Rickie Fowler

Rickie Fowler HONOLULU - His Web site boasts "the world is talking about Rickie Fowler." And while the citizens of Uzbekistan might not care about the toned and tanned PGA Tour rookie, the golf world is enamored. Much of that can be traced to Fowler's collegiate and amateur accomplishments - a two-time All-America at Oklahoma State, he went unbeaten in four matches at the 2009 Walker Cup. The rest probably reflects Fowler's subhead look - a giant Puma logo on his black painter's cap - and his novel hobby, by golfers' standards: He digs Motocross and has been riding bikes since before he could read - a book or a putt.

Rij Patel is every golf coach's nightmare. His swing is as unconventional as they come. Rij describes it as "weird" and "bad," and it's enough to make nearby golfers do a double take. But their amusement turns to awe as his contorted clubface finally straightens itself out at the last possible moment before impact. Rij is also every coach's dream. As metal meets ball, one can't help but wonder how such power comes from the Rij's frame - small, even for a 14-year-old. He's mature beyond his years, is intelligent and spends much of his time practicing at Hunt Valley Golf Club, where he and his parents belong.

Rickie Fowler gave himself a chance to be the next youngster to win on the PGA Tour, shooting a 6-under 66 on Friday in Dublin, Ohio, to tie the 36-hole record at the Memorial Tournament and take a three-shot lead. Fowler, 21, ran off three straight birdies late in his round, giving him a good buffer from second-place Justin Rose heading into the weekend at Muirfield Village. Fowler was at 13-under 131. That tied the tournament record set by Scott Hoch in 1987.

Temper the expectations Tom Yantz Hartford Courant It would be easy to say yes after that fabulous flop shot trickled into the 16th cup for birdie that shook the landscape of Ohio. Woods isn't focused on dominating, though. Of course, he'd love to. But his objective is to win. There were encouraging signs at the Memorial, such has leading the field in greens in regulation (53 of 72) and hitting 13 of 14 fairways Sunday. He also displayed great shot-making flair under pressure.

Tiger Woods received one of Corey Pavin's four captain's picks on Tuesday and will play for the United States in this year's Ryder Cup. "I'm part of a team and honored to be part of that team," Woods said. "I always loved playing the Ryder Cup. I've been looking forward to it. I'm honored to be selected. " Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink and Rickie Fowler were Pavin's three other picks to round out the American side, which takes on Europe starting Oct. 1 at Celtic Manor in Wales.

Troy Merritt had strong credentials as a PGA Tour rookie, just not the hype. Even though he set an NCAA record by winning five straight tournaments at Boise State, and last month went wire-to-wire at Q-school to earn his PGA Tour card, he was overlooked Thursday in Hawaii's Sony Open while playing next to 21-year-old Rickie Fowler . If that wasn't enough, the standard-bearer had the wrong name on the sign - Merrick - which wasn't...

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Bubba Watson prepared for the PGA Championship by shooting videos for Twitter, playing basketball with fellow PGA Tour pro Rickie Fowler, riding on scooters with neighborhood kids and eating ice cream. To say he's the anti-pro would be a bit of an understatement. The left-hander rarely practices and never has taken a lesson, purposely hits hooks and slices, welcomes probing questions from reporters ("We can talk all day if y'all want," he offered) and seeks advice from only God and his wife.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — With the PGA Championship over, the U.S. Ryder Cup roster got its first eight members Sunday. Both Anthony Kim and Lucas Glover fell out of the top eight in the point standings, with Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson replacing them thanks to their strong finishes Sunday. Tiger Woods is 12th in the standings and will have to be one of Corey Pavin's four captain's picks to join the team. The rest of the team: Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar . Overall, it's a young team, Mickelson said.

Statistically, the Road Hole didn't become that much tougher by pushing the tee back 40 yards and technically off the Old Course grounds. St. Andrews' famously quirky 17th played to a 4.67 stroke average last week, just .04 higher than five years ago. Hardly makes it worth the outcry that met last fall's notice about the change. Beyond the numbers, though, it's how the wayward shots played that led Royal & Ancient chief Peter Dawson to declare it a success. "We were hoping that the road might come more back into play — and by gosh, it did," Dawson said in his post-Open remarks.

The PGA Tour's method of handing out cards to newcomers appears in for an overhaul — one that would make the Nationwide Tour a required step to keep hotshots from jumping straight to the big leagues. Under a proposal given preliminary approval by the tour's policy board, only Nationwide cards would be awarded at the end of Q-school. PGA Tour status would come via a fall mini-series for the year's top Nationwide performers and PGA pros below 125 on the money list. "It gives a little extra oomph to the Nationwide," said D.A. Points, a Nationwide grad who won last month's Pebble Beach stop.

