The real upside of being Santa Claus -- aside from the elves and idolization -- is the offseason. He works one hard, 24-hour shift, and then gets 364 days of vacation. So you have to wonder where he spends all that down time.

Well, according to a Getty photo brought to our attention by Yahoo!'s Devil Ball Golf Blog, he may have spent some time on Kiawah Island over the weekend watching PGA Champ Rory McIlroy. You be the judge:

Hopefully St. Nick didn't bring his reindeer to the Ocean Course. With all those gators, he'd probably be out a ride home.

The PGA Championship puts Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III in an odd spot. In his head, he's eyeing the play of Ryder Cup hopefuls; on the course, he's beating most of them.

Love shot an even-par 72 in his opening round Thursday. And then, according to Randall Mell of GolfChannel.com, Love went straight from the course to Kiawah Island's Sanctuary hotel, where he had dinner with the top 20 players in the American Ryder Cup standings.

If that was weird for Love, it was probably worse for Kyle Stanley: Good luck making your case to the coach after he just beat you by eight!

Of course, if Thursday was tough on Kyle, it was equally unsettling for Phil Mickelson. Lefty, who has slipped to eighth in the standings -- the last automatic spot -- played with Love and lost by a shot. The pairing led to some unusual first-tee conversation. As Love said:

“We talked about playing together yesterday, so we would get that out of the way,” Love said. “I told Phil not to grind. Phil and I have been playing a long time. There’s not much awkward left for us.

“He is trying to make the team, because he doesn’t want to have to be picked. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to make the cut, or to win, that’s thinking about results. I told him just to go play this tournament and not worry about things.”

The pair also played with Irishman Padraig Harrington. No word if they were rattling any coins in his backswing. Never too early to start: The Ryder Cup is less than 50 days away.

As our own Gary Van Sickle has reported, logistics are a bit of a problem at the PGA Championship, it being on an island and all. So how do you survive Glory's Last Traffic Jam on the access road to Kiawah Island? Same way you did as a kid: Use your Imagination!

If you're like Scott Michaux, golf writer for the Augusta Chronicle, that means imagining you're part of something more exciting. Like the mob.

Michaux filmed the bus trip from the media hotel to the media tent, and set the footage to the Sopranos theme song. Spoiler alert: his South Carolina drive includes more trees and golf courses, and fewer smokestacks, toll booths and pink pigs than the original. Here's the "The Road to Kiawah" in full:

The big takeaways from Wednesday's press conferences at the PGA Championship? The course is long, paspalum is true, and it's as hard as ever to win a major. Here are some highlights from the day's pressers:

ERNIE ELS
Fresh off his with at The Open, Els talked about his new-found calm, his relationship with Adam Scott, and what sort of player has the advantage at a rain-soaked Kiawah.

Q. How would you describe the way you felt, your emotions, whatever, since playing the back nine at Olympic Club, and if it was calm, where did that come from?
Els: I think just being more secure of what you're doing and basically my routine was really good. You know, and I feel whenever you have a good routine, the pre-shot routine into your golf shots, and you're clear in your mind of what you want to do, there's not too many things flying around in your head. I was just more secure of what I wanted to do. And I think that obviously started at the U.S. Open, I felt that, and obviously it was a lot better at The Open.

Q. Do you feel you have had and will have the level of credit for winning The Open this year, or do you think what happened with Adam could become a dominant story in some ways, and that would be unfortunate?
Els: I think you're going to remember what Adam did. There's no two ways about it. And then hopefully people remember the putts that I made, because I still shot 32 on the back nine to give Adam something to think about. You know, I think for the short term, probably they are going to think about Adam's mistakes that he made, and I think long term, eventually my name is going to stay on the Jug (chuckling).

Q. Along those lines, I know you spoke with Adam Sunday at Lytham; have you spoken at all with him since then?
Els: Yes, we have. We've spoken. We stayed in the same hotel last week and saw him a couple of times. I'm actually playing nine holes with him this afternoon. So as I say, I've known Adam since he's come out here ten years ago, and we have got a pretty good, close relationship. He's a good friend of the family and of mine. You know, if he needs any help to win a major, I'll definitely give it to him; if he needs any encouragement, I'll give it to him. He's a great friend.

