10 days of Christmas: Adidas Climawarm+ jacket

Christmas is upon us and it's coming up fast. If you need some last-minute gifts for the golf fan in your life, don't worry, we've got you covered.

I have to admit I swiped this idea from Shane Bacon (he's doing the 12 days of Christmas on Instagram) but I thought it would be fun to throw in some links and analysis on the gear. And since I started a little bit late I have to go with the 10 days of Christmas instead.

Day 1: Tin Cup

Today, a lightweight jacket you'll love.

Adidas Climawarm+ jacket

What is it: I don't like my gear to be heavy -- I'm heavy enough as it is so I like it when I feel like I can move around on the course uninhibited. This jacket provides this and more. It's stylish enough to wear off the course, as well. I have the blue one but the black and gray jackets are better-looking, I think.

It won't keep you warm from freezing temperatures but it's not designed to, either. A great wear for those cool (but not cold) days at home or at the links.

Where can I get one: Right here at TaylorMade Golf

How much does it cost: $80

Why would you recommend it: I think most golf jackets are too heavy for my liking. I like this one because it's light and priced appropriately. I'm not the biggest Adidas fan in the world but for value this is a good buy.

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David Duval says 2014 could be his last as a pro

Twitter, man.

It's a fantastic way to connect with athletes (and vice versa) but it can also be a contextual nightmare. David Duval threw out multiple tweets on Tuesday night announcing that he might retire (I think?) after 2014 if he doesn't start performing.

Here was the last one kind of summing it up:

Again, the context here is up for multiple interpretations. Maybe he feels bad about taking exemptions from younger golfers, maybe he's just tired of golf, maybe he wants to do other things.

Sometimes I wish athletes would treat Twitter announcements like this more like a news conference and less like a monologue.

Duval played in eight tournaments in 2013 and made one cut. He has already played in three tournaments in the 2013-14 season and made one cut.

He's currently ranked No. 1,521 in the world.

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How To Succeed at Yahoo! Golf

Having joined Rotoworld in 2006, Ned Brown is the most tenured contributor to our golf content. The former Market Maker on the Chicago Board Options Exchange has enjoyed success across the fantasy landscape, including finishing 16th overall in GolfChannel.com's game in 2012, but he's flashed his most best long-term form in Yahoo.com's Fantasy Golf game where he's placed in the 99th percentile in every season but one. Here he shares his simple but proven strategy at how to succeed at Yahoo! To paraphrase the famous mantra, keep it simple, silly!

Overview

The holidays are quickly approaching, and with it the resumption of the PGA TOUR in Maui.

I thought I would go over the way that I approach the Yahoo! game, which will begin at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on Jan. 3-6.

Yahoo! divides golfers into three Groups labeled A, B and C. Each week you form a roster consisting of two players from Groups A and C from which you start one in each round, and four from Group B from which you start two.

All golfers are limited to 10 starts for the season. Starting a guy in at least one round (as opposed to benching him for the entire tournament) will count against his total starts available. So, there is some strategy as to when to start the elite on TOUR so that you're not sitting on zero during the FedExCup Playoffs.

Points are rewarded based on actual score. Bonus points are distributed to all golfers finishing inside the top three at the conclusion of the tournament.

Prep Work

You have to do some homework before you pick your players.

I like to print up the results from the last three events on TOUR. The knowledge of the short-term trends is important because it will indicate who is hot and who is rounding into form.

I also print up the recent history of that tournament so that I can see which players have success on the course(s). GolfStats.com is a subscription-based site, but its performance charts alone are worth the investment for the serious gamer.

I then print out the bookmaker's odds on the tournament. This helps you see trends through the opinion of the handicappers. If nothing else, the lines help determine the chalk on which casual gamers tend to rely, but I'll also find that there may be a guy that deserves more attention than my own research suggests.

I will look at the statistics on PGATOUR.com to see if there are other trends of which I should be aware. Looking at the numbers, you get a nice feel of who is strong in the different categories.

After sitting down with a cup of coffee, I will review all of those factors. Almost always, I find that certain players will just jump out at you, but if none do, I like to look at the birdie statistics and see who has been moving up and down. Much like the stock market, you are looking at the direction and strength of change.

Of course, the most important thing is to make sure that your players are still in the field. On occasion, Yahoo! does not reflect withdrawals fast enough, but we publish changes via player news blurbs as soon as possible, so it's incumbent upon you to stay informed.

