly tough conditions, this year's Open could have more than the normal share of crazy putts. 

For an idea of what to expect, check out some of the action from the '98 U.S. Open at Olympic, and keep in mind the greens were poa annua back then. 

TWEET OF THE DAY: 

The issue of slow play has become even more prominent following the Players Championship and the circus sideshow that was Kevin Na. Following his round on Sunday, Tiger Woods spoke out against the slow pace of play bogging down PGA Tour events, reports Ryan Ballengee.

Asked Sunday to assess the pace of play on the PGA Tour compared to four years ago, Woods simply said, "Worse."

"Last week, we were playing 4:40 (on Thursday and Friday at Quail Hollow) and there's no wind. That's hard to believe."

It was worse than Woods thought. He took 4 hours, 52 minutes to play on Friday before missing the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship.

According to Tiger, many of the young players on Tour are picking up bad habits while playing college golf that slow down the game which has led to slow play infiltrating the professional ranks more prominently than ever.

"College has gotten just incredibly slow," he said. "It's so bad that now they are giving the guys the ability to use lasers to try to speed up play. And they're still playing in 5:45, six hours plus."

While the PGA Tour threatens players with penalty strokes for falling out of position relative to the field and continuing to play slowly, a player must falter twice while on the clock before they are penalized. For Woods, eliminating that initial warning is a sure-fire way to speed things up out there.

"I think it's very simple," he said. "If you get a warning, you get a penalty. I think that would speed it up."

With the difference between first and second place this week costing $684,000, Woods rejects the Tour's existing system of fining players between $5,000 and $20,000 for consistent pace of play violations.

"Strokes is money," he said. "I would take the five grand (fine) over the 800K. That's one shot. That's the difference. That's what people don't realize – that one shot is so valuable out here."

Charles Barkley sympathetic to Na

While Tiger Woods may not be overly sympathetic to Kevin Na's "demons," Charles Barkley is, according to Mike McAllister.

Charles Barkley, possessor of arguably the most agonizing-looking swing by any golf-playing athlete, sent a text to Roger Maltbie late Saturday night: "Kevin Na is my hero. Welcome to my world."

Johnny Miller was also sympathetic, stating, "I feel bad for him. I mean really, it is embarrassing to him."

Brandel Chamblee, on the other hand, was a little less PC:

"We hear guys talking about needing swing coaches, sports psychologists, fitness instructors or changing managers. He needs an exorcist. I half expect winged bulls to fly out of his head when he is standing over a shot. I'm not sure if Sigmund Freud were alive he could figure this one out."

What's your take on Kevin Na and the state of his mental game? Should he be pitied or punished? Leave your comments below.

Harris English's errant tee drive

By now you've probably seen the video of a man getting nailed on the head by Harris English's drive at the Players Championship. That man was Denny Meredith, a volunteer at the Players for the past 11 years. And though he is ok now, it was a scary scene on No. 1 following the incident, reports Jessica Clarke and Erich Spivey of First Coast News.

According to Meredith, he watched the tee shot through his binoculars head left towards the crowd, but must have become distracted as the ball came closer. As the ball ricocheted off his head, Meredith recalled hearing a "loud thump." What followed was a lot of blood as nurses in the crowd rushed to his aid.

"This is as serious as I've seen," said longtime golf writer Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union, a newsgathering partner of First Coast News. "You just don't see that amount of blood for a golf ball hit and this case, it was pretty bad."

Smits snapped this photo moments after the accident:

Meredith was taken to the hospital and received six stitches, but was allowed to return home that night and is now doing okay.

"Well, after getting hit I feel fine and I think it was more of a glancing blow and not quite a direct hit," Meredith said. "So, a lot of blood but not a lot of pain."

Both English and playing partner (and eventual champion) Matt Kuchar left Meredith with signed golf gloves following the incident which may not eliminate the pain, but should certainly sweeten it.