Q. Does anybody who cannot hit the ball 300 not have a chance in this thing because of the softness in the fairways?
Els: Yeah, I mean, everybody's got a chance in the field, but I think it definitely helps the super long bombers, Bubba, Dustin, Tiger, the real long guys that can fly it 320. Those guys can reach all four par 5s now, where I can hit it 300, but I can't fly it 320. So I'm probably going to lay up on all of the par 5s. Doesn't take me out of the tournament, but you know, it definitely gives those real super long bombers a great advantage around this golf course now. There's no run out there. It's just plugging where it is.

ADAM SCOTT
Scott, who came up on the losing end of Els's Open, spoke about the course, lessons learned, and how good it feels to get another shot at a major.

Q. From what you've seen so far, perspective on The Ocean Course?
Scott: I've had three pretty good looks at it, twice last week and then I played Monday morning this week. I feel like I'm getting a fairly good understanding of the golf course. It's obviously very long and very severe if you're off line. It's going to test every aspect of your game. But certainly, I believe there's no secret recipe to it. If you can hit some fairways and greens, you're going to give yourself a chance to score well. Start with a focus on ball-striking and work on it from there

Q. Can you talk a little bit about your strategy playing when the wind is very high? At Lytham, you did very well in the wind, I noticed you didn't hit it particularly lower than usual it seemed to me. How do you approach playing in the wind?
Scott: Well, it's different at Lytham than, say, playing here. Obviously the ball runs a lot on a links course and there's often an entryway into a green on the ground there.So if you can control your ball flight low, you can keep the ball out of the wind and have it not as affected, and I was swinging well and had everything under control. I drove the ball great. I teed it very low and just hit very low, hot runners off the tee and they were going straight all week. I was at a huge advantage, because I was hitting a lot of drivers out there and playing somewhat aggressively I guess.

But probably a different story here if the wind gets up, because you're still going to have to hit the ball in the air. There are a lot of forced carries off tees and there are some forced carries into greens, so there's no option of running the ball along the ground up on to the greens. You just have to really have to stand up there and hit a great shot. And it's kind of an educated guess on how much the wind will affect your shot. If you hit the shot well, you'll have a good idea how much it affects it, but if you mis-strike it, it's up to Mother Nature to determine where your ball is going to finish.

Q. You put on a clinic through three rounds at Lytham last month; if you find yourself in the same position here on Sunday, are you worried about some of those feelings creeping back, some of those emotions that maybe you were feeling on the back nine there at Lytham?
Scott: I don't think I'd be worried about it. It may or may not happen. You know, if I was in that position again, I'd feel like I'm playing pretty good. So at that point, I'd be quite confident.

But, the couple of things that I took out of it, hopefully put into practice at that point and not let that happen again. It's certainly not something you'd like to make a habit of, and I never have; I've generally been a good closer of golf tournaments in my career. You know, I'd like-- if I was in that position, I'd like to turn it around this time and close the golf tournament out.

RORY MCILROY
McIlroy rated his season, gushed over the conditions, and even took a stab at the spelling bee.

Q.Comment on what you've seen so far from practicing and preparing on the course for this championship. McIlroy: Yeah, it's a long golf course, a big golf course. It's a golf course you not only have to hit it well, but you really have to think about what you're doing out there. You know, you really have to pick your spots where you want to hit it, and obviously with the weather the way it's been this week, that's going to play a pretty big factor, too.

But you know, I like what I see. I think the course is in phenomenal shape. I love the greens. I love the paspalum. I think the ball rolls really, really well. So I'm looking forward to the week.

Q. There's been a lot of talk about the paspalum greens. I wonder if you could tell us at what stage in your life you first heard that word, if you can spell it for us, and your general thoughts.
McIlroy: P-a-s-p-a-l-u-m, and the Bear's Club actually have paspalum. We practice on paspalum all the time; me, Luke, Keegan, Dustin. It's something we are quite used to and something I was talking to Luke about yesterday, something that the guys that are members of the Bear's Club might have an advantage because we are used to how it reacts and we practice on that stuff on our off-weeks, so it's actually quite nice.

It's very spiny. When you see guys chipping off of greens and hitting wedge shots, it bites a lot. Even as I said earlier, when the greens are firm, just this certain type of grass, it just really grabs the ball. So you can be aggressive with your chip shots and definitely aggressive with your wedge shots, too.

Q. How would you rate your year to date, and what are you pleased with and what are you disappointed with?
McIlroy: It's been good. You know, there was a few goals I set myself early at the start of the year, which I achieved; getting to No. 1 in the world, and playing well, winning a tournament early.

