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

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.

Each week, 15 staffers from SI Golf+, Golf Magazine and GOLF.com vote for their top 10, awarding 10 points to their first choice and proceeding in descending order to the 10th player, who gets one point. The points are then added and the ranking calculated. This ranking aims to be an of-the-moment measure of who’s playing the best right now. Tell us your top 10 in the comments field below.

RANK (TOTAL VOTES, FIRST PLACE VOTES, LAST WEEK'S RANK)

1.  Rory McIlroy (149, 14, 1)   - Last three finishes: 3, WGC-Cadillac Championship; 1, Honda Classic; 2, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 2

2. Luke Donald (132, 1, 7) - Last three finishes: 1, Transitions Championship; T6, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T33, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 1

3. Lee Westwood (90, 0, 3) - Last three finishes: T29, WGC-Cadillac Championship; 4, Honda Classic; 4, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 3

4. Justin Rose (77, 0, 6) - Last three finishes: T29, Transitions Championship; 1, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T5, Honda Classic
- Official World Golf Ranking: 8

5. Phil Mickelson (76, 0, 2) - Last three finishes: T43, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T2, Northern Trust Open; 1, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- Official World Golf Ranking: 13

6. Keegan Bradley (72, 0, 4) - Last three finishes: T8, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T12, Honda Classic; T17, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 20

7. Hunter Mahan (64, 0, 5) - Last three finishes: T24, WGC-Cadillac Championship; 1, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship; T24, Northern Trust Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 12

8. Bill Haas (29, 0, 8) - Last three finishes: T29, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T33, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship; 1, Northern Trust Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 15

9. Charl Schwartzel (22, 0, 9) - Last three finishes: MC, Transitions Championship; T4, WGC-Cadillac Championship; T5, Honda Classic
- Official World Golf Ranking: 6

10. Bubba Watson (21, 0, 10) - Last three finishes: 2, WGC-Cadillac Championship, T17, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship; T13, Northern Trush Open
- Official World Golf Ranking: 16

Others receiving votes:
Brandt Snedeker (15)
Steve Stricker (14)
Kyle Stanley (11)
Mark Wilson (11)
Webb Simpson (9)
Matt Kuchar (8)
Sang-moon Bae (7)
Jim Furyk (5)
Johnson Wagner (4)
Bo Van Belt (3)
Tiger Woods (3)
Martin Kaymer (1)
Alvaro Quiros (1)

Each week, 15 staffers from SI Golf+, Golf Magazine and GOLF.com vote for their top 10, awarding 10 points to their first choice and proceeding in descending order to the 10th player, who gets one point. The points are then added and the ranking calculated. This ranking aims to be an of-the-moment measure of who’s playing the best right now. Tell us your top 10 in the comments field below.

RANK (TOTAL VOTES, FIRST PLACE VOTES, LAST WEEK'S RANK)

1. Phil Mickelson (130, 5, 2) - Last three finishes: T2, Northern Trust Open; 1, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am; T26, Waste Management Phoenix Open - Official World Golf Ranking: 9

2.  Rory McIlroy (122, 7, 1)  - Last three finishes: T5, Omega Dubai Desert Classic; 2, Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship; T11, Dubai World Championship - Official World Golf Ranking: 2

T3. Luke Donald (86, 1, 3) - Last three finishes: T56, Northern Trust Open; T48, Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship; T12, JBWere Masters - Official World Golf Ranking: 1

T3. Bill Haas (86, 1, NR) - Last three finishes: 1, Northern Trust Open; T19, Waste Management Phoenix Open; T4, Farmers Insurance Open - Official World Golf Ranking: 12

5. Kyle Stanley (85, 0, T3) - Last three finishes: T24, Northern Trust Open; 1, Waste Management Phoenix Open; 2, Farmers Insurance Open - Official World Golf Ranking: 51

6. Lee Westwood (62, 1, 5) - Last three finishes: T2, Omega Dubai Desert Classic; T12, Qatar Masters; T17, Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - Official World Golf Ranking: 3

