1. "This reminds me a lot of Winged Foot in 2006, where I hit a drive way left off the tents. So this happened to be way right, but off the tents. You know, I've made some dumb, dumb mistakes, and, obviously, talking about this stuff was one of them."

--Phil Mickelson apologizing for complaining publicly about his taxes

2. “All he did was publicly say, ‘I may not be able to afford to live in California.’ And the sports media descended on this guy. The sports media is every bit as left-wing as their news media counterparts are.”

 --Rush Limbaugh on Phil Mickelson’s apology

3. “We will revoke the on-site credentials of all journalists affiliated with outlets that post play-by-play coverage, whether those posts are originating from tournament site or otherwise."

--PGA Tour executive Ty Votaw on the Tour’s new policy on real-time reporting of tournaments

4. “It's on my radar for the first time ever, the thought of being World Number One.”

--Justin Rose, currently ranked No. 4 in the world

5. “Here I am just talking about it and my hands are sweating just thinking about the feeling I had to get through each and every day.”

--Tiger Woods on winning the 2008 U.S. Open with a broken leg

6. “Nothing he did ever surprised me. He's that good. But he can't do it anymore because his golf swing is different. It doesn't produce the shots he used to hit.”

--Rocco Mediate on Tiger Woods, via USA Today

7. “We believe in the notion that one body of rules is important, and that's always our intent. We just reserve the option not to, if we have overriding reasons not to do so.”

--PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem on the anchored-putter ban

8. “I've played the Walker Cup in 2007 over in Northern Ireland at Royal County Down and there was a guy I competed against three times called Rory McIlroy.”

--Billy Horschel on being prepared for the crowds following Tiger Woods

9. “People always want to know why golfers from Asia are so good. Well, now we can see how all the countries stack up."

--Stacy Lewis on the LPGA’s new International Crown event

10. “The hardest thing for me to do is fall asleep because I can't wait to wake up and hear what I'm going to say next.”

--Lee Trevino on the "Feherty Live" television show

(Photos from Getty Images)

 1. “From now on I'll be playing a
Method putter."

--Rory McIlroy at his Nike press conference on Monday;
he switched back to his Scotty Cameron putter on Friday

2. "Monty came into the picture to combat the big name of Tom Watson, and I felt like maybe that's something that the European Team didn't need to do.”

Justin Rose on Paul McGinley being picked for 2014 Ryder Cup captain over Colin Montgomerie 

3. “The amount I know about golf would fit into a teaspoon. However, I do know when I’m walking on a pathway and come to a big chasm, that’s not the best.”  

--Aberdeen, Scotland, resident Suzanne Kelly on discovering storm damage at Donald Trump's Trump International Golf Links 

4. “I’ve traveled more miles than
any human being who ever lived.”

--Gary Player on his frequent-flier status after 60 years of international golf 

5. "It would be very similar to saying that I had a rivalry with Phil two years into my career. That wasn't the case."

--Tiger Woods on whether he has a rivalry with Rory McIlroy 

6. “I was adding up my scorecard, and I was like, oh, wait, I shot 29 on the back.”

--Russell Henley on his final round at the Sony Open in Hawaii; he won

 7. “He said, golf is the way politics is. If you're grip is too far to the right, you're going to get in trouble on the left. But if your grip is too far to the left, you're going to get in big trouble on the right.”

--Bill Clinton on getting golf advice from Tom Watson

8. “If you ask most guys, they would
want to be involved in that process a
little bit more.”

--Jason Dufner on the selection of the Ryder Cup Team USA captain

  9. “It was probably the best feeling I ever had in my life; to have the responsibility knowing that you can make something huge happen for the team and for yourself, and knowing that I can handle it.”

--Martin Kaymer on sinking the winning putt for Team Europe at the 2012 Ryder Cup

10. “Most celebrities think they're friends with everybody. And that drives me crazy. I'm not there to be a distraction to the pro.”

--The Voice host Carson Daly on playing in pro-ams

Phil Mickelson answered questions from his fans:

Hello golf fans! You asked questions & now Phil's here with answers - LIVE! Stay tuned for Lefty. #AskPhil twitter.com/MickelsonHat/s…

- KPMG Mickelson (@MickelsonHat) October 9, 2012

@MickelsonHat #AskPhil how much does the job of Ryder Cup captain appeal to you?

