After spending much of Ryder Cup week announcing in the first-person plural, Colin Montgomerie had more to say in a Wednesday column published in The Telegraph.

Monty, a 2014 hopeful for the European captaincy, dispensed more of his bountiful knowledge to future American counterparts. Specifically, after watching Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson pair like they were playing in a country club Father-Son outing, Monty thinks Tiger Woods needs a youngin' of his own:

"It is time for Woods to be entrusted to take a young player under his wing," Monty wrote. "It’s a two-way thing, as Mickelson and Bradley showed. In fact, Mickelson was the big-winner in that pairing as Bradley really fired him on to produce his best. I see a Rickie Fowler type doing the same for Tiger."

There you have it. The Ryder Cup swami has spoken. Next time, bring on Rickie Woods and Keegan Mickelson. Sorry, Strick.

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.

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- Rickie Fowler seems to be everywhere you look these days: in TV ads, on magazine covers, in goofy YouTube videos ... even swigging magnums of champagne during the third round of the 141st Open Championship.

OK, slight clarification on that last item. It wasn’t Fowler himself in the bustling Bollinger's tent on a balmy Saturday afternoon at Royal Lytham, but a posse of newspaper and advertising executives who looked just like him. 

Or sort of like him. 

Or … well, see for yourself:

There were 14 copycats in all, resplendent in their bright orange polos, flat-brimmed Puma caps, and 80s-rocker wigs. You couldn’t miss them, and neither could Fowler. On the 16th hole Saturday, he spotted his groupies and responded with a quick tip of his cap. (Fowler shot his best round of the week, an even-par 70, and is tied for 43rd.)

Marcus Hall, a 40-year-old media planner at MediaCom, said his group has been coming to the Open for 12 years, mimicking a different player's style at each event. Last year, at Royal St. George’s, it was Ian Poulter (Union Jack trousers). Another year, they paid homage to Nick Faldo.

“We wore sh---y diamond sweaters,” Hall said.

The most animated reaction they’ve received from a pro came from -- who else? --- Miguel Angel Jimenez, whom the group honored by donning big, bushy ponytails at Hoylake in 2006. The Spaniard approached the men, all smiles, then grabbed his ponytail and playfully flipped it in the air.

At some Opens, the group has gone a step farther, serenading their player du jour with an original hymn. Like their outfits, though, some songs have been more successful than others. Here's a rendition of one of their more memorable numbers, the hauntingly beautiful Ode to the Mechanic.

Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, it’s hard to deny the Tiger Effect on a golf tournament. The faithful and the cynics flocked together in throngs to CBS’s broadcast to watch Woods play the final round at Congressional Sunday. That drove the ratings through the roof, according to John Ourand at Sports Business Journal:

The Tiger Effect: CBS delivered a 4.6 overnight for the AT&T National, up +188% from last year's tournament, which was won by Nick Watney.

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) July 2, 2012

With numbers like that, the networks are probably fine letting the internet argue over just how “back” Tiger is. As long as he’s there on the weekend.

Greenbrier cleans up after storm damage
The Greenbrier will be somewhat less green, but this week's PGA Tour stop should continue on schedule despite storm damage over the weekend, according to PGATOUR.com. The storm smashed "70 to 80 trees" across the Old White Course, said Jim Justice, the chairman and owner of the resort.

"The Greenbrier Classic 2012 will start on schedule this Monday and go off without a hitch," continued Justice. "It's really special to see how everyone has come together over the past 48 hours. While we have a golf tournament to put on, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the widespread damage and power outages the storms have caused throughout the Virginia's and our beautiful region. We hope that The Greenbrier Classic can help serve as a positive diversion during these difficult times."

Justice is right, though: Golf tournaments -- particularly ones held at exceedingly rural, five-star resorts -- rarely bump up against real world problems. But a good walk in a green field can be a nice distraction when they do.

And if the golf isn't diversion enough, hopefully Virginia can drum up enough power to juice the Bon Jovi concert scheduled to go off on Saturday. Or for Rod Stewart on Friday, or for Tobey Keith and Lionel Ritchie Wednesday… Wait, is this a golf tournament, anyway?

Portrush makes case for Open Championship as Irish Open host
The Royal and Ancients haven't brought an Open championship to Northern Ireland since 1951, but after last week's Irish Open at Royal Portrush, many are clamoring to end the surprising streak. Most reports said the event went off without a hitch, and called the audition a resounding success. As Golfweek's Alistair Tait writes:

This Irish Open proved Royal Portrush deserves to have the Open Championship. The tournament was a sell-out before play teed off, and fans came out in their thousands despite incessant rain and cold temperatures. Attendance for the week was 130,785, beating last year's 85,179 by the proverbial country mile…

… This felt like an Open Championship. The event ran without a hitch, and was a fantastic test run for a future Open. The first available slot for the game's oldest tournament is 2017. The R&A should seriously consider Royal Portrush again. The course deserves it, the fans will support it and it would be a fantastic Open venue.

