One last road trip for 2011 ...
Everyone wants to be home for the holidays, but not everyone can be. David Feherty (@Fehertwit) had a great reason to pack his bags this week.

Breakfast of champions
After winning the Australian Masters, Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) sat down to a traditional English breakfast and a little something to read. 

... meanwhile, back in the United States, Stewart Cink (@stewartcink) was doing the work he hopes will lead to a breakfast like Poulter's in 2012.

Batter up
It may not be baseball season here in America, but down in Venezuela, Jhonattan Vegas's (@JhonattanVegas) homeland, baseball is in full bloom. The winner of the 2011 Bob Hope Classic got a chance to show off his arm this week.

Whatever makes you happy
Last week it was a Pink Panther hat that made Paula Creamer (@PCreamer) smile. This week, it's a soda.

Boys and their toys
Robert Garrigus may like tiny putters, but he seems to have a thing for monsterously-big pickup trucks. In this message he says a new truck is on the way -- but his current beast doesn't look like it's been off-road too often.

Priase for Donald
When Luke Donald locked up the European Tour's money title on the heels of winning the PGA Tour's money title a few weeks ago, congratulatory notes poured in from all over the world.

Never forgetting where they came from
If you win a major championship, it's likely you won't need to clip coupons again, but pros still love getting free stuff. Even little things make them happy. 

Bad pants never die ...
These days, you need to be careful when critiquing others, because any skeletons in your closet will surely come out.

Meow
In more fashion news, Paul Creamer was presented with a hat last week.

Special Delivery
Before the start of the Solheim Cup last week, Suzann Pettersen (@suzannpettersen) and Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) showed how they were putting their faces on the event.

Azinger still believes in Tiger
In an interview with Golf Magazine, Greg Norman said he thinks Tiger Woods will not win another major championship. Paul Azinger (@PaulAzinger) clearly disagrees.

Woods and Westy banter on footwear
Since he was not playing in the Tour Championship last week at East Lake, Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) had a chance to be filmed wearing his prototype Nike footwear. Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) couldn't resist needling the former top-ranked player ... who surprisingly answered Westwood's wit with some of his own!

Basking in the glow
Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter), another player who didn't qualify for the Tour Championship, took his family on a vacation to the Bahamas last weekend. It didn't appear he was too heartbroken about not being in Atlanta.

Let him rephrase that
Stewart Cink (@stewartcink) loves his barbecue and last week helped the Women's Club of Sugarloaf prepare for a charity cookoff. Apparently there was an awkward moment during a meeting.

Faldo's instant course
Nick Faldo (@TheSirNickFaldo) spent most of last week in Vietnam and shared many of the sights with his followers on Twitter, including these before-and-after photos that show the work his golf course design company had done.

Reactions to Haas's amazing shot
It seems like golfer writers aren't the only ones who watch tournaments and tweet. After Bill Haas pitched his ball from the lake on the 17th hole to within three feet in his playoff against Hunter Mahan, golf tweeters started typing.

Golf's original king of Twitter, Stewart Cink (@stewartcink), did not qualify for last week's BMW Championship, but he still picked up a trophy.

Cink also enjoyed a night out on the town with his wife, Lisa (@lisacink), who clearly wasn't going miss a bite of her dinner.

Luke is no fan of the Golden Dome...
Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) did compete in the BMW Championship, but the Chicago resident was not too pleased when he learned that because NBC planned to show a football game Saturday afternoon, he'd have an early-morning tee time.

... and his wife is no fan of the peacock.
His wife, Diane (@DianeDonald), also took exception to NBC's decision to cut away from the action in order to show the start of Notre Dame's football game against Michigan State.

Welcome to flying commercial
Fans assume that rich tour pros all fly on private planes, but plenty of golfers use commercial airlines. And that means headaches like the one Henrik Stenson (@henrikstenson) had to deal with last week.

Team bonding
Darren Clarke (@Theprincedc) enjoyed a big seafood dinner with his Vivendi Seve Trophy teammates last week, including his pal Ian Poulter (@ianjamespoulter). While the 2011 British Open champ couldn't help mentioning that Poulter soiled his shirt, Poulter was more fixated on the tasty looking chow.

She hopes it's spam
Before she arrived in Alabama for last week's Navistar LPGA Classic, Paige Mackenzie (@Paige_Mackenzie) got a disturbing message.

All in a day's work for Rory
Computers, high-speed cameras and other gizmos can help today's pros break down their swings in ways that would make Buck Rogers jealous. Last week, when he wasn't battling with Lee Westwood on Twitter, Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) got hooked up to the machines and shared a photo of the experience with his followers. Craig Connelly (@theweeman77), Paul Casey's caddie who is known on tour as Wee Man, couldn't help needling the U.S. Open champ.