Tweets of the Day

@bubbawatson I Davis Love that place man

— Webb Simpson (@webbsimpson1) May 12, 2012

@webbsimpson1 Kevin NA u don't

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) May 12, 2012

Oh, Bubba, how we've missed you. Have you missed us?

@NotoriousWhips not missing golf at all

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) May 10, 2012

It was announced this morning at the PGA Merchandise Show that Meg Mallon will captain the U.S. Solheim Cup team in 2013 as they look to extract revenge on the European side when they meet at Colorado Golf Club. 

Mallon is an 18-time LPGA winner, including four major championships, and played on eight U.S. Solheim Cup teams, sporting a 13-9-7 career record. She served as an assistant captain to the victorious 2009 team and also captained a winning American side at the 2011 PING Junior Solheim Cup. 

"It's an absolute honor to be selected as the 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup Team Captain," said Mallon. "I've participated in The Solheim Cup on nine occasions and each has been a proud moment for me, but to represent the United States as team captain definitely caps off my career. I look forward to working hard on getting the Cup back in U.S. hands." 

Back to school
Rory McIlroy, the scholar. That’s right, the U.S. Open champ is set to receive an honorary degree from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. According to the Irish Times, McIlroy will be awarded a Doctor of Science degree for his contribution to golf. 

The university said: “Rory McIlroy has quickly established himself as a major force in international golf as a Major winner and Ryder Cup hero.” 

Compatriots Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have also been honored by the university in the past. 

Other notables to receive honorary degrees from the University of Ulster this year include Manchester United skipper Sir Alex Ferguson, Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody and actor Sir Ian McKellen, among others. 

Golf’s Oprah
Looking to build on a successful first season, Golf Magazine contributing writer David Feherty’s hit talk show, Feherty, will expand to a one hour time slot, beginning February 27. Due to viewer demand, Golf Channel has also ordered more episodes for season two and has pushed the original series back to the 10 p.m. time slot. In a press release, Golf Channel stated:

“We were blown away by the positive reaction our viewers had to this show and their appreciation for the truly heartfelt moments David was able to pull from each interview,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley. “People know David as funny and a bit irreverent, but they never knew how much emotion would come from this series. The one comment we heard repeatedly from viewers was ‘give us more’ -- so that’s exactly what we plan to do in season two.” 

If you can’t hold out an entire month for your weekly dose of Feherty, don’t fret. Before season two airs, viewers will be treated to a special from the Super Bowl with Feherty performing before a live theatre audience, armed with a slew of guests from the world of sports and entertainment. 

Additionally, Golf Channel will be airing bonus footage shot for two of the most popular Feherty episodes, including never-before-seen interviews with Johnny Miller and Tom Watson. The episodes will be re-aired in a one-hour format on February 13 and 20, respectively. 

Speed golf
Ben Crane isn’t the only one pumping out viral videos; rally driver and drifting champion Rhys Millen has teamed up with Hyundai to bring the largely underground world of Formula D to the golf course. Millen, who will race the 500bhp Hyundai Veloster in the US Rallycross championship, shows just how fast he really is, terrorizing the Purangi Golf & Country Club in New Zealand with his turbocharged golf cart. 

PGA Tour, take notice. We just solved your pace of play problem.

Tweet of the Day

Steve Sands @ Golfchannel reports from Abu Dhabi that Tiger Woods took off his undershirt on hole 4 yesterday.... #tigersyearhasstarted

— Steve Elkington (@elkpga) January 26, 2012

Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo broadcast the first round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions [AP Photo]

The Golf Channel added some needed spice to its broadcast of the champion-challenged Hyundai Tournament of Champions (Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson all passed on the event)  by putting the network’s regular color commentator Nick Faldo in the booth with Johnny Miller of NBC. (Comcast now owns both Golf Channel and NBC.)

Here are some of their best exchanges, courtesy of the Golf Channel.

Hyundai Tournament of Champions Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo Quotes Round 1

Dan Hicks: Pretty civilized start between you guys.