Setting Your Lineup

On the evening before the tournament, I will go on Weather.com or AccuWeather.com to look at how the conditions are lining up for the next day.

I like to go into the hour-by-hour forecasts and see if the weather will be better in the morning group or the afternoon group. I then use players from the group that has the best conditions.

When weather isn't a factor in picking players, I will go with the morning group because the greens tend to be better. I follow this pattern for the first two days of the tournament.

After the 36-hole cut, I lean on the golfers in each group that are playing the best. I might change this pattern if there is a weather problem, but I find playing the best players that week as the best way to go.

Patience, Young Jedis

In summary, the trick to the Yahoo! game is to identify the players that are hot or that have a good course history and going with those players. Still, the game is a nine-month marathon, so even if you have a cold streak, you can finish very high in the rankings if you just keep plugging away at it each week.

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Canada's Justin Shin leads Web.com Q-school

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Canada's Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday on PGA West's Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web.com Tour qualifying tournament.

The 22-year-old former New Mexico State player holed two late chips, making a birdie on No. 6 and an eagle on No. 7.

''I never thought I would shoot 64,'' Shin said. ''My plan was to try and shoot 2 or 3 under today. I missed a lot of greens but my chipping and putting helped me out in some tough situations.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Jonathan Fricke, Chris Epperson and Jason Millard shot 65. Sainz, Fricke and Millard opened on the Nicklaus course, and Epperson played the TPC Stadium Course.

The players are competing for positions in the Web.com Tour's priority ranking used to form tournament fields, with the medalist (or co-medalists) guaranteed fully exempt status. Every player who is at PGA West is guaranteed a spot on the Web.com Tour next season. The six-round tournament will end Tuesday.

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Norman's Shootout celebrating 25th year

NAPLES, Fla. -- In the late 1980s, Greg Norman wanted to put together a golf tournament with a relaxed atmosphere and unique team format to benefit children's charities.

This is the 25th year Norman's event has been on the PGA Tour calendar. It has gone by seven names, and is now called the Franklin Templeton Shootout. It has gone from California to Florida, with the last 13 years at the Norman-designed Tiburon Golf Course at Ritz Carlton Resort. New features include a 5K run.

''Quite honestly, I never expected to go 25 years, especially in the circle silly season we slotted ourselves into,'' Norman said. ''Back in '89 starting off with four players and here we are 24 players, that's a testament to the tournament itself. ... I never anticipated making 25 years, never in my wildest dreams.''

The idea is the same. To have a fun, low-pressure event where players can bring their wives, bond with their teammates and can take part in pre-tourney festivities just before the holidays. Meanwhile, more than $12 million has been raised for children's charities.

The Shootout will start Friday with the 12, two-man teams playing modified alternate shot. The format changes to better ball on Saturday and a scramble on Sunday.

Norman is teaming with Jonas Blixt.

''He's young enough, he's strong enough, he can carry me around,'' Norman said. ''I'm always a big believer in seeing what the young talent is doing in the world.''

Nine of the top 50 players in the world ranking will compete, including No. 7 Matt Kuchar, No. 8 Steve Stricker, No. 13 Jason Dufner, No. 14 Ian Poulter, No. 15 Dustin Johnson and No. 24 Lee Westwood.

Also in the field is Kenny Perry, the Champions Tour Player of the Year and Charles Schwab Cup winner. He's the co-defending champ with Sean O'Hair.

With the purse at $3.1 million, every player is guaranteed at least $70,000 and the winners will each get $385,000.

Dufner is teaming with Johnson, and Poulter is paired with fellow English star Westwood.

Dufner won the PGA Championship this year for his first major title.

''I've been asked about (reflecting) a lot but I'm not sure what reflecting means,'' he said. ''When you live what you're doing, especially as golfers, you're trying to stay in the moment. I'm proud of what I did and how hard I worked to get there.''

Poulter, a four-time Ryder Cup player, has four, top-10 finishes this season.

Westwood has been in eight Ryder Cups. He's considered one of the best players on the tour not to have won a major and that was magnified in the 2013 British Open when he had a two-shot lead heading into the final round, only to shoot a 75 and lose to Phil Mickelson.

The label irks him.

''Every time I heard, 'I think, really?''' Westwood said. ''It's always nice to be the best player to have done something or not done it. I'll hit the next person that says it.