If anyone has seen the best of Tiger Woods, it's Rocco Mediate. Their showdown at the 2008 U.S. Open was one of the most memorable in the history of the Tour, and, as of right now, stands as the last great moment for Woods. Even though he was on the losing end of that story, Rocco has always been a huge Tiger fan, and according to Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle, Mediate sympathizes for the former world No. 1. Oh, and of course he has some thoughts on what Woods is doing wrong.

"I love the way he plays, but I'm disgusted with what's going on with him because it's sad for our game," Mediate said Tuesday from Pittsburgh, where he will play in this week's Nationwide Tour event. "A lot of guys are happy Tiger isn't playing well. I'm not.

Rocco also has some advice for Tiger, and it doesn't reflect well on his former swing coach.

"The physical motion is wrong," Mediate said. "To get that stress off his body is a piece of cake - the guys working with him just don't know. Sean knows some stuff, but what's going on with Tiger is not correct. That's why he keeps breaking and that's why the ball keeps going sideways."

Mediate also took a none-too-subtle swipe at Woods's current and former swing coaches.

"Starting with Haney until now, it was a complete and absolute destruction," he said. "If it was me (as Woods' instructor), I would say to Tiger, 'Look, dude, I'm not helping you. You're getting worse. You've broken down three times and you've had 57 knee surgeries. It's not happening.'"

When trying to get some insight on Tiger, it's always good to hear from guys like Rocco who actually know him (and his game) pretty well, but I think Sean Foley and Hank Haney may take a bit of exception with having their coaching methods questioned by the No. 339 player in the world.

Bradley Sweats First Pitch

Keegan Bradley may have displayed nerves of steel while winning the PGA Championship in a pressure-packed playoff, but he has been very open about another knee-buckling athletic performance: Throwing out the first pitch at Fenway Park last night, before his beloved Red Sox took on the Yankees.

According to Waggle Room's Emily Kay, Bradley has been sweating his day on the mound all week.

Indeed, Bradley grew increasing anxious about his turn on the Fenway Park mound to throw out the first pitch before a three-game series between the BoSox and their arch rivals, the New York Yankees. After all, he said in a Twitter blast on Monday, he had no desire to become a member of the first-pitch Hall of Shame.

"Every time I think of the first pitch tomorrow I get butterflies and sweaty palms," Bradley tweeted. "Needless to say I'm nervous. #nobababooey"

Howard Stern fans, among whom Bradley counts himself, are well aware that the radio talk show host’s long-time producer threw a ceremonial first pitch before a 2009 New York Mets game that all who saw it believe was "the worst in the history of modern Major League Baseball," according to MLB.com.

So how did Bradley do? You be the judge:

Juuuuust a bit outside.

Tweet of the Day

Does Stewart Cink seem different to you this morning?

Tiger Woods will have to wait even longer to see his first U.S. golf course built because developers of the Cliffs luxury community in Asheville, N.C. are having trouble selling homes, according to Charlotte’s NewsChannel 36. Woods had announced plans to build his first golf course on the site in August 2007. Now, with construction halted, the course won’t be finished until at least late-2013, according to developer Jim Anthony.

Woods and Anthony are partners in High Carolina. Anthony is a successful developer, responsible for eight luxurious Cliffs communities around the world. When we toured the High Carolina site with him this week, he admitted, things are a little off course.

"I'm not a very patient person and certainly we're working to get the construction back up in the summer and move ahead," said Anthony said. "I think frustration is a proper term."

The course with spectacular mountain views is supposed to be surrounded by spectacular, multimillion-dollar homes. We visited the first completed house there with Anthony more than a year ago. It is still the only home built. And of the 1,200 available lots, only three percent have sold.

However, Anthony told NewsChannel 36 that he believes Woods’s brand is still strong.

Anthony says he's forgiven Woods for the affairs that tarnished his image and believes most others have as well.

"The way I look at it is Tiger is still the number one name in golf," Anthony said.

'Out there is the 2010s, at Quail Hollow it’s 1954!'

A Quail Hollow member told Rickie Fowler he needed to turn his cap around because apparently it’s club policy that you can wear a cap but you can’t wear it backwards. Stephanie Wei of WeiUnderPar.com has the details:

With his shirt untucked and hat flipped around, Rickie Fowler had just finished working out in the fitness trailer at Quail Hollow on Wednesday. While he was in the parking lot, a member approached him and informed him of the club’s dress code.

I ran into him near the valet and jokingly called him a trouble-maker. “It happened just right there,” he said. “I was standing right there with a group of caddies and some players.”

As the 22-year-old relayed the story, he tried to hide his bewilderment by the whole incident.