-Brett Coburn (@bcoburn2013) October 3,2012

@bcoburn2013: Ryder Cup captain? PM: Not much right now. I'd rather be a player.

-KPMG Mickelson (@MickelsonHat) October 9, 2012

@mickelsonhat #AskPhil how long does Lefty see himself competing on the PGA Tour? Champions tour plans included in the future?

- PJ Marshall (@nusker) October 9, 2012

PM: @nusker Im in the best shape Ive been in in years. I dont want to put a time limit on my career so Im going to keep it going while I can

- KPMG Mickelson (@MickelsonHat) October 9, 2012

PM: My favorite moment in 2012 was the final round at Pebble Beach, playing head to head with #Tiger and winning, shooting 64. #AskPhil

- KPMG Mickelson (@MickelsonHat) October 9, 2012

Christine Kim and Brittany Lincicome feuded via Twitter:

The tweets that sparked it all:

Golf is SOOO dang frustrating :-(Can't wait for the year to be over!!!!!!!!!!!

- Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf) October 12, 2012

“@brittany1golf: Rain rain go away!!!!!Actually if it stays around I won't have to play anymore!!!!! :-)” I'd kill for the chance to play!

- Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim)

Things heated up as fans took to both golfers' sides, eventually resulting in explanations/apologies from both Kim and Lincicome:

Regarding the recent buzz, I just want to clarify I'm SOOOO grateful to have the opportunity to play golf. This year has been a little

- Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf) October 14, 2012

Disappointing for me just not playing up to my full potential. In NO way did I mean to offend anyone else's career or appear ungrateful

- Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf) October 14, 2012

Thank you SOOO much to all my friends and fans who support me and help me get where I am today!!!!!! :-)

- Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf) October 14, 2012

Two nights in a row I hit on contentious topics&lose 100 followers, including @brittany1golf. Sad to see a friend unfollow due to my opinion

- Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) October 13, 2012

Jonas Blixt, Shane Lowry, Inbee Park and Justin Rose won tournaments:

What a great week! Short, sharp and did the biz! Managed to beat Westy by 1 in the final today. Good game. Neither of us made a bogey. Solid

-Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) October 12, 2012

Winner winner chicken dinner

- Shane Lowry (@shanelowrygolf) October 14, 2012

Congratulations to Inbee Park on a fine win in Malaysia at the Sime Darby LPGA Trophy in Kuala Lumpur GC

- Gary Player (@garyplayer) October 14, 2012

Week in Korea couldnt have started any better watching @jonas_blixt win @PGATOUR!!!!! So happy for you!!!!! #youdeserveit

- Anna Nordqvist (@ANordqvist) October 14, 2012

Huge congrats to "Lowry Boy" @shanelowrygolf at the Portugal Masters earlier today. See you for a cold one next week pal. #tekkers

- Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) October 14, 2012

AaaaaaaaaaaaAaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sååååååå jäävvvvlllllllaaaaa göööööööööööööööööötttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Jonas Blixt (@jonas_blixt) October 15, 2012

Cristie Kerr, Annika Sorenstam, and Michelle Wie celebrated birthdays:

Happy Birthday @annika59. Great player, better lady.

- Gary Williams (@garywilliamsGC) October 9, 2012

Welcome to the big 23, @themichellewie!! Lets celebrate when you get back! Miss you!

-Christina Kim (@TheChristinaKim) October 10, 2012

Happy birthday to my bud @themichellewie !!!!

- Alison Walshe (@Walsheyyy) October 11, 2012

Happy Birthday to @ckgolferchic (Cristie Kerr)!Cheers!

- LPGA (@lpga) October 12, 2012

The Vice Presidential debate sparked strong feelings from golfers:

This #VPdebate is hard to watch. Too much laughing, interrupting, and arguing going on.

- Mallory Blackwelder (@MalBlackwelder) October 12, 2012

The problems we're facing are serious and only one candidate is laughing.