''Those are some amazing stats they keep putting up on the Golf Channel. Sixteen top 10s without winning a major, most majors ever played without winning a major, most top threes without winning a major. I've got all those categories completely.''

Westwood smiled.

But he made his point. No one asked him a follow-up question.

''He's got more than enough game, he knows it, and I'm sure he gets frustrated with all you guys saying he hasn't won one yet,'' Poulter said.

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Cejka shoots 64 to take 1st-round lead in Thailand

CHON BURI, Thailand -- Four-time European Tour champion Alex Cejka of Germany upstaged a star-filled field with an 8-under 64 Thursday to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Thailand Golf Championship.

The 43-year-old Cejka rolled in his eighth birdie of the day on the 17th hole to take the sole lead from Justin Rose, who was already in the clubhouse after a bogey-free round.

With some of golf's biggest names playing in the Asian Tour event this week, few had expected Cejka to be atop the leaderboard. His last European Tour win came in 2002, and he finished 12th in Hong Kong last week.

''I hit the ball very well today,'' Cejka said. ''The greens roll perfect. I took a couple big chances and made birdies. ... I hope my form will continue like this and we will see how it goes in the next three rounds.''

The fourth-ranked Rose was tied for second with Arnond Vongvanij of Thailand after picking up three birdies on the front nine before adding four more on the back at the Amata Spring Country Club.

''I felt like I was reading the green well. My putting felt really sharp,'' Rose said. ''But you have to stay out of the roughs on this course.''

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel was in a tie for sixth with Sergio Garcia and two others after a 68. Third-ranked Henrik Stenson and former Masters champion Bubba Watson both started with a 70 to sit tied for 15th, as did Rickie Fowler.

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David Duval said he will step away from the game if he doesn’t produce in 2014

If there is a poster boy for just how cruel golf can be, it's David Duval. The former No. 1 player in the world went from British Open champion to basic obscurity in a span of just a couple of seasons, randomly pinging our radar like he did at the 2009 U.S. Open where he finished second, but mostly just landing as a trivia answer as one of the few people to take the top ranking from Tiger Woods.

Duval, ranked 1521 in the world now, knows his golf game just isn't what it used to be but that isn't stopping him from giving it one more go this next season in hopes of earning a PGA Tour card for 2015.

If he fails to accomplish that goal, the 42-year-old said he will figure something else out to do with his life. He expressed all this on Twitter, explaining that he has worked hard on his game this past season and hopes that the exemptions he lands in '14 will help him earn a full PGA Tour card for the following year.

Here are a few select tweets Duval sent out earlier this week

I think what Duval is saying and asking is completely understandable and honest, and it's refreshing seeing a former major winner lay all his cards on the table.

Duval knows he isn't the same player he once was, but if what he said is accurate, he's working as hard as he can to be relevant again and not embarrass himself on the golf course.

As a guy that puts himself out there on a far smaller stage from time to time, I totally understand what Duval is saying and how hard it must be to toss the pride aside and just let everyone know what you're battling with. This is a guy who was extremely clutch back in his prime, pulling off shots to win big, big golf tournaments and making putts for historical moments (like his eagle for the 59 at the Bob Hope).

I'm proud of Duval for giving it one last run, and at 42 if he could somehow get out of his way mentally it might just work out. If nothing else, I hope Duval knows he has a group of golf fans rooting for him, because if nothing else, we all love a good comeback story.

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Teenage LPGA star Lydia Ko signs with IMG

CLEVELAND -- Lydia Ko, who earned an exemption to join the LPGA Tour in October as a 16-year-old, has signed with management company IMG.

Born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, Ko is already No. 4 in the rankings and won the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters last week in Taiwan in her second start as a professional.

She won the Women's Canadian Open at 15 last year to become the youngest winner in tour history and defended the title this year.

Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie are among the golfers represented by IMG.

Guy Kinnings, global head of golf at IMG, says in a statement on Thursday that Ko ''is an incredibly impressive young lady and an astonishing player.''

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1st round in Durban delayed again by rain

DURBAN, South Africa -- Players will need a third day to complete the first round at the Nelson Mandela Championship after rain again disrupted the European Tour event's schedule.

After a seven-hour delay on Wednesday, only a little more than four hours' play was possible on Thursday before the Mount Edgecombe course became unplayable again because of a heavy downpour.

Englishman Daniel Brooks was still the clubhouse leader after an 8-under 62. Three Frenchmen were right behind, with Francois Camels second after a 63 while Edouard Dubois and Romain Wattel were two shots off the lead.