And then the second half of the season has been-- it's still been pretty good. It's been a little bit more of a struggle. But you know, I feel like I'm playing pretty well, so, I mean, if I had to give my season a grade to this point, I'd probably give it a B. There's still a lot of golf left to play, but very happy with some of the golf that I've played this year. You know, I've still got a lot of good golf to look forward to.

At 36, Tiger Woods doesn't feel particularly old. So, on Tuesday, when asked about his chances of breaking Jack Nicklaus's record 18 majors, Woods patiently responded that he has "plenty of time" -- ten years and 40 more majors, to be exact.

Others don't agree. Among them is Woods's ex-swing coach (and current Tiger chronicler) Hank Haney. In an interview with Robert Lusetich of FOX Sports, Haney expressed serious doubts that Tiger could get the five majors he needs to tie Nicklaus's mark, and came close to putting the debate to rest:

“When you look at all the factors that are involved in breaking Jack's record right now the odds probably don't favor Tiger,” Haney told FOXsports.com...

...“Remember, Jack won only four majors after the age of 36,” Haney says.

“The last one at 46 — the 1986 Masters — was a miracle even to Jack, so it seems like giving Tiger 40 more chances is generous.

“You also have to assume that Tiger is able to stay healthy and avoid any other kind of personal turmoil that could derail his pursuit of Jack's record."

Some serious all-around doubt from The Big Miss author. So what could help Tiger along? Haney puts a lot of stock in Kiawah:

“I said before that I thought if Tiger won a major this year the odds of beating Jack's record would swing in his favor.

“If he doesn’t win at Kiawah, it’s going to be that much harder.”

The Woods Whisperer has spoken. Never mind that Tiger is still ahead of Jack's pace, even with including his current four-year lapse. According to Haney, this PGA might actually be glory's last shot.

Here at T&R, we're not meterologists. Luckily, we don't have to be that technical to realize that the weather this week at Kiawah Island is going to include everything this side of frogs and brimstone.

According to Weather.com, the PGA Championship will be played through dark clouds and lightning bolts:

Go ask Alice why the Ocean Course will give players fits this week at the PGA Championship.

Of course, we're talking about Alice Dye, Pete's wife, who is at least partly to blame for the brutal layout at Kiawah. According to Bill Pennington, whose New York Times story charts the genesis of the Ocean Course, Alice Dye's suggestion to raise the fairways to dune level -- and, in the process, subject players to swirling seaside winds -- sharpened the track's teeth considerably.

That, and Hurricane Hugo, gave it a whole new set when it hit the South Carolina shore in 1989. As Pennington writes:

The dunes were also reshaped by Dye and his workers, something that could not have occurred without Hugo. When the hurricane hit, several people in the Ocean Course work crew were stranded on the island and remained there until access roads were cleared. The day after Hugo headed inland, Dye rented a barge in a nearby town to take him to Kiawah.

He started up the bulldozers.

“Hugo had obliterated the work we had already done on some holes, but it had also knocked down trees and moved around a lot of things that we wouldn’t have been able to move or be allowed to move,” Dye said.

The article continues to describe Dye's Ahab-esque obsession to complete his course. Come Sunday, more than a few players may be lining up to harpoon him for it.

In Rickie Fowler's twitter profile, he describes himself as "right where I want to be." And that's entirely correct: Rickie Fowler is right where I want to be, especially this week. It's the PGA Championship, so Fowler is on vacation on Kiawah Island, eating Cheeze-Its with Bubba Watson, and generally killing time before a couple of comped tee times he has scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

So, yeah, Rickie is right where I want to be. Except when he's on a second story balcony, aiming to jump into the deep end of his vacation home's pool:

Vacation at PGA Championship & @rickiefowlerpga is practicing!!twitvid.com/CJWQY

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) August 6, 2012

Or on a banister attempting back flip into the aforementioned pool:

It's @rickiefowlerpga practicing for #RIOtwitvid.com/AW61K

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) August 6, 2012

Ah, it's Rio he's practicing for. Thanks for the explainer, Bubba. That would probably get a 1.8 from the PGA judge, who would really like Fowler to make his tee time with an intact skull. Meanwhile, we imagine first alternate William McGirt clapping like a trained seal while he watches these videos...