“[The member] came up to me and said, ‘Our hat policy is the same as Augusta’s. Turn your hat around.’”

Ailsa Craig, famed rock island visible from Turnberry, is for sale

Are you a supervillain looking for a new location for your lair? Today is your lucky day. ForArgyll.com reports that the Ailsa Craig rock island—visible from the second green at Turnberry—is for sale.

Two miles wide and 1,100 feet at its highest point, the island is an RSPB nature reserve with one of the world’s largest colony of gannets, the wonderfully gregarious guillemots, herring gulls, razorbills, kittiwake and the photogenic sardine-eating puffins. It is also the place where world-class curling stones – for Scotland’s national and Olympic sport – are quarried from the island's blue hone granite. The lease for this activity brings in around £26k per annum.

Arguably, Ailsa Craig’s liveliest period in history was the 16th century during the Scottish Reformation when Philip of Spain tried to take it – leading to the building of the defensive castle – and the island became a sanctuary for Roman Catholics.

As its shape suggests, it was formed from the plug of a volcano more than 500 million years ago. It echoes the shape and character of the inshore island of Davaar, at the entrance to Campbeltown Loch, in line of sight.

Ailsa Craig has a Stevenson (Thomas) lighthouse, a ruined castle and four cottages. It has not been inhabited since 1990.

Caddie says Seve’s imagination was greatest ever in game

Caddie Billy Foster now carries Lee Westwood’s bag, but from 1990-1995 he worked for Seve Ballesteros. Golf has never seen a mind like Ballesteros's, Foster told The Telegraph UK.

“I have seen them all, Tiger at his best, Phil [Mickelson], some great champions. But there has never been another like Seve with his imagination.

“Plenty of people have missed fairways, been in the trees. They wouldn’t give it a second thought. Just put another ball down and hit it in the fairway,” Foster said. “Seve would get down on his hands and knees and find that ball. Through pure will he found a way of getting it out. Nine and a half times out of ten he would pull it off. Just amazing.”

Tweet of the Day

Has Stewart Cink, golf's most popular player on Twitter, sold out? You decide.

Aspiring Artists
Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson played a digital game of graffiti tag this week.

Two Ways to Prep For a Major
Stewart Cink lives next to a golf course in Atlanta but chose another Georgia spot for one of his practice sessions this week. Every one of his 1.2 million followers was jealous.

Meanwhile, Lee Westwood, who was home this week getting ready for the Masters, didn't seem as happy about his day ahead.

One of the Guys
Newly married Hunter Mahan made a solid observation while out with his wife, Kandi.

Kostis loves his Cats
Scottsdale resident Peter Kostis lives closer to the campus of Arizona State, but Thursday night he was excited about the University of Arizona's win over Duke. Really excited.

Tiger Woods made his first post-scandal extended media foray last week to promote his new EA Sports video game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour '12: The Masters. He appeared on Good Morning America, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and other shows, but this week Woods is back in the spotlight for his personal life.

RadarOnline and other tabloid outlets are reporting that Woods has a new girlfriend, 22-year-old Alyse Lahti Johnston. RadarOnline's source is "one of Alyse's pals and former classmates."

RadarOnline.com reported the news this weekend that newly single Tiger is dating Alyse. After growing up in Ohio and graduating from Ohio State, Alyse moved last year to the Windermere, Florida estate where her mother and stepfather had relocated. She'd taken a job with a fashion company in nearby Orlando, but hated it, the source says, and didn't stay with the company for long.

Coincidentally, Windermere is home to Tiger Woods, and Alyse's stepdad, who raised her since her early teens, is Alastair Johnston, a member of the board of IMG, the giant sports agency that reps Woods. He's also on the board of several other golf-related businesses.

The New York Post highlights the relationship between Woods and Alastair Johnston, Alyse’s stepfather.

Tiger Woods may have known his newest blond bombshell when she was in grade school.

Alyse Lahti Johnston, 22, is the stepdaughter of Alastair Johnston, the former vice-chairman of sports-management giant IMG, where he was the architect of Woods' $60 million deal with Nike in 1996 -- when Alyse was just 7 years old.

The happy couple has reportedly been together for several weeks.

Johnston introduced his stepdaughter to Woods, 35, according to sports blogger Terez Owens, although it is not clear exactly when.

The pair was spotted last week cruising on Woods' 155-foot yacht, Privacy, which docks in North Palm Beach -- near where Johnston is believed to be seeking an MBA at the Florida campus of Northwood University.

Meanwhile, The Sun (UK) published a quote from Alyse's stepfather that neither confirms nor denies a relationship between his daughter and Woods.

Last night Johnston, who lives in Windermere, a posh suburb of Orlando, Florida, said: "Tiger Woods has been my next door neighbour for 15 years and Alyse has known him all her life.