South Africa's Oliver Bekker also moved to 6 under through 14 holes before players were called off again. More than 50 players were still to complete their first rounds.

''You just keep your head down and grind. There's nothing you can do about it,'' Bekker said of the weather.

He made the biggest move in the short time the players were out on Thursday, making his sixth birdie on No. 14 to move within two shots of Brooks on the par-70 layout. Sweden's Joel Sjoholm and Zimbabwe's Ryan Cairns were tied for sixth after both carded 65s in their opening rounds.

Players will return to complete their first rounds at 6 a.m. local time on Friday, with the second round to be played directly after that.

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Day and Leishman join in great day

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- It was a g'day for all the Australians.

Not only did Adam Scott win the Masters on Sunday, ending the country's agonizing drought at Augusta National, Jason Day and Marc Leishman gave Australia three golfers in the top four.

Day finished third, while Leishman and Tiger Woods tied for fourth.

"I'm a proud Australian," Scott said, "and I hope this sits really well back at home."

Greg Norman's misfortunes at Augusta National -- 1996, anyone? -- elevated the Masters to almost mythic proportions for Australian golfers, and every one of them knew they were playing not only for themselves but the whole country any time they got in contention.

Day seemed to have the best shot, taking a two-stroke lead with three holes to go. But he made bogeys on the next two holes to fall a stroke behind, then ran a birdie putt that would have put him back in the lead a foot past the hole on 18. As the ball rolled past the cup, Day crouched down and put a hand to his face.

It's the second time he's faltered down the stretch at the Masters. He finished second in 2011.

"I think pressure got to me a little bit," said Day, who finished two strokes behind Scott and Angel Cabrera.

"It's unfortunate. But I'm very happy with how things are going right now with Adam," Day said as Scott was heading to his playoff with Cabrera. "I'm hoping he can be the first player, if it wasn't me."

Leishman was never really a threat to win. But few even expected him to be on the leaderboard.

He's ranked 108th in the world, and his only PGA Tour win was last year at Travelers. He'd missed the cut in four of his previous seven tournaments.

Oh, this was only his second appearance at the Masters, too. In his first, a year ago, he missed the cut.

"Obviously it didn't work out the way I wanted it to today, but I also had a great tournament," said Leishman, who finished four strokes behind Scott after shooting his second straight 72. "It's something to build on for the rest of the year, for sure."

And now that the winless streak is over, maybe there will be more green jackets in Australia's future.

"It's a little disappointing, but there's a lot of experience that I can take into next year," Day said. "Hopefully I can wear one of those green jackets soon."

SEE YOU AGAIN: For a player who'd never been to Augusta National before, John Huh figured the place out pretty quickly.

Not only did Huh get an automatic invite to next year's Masters by finishing 11th, he also took home a nice piece of crystal after an eagle on the par-5 15th.

"That's what I'm really looking forward to receiving," Huh said.

Asked how he knew about the prize, the Masters rookie said someone told him about it during a practice round.

"They told me, `Every time you eagle you get crystal.' So that's what I was looking forward to," Huh said.

Huh was hovering on the edge of the cut line after carding 70-77 the first two days. But he made it by one stroke, then climbed up the leaderboard with a 71 on Saturday. He followed that with a 4-under 68 on Sunday, the second-best score of the day.

That gave him a share of 11th with Tim Clark.

The top 12 players are guaranteed entry into next year's tournament. Fellow Masters rookie Thorbjorn Olesen also booked a return ticket with his share of for sixth.

"That was my goal, actually, before I teed up today, trying to come back here next year if I could," Huh said. "I'm really pleased with the way I played today and look forward to playing next year."

BUBBA GOLF: For somebody who made a 10 on a par-3 hole, Bubba Watson was in a great mood.

"No matter what, when I end my career I'll be able to say I was the Masters champion one time," the 2012 winner said. "Unless I make them mad, I'm coming back for the rest of my life. I'll be here and I'll have a green jacket sitting in the locker room. You can't get mad at the situation."

Watson doesn't take himself, or his game, too seriously, and having a green jacket hasn't changed that.

He got off to such a slow start this week he was paired with a marker in the first pairing Saturday. After making up some ground in that round, he picked up two more strokes on the front nine Sunday.

He had no trouble on the 10th hole, where he famously hit a wedge out of the trees to beat Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff.

Then he got to No. 12.

