Golf's return to the Olympics in Rio is four years off. That's 16 majors away. The Olympic golf course has yet to be built.

Which means it must be time for the NBC family of networks to start their deluge of promotional material. In a press release issued Monday, The Golf Channel rolled out its first round of 30-second video spots for a series entitled "Golf's Return to the Olympics." Be prepared for more:

"In media, there is nothing as powerful as the Olympic Games and Golf Channel plans to follow the most compelling storylines as golf returns to the Olympics in 2016,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley. “We'll tell the stories about which golfers will represent their countries and who will have to stay home. We'll cover the construction of the Olympic golf course in Rio and the profound, positive effect that the Olympics will have on golf’s global growth."

Golf Channel is joining other networks in the NBCUniversal family promoting the London Olympics, while also looking forward to the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when golf will return after a 112-year absence. Golf was last an Olympic sport at the 1904 Games in St. Louis. The vignettes also will air on NBC Sports Network.

So far, videos include American's Keegan Bradley and Paula Creamer, Spaniard Belen Mozo, and South African Trevor Immelman. They're half-interview, half sales-pitch, set to alternating mystical or motivational back tracks. For their part, the athletes interviewed say they're excited. So is NBC. See for yourself below.

Freddie's Back at It
It's a shame every time Fred Couples does something great on the golf course he has to be asked about his back. With temperatures expected to only be in the high 50s, and Couples saying he's going to try something "pretty drastic" next week to help ease his back pain, it looks like he will be battling more than the golf course and a long list of challengers this weekend.

But after his bogey-free 66 on Friday, Couples easily brushed aside the back questions with his laid-back demeanor that's become his trademark.

"I can play this course blindfolded," Couples said. "It doesn't mean I'm going to shoot a good round, but I've played here 29 years, pro-ams, practice rounds, haven't missed many cuts, so I've got 150 rounds on this thing, so it's an advantage for me. But you know, I did play well, and my back feels pretty good."

Bombs Away
With a list of past champions such as Nick Faldo, Corey Pavin, Mike Weir and Steve Stricker, Riviera has never been described as a bomber's paradise. Not so fast, says J.B. Holmes. Holmes, who is averaging more than 318 yards off the tee this week, would be tied for the lead if not for a sloppy double bogey on 18 Friday.

Despite the gaffe, Holmes is only two shots behind Couples and likes his chances this weekend on a course that's known for putting a premium on accuracy and angles.

"I really like this golf course," Holmes said. "I don't see it as much precision as everybody else says they do. There's not a whole lot of rough, and the fairways are fairly big. The greens are -- you've got to hit it to the right spot on the greens, but you've got to do that on every golf course."

Coming off a T5 in Phoenix and a T13 at Pebble Beach, Holmes says his swing is fine, but he needs to stay mentally focused for the final 36 holes.

"I can hit all the shots, so I'm trying to get where I need to be to compete out here between the ears," Holmes said.

Immelman's Comeback
If trying to rebound from a 2009 wrist surgery wasn't enough, Trevor Immelman nearly withdrew from the Northern Trust Open on Thursday after spending the night battling food poisoning. Immelman told Reuters, "From about 10 o'clock [Wednesday] , I was throwing up all night long. I didn't get much sleep. My alarm went off at five and I took some medication to try and slow things down."

The 2008 Masters champion held it together to shoot a 1-under 70 in the first round. Then with rain falling late on Friday afternoon, Immelman made four birdies on the back nine to shoot a 4-under 67, finishing three shots behind Couples.

Immelman, who has fallen to No. 294 in the world, is seeking his first top 10 since 2008.

(Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

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The least publicized Masters champion in recent times has to be Trevor Immelman, the pleasant but soft-spoken South African. Immelman hasn't been in the spotlight much since his Masters win, and Helen Ross of PGATour.com explains why.

Yes, Trevor Immelman missed the cut at TPC Scottsdale. But the former Masters champion had spent the bulk of the last four months recovering from surgery on his left wrist so the mere act of competing was huge.

"I feel like there might be a bit of a tough period here to begin but I feel like it's just going to be part of the process for me to get to where I feel like I should be," Immelman said. "... It's frustrating. I'm definitely the type of personality who wants it all to happen yesterday. ..."

Immelman, who will compete again this week at The Honda Classic, had the surgery on Oct. 22. He was in a cast for three weeks. He was able to start putting just before the Christmas holidays and hitting pitch shots after the New Year. He didn't play nine holes until a month ago.