Nick Faldo: We’re just warming up.

Johnny Miller: Sort of like the first round, just a few little taps.

Nick Faldo: Yep, just feeling it out.

On being inducted in the HOF together

Miller: It was very exciting. Every player was there, and that has never happened before. So we were really lucky. And we both got the 75% vote, which hasn’t happened very often since then.

Faldo: He knows his stats. What does 75% vote mean?

Miller: Well, it means they thought you were pretty good.

On the Plantation Course

Miller: When they built this course, they built it to handle wind. Big greens, big fairways, like the 18th hole has a 90-yard wide fairway, so you can sort of bomb it around on a lot of the holes.

Faldo: [Shaking his head] See, he is exaggerating already. 74.

Miller: I walked it this morning.

Faldo: I’ve got 74 and you’ve got 90.

Miller: Well you’ve got those little short English legs.

Hicks: Just a taste folks. It’s going to be a long ride.

On surfing

Faldo: Did you used to go paddle boarding and surfing when you used to play your events, Johnny?

Miller: No

Faldo: I didn’t either.

Miller: I did a little fishing but that’s it.

Faldo: Well, at least if you go fishing, the worst that can happen is you get the fly stuck in the back of your head.

Miller: Yeah, that’s not the worst thing, is it?

On Bill Haas winning the Tour Championship 

Hicks: I will never forget there was that drought in Atlanta, had there not been that drought for several weeks, that water would have been up on the bank and Bill Haas’ miraculous shot…Hunter Mahan would have been hoisting the trophy.

Faldo: That’s destiny, isn’t it.

Miller: Yep. I don’t know about that but I’ll go with it.

Faldo: Well it is. Things are going to happen in life for it to then happen, isn’t it? If it rained more he wouldn’t be here. With his 10 million dollars, he was building a house and they couldn’t decide about a pool in the back garden, and obviously that 10 million bucks made that a very easy decision.

Miller: Ok Sir Nick, that is enough of that.

Faldo: What? That’s how it happened. That’s how he got a swimming pool.

On the Plantation Course at Kapalua

Terry Gannon: It can sneak up on you though, with the wind, especially the opening holes here, if you take it for granted, Nick.

Faldo: Absolutely. It’s very interesting. Johnny sounds so good folks, he’s got all of these stats in front of him. All of these numbers.

Miller: Hey, what’s wrong with that?

Gannon: And here is what Faldo has in front of him.

Faldo: Yep, here is my information for the week [holds a Golf Channel coffee mug].

Breaking down Keegan Bradley’s swing in slow-motion

Faldo: Let’s have a look at this in close-up. Look at his lower back.

Miller: Low hands.

Faldo: Low hands, but the most important thing is his lower back and lower spine angle. He sets that pretty steep, just like you, Johnny, on your back swing.

Miller: Yeah I was going to say that looks familiar.

Faldo: Actually, that is you, we just cut your head off.

Miller: He braces that right leg at the top of the back swing.

Faldo: And he just feeds into it and traps the ball beautifully and cleared his way out.

Miller: The right hip at the two position coming down perfectly.

Faldo: Geez, that is a lot of information.

Miller: Hey, you know, we’re just saying what we see that’s all.

On Scott Stallings

Faldo: He’s a great story. He went to Augusta. He was so inspired obviously by the Masters. He took a Masters pencil, you know, the Augusta National pencil. And he has used the same pencil ever since. He uses that all of the time. That was his inspiration to win the Greenbrier. He was visualizing getting back to the Masters.

Hicks: See guys, just some of the tidbits you can have even without a handful of notes up here.

Miller: Yeah, it helps when you have won it three times too.

On Bubba Watson’s drive on 18 rolling down the fairway

Mark Rolfing: You can do a commercial break on one of these.

Faldo: Or you could just listen to us talking about how much the ball is rolling end over end.

Miller: And by the way Nick, I walked that twice today, it is 90 yards wide.