If that didn't convince you, maybe the perspective from a comfortably seated spectator 3,000ish miles away will: It looked good on TV.

X-Wedge
Rickie Fowler is determined to be the coolest golfer in the world. Or, Red Bull is determined to make Rickie Fowler the coolest golfer in the world. He's no stranger to Urban Hole-in-Ones, or playing horse with drivers in Downtown Atlanta. The latest example took place at the X-Games in L.A. and, well, just watch the video:

Still, we're not sure that was the most extreme shot of the weekend. Because on Sunday, Tiger did this:

Tweet of the Day

Reading through Tiger's transcript from last night. Interpreting here, but believe he WANTED to say to media, "Nyah, nyah, nyah, ynah."

— Steve Elling (@@EllingYelling) July 2, 2012

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. Webb Simpson (127, 7, 1) - Last three finishes: T29, Travelers Championship; 1, U.S. Open Championship; MC, Memorial Tournament
- Official World Golf Ranking: 5

2. Jason Dufner (126, 4, 2) - Last three finishes: T4, U.S. Open Championship; 2, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; 1, HP Byron Nelson Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 8

3. Lee Westwood (115, 2, 3) - Last three finishes: T10, U.S. Open; 1, Nordea Masters; T33 BMW PGA Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 3

4. Tiger Woods (97, 1, 4) - Last three finishes: T21, U.S. Open; 1, Memorial Tournament; T40, Players Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 4

5. Matt Kuchar (62, 0, 6) - Last three finishes: T8, Travelers Championship; T27, U.S. Open; T26, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
-Official World Golf Ranking: 7

6. Luke Donald (60, 0, 5) - Last three finishes: MC, U.S. Open; 12, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; 1, BMW PGA Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 1

7. Rory McIlroy (54, 1, 7)  - Last three finishes: MC, U.S. Open; T7, FedEx St. Jude Classic; MC, Memorial Tournament
- Official World Golf Ranking: 2

8. Graeme McDowell (35, 0, 8) - Last three finishes: T2, U.S. Open; MC, FedEx St. Jude Classic; MC, BMW PGA Championship
- Official World Ranking: 11

9. Bubba Watson (33, 0, NR) - Last three finishes: T2, Travelers Championship; MC, U.S. Open; MC, Memorial Tournament
- Official World Ranking: 6

10. Rickie Fowler (25, 0, 9) - Last three finishes: T41, U.S. Open; T52, Memorial Tournament; T5, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
- Official World Golf Ranking: 19

Others receiving votes:
Hunter Mahan (23)
Jim Furyk (21)
Dustin Johnson (10)
Padraig Harrington (8)
Justin Rose (6)
Ernie Els (5)
Zach Johnson (5)
Marc Leishman (5)
Branden Grace (4)
Louis Oosthuizen (3)
Phil Mickelson (1)

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:

Webb Simpson expressed his gratitude, and some fellow pros sent their congratulations:

Simpson sent a picture of the 'Jungle Bird' as well:

Amateur Beau Hossler finished tied for 29th at the U.S. Open, but the best thing that happened to him last week might just have been the proposal below:

Father's Day was also a common theme on Sunday:

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. Webb Simpson (133, 7, NR) - Last three finishes: 1, U.S. Open Championship; MC, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; MC, The Players Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 5

2. Jason Dufner (132, 5, 2) - Last three finishes: T4, U.S. Open Championship; 2, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; 1, HP Byron Nelson Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 8

3. Lee Westwood (113, 1, 5) - Last three finishes: T10, U.S. Open Championship; 1, Nordea Masters; T33 BMW PGA Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 3

4. Tiger Woods (98, 0, 3) - Last three finishes: T21, U.S. Open Championship; 1, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; T40, The Players Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 4

5. Luke Donald (64, 1, 1) - Last three finishes: MC, U.S. Open Championship; 12, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; 1, BMW PGA Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 1

6. Matt Kuchar (58, 0, 6) - Last three finishes: T27, U.S. Open Championship; T26, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; T15, HP Byron Nelson Championship
-Official World Golf Ranking: 7

7. Rory McIlroy (53, 1, 4)  - Last three finishes: MC, U.S. Open Championship; T7, FedEx St. Jude Classic; MC, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance
- Official World Golf Ranking: 2

8. Graeme McDowell (45, 0, NR) - Last three finishes: T2, U.S. Open Championship; MC, FedEx St. Jude Classic; MC, BMW PGA Championship
- Official World Ranking: 11

9. Rickie Fowler (26, 0, 7) - Last three finishes: T41, U.S. Open Championship; T52, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; T5, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
- Official World Golf Ranking: 19

10. Jim Furyk (22, 0, NR) - Last three finishes: T4, U.S. Open Championship; T13, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; 4, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
- Official World Golf Ranking: 30