That said, it's been a strange and wonderful few days for Fowler on Twitter. A fan chalked up his 80 at Firestone to karma, and called him a "prick." Which apparently cracked Jason Dufner up. Duf has spent the last two days digitally razzing Fowler:

So sick of this @rickiefowlerpga kid, he is being such prick!

— Jason Dufner (@JasonDufner) August 5, 2012

hey, @bubbawatson is @rickiefowlerpga being a total prick on that flight to South Carolina? Pretty much over that guy.

— Jason Dufner (@JasonDufner) August 5, 2012

...And then fan's got involved:

@jasondufner @rickiefowlerpga looking for his ball in the hedge during his second round +10 over par ? twitter.com/gordy99999/sta…

— gordon alexander (@gordy99999) August 6, 2012

Haha love it!! RT @philippdona: @rickiefowlerpga Rickie's new caddie "TED" twitter.com/philippdona/st…

— Rickie Fowler (@RickieFowlerPGA) August 6, 2012

Meanwhile, according to Dufner, Fowler has picked up some 6,000 "fowlowers" since the weekend. And, he's reminded everyone just how much better his life is than yours.

Ernie Els’s balky putting stroke cost him a chance of winning at Innisbrook last week, and the trend continued Thursday at Bay Hill, where he missed a four-footer for birdie on his final hole, the par-4 ninth. Craig Dolch, writing for the New York Times, hit up ShotLink to remind us just how undependable the flatstick has been for the Big Easy in recent months:

Last year, he was one of the tour’s worst putters from inside 15 feet. He ranked 174th from inside 5 feet (94.8 percent), 183rd from 5 to 10 feet (47.8 percent) and 178th from 10 to 15 feet (23.5 percent).

After his round Thursday, Els was again asked about his 11th-hour putting woes at Innisbrook. The normally unflappable South African, well, flapped.

“You guys have to understand, I started the final round three shots behind,” he said. “I played a hell of a round to get to the lead, then OK, I made some mistakes. You guys keep going on like I’ve killed somebody. I missed a couple of putts and I missed a couple of shots.”

Bradley plays "brutal" Ocean Course

If Keegan Bradley manages to successfully defend his PGA title in August, he will do it on course that is a universe away from the Atlanta Athletic Club in look, feel and style. That venue is the wild and windy Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, S.C. According to the AP’s Pete Iacobelli, Bradley played his first round on the Ocean Course on Thursday and afterward summed up the design in three words:

“It is brutal.”

He’s the latest pro golfer to reach that conclusion after walking off Pete Dye’s treacherous layout hard against the Atlantic Ocean. Dye constructed the course for the 1991 Ryder Cup matches and the combination of the swirling winds, adjacent marshes and protected greens brought the game's best players at the time to their knees.

“I didn’t think it was that hard today,” quipped Dye, the 86-year-old architect.

Dye was on hand to make sure his masterpiece will be in first-class shape. The course is expected to play at 7,606 yards. Add in the tricky winds, the sand dunes and marshes that line nearly every hole and things could get as wild down the stretch this August as they did for Bradley last year.

Bradley, a long hitter, used a driver and hybrid 3-iron into the wind on the 494-yard, par-4 18th hole and came up short of the green.

Judy Rankin returns to booth after husband's death

Analyst Judy Rankin will work the LPGA’s Kia Classic this weekend for the Golf Channel just a month after her husband, Yippy, died from throat cancer. Rankin, who herself fought breast cancer in 2006, hasn’t been part of an event broadcast in eight months. She told Tod Leonard of the San Diego Union-Tribune that she’s “nervous.”

“I feel like I’ve been out of touch. I haven’t watched any golf. I haven’t concentrated on it. I hope I’m ready. I’m not positive that I am.

“I have a certain responsibility to show up and know what I’m talking about. I want to be able to do it well. I think when I get away from my house it will be easier to get my head around the golf. Standing on the range is a healthy thing in my situation right now. Everything makes me sad.”

Rankin is a pro’s pro, who has long been one of the most respected voices in the game. Her friend Juli Inkster expects Rankin will quickly rediscover her groove:

“Even under the most stressful situation, she’s still Judy. She may have a lot of stress inside, but you never see it.”

Tweet of the Day

I would appreciate that offer RT @heyitsashlyg: if u were at my house I'd offer you a popsicle. (:

— Hank Haney (@HankDHaney) March 23, 2012