On Keegan Bradley teeing off at 18

Rolfing: He is looking at the chimneys. See the clubhouse there in the distance? There are two chimneys. The line is the chimney on the right. That is exactly where he is looking.

Faldo: Mark, what did the big chimney say to the little chimney?

Miller: Oh, here we go, this English humor.

Faldo: You are a little too young to smoke.

Rolfing: Johnny, are you laughing at him or with him?

Miller: I was thinking I was back in elementary school, I wasn’t sure.

Faldo: Gotta entertain the children.

On the 18th hole at the Plantation Course 

Rolfing: It is a huge elevation change going down. There is a difference of opinion whether the fairway is 90 yards of 76 between Johnny and Nick, but it’s wide.

Miller: What do you expect, an NBC guy to get along with a CBS guy?

Rolfing: I hope you guys do. We are all in here for four days. On watching surfers in the ocean:

Miller: Would you like to be that guy?

Faldo: I’d like to be able to do that. That is pretty darn cool.

Miller: Would you give up one of your Masters titles for that?

Faldo: Nuh-uh. Nuh-uh.

On the Hyundai Tournament of Champions

Hicks: If you don’t get off to a good start, you have this beautiful surf behind you. People with their families over here. It is an interesting mix of pleasure and business.

Miller: Well. let’s put it this way. There’s not too many players without their wives or family. If they left them home, there is a little problem, I think.

Faldo: Marriage guidance by Johnny Miller.

Hyundai Tournament of Champions Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo Quotes Round 2

Top of the Show

Dan Hicks: Guys, pretty much incident-free through day one. Nick you didn’t even get a chance to cut Johnny’s cable.

Nick Faldo: Best buddies.

Hicks: It was fun.

Faldo: Yeah, good day.

Hicks: But I think it is going to intensify as the round goes on. I’ve got a feeling

Johnny Miller: It’s got to come naturally, though, right.

Faldo: We are going to go with the intensity, which is from the player. We will respond that way. If they are jumpy and are having a few fights out there, I think we will.

On Jonathan Byrd

Hicks: He’s got some Johnny Miller pants of yester-year on.

Miller: Yeah, they just never go away.

Hicks: Nick went plaid a few times as well.

Faldo: I wore plaid. Ever watch Johnny at Troon? I was there as a young kid in the crowd.

Miller: Oh yeah, didn’t match though.

Faldo: Didn’t match and that is what was wrong.

On Webb Simpson’s pitch at the 15th hole at the Plantation Course

Miller: Look at how close that right toe is to the ball. He puts it right on the ball, and it is just a real quick little flick, as probably Nick would say. They probably have a word for that in England. What is that shot, quick flick?

Faldo: Quick flick is very good, Johnny.

Hicks: You know, you are rubbing off on Johnny here. As the golf broadcast season goes on here, you might hear traces of some Nick-isms in Johnny’s vernacular.

Faldo: I’ll have him talking English by the time we are finished this week.

Hicks: Johnny has his own language.

Miller: That’s right, I’ve got my own way of doing things.

Faldo: Really?

Miller: I have about 50 swear words that are not swear words.

Faldo: That’s useful.

On the Maui scenery 

Hicks: Well, Nick and Johnny, I believe it was close to 60 degrees in Central Park, New York, today, so we’re not going to wow you. But, pretty unbelievable scenery Nick, and you have been coming here for years. It never gets old.

Faldo: And now we have got this plane that we can see these aerial shots. It’s quite amazing. All of these natural things. We have got the rainforests on top of the hill and we have got the whales…

Hicks: Has it all distracted you from Johnny?

Faldo: It makes Johnny look way more beautiful than he really is.

Hicks: I can’t top that.

On Nick and Johnny shooting 63s

Hicks: Johnny, you had 10. The great Jack Nicklaus had six. And Nick, do you care to venture what your number was?

Faldo: Three

Hicks: You did have one.