In the latest of Tiger Woods sponsor changes, Golf Digest has suspended publication of Woods's instruction column. USA Today reported that the golf publication released the following statement.

Golf Digest has had a long-standing relationship with Tiger Woods to provide instruction articles for the magazine, and we do not have any plans to change that.  We respect Tiger's decision to take a break from professional golf and focus on his family; Tiger's bylined instruction articles will not be published in Golf Digest during his time away from the game.

It's unclear whether Woods will be payed during the break, but the New York Post reported his name would remain on the magazine's masthead as a Playing Editor.

Michael Jackson's death brought down Twitter yesterday, so we did a little digging to see if any of the golf world's avid Tweeters had anything to say about his passing. Almost as soon as the news broke, several players posted their thoughts and reactions. A sampling is below.

Stewart Cink: My favorite Michael Jackson moment came when @lisacink and her five best friends did the whole Thriller dance at our benefit party in March.

Suzann Pettersen: It is hard to pick one favorite song from the king of pop. just so many good ones... love em all. This is surreal!

Trevor Immelman: Man, real sad news about MJ. He was a true legend. Thriller album still stands as one of the best ever.

Annika Sorenstam: SAD day. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. Hope the two global icons rest in peace. Thoughts with their families.

Yani Tseng: Michael Jackson died?! Awwww,that is saaaaad and im shocked !!!

Michelle Wie: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett passed away today?!?!??!?!?! what a sadddd sadd day. may you both rest in peace.

Morgan Pressel: I guess everyone else just found out too...Michael Jackson died?? Not quite sure why I'm so shocked but I am...

Ian Poulter: tragic news about Michael Jackson, what a pop legend. such a shame to see him pass so early. may you rest in peace Michael.

Christina Kim: R.I.P. Michael Jackson. You were a musical icon, a genius in your own right. You inspired millions and changed the world. Youl be missed.

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You'll hear a lot next week about the many Tour pros that call Orlando home (Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman) as the locals play in the Tavistock Cup, which pits Isleworth Country Club against neighboring Lake Nona Country Club. It's easy to understand why Tour pros like Orlando (no state income tax, nice weather, good transportation, private gated communities for the super-wealthy, no state income tax), but the smart guys are in Scottsdale, Ariz. Whisper Rock club members (Geoff Ogilvy, Paul Casey and Aaron Baddeley) would probably welcome a shot at the Tavistock Cup winner. Phil Mickelson's a Whisper Rock member too, though he now call Rancho Sante Fe -- north of San Diego -- home.***

Having spent time in both Orlando and Scottsdale this winter, I can say without question that if I were a wealthy tour pro, Best Buy would be delivering my 103-inch plasma TVs to Scottsdale. Orlando is a great place, if you're a 10-year-old, but Scottsdale has nicer restaurants, better nightlife and a much higher concentration of beautiful women. It's really one of the country's hot-chick meccas, along with Miami, Los Angeles and certain areas of Manhattan. Don't believe me? Just ask Paul Casey, who explained his own move to Scottsdale from the UK -- a hot chick dead zone if there ever was one -- at a news conference Wednesday.

I felt very lucky to eventually end up at [Arizona State University], which is a long story, which we won't get into. But there were a few friends of mine who had played college golf. One of them said that Scottsdale was the greatest place he had ever been, which eventually I got the chance to visit it; I could see why, for the golf, the weather and all of the other assets. (Laughter) What? I said assets.

***The Rancho Sante Fe-Del Mar region of Southern California, where Phil lives, is one of the nicest places I've ever seen, but Phil pays a premium to live there. California's state income tax for earnings of more than $40,346 is 9.3 percent. Arizona residents are taxed 5.03 percent on income of more than $150,000.

When does a mental-game coach become a just-mental coach?

About the time he attaches great significance to a Nike commercial.

Sports psychologist Bob Rotella doesn't like the recent Nike commercial which shows Anthony Kim, Trevor Immelman, Stewart Cink and Justin Leonard laughing and feeling good about their recent success until they're silenced by an all-business Tiger Woods returning to the locker room after his injury layoff, according to the Florida Sun-Sentinel. (If you've recently been released from Biosphere 2 and haven't seen the commerical, you can watch it here.)

This came through when that Nike commercial aired last week trumpeting Tiger Woods' return at the Accenture Match Play Championship. It's the one where the song "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" plays over a message in which Woods' competitors acknowledge that the fun and games they're having are over now that Woods is back.