"They are part of the same crowd that are the same age and go to the gym and out to dinner together.

"Do they spend time together? Yes."

Stewart Cink is victim of Twitter hack
WeiUnderPar’s Stephanie Wei gets to the bottom of an out-of-character tweet from Stewart Cink that went out to his 1.2 million followers.

When I approached Stewart Cink after his round at the Transitions Championship and asked him about the Twitter incident, he looked genuinely confused.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” said Cink. “What did it say? It could have been hacked because I didn’t send any (tweets) by accident.”

As I tried to look it up on my phone, he leaned in to check it out for himself, saying, “You’ve got me interested now.”

I paraphrased the mistweet, “UK took it to WVu today, huggy bear is a drunk!! You see elin’s mansion for 10 million? Wow, expensive tale tiger got!”

Cink, shaking his head, said, “Someone’s hacked me. I’ll have to look into it. Thanks for letting me know.”

The incident didn’t slow the PGA Tour’s most-popular tweeter, and Cink went right back on Twitter to answer questions from fans and talk about his NCAA bracket and a recent Kenny Chesney show:

I did 3 brackets this year. The one on ESPN was ranked 5,500,000 (20th percentile) on day one. Is there a cut? I need to work on my game.

Dan Quayle says golf is valuable downtime for Obama
President Obama got support from an unexpected place last week: former Vice President Dan Quayle on Fox Business News, according to The Hill. Obama has taken some criticism for playing golf last week during the crises in the Middle East and Japan. Quayle, a 7-handicap player, said that Obama should be able to enjoy some recreational time and that golf does not interfere with his duties as president.

"I'm glad he's out playing golf. I happen to be a golfer," Quayle said on the Fox Business Network. "I think presidents deserve down time. And believe me, he is in constant communication with what's going on."

Many Republicans enjoy publicly chiding the president for playing golf amid all the troubles in the world that beguile a commander-in-chief. Golfing is a hobby Obama has enjoyed with some vigor since becoming president, and he frequently golfs on Saturdays when the weather is nice in Washington.

"I mean, what do you want him to do, stay in his house and be on the phone with the ambassador to Japan all the time?" Quayle retorted.

Tweet of the Day:
Tommy Armour III: If you "have to wear" white right now at least wear a winter white!

A Win is a Win
Tiger Woods appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Wednesday to promote the pending release of EA Sports's Tiger Woods PGA Tour '12. Woods, Fallon and Amy Poehler played the par-3 12th at Augusta. Woods won with a bogey.

Man Crush
Before the start of March Madness, Sir Nick Faldo took in his first Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The six-time major winner is good friends with Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim, and sat behind the team's bench during its games.

Beyond the Farmer Tan
Golfer's are know for having interesting tan lines, but Luke Donald's self-inflicted sunburn is especially unique. 

Suiting up to Play
Instead of watching a parade on St. Patrick's Day, Lee Westwood enjoyed a day at the the races during the Cheltenham Festival. In order to watch the horses in proper style, the world's No. 2 player took some inspiration from Ian Poulter.

Drink Up
When it comes to quenching their thirsts, we now know what Stewart Cink's wife, Lisa, doesn't drink and what Tommy Armour does ...

Sweet Ride
Justin Rose took his followers inside the helicopter that shuttled Team Lake Nona to the Tavistock Cup, as Ian Poulter made a bold prediction about what would happend during the day's play.

Related: Follow David Dusek on Twitter | Facebook

Demolition at Doral
The powerful thunderstorms that went through Miami on Thursday morning did a number on the Blue Monster, as the players in the WGC-Cadillac Championship showed their followers on Twitter. Here's what Lee Westwood saw.

Ian Poulter wrote:

Geoff Ogilvy didn't know whether to laugh or cry as the storm hit ...

Nature Lovers
Darren Clarke didn't qualify for the WGC-Cadillac Championship, which gave him a chance to do a little fly fishing for elusive bonefish.

Meanwhile, Stewart Cink was busy competing in the Puerto Rico Open and hoping nothing decided to nibble his golf ball.

Game On!
Zach Johnson won the 2007 Masters and is one of the pros featured in the next version of EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour '12, which features Augusta National Golf Club as one of the courses you can play. He showed his followers some images of what he looks like in the game. (Because the picture is so cool, we'll forgive Zach's typo.)

Remembering Frank Chirkinian
Peter Kostis, a long-time golf analyst on CBS and a contributing writer for Golf Magazine, shared several thoughts about Frank Chirkinian, the innovative executive producer and director for CBS's coverage of the Masters for 38 years, who passed away on March 4.

 
Related: Follow David Dusek on Twitter | Facebook