Faldo: Well, a really good one. No, wait, I had more than that. Oh, on the U.S. Tour, yes, but I’m an International golfer. I had a couple more of them.

Hicks: We do need to do a little more research.

Nick: Yeah, come on, come on.

Hicks: But you got Stricker and Johnny in the Major department.

Faldo: I shot a 62 up in Yorkshire, I did. I finished 64-62 to win.

Frank Nobilo: The Lawrence Batley International.

Faldo: That’s right, the Lawrence Batley International.

Miller: I’ll just let the facts state just what it is.

Faldo: At least we’ve shot 63, Johnny, in Majors, so that’s all right.

Miller: Yeah, that’s true.

Faldo: We just don’t want anybody to shoot a 62 in a Major, we want to just keep that record.

Miller: Nah, I don’t care.

Faldo: Really?

Miller: You can have it.

Faldo: Oh, no, I want to keep that one.

Miller: I had enough fun in my career. I would have liked to have won a couple more majors, but it was fun walking up that 18th hole 25 times for the win.

Tiger Woods played well toward the end of 2011, including a birdie-birdie finish to win the Chevron, and now the golf world is buzzing about his chances to get back to his old self in 2012. One man never shy on opinions, NBC's Johnny Miller, thinks Woods will have a very big year with at least four wins.

"I think Tiger is the breakout player of the year in 2012. I really do believe that," the NBC golf analyst said. "I think he'll win probably at least four times.

"I always analyze from how bad a bad shot is. Tiger's bad shots, especially with his long clubs, were pretty bad. Now his bad shots with the long clubs are quite good. Almost in the 2000, 2001 range. His irons were never that poor, even when he was struggling, and his short game has really come along. I think he is very determined to show the naysayers that they didn't know what they were talking about when they sort of wrote him off.

"I think he's going to have a big year."

Extreme Home Makeover: Elin Edition
So what's Elin Nordegren doing with her reportedly $100 million divorce settlement? According to TMZ, she just demolished a $12 million mansion in Florida to build her own dream home while living in another mansion nearby.

Elin bought the 9,000 square foot North Palm Beach home in March ... right after she struck a $100 million divorce settlement with Tiger Woods.

Apparently, Elin felt the modest 6 bedroom, 8 bathroom pad wasn't quite up to her standards ... so she did the only reasonable thing -- KNOCKED THE WHOLE PLACE DOWN!

We're told Nordegren has hired a high-priced architect to build her dream home ... and sources say every single worker is required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

No word on how long the project is expected to take -- but we're told Elin is living in a nearby mansion inside the private community while the new place is under construction.

Take it away, ABBA!

More Good News for Northern Ireland
Want to generate buzz for your small country? Start winning majors! The Irish Golf Desk reports Royal Portrush, home course to British Open champ Darren Clarke, might host this year's Irish Open, a possible test run to try and land an Open Championship.

However, with McIlroy and Portrush residents Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell all now major winners, it is believed that the tour and the Northern Ireland government are keen to ride that momentum and bring forward plans to take the Irish Open back to Ulster for the first time since 1953.

Royal Portrush wants to host the Open Championship itself and while that appears unlikely in the short term due to political and logistical reasons, the Irish Open is considered the logical “test” event for staging a major.

However, while it was believed that the funds were not in place to host the Irish Open in the North until 2013, Royal Portrush is again being mentioned a potential venue from June 28 to July 1 this year.

PULL!
Hopefully these guys didn't use the fine china ...

Tweet of the Day

I think it's cute when the internet asks for my personal information and pretends that it doesn't know everything already.

— Ben Crane (@bencranegolf) January 5, 2012

Listed in roughly chronological order...

1. "It's disgusting what he's just done there. You look at his work ethic, and he's a credit to the game and an inspiration to all of us who are trying to be professional golfers, but some parts of him are arrogant and petulant. Somebody has to come on the green and maybe putt over his spit — it doesn't get much lower than that.” --Sky Sports commentator Ewen Murray after Tiger Woods was shown spitting on the green at the Dubai Desert Classic. Woods was later fined by the European Tour and apologized for the incident.