"Hated it," Rotella said. "One of the worst commercials I've ever seen in my life."

Rotella means no offense to Woods, but he was repulsed by the fact competitors would willingly put themselves in such deferential positions, even if it was meant to be funny. This is the coach in him reacting, the jock in him recoiling.

C'mon, Bob, the commercial is funny, and Nike was smart to leverage Woods to make a commercial about its other, lesser-known stars. (Woods appears in the ad for just a few seconds -- the ad is really about AK, Cink, Immelman and Leonard.) It's also a stretch to say that appearing in this ad amounts to surrender. The self-parodying athlete has been a cliche since David Ortiz wore a Yankees cap in an ESPN conference room for the network's groundbreaking "This is Sports Center" commercials.

At least AK has the right idea. Here's how he responded to Rotella's criticism Tuesday at Doral:

Q. Bob Rotella commented after the advertisement ran, which almost everybody enjoyed, about Tiger walking in the locker room, that sort of a thing, that it was not a bright thing for you guys to do and that you are all afraid of Tiger Woods. That was a pretty strong comment for him to make. What do you think about that?
ANTHONY KIM: I didn't even hear about it.

Q. He sort of said, it's like you guys are giving him ammunition, saying you are all afraid of him.
ANTHONY KIM: Well, I have a sense of humor, so ... (laughter).

With four victories including a U.S. Open title for the ages, can anyone catch Tiger Woods for Player of the Year?  Some say the competition is over, that winning a U.S. Open on one leg is an achievement that can't be topped.

But what if Trevor Immelman adds a PGA Championship to the green jacket he won in April? Or if Padraig Harrington, playing loose and free after winning the claret jug, nabs the Wanamaker Trophy at the PGA?

Or what if Anthony Kim, after two huge wins on the PGA Tour, breaks through for his first major and then sinks the winning putt in the Ryder Cup?

Lots of ifs, to be sure, but it will be interesting to see how Woods's peers vote if Immelman, Harrington or Kim breaks through this week.

Speaking of Kim, no golfer with two good legs has been written about more in the last few  months.

Hank Gola of the New York Daily News wrote about Kim on Saturday. "Almost no one has made the kind of transformation Kim has made in one year, from the cocky rookie who just talked a big game to the confident player who will be among this week's favorites."

Trevor Immelman figured that his golf swing would come back, just as soon as he learned how to say no.

After winning the Masters in April, he embarked on a whirlwind of off-the-course commitments. He then missed two cuts, withdrew from the Players Championship with a stomach ailment, and finished tied for 30^th at the Memorial before finding himself in contention at the Stanford St. Jude Championship last weekend. He birdied the last three holes to get into a playoff with Justin Leonard and Robert Allenby before Leonard won on the second extra hole.

“This year has been a crazy time,” Immelman said. “A lot of things I’ve had to learn to deal with that I wasn’t used to. The last couple of weeks, I’ve started to feel comfortable, and I felt like it’s coming back.”

Has it come back enough for him to contend at a toughed-up Torrey Pines in the U.S. Open? “Somebody is going to win, you know?” Immelman said.

**UPDATE: Trevor Immelman withdrew from the Players with an illness on Thursday morning.**

It's not quite old news that Trevor Immelman won the Masters, but it has been almost a month. After his obligatory and pretty funny appearance on Letterman reading the top-10 list, Trev has kept a low profile. That would be on account of not playing so well. He missed the cut at the Nelson and Wachovia. That's your classic Masters hangover effect.

Immelman admitted Wednesday that yes, he's looking forward to two weeks off after this week so he can go home and decompress. Of course, he can't even get away from the Masters there. He's getting 30 or 40 Masters flags to sign at his house every day in the mail.

"It's been real interesting because after I won, it was going from such a huge high to coming down and then having to deal with everything," Immelman said in a scheduled press conference. "I had no clue what to expect, and then going out to play and not being focused. My game has kind of gone sideways since then, so that's been a little disappointing."

Immelman said he probably won't get back home to South Africa until the end of the year when he'll play in the Nedbank Challenge. He's also gotten tips on how to deal with his sudden fame from major winners such as Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Geoff Ogilvy, and from Sergio Garcia, who hasn't won a major yet, but who has done a number of TV commercials.

One thing  Immelman mentioned -- and most of the other players repeated  -- is that the greens at the Stadium Course are firm and fast. So firm, in fact, that it's almost scary. "I don't anticipate the scores being too good, to be honest," Immelman said.

(Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)