The Golf Boys finally got some much needed street cred. It was right before last year's U.S. Openwhen a bunch of young Americans who called themselves “The Golf Boys” took quite a bit of criticism for the silly video spoof they did. At a time when their European counterparts were dominating the sport - including a blowout victory by Rory McIlroy in the Open at Congressional - “The Golf Boys” seemed to lack style and substance....

Read between the lines, and Fred Couples might have offered a hint as to who will join Tiger Woods as his second Presidents Cup wild-card pick. Jack Nicklaus. If Couples is going to select the "Best Player Forever," it stands to reason that he also would take the guy whose record Mr. BPF is still trying to break. Of course, there are plenty willing to argue that Nicklaus hasn't given up the BPF crown yet. And if Presidents Cup spots were based on a "forever" system, both men would have qualified on points anyway — leaving Couples to use a captain's pick on Byron Nelson or some such.

Add Keegan Bradley's name to the PGA Tour roster of rising young American talent. Maybe even at the top. The Vermont native has power, charisma, a Hall of Fame pedigree and some serious moxie after shaking off a triple bogey and five-shot deficit to seize the PGA Championship in his first appearance in a major. The Wanamaker Trophy also gives Bradley a better trophy shelf than those of Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney, Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler. It's a remarkable list.

Dart hits McIlroy George Diaz Orlando Sentinel Got some darts? Might as well be throwing them to pick a winner in the PGA Championship. With his victory at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last weekend, Adam Scott became the 10th different winner in the last 10 PGA events. And with Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods winless in that span, there's zero reason to trust their game over 72 holes. So, the envelope please: Rory McIlroy. He likes the weather hot and sticky, and that's just how it's going to be in Georgia this week.

Players spent the week at the AT&T National worrying over the course's difficulty. Then came Saturday. Seven players tied or broke the course record, defying Aronimink Golf Club's inherent difficulty. The most stunning round came from Nick Watney, who shot an 8-under-par 27 on the back nine on his way to a course-record 62 that earned him a spot in today's final group with Rickie Fowler and K.J. Choi. After Choi made a 26-foot putt on No. 18 for the day's 280th birdie, tournament officials turned their attention to a firmer setup today that might rein in the scoring.

The PGA Tour's method of handing out cards to newcomers appears in for an overhaul — one that would make the Nationwide Tour a required step to keep hotshots from jumping straight to the big leagues. Under a proposal given preliminary approval by the tour's policy board, only Nationwide cards would be awarded at the end of Q-school. PGA Tour status would come via a fall mini-series for the year's top Nationwide performers and PGA pros below 125 on the money list. "It gives a little extra oomph to the Nationwide," said D.A. Points, a Nationwide grad who won last month's Pebble Beach stop.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Some will rip Jeff Overton for playing speed golf Sunday. They'll say he phoned it in — perhaps concerned about roaming charges — and didn't care enough to shoot better than a 7-over 79, his worst score of the week by five shots. But in this age of laborious pre-shot routines and five-hour-plus rounds, we applaud a man for completing 18 holes of a major in 2 hours, 9 minutes, an unofficial PGA Championship record. When the Associated Press' Doug Ferguson gave Overton the news, the 27-year-old Indiana native replied: "Awesome!

Rij Patel is every golf coach's nightmare. His swing is as unconventional as they come. Rij describes it as "weird" and "bad," and it's enough to make nearby golfers do a double take. But their amusement turns to awe as his contorted clubface finally straightens itself out at the last possible moment before impact. Rij is also every coach's dream. As metal meets ball, one can't help but wonder how such power comes from the Rij's frame - small, even for a 14-year-old. He's mature beyond his years, is intelligent and spends much of his time practicing at Hunt Valley Golf Club, where he and his parents belong.

Back in the day, the thought of watching a little desert golf would bring a smile to the frostbitten PGA Tour fan. Snowbound hacks could flip on the TV and catch Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Lee Trevino chasing birdies on the sun-splashed playgrounds at the Bob Hope Classic. Their showbiz playing partners, meanwhile, chased yuks. That was then. These days, "desert golf" points to a different locale — Abu Dhabi. The United Arab Emirates is where you will find four of the top five names in golf's world rankings — all but Tiger Woods.

It was only three weeks ago that we last saw Steve Stricker, as a bout with laryngitis left him trying to speak as little as possible at the Shark Shootout in Naples, Fla. Stricker has his voice back, thankfully. And his swing sure didn't seem under the weather as he and teammate Jerry Kelly finished two strokes shy of a back-to-back triumph in the partnership event. Even so, the winner of nine PGA Tour trophies admits a certain apprehension every January. "You're not sure what this new year is going to bring," Stricker told reporters at this week's Hyundai Tournament of Champions.