7. Keegan Bradley (54, 0, NR) - Last three finishes: T2, Northern Trust Open; T15, Waste Management Phoenix Open; T22 Farmers Insurance Open - Official World Golf Ranking: 19

8. Webb Simpson (34, 0, 6) - Last three finishes: T8, Waste Management Phoenix Open; T38, Sony Open; T3, Hyundai Tournament of Champions - Official World Golf Ranking: 6

T9. Sergio Garcia (27, 0, NR) - Last three finishes: T4, Northern Trust Open; T5, Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy; T12, Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - Official World Golf Ranking: 16

T9. Steve Stricker (27, 0, 8) - Last three finishes: T38, Sony Open; 1, Hyundai Tournament of Champions; 16, Chevron World Challenge - Official World Golf Ranking: 5

Others receiving votes:
Branden Grace (21)
Johnson Wagner (21)
Tiger Woods (18)
Brandt Snedeker (16)
Dustin Johnson (7)
Martin Kaymer (6)
Thomas Bjorn (5)
Jason Day (4)
Robert Rock (4)
Charl Schwartzel (3)
Bubba Watson (3)
Mark Wilson (3)
Spencer Levin (1)

Cartoon Stanley
After Kyle Stanley's shocking collapse at the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday, Steve Elkington shared this comic about Stanley.

After 18 on Sunday @kylestanleygolf tried to make a claim @ Farmers... twitter.com/elkpga/status/…

— Steve Elkington (@elkpga) January 30, 2012

Pros Talk Tennis
Despite being busy playing in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald had time not only to tweet but catch some of the action at the Australian Open.

They are going to have to come up with a 6 hour energy drink, 5 just ain't going to cut it. #Rafa/Djokovic

— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) January 29, 2012

Apparently I missed an unbelievable tennis match today! Was busy making birdies, bogeys and others!! Need to limit mistakes at the weekend!

— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) January 27, 2012

Lost in the desert
Donald also had some free time to do a photo shoot in the middle of nowhere. Literally.

Headed out to the middle of the desert yesterday for a photo shoot. Amazing views! twitpic.com/8bhbag

— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) January 25, 2012

Took John ages to find those balls....

— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) January 25, 2012

Rockin' the hat?
Robert Rock has yet to wear a hat while he plays, but that may change.

Report: Titleist offers Robert Rock 1 million a year for three years to put Titleist logo on his forehead.

— John Peterson (@JohnPetersonLSU) January 30, 2012

Donald was thinking the same thing we were.

No hat deal for Rock yet? Maybe he has a hair deal in place instead. #tresemme? #Head&Shoulders?

— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) January 29, 2012

Mickelson puts Southern California home on the market for $7 million

With his missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in the past, Mickelson is now focusing on the future. According to Market Watch, he and his wife, Amy, have recently put their luxurious Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., estate [right] on the market for $7.095 million.

"Simply put, this is one of the finest and most private estates you'll find -- anywhere," said Susan Bartow, listing agent for the Mickelsons. "The materials used and craftsman who built this incredible estate are second to none."

The 9,500 square foot, five-bedroom, Tuscan-style home sits on 4.88 acres and comes with two guest villas. The estate includes lavish landscaping, a swimming pool, and its very own putting green. 

Graeme McDowell's luck of the Irish

In Sunday's final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Graeme McDowell hit two memorable shots. His first was a beautiful hole-in-one on the 12th hole par 3. But his next shot on 18 wasn't as glamorous. Jonathan Wall at Yahoo! Sports has the story:

After knocking his second into a bunker short of the 18th green, McDowell caught his approach shot thin and half expected it to end up in the grandstands behind the green. But instead of ending up with an incredibly difficult fourth shot, McDowell's ball ricocheted off the grandstand and rolled back to within a couple feet of the cup.

McDowell made the birdie and finished the tournament with a tie for third. 

Finally, a great lie for the Donald

According to The [Newark] Star-Ledger, Donald Trump plans to seek New Jersey state approval in order to build a burial ground next to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. 