Watson hit his tee shot in the water, then hit another one in the water from the drop area. His fifth went into a back bunker, but his shot from there rolled past the pin into the water.

He made a 12-footer for his 10.

"If you play golf long enough you're going to make a hole in one. I've had three, and I had one this week," said Watson, who aced the 16th during a practice round Wednesday. "And you're going to go the other way as well. You're going to have bad scores. Today was just my day to have a bad score.

"I couldn't get the club to do what I wanted it to, so I made a quick 10."

But it didn't spoil the day. Watson was paired with Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, and the two spent a lot of their round comparing notes and reminiscing about winning at Augusta National.

ROUGH WEEK: Playing poorly is always a disappointment for Phil Mickelson.

Doing it at the Masters only makes it worse.

He was tied for 54th on Sunday, his worst finish in the 20 times he's made the cut at the Masters. The only time he's scored worse than his 9-over-297 was in 2007 (299), when conditions were brutal.

"I just had an off year, I don't know what to tell you," the three-time Masters champion said. "This was disappointing for me in that this is my favorite place in the world to play. This is my favorite place to be, my favorite tournament and the one I look forward to the day after it ends. And to perform like this is disappointing."

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: Sandy Lyle celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Masters win in style.

The 1988 champion shot a 1-under 71 on Sunday, only the fourth time in the past 14 years he's broken par at Augusta National. He finished at 9-over 297 for the tournament.

"I think that I would have been very happy to make the cut at the start of the week," Lyle said. "But when I played (last) Sunday, I went round with six birdies and three bogeys so I was 3-under. So that sort of gave me a little bit of hope."

Lyle stuck a 7-iron from a fairway to within 10 feet in 1987, then made the downhill putt to beat Mark Calcavecchia.

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Brooks keeps lead as rain interrupts Mandela Championship

Englishman Daniel Brooks retained his slender lead at the Nelson Mandela Championship without playing a shot as persistent rain forced another suspension in Durban on Thursday.

Brooks, who has never finished in the top 10 on the European Tour, carded an eight-under 62 in the first round on Wednesday to establish a one-shot advantage over Frenchman Francois Calmels.

In the four hours of play possible on Thursday, South African Oliver Bekker advanced to six under through 14 holes to join French pair Edouard Dubois and Romain Wattel in third before a saturated course brought a halt to the day's proceedings.

"You just keep your head down and grind. There's nothing you can do about (the weather)," Bekker told the European Tour's website.

"If you can get past the mental battle and accept that it's the same for everyone, then I think you've already beaten half of the field.

"I'm actually happy with the delay, to be honest. The weather is brutal out there at the moment and I've got a couple of tough holes coming up. The forecast for (Friday) and Saturday is pretty good, so if it clears up we could get a few good rounds in."

Play on Wednesday was suspended for darkness following a seven-hour delay to the start of the round at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club.

Scott Jamieson won the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship in 2012 when rain meant the tournament was shortened to 36 holes. He will resume on Friday on two over par in his first round with five holes to play.

The start of this year's tournament was brought forward 24 hours to avoid a clash with the funeral of former South African president Nelson Mandela on Sunday.

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Tiger Hints at Career Mortality

COMMENTARY | When will Tiger Woods retire from professional golf?

It is a truth many golf fans prefer not to think about. Love him or hate him, the idea that Woods will one day hang up his Nike golf shoes and store away his tiger headcover for good seems foreign or science fiction-like.

But, just as so many sporting legends before him, Tiger will one day retire. Earlier this week, he reminded us all of that fact, albeit in a muted way.

During a press conference on Saturday of his Northwestern Mutual World Challenge, Woods was asked how long he sees himself playing at The Masters tournament, having earned a lifetime exemption to the major.

"Let me put it to you this way," Woods replied. "I'm not going to beat Arnold's record. I'm not playing that long. That's for sure."

The record Woods was referring to is the amazing mark set by Arnold Palmer, in which he made 50 consecutive Masters Tournament starts. It is, in a way, golf's version of Cal Ripken's "Iron Man" record of consecutive games played. It is hard to fathom anyone breaking Palmer's record. Perhaps nobody should.

Still, Woods' reply serves as a painful shot of reality that there will come a time when we can no longer watch who many believe to be the greatest golfer of this generation, if not all-time.

The focus that has motivated Woods throughout his career is clear: He wants to win. As Tiger later mentioned in his press conference, the moment he believes he can no longer win golf tournaments will be the moment he calls it quits.