- Bob Estes (@BobEstesPGA) October 12, 2012

Ryan has some serious patience...tough with all the interruptions and laughing #showrespect

- Rickie Fowler (@RickieFowlerPGA) October 12, 2012

Officials for the Turkish World Finals say that the increasingly hot confrontation between Turkey and neighboring Syria won't affect the golf tournament, which has Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in the field, according to Tony Jimenez of Reuters.

Sunday marked the fifth straight day of fire exchanged between the Turkish military and forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who have been fighting rebels through northern Syria, just across the border from Turkey, according to Jimenez's report.

But, tournament officials said Monday that the World Finals, which is held in Belek, far from the Syrian border, will continue as planned with Tuesday's first round.

The $5.3 million dollar purse has a first prize of $1.5 million. Woods and McIlroy will be joined in the eight-man field by Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson and Charl Schwartzel.

Without giving their personal opinions, golfers made it clear that they tuned in to the presidential debate:

Waiting for the presidential debate to start. What do you all think the outcome will be?

— Vijay Singh (@VijaySinghGolf) October 4, 2012

Who will win tonight's debate?? Thoughts?

— Kyle Thompson (@KyleThompsonPGA) October 4, 2012

CNN is going over age, height, weight and reach of these 2 fellas. As if that will help make up someone's mind. It's a debate not a fight.

— Hunter Haas (@Hunterhaas) October 3, 2012

NCAA and NFL football are on the minds of many golfers:

How bout them Gators!!What a great win!!!!!!

— Chris DiMarco (@ChrisDiMarco) October 6, 2012

Congrats to my Gamecocks for an awesome win over Georgia!!!Three in a row!!!!!!#awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

— Tommy Gainey (@TwoGlovesGolf) October 7, 2012

Gotta say congrats to #cyclonenation. Wow. Welcome to the Big12 Horned Froggies. Nice win ISU!

— Zach Johnson (@ZachJohnsonPGA) October 7, 2012

Rough day for my Tigers. Settling in for some of the Georgia game, and maybe a little duck action tonight

— Jason Dufner (@JasonDufner) October 7, 2012

Players competing in the Turkish Airlines World Golf Finals have arrived in Antalya:

Just finished practice round in turkey. Exciting week, 8 guys medal matchplay in the Turkish airlines world golf final.

— Charl Schwartzel (@CA_Schwartzel) October 8, 2012

Just arrived in Turkey! All looks very nice... Looking forward to the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final. 8 guys - medal Matchplay.

— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) October 8, 2012

Just arrived in Turkey, my first time here, looking forward to playing in the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final.

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 8, 2012

Jus landed in Antalya, Turkey looking forward to a great week playing the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final!

— Hunter Mahan (@HunterMahan) October 7, 2012

LPGA players traveled to Asia, where the next four LPGA events will be held:

Finally in Malaysia, knew one bag wasn't going to make it and yes it was my clubs :(( of course! Hopefully get them tomorrow morning.

— Lexi Thompson (@Lexi) October 8, 2012

Course is looking great as well. Been getting my practice on early AMs to avoid the heat! #malaysia Can't wait for the tournament to start!

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) October 8, 2012

And we are ready for this 18hr flight right @thevickyhurst ?!?! twitter.com/Walsheyyy/stat…

— Alison Walshe (@Walsheyyy) October 7, 2012

Well on my way to the airport realized I don't have my passport..nice way to start a trip. #neveradullmoment #BOGEY

— Paula Creamer (@ThePCreamer) October 6, 2012

Fred Couples won the 2012 Senior British Open at Turnberry this weekend.

Congrats to my Assistant Captain on the win yesterday at the Senior British Open!

— Davis Love III (@Love3d) July 30, 2012

Great victory by Fred Couples at Turnberry in the Rolex Senior British Open in Scotland. Congratulations!!!!

— Gary Player (@garyplayer) July 29, 2012

Have to give a close friend some serious CONGRATS and kudos...Mr. Freddie Couples!!! #Winning

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 30, 2012

Several pros are following the Olympics:

Enjoying my time at the Olympic Village :)

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) July 26, 2012

This is absolutely amazing..speechless #London2012 #beachvolley

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) July 30, 2012

And I met The legendary Mr. Carl Lewis who couldn't have been cooler. #9olympicgoldmedals #likeaboss

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) July 30, 2012

Can't wait to watch as many events as possible in the Olympics. Go USA!!!