Others receiving votes:
Hunter Mahan (21)
Bubba Watson (18)
Phil Mickelson (9)
Justin Rose (9)
Dustin Johnson (8)
Ernie Els (7)
Zach Johnson (5)
Branden Grace (4)
Padraig Harrington (4)
Louis Oosthuizen (3)

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. Luke Donald (133, 4, 1) - Last three finishes: 12, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; 1, BMW PGA Championship; 6, The Players Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 1

2. Jason Dufner (124, 5, 2) - Last three finishes: 2, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; 1, HP Byron Nelson Championship; T68 The Players Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 9

3. Tiger Woods (114, 3, 3) - Last three finishes: 1, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; T40, The Players Championship; MC, Wells Fargo Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 4

4. Rory McIlroy (78, 2, 6)  - Last three finishes: T7, FedEx St. Jude Classic; MC, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; MC, BMW PGA Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 2

5. Lee Westwood (76, 1, 10) - Last three finishes: 1, Nordea Masters; T33 BMW PGA Championship; T61, The Players Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 3

6. Matt Kuchar (56, 0, 4) - Last three finishes: T26, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; T15, HP Byron Nelson Championship; 1, The Players Championship
-Official World Golf Ranking: 6

7. Rickie Fowler (55, 0, 5) - Last three finishes: T52, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; T5, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; T2, The Players Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 20

8. Dustin Johnson (40, 0, NR) - Last three finishes: 1, FedEx St. Jude Classic; T19, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; T35, WGC - Cadillac Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 10

9. Zach Johnson (37, 0, 8) - Last three finishes: MC, FedEx St. Jude Classic; 1, Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial; T2, The Players Championship
- Official World Golf Ranking: 18

10. Bubba Watson (37, 0, 7) - Last three finishes: MC, Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance; T18, Zurich Classic of New Orleans; 1, Masters
- Official World Golf Ranking: 5

Others receiving votes:
Hunter Mahan (32)
Phil Mickelson (19)
Justin Rose (17)
Louis Oosthuizen (4)
Jim Furyk (1)
Branden Grace (1)
Padraig Harrington (1)

He hasn't won a major in four years, but Tiger Woods is the Las Vegas favorite to win this year's U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, just like he was at Pebble Beach in 2010, the last U.S. Open he was healthy enough to play. And he'll probably be favored at the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion too, no matter what he does this year.

"We're not going to overvalue Tiger," said Chuck Esposito, race and sportsbook director at Sunset Station in Henderson, Nev. "You'll always have money on him, and he'll continue to be the favorite. You don't see anyone else on the horizon who generates such interest."

Woods's odds to win the U.S. Open are 3-to-1* -- meaning a $1 bet on Woods to win pays out $3. No other player has single-digit odds. His win at the Memorial two weeks ago drove those odds down, Esposito said, but Woods still would have been the clear favorite. He said the situation is similar to the Masters, where Woods's win at Bay Hill drove gamblers' interest in the event up and Woods's odds down. (Woods finished T40 at the Masters.)

"It's fun for us when he gets hot at the right time," Esposito said.

Fun and profitable. Esposito said that he expects the total amount wagered on the U.S. Open in Nevada to be in the mid-to-high six figures, and he credits Woods with creating that interest.

"It's similar to LeBron," he said. "Whether you're for Tiger or against him, you're going to tune in to what he does."

The only way Woods wouldn't be the favorite is for someone like Rory McIlroy to start winning majors like Woods used to. "McIlroy would need to dominate and win two, three or even four majors" to replace Woods as the favorite at a major, Esposito said. A tall order. McIlroy missed three straight cuts before finishing T7 at last week's FedEx St. Jude Classic. Woods has missed eight cuts in his entire career as a professional.

After Woods, it's wide open on the board, Esposito said, adding that there have been 14 different winners in the last 14 majors. The next favorites are Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and a surprising Rickie Fowler, all listed between 10- and 14-to-1. Esposito said Fowler would have been 80- or even 100-to-1 to win the U.S. Open earlier this season, before his win at Quail Hollow and strong showing in the Players Championship. Zach Johnson is also a hot pick, seeing his odds drop from 80- to 100-to-1 to 35-to-1.

After the Mickelson/McIlroy/Fowler group, Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Jason Dufner and Matt Kuchar are in the 15- to 20-to-1 range, according to Esposito, and Masters champion Bubba Watson is in the 22-to-1 range with Hunter Mahan and Adam Scott.

Sunset Station sportsbook odds on U.S. Open (subject to change):

Tiger Woods: 3 to 1

Phil Mickelson: 10 to 1

Rory McIlroy: 10 to 1

Rickie Fowler: 12 to 1

Jason Dufner: 12 to 1

Lee Westwood: 14 to 1

Luke Donald: 15 to 1

Matt Kuchar: 18 to 1

Zach Johnson: 35 to 1

*Story updated June 11 to reflect more recent odds on Tiger Woods