"You know, for me, I always want to win," Woods continued. "So if I can't win, why tee it up?

"That just my own personal belief. And I know what it takes to prepare to win and what it takes to go out there and get the job done, and there's going to be a time where I just can't do it anymore.

"We all, as athletes, face that moment."

One can assume that Woods' motivating factor -- winning -- is commonly found among his peers on the PGA Tour. It is a fundamental concept that drives any successful professional athlete, regardless of sport. Yet, for some, the true motivation is not just winning, but simply competing.

Michael Jordan is perhaps the only athletic figure in our lifetime that comes close to the level of excellence displayed by Tiger Woods. Jordan's competitive nature is legendary, both on and off the court. Tales of physical confrontations with his teammates during practice (!) are well-documented, as well as his off-the-court struggles with gambling.

When Jordan no longer had the ability -- and I use that opinion loosely -- to compete on an NBA court, he turned his attention to other competitive pursuits, including his growing obsession with golf.

In fact, it is rumored that during a friendly golf match with former President Bill Clinton, Jordan forced his opponent to play from the back tees. "You're going to play from the little girls' tees?" His Airness reportedly asked Clinton.

Similarly, Jordan once pounded on the hotel door of Dream Team head coach Chuck Daly until the latter agreed to play the former in a golf rematch. Apparently, Daly had defeated Jordan the previous day. Daly agreed to the rematch, which Jordan won.

While we have yet to see similar displays of competitive obsession from Woods, it is clear that the current World No. 1 is only concerned with winning. But should we expect anything less from those who we expect to be great?

As with Jordan, our desire to see Woods succeed is just as obsessive. We need to see Tiger play, and weneed to see him win. Frankly, anyone who says anything differently would be lying.

Even the biggest dissenters of Tiger require him to be great and to continue winning. Without either, what would they have to critique? To whom would they direct their scorn and negativity? They would no longer have their villain, and that would be downright boring.

Thankfully, we are still years away from having to cope with the post-Tiger Woods era. At 37 years old, Woods is still 13 years from eligibility on the Champions Tour. He could play competitively for another decade after that, assuming he can still notch a win every so often.

Frankly, who would be dumb enough to bet against him?

Unlike Jordan, Woods has never been afraid to speak about the end of his career. He seems in-tune with his place in history, focusing on strengthening his legacy as opposed to having irrational expectations for a professional now over two decades into his career. In turn, Woods also seems mindful of his image and career mortality, especially over the past few years.

It is not uncommon to see Woods laughing with playing partners during tournaments, sharing moments with his children and new girlfriend, Lindsey Vonn, or simply spending more time with fans at the driving range. It is a maturation we often see with pro athletes in one way or another, which Woods has quickly perfected.

Yes, there will be a time when I will write about Tiger Woods, the golfer in past tense. Until that time, however, I am going to enjoy watching every second of what he's willing to give.

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Cejka and early riser Rose enjoy strong starts in Thailand

Journeyman Alex Cejka celebrated his first wedding anniversary with a one-shot lead over world number four Justin Rose after the opening round of the Thailand Golf Championship on Thursday.

Germany's Cejka, winless since 2002, reeled off eight birdies for an unblemished card at the Amata Spring Country Club on the outskirts of Bangkok to lead Rose and local hope Arnond Vongvanij.

"Nice to shoot a good score on a good day," the 43-year-old said after carding an eight-under-par 64 on his first wedding anniversary with wife Alyssa.

Reluctant early riser Rose, who won his first major at the U.S. Open in June, missed only one green in regulation and nailed seven birdies en route to a near-flawless 65.

"It was an early alarm call this morning at 4.30. Didn't enjoy that part but once I got out here to the golf course it was a perfect morning for golf, nice and cool to start with," the Englishman said.

"Our group all birdied the 10th hole and I felt like we got off to a really nice start. It was a perfect morning to play golf, and the type of morning you wanted to capitalise on."

Charl Schwartzel began his title defence with a 68, three-putting his last hole on the ninth for one of the two bogeys of the day.

"I felt like I hit the ball pretty decent. Just the putting let me down," the South African said.

Spaniard Sergio Garcia also carded 68 while world number three Henrik Stenson of Sweden, 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson, and fellow American Rickie Fowler opened with matching 70s.

Arnond, calling on his knowledge of his home course, needed only 23 putts in his stellar round in the $1 million full-field Asian Tour tournament.