The 1.5-acre site would become the exclusive final resting place for wealthy club members who pay as much as $300,000 in membership fees. And a section of the lush plot would be carved out for Trump and his next of kin, said Ed Russo, a Trump consultant.

"It’s a very personal decision, but he’s considering it," Russo said. "This is really about members, but we do plan to set something aside for Mr. Trump and his family."

Tweet of the Day

[Photo of Mickelson house from Prudential Realty]

Robert Garrigus was nowhere near the scene of the accident when presumed Farmers Insurance Open champion Kyle Stanley [right] triple-bogeyed the 18th hole at Torrey Pines South on Sunday to fall into a playoff with Brandt Snedeker. (Not surprisingly, Snedeker won on the second extra hole.)

Garrigus, who triple-bogeyed the last hole to fall into a playoff he would eventually lose at Memphis in 2010, had struggled on Torrey's poa annua greens and bogeyed his last two holes to miss the cut at the Farmers, so he was back home in Scottsdale, Ariz., watching the back nine at Torrey on TV. 

"I left to go get a massage at 3:30 or 4 o'clock," he said by phone Sunday night. "I saw Kyle make a five-footer on 15 for par. I thought it was a lock; Brandt made bogey on 17. It was a four-shot lead with three holes to play."

Alas, just as Garrigus had buckled under the pressure of trying to win his first tournament in 2010, the enormity of what the winless Stanley was about to accomplish seemed to hit him all at once. He spun a wedge off the green and into the water, hit his fifth shot on the green and three-putted. 

"I saw what happened and thought, 'I'm one of the only guys in the United States who can relate to how he feels,' because I've been there and it's brutal," Garrigus said. "He'll win. It's not the end of the world, but it sure feels like it at the time."

Garrigus won at Disney at the end of 2010 and dedicated the victory to Tony Kornheiser, the co-host of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, who had suggested fans might never hear from Garrigus again.

"He didn't know what he was saying," Garrigus said. "I got some good pub out of it. It was a lot of fun."

Similarly, he believes the first win for the shell-shocked Stanley might not be far off.

"I wish I had his number because I would call him," said Garrigus, who tied for third at the U.S. Open last summer and will make his first Masters start in April. "I'm sure I'll see him soon. I'll tell him, 'You've got to get there to blow it.' That's what Chris DiMarco said to me: 'You've got to get there to blow it, and you'll be there again. Don't worry about it. It's just golf.'"

(Photo: Kohjiro Kinno/SI)

Kuchar's Hot Run
Not only is there a debate about who's No. 1 in the world, there's also a debate on who's the top American player. A strong candidate? Matt Kuchar. Kuchar led the PGA Tour in top-10 finishes last year, and he is continuing his great play in 2011. Kuchar has four top 10s in five starts, including a win in the consolation match last week at the match play.

So it's no surprise to see Kuchar in the mix this week at the notoriously tough PGA National. Kuchar, the 2002 Honda champion, sits five shots off the lead, but there are only six players between him and leader Kyle Stanley.

Kuchar is hitting a lot of fairways (21 for 27), and he is tied for fourth in greens in regulation. But so far Kuchar's putter hasn't caught fire. He needed 29 putts on Thursday and 30 on Friday. The bunkers haven't been kind to him, either. Kuchar is a dismal 2 for 7 out of the sand this week.

Rookie Watch
It's always fun to see how a rookie handles the spotlight, and Kyle Stanley has quite a test ahead of him this weekend. Stanley leads Rory Sabbatini by one stroke after two rounds at one of the toughest events outside of the majors. If the tough golf course and howling winds weren't enough, Stanley will have veterans such as Lee Westwood, Y.E. Yang, Matt Kuchar and Jerry Kelly chasing after him in the third round. Oh, and of course there's that little invite to Augusta if he happens to win.

"I'm sure it will cross my mind a little bit," Stanley said. "So I'm sure I'll learn a lot about how I'll handle it."

Fortunately for Stanley, he's off to a good start in his rookie season. He made the cut in all five starts, and Stanley is coming off his best finish so far -- a T13 at Mayakoba.

(Photo: Wilfredo Lee/AP)

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