— Natalie Gulbis (@natalie_gulbis) July 30, 2012

Gotta love all of the #Olympics action! The Brits are great people and dedicated fans!! With that said... #USA

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 30, 2012

Men's Beach Volleyball at the Olympics in my Loudmouth!! Rocking Captain USA! Yeah--that's what's up!!! #USAOlympics #Loudmouth #Dalhausser

— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) July 29, 2012

Beach volleyball in the center of London. So crazy. #London2012

— Jeehae Lee (@jeehaeda) July 30, 2012

Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose celebrated their birthdays.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my buddy @Graeme_McDowell!!

— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) July 30, 2012

@JustinRose99 happy birthday JR!!

— Darren Clarke (@DarrenClarke60) July 30, 2012

RT @JustinRose99 @Graeme_McDowell happy B'day fella. Hope another good year ahead for ya. >>Same to u pal!! Another year on the clock!!!

— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) July 30, 2012

Thanks for all the birthday wishes guys! 33 today and like someone reminded me.....only 17 years until the Senior Tour!! #stayfresh #fb

— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) July 30, 2012

Thanks for the B'day wishes! 32 and all grown up! Yes, that's make u all pretty old if u can remember me chipping in at Birkdale! #timeflies

— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) July 30, 2012

Some of the LPGA ladies shared pictures from the final night of the Evian Masters Tournament.

At the party

— Paula Creamer (@ThePCreamer) July 28, 2012

And the girls and I all dressed up: @TheVickyHurst @Walsheyyy @CindyLaCrosse and Jodi

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) July 29, 2012

Aaaand our famous sock-tanned feet adorned in fab shoes. Guess whose feet/shoes they are!

— Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) July 29, 2012

Last but not least all the pretty girls of the @lpga @evianmasters :-)

— Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf) July 28, 2012

Tiger Woods is the favorite to win the British Open. Maybe odds-makers had plans last weekend that didn’t include watching the U.S. Open? As Erik Matuszewski of Bloomberg Businessweek writes:

Woods, 36, is listed as the 10-1 favorite for the season’s third major, according to the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino’s sports book. While Woods hasn’t won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, he remains popular with bettors. Woods last week had “by far the most money on him,” according to Jeff Sherman, LVH’s assistant sports book manager.

“Betting support for Tiger helped contribute to his favoritism for the British Open,” Sherman said in an e-mail.

Not far behind are Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, both coming in at 12-1, and No. 1-ranked Luke Donald, at 20-1. More notable odds for Royal Lytham: Phil Mickelson Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Rickie Fowler, Jason Dufner, Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington are all coming in at 30-1. Some of those seem wiser than others.

Simpson to skip British?
Webb Simpson, who came in at 40-1, might skip the British Open to be with his wife, Dowd, who is expecting the couple’s second child next month, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The 26-year-old American, whose closing 68 in San Francisco made it an incredible nine first-time winners in a row in the majors, has a decision to make on Royal Lytham.

Golf's next major starts four weeks on Thursday and Simpson's wife, Dowd, is expecting their second child in six weeks.

"Officially I don't know yet," he said after beating compatriot Michael Thompson and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell by a shot at the Olympic Club.

"The next eight weeks are going to be up in the air. We're going to see what we can do."

His wife gave a more revealing answer, however.

"I don't think he is going to play the British Open just in case I go into labour," she told reporters. "It would make Webb too nervous to hop over the pond and then have to try to get back."

So make of that what you will. (And send him a postcard from Lancanshire.)

Rivalry Game
Medinah County Club hosted two dedicated rivals Monday in a pressure-packed match play duel. And unlike the Ryder Cup, which the club will host in September, both sides had the same definition of football.