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If His Play Doesn’t Improve in 2014, Duval Says He’ll Do Something Else

A mid-life career change may be in the near-future for David Duval, according to a recent torrent of tweets from the one-time top-ranked player in the world.

“As a player you need to perform and if I don’t do that in 2014 I will do something else,” the 42-year-old informed his followers on Twitter, in the course of a 14-tweet barrage.

Duval’s drawn-out decline, marked by injuries, mechanical issues and struggles with the mental game, has dropped him well below the radar to No. 1,528 in the World Golf Rankings.

He has failed to make the cut in 22 of his last 28 starts, and only played the weekend in two of 11 tournaments in 2013.

Duval says he’s made progress through recent work with Matt Kuchar’s swing guru, Chris O’Connell.

But in his tweets, he also promised, “without hesitation,” that 2014 will be the last year he relies on the kindness of strangers, er, sponsors, as he tries to get back on his golfing feet.

What he would do instead of golf remains an open question.

But this much seems certain: with more than $18 million in career earnings, he’ll have a decent cushion if he’s forced to look for other work.

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PGA Tour Rookie John Peterson Practices on Highway During Traffic Jam

John Peterson, the 2011 NCAA champ from LSU who tied for fourth at the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club, found himself stuck in traffic during a recent snowstorm in Texas, so he did what any golf-loving 23-year-old would under the circumstances.

The PGA Tour rookie jumped out of the car, grabbed a few clubs, dropped some balls into the crusty-looking snow, and began smacking shots toward the trees and fencing bordering Interstate-20.

In addition to his iron shot, Peterson also teed up a driver and aimed for a road sign. His friend got the whole thing on video and provided running commentary. Watch the videos below.

Peterson’s best finish on the PGA Tour this year was a T8 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He spent most of the year playing on the Web.com Tour, but will play the PGA Tour exclusively in 2014 after finishing first on the Web.com Tour money list.

Now we know the secret to his success: Squeezing in a little practice during those awkward hours stuck in gridlock.

“You can’t lose your game when you come huntin’,” he tells his buddy in the video. “Tips from the Tour–John Peterson.”

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Greg Norman Says Tiger Is Tough but ‘I Probably Would Have Beat Him’

In an interview with David DeNunzio for the January issue of Golf Magazine, Greg Norman wanted to set the record straight on the heavyweight golf matchup-that-never-was: the Shark vs. the Tiger.

“I never feared anything or anyone on the course, and I wasn’t afraid to fail,” said Norman. “So I think I’d do pretty well against Snead, Hogan, Tiger and Phil — whoever. Tiger’s a tough guy, but I was a tough guy on the course, too. I probably would have beat him.”

Woods’ 661 total weeks atop the World Golf Ranking and 14 major championships dwarfs Norman’s line at 331 and two, but it hasn’t stopped Norman from being critical of Woods. In a 2011 interview with Golf Magazine, Norman predicted that Woods would never win another major.

“Tiger, when he dominated, had a single-shot approach. It was only about the golf. Everything else was taken care of. I mean he was put up on this pedestal, and he enjoyed it, likely so, because he did what he did. But now there are so many other distractions, and people are looking for things that are wrong with Tiger now, so he’s got to deal with that on a day-to-day basis, like every other mortal has to do, right? In our lives, in our business, we all have to be responsible for our actions. It’s very hard for him to have that focus. And the more he shuts people off, the worse it gets.”

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England's Brooks leads in rain-hit Durban with 62

DURBAN, South Africa -- England's Daniel Brooks shot an 8-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead in the Nelson Mandela Championship on Wednesday after heavy rain disrupted the first round.

Play at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club began seven hours late after rain left many of the fairways waterlogged. More than half the field failed to complete their rounds.

Brook is being pursued by a group of French players, led by Francois Calmels with 63 and followed by Edouard Dubois and Romain Wattel two strokes back. Sweden's Joel Sjoholm and Ryan Cairns of Zimbabwe share fifth place after carding 65s.

Brooks, who kept his European Tour card after last month's Qualifying School, produced eight birdies in his bogey-free round. The course was reduced to a par-70 track: The 320-yard par-4 fifth was converted into a 142-yard par-3 because of the waterlogged fairway.

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Tiger says he won't be breaking Arnie's record at the Masters

Tiger Woods said long ago he would give up golf when he felt he could play his best and still not win.