2. "I'm glad he's out playing golf. I happen to be a golfer. I think presidents deserve down time. And believe me, he is in constant communication with what's going on." --Former Vice President Dan Quayle, on criticism of President Obama for playing golf

3. “Tiger was the dominant player. He won 14 majors. Think about it, 14 majors, in such a short period of time. Who is ever going to do that again? Who knows? That is pretty dominating. So for us, myself, Phil, Vijay, Davis, Fred Couples, guys like that to have played under a guy who was that good, we took a beating, not only from him, but from you guys, too. It's been a tough -- it was a tough 10, 12 years for us.” --Ernie Els at the WGC-Cadillac Championship

4. “As my social status in Japan is getting higher, I believe that is one of the responsibilities, to provide for those people who are in need." --Ryo Ishikawa, on his decision to donate all of his 2011 earnings to earthquake relief in Japan

5. "I’ve gone back and putted that putt a hundred times since. … [and] it’s never broken left again." --Jack Nicklaus at the 2011 Masters on his birdie putt on 17 at the 1986 Masters 

6. “I hate that word. It's just a terrible word. It's not something you want to be associated with -- worst thing you can be called in golf, apart from ‘cheat.’” --Rory McIlroy, on the c-word –- “choke” -- after his final-round meltdown at the 2011 Masters 

7. “I still can’t believe, with just 45 minutes left in that broadcast, how many people could have conceivably won it. It was so exhilarating because that’s what you want—to have the chance to keep people on the edges of their seats. I can’t tell you how many e-mails I got from people saying, ‘I couldn’t even go to the bathroom. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to miss anything.’ ” --Jim Nantz, on Sunday at the 2011 Masters

8. "You could see it a couple of weeks ago at The Masters. Tiger was playing fantastic the first nine on Sunday but there wasn't really somebody who was scared of him any more.” --Martin Kaymer after the 2011 Masters

9. “How are we going to count all the shots? I can’t keep track.” --Kevin Na, on his way to a 16 at the Valero Texas Open

10. "Our hat policy is the same as Augusta’s. Turn your hat around.’” --Quail Hollow member to Rickie Fowler

11. "His swing is definitely better than mine was at the same age. But in '99 my swing came together, and I had a pretty good next two years." --Tiger Woods, on Rory McIlroy’s U.S. Open win

12. “I can't f***ing hit it. I'm f***ing useless.” --Darren Clarke, on the putting green the week before winning the British Open

13. "I've caddied for 33 years, won 145 times and this is the most satisfying win of my career." --Caddie Steve Williams after Adam Scott won the Bridgestone invitational

14. “I don’t have any.” --Phil Mickelson’s caddie Bones Mackay after being asked how many wins he has

15. "I would rather eat a golf ball than see this movie again." --Roger Ebert, on the golf movie Seven Days in Utopia

16. "I don't recall ever saying the Tiger era is over." --Luke Donald after The Daily Express published a story with the headline, "Luke Donald: The Tiger Woods Era is 'Over' "

17. "If it were going to be banned, it should have happened 20-plus years ago. But now that it's been legal, I don't think you can make it retroactive." --Phil Mickelson, on belly putters

18. "Almost every guy who finished at the top of the leaderboard was in the top five in greens hit and ball-striking. To me, that's the ultimate.That's pure golf, not a bunch of scrambling crap." --Johnny Miller’s defense of the Cog Hill redesign after criticism from Phil Mickelson and others

19. “I feel like even if I went to HSBC and won, they’d find another event to add.” --Luke Donald, on learning that the PGA Tour decided to include the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai in the Player of the Year vote after Donald won the money title

20. “No. I make sure I remain totally illiterate in that state." --Jack Nicklaus after being asked if he tweets

All photos from the Associated Press, except for Johnny Miller (Getty Images)