The Chicago Bears routed their NFC North rival Green Bay Packers on Medinah No. 3, winning the inaugural Rivalry Cup, 10-2, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette. The participants seemed more interested in the course than the contest:

“It was an unbelievable experience to be able to play Medinah’s No. 3 Course today, especially in advance of the 2012 Ryder Cup,” said [Bears kicker Robbie] Gould, who maintains a 2 handicap. “The Ryder Cup is really the Super Bowl of golf, and I can tell you that both teams were pretty intense today. It was a real competition out there, but we had a lot of fun at the same time. I know that both the Bears and Packers will be pulling for Team USA in September.”

The Bears played well in all phases of the game, but were anchored by a strong performance from their special teams, which only confirms that punters and kickers don’t do much in practice.

Tweet of the Day:

Dustin Johnson hasn't played a Tour event since mid-March, and he surprised everyone when he withdrew from the Masters with what Johnson said was a back injury sustained while lifting a jet ski. Speculation on DJ's situation has run rampant in the interim, with a variety of conspiracy theorists suggesting he eloped, or more commonly, that he was serving a drug-related suspension. However, according to his agent, David Winkle, Johnson is legitimately injured and getting ready to resume play, according to Steve Elling at CBS Sports.

“Dustin is not serving a drug suspension,” Winkle said evenly. “I will make it clear -- he has been injured. He is playing golf again, he is very rusty but champing at the bit to get back out there.”

As of now, Johnson has committed to play the Memorial in two weeks, then Memphis, and then the U.S. Open in San Francisco. He currently ranks 21st in U.S. Ryder Cup points.

Players grabs big attendance and ratings
While TV ratings weren't through the roof for The Players Championship this past weekend, attendance went up big. According to tournament officials attendance numbers reached more than 162,000 for the week, up about 20 percent from last year's event. About 35,000 came to watch the Sunday action alone. 

"A lot of things went right for us to have the week we did," Players executive director Matt Rapp said. "The temperatures were moderate, and we didn’t have the rain delay we had last year [on Saturday]. The hospitality areas we created or upgraded were huge hits. Military Appreciation Day was very popular once again [around 20,000 people were on the course Wednesday]. And we had a very popular guy with strong local ties in contention every day and eventually winning the tournament, and that always helps local interest."

TV ratings, while not nearly as impressive, looked to be pretty solid as well. Thursday's viewership was up about 5 percent over 2011, and ratings for Friday's telecast, which featured Tiger Woods playing late in the day, increased 86 percent over last year, making it the most watched early-round telecast since The Golf Channel started covering the tournament. Saturday's numbers were also up more than 50 percent over last year. 

Feherty and the President
David Feherty sat down recently with President Bill Clinton. Check out this preview clip where Feherty asks Clinton, "What the hell would possess you to do this?"

Kaymer, Rose, Schwartzel and McDowell are top seeds in Euro Tour Match Play event
The Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin near Marbella has some big names raring to take each other on this week including Sergio Garcia battling Alvaro Quiros, and Justin Rose taking on Robert Rock. The top ranked player in the event, Martin Kaymer, will play Rafael Cabrera-Bello in the first round. The unusual event features eight groups consisting of three players each. After a round robin the two top players in each group go on to a knock out round. Here's more salient info on the tournament: 

The top 16 seeds are as follows (in group order):

(1) Martin Kaymer and (16) Rafael Cabrera Bello

(2) Justin Rose and (15) Robert Rock

(3) Charl Schwartzel and (14) Nicolas Colsaerts

(4) Graeme McDowell and (13) Robert Karlsson

(5) Sergio Garcia and (12) Alvaro Quiros

(6) Peter Hanson and (11) Paul Lawrie

(7) Brandt Snedeker and (10) Thomas Bjorn

(8) Ian Poulter and (9) John Senden

The remaining eight players (with world ranking positions in brackets) are: (65) Branden Grace, (66) Retief Goosen, (70) Darren Clarke, (119) Jbe Kruger, (126) Camilo Villegas, (133) Tetsuji Hiratsuka, (175) Tom Lewis, (218) Richard Finch.

The top 16 seeds are the only ones involved on Thursday and holder Poulter will start the action off against Senden at 12.05pm local time (1105 BST). The other eight players then have two games on Friday to decide the last 16.

Tweet of the Day

Media room at @hpbnc includes ping-pong table, foosball, Wii and a slushie machine. In related news, I'm moving in.

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelGC) May 15, 2012