That includes his lifetime invitation to the Masters.

"Let me put it to you this way," Woods said last week at his World Challenge. "I'm not going to beat Arnold's record. I'm not playing that long, that's for sure."

Palmer set a record in 2004 by playing in his 50th consecutive Masters. Woods won his first green jacket when he was 21, and with reasonable health (a big assumption considering his injuries), he would seem to be in the best position to break that record. Even with his injuries, the Masters is the one major Woods has never missed.

He just doesn't appear the least bit interested in that kind of a record.

"For me, I always want to win," he said. "So if I can't win, why tee it up? That's just my own personal belief. And I know what it takes to prepare to win and what it takes to go out there and get the job done, and there's going to become a point in time where I just can't do it anymore. We all as athletes face that moment. I'm a ways from that moment in my sport, but when that day happens, I'll make a decision and that's it."

But for Woods or any golfer, it's tough to know when that day happens.

Palmer never won another PGA Tour event after the Bob Hope Classic in 1973, though he remained competitive for many years. Several players eligible for the Champions Tour are hesitant about moving on.

When is it time?

"In golf, you can still win golf tournaments in your 50s, and guys have done it," Woods said. "Probably the more difficult thing is that you can still finish top 10, top five, but you're probably just not quite as efficient as you need to be to win golf tournaments. But you can still be there."

Might he change his mind about the Masters as he gets older? It doesn't sound like it.

"Mellowing on that? No. I'll be on that first tee starting out the event, I'm sure," he said with a smile and a dose of sarcasm. "So I mean, you hit a good drive and you can't get to where you can see the flag? I don't know why it's even fun."

STENSON AWARD: Henrik Stenson has won the Golf Writers Trophy from the Association of Golf Writers, awarded to the top golfer who was born or lives in Europe, along with European teams. Stenson became the first player this year to win the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour and the Race to Dubai on the European Tour.

Nearly two-thirds of the AGW members made Stenson their first choice on a ballot that included U.S. Open champion Justin Rose and Europe's Solheim Cup team that won on American soil for the first time.

Stenson was the first Swedish male to win the award. Annika Sorenstam won the award twice.

"I'm looking forward to getting a few of these trophies I've won into the summer house in Sweden," said Stenson, who primarily lives at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla. "It has been such a great year that I can have a few in Europe and a few in my house in America. What a great thrill it is going to be over Christmas to sit by the fire with my family and take stock of the season, look at trophies such as this one and reflect on the year of my life."

IN THE BAG: Jack Nicklaus won't have a bouquet of head covers in his bag when he plays the PNC Father-Son Challenge this weekend, though the 14 clubs in his bag have changed from his prime.

Nicklaus said when he played on the PGA Tour he carried a driver and a 3-wood, a 1-iron through a 9-iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge and putter.

"Now I've got a driver, a 3-wood, a 4-wood and a 5-wood," he said last week in a conference call. "I'm not a big hybrid guy, although I'm playing with one right now and I took out the 2-iron. That's pretty much where I am. I'm usually a 3-iron through 9-iron, pitching wedge and sand wedge. I don't know if that's 14 or 15 (clubs), but it'll be 14 when I tee it up."

No other player hit more memorable shots with a 1-iron than Nicklaus, a club that featured in three of his majors -- the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the 1975 Masters and the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol.

But there were times when he benched the 1-iron.

"I used to even go to Augusta when I carried a 1-iron a lot, and sometimes I'd put in maybe a 4- or 5-wood, simply because you needed some elevation to stop it on the greens and some of the lies you played," Nicklaus said.

THE HANEY SHOW: Hank Haney has gone from writing a book on his years with Tiger Woods to hosting his own radio show on SiriusXM.

The radio network continues to beef up its programming. It already has shows for Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter, along with two-time Masters champion, architect and golf savant Ben Crenshaw. Haney will host "Hank Haney Golf Radio," an instructional-based show that will air Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. ET starting on Jan. 3.

The program will be geared around Haney's teaching philosophy, and he will take calls from listeners who want help with their games. Haney also will offer his analysis on today's players and take on current topics, which are sure to include Woods.

"This show will be truly interactive and I'm eager to speak with golfers across the country," Haney said.

TWEETING TIGER: Jason Dufner jokingly tweeted to Tiger Woods that the schedule of the World Challenge be changed so Dufner could watch Auburn in the SEC title game last week. Woods replied on Twitter, "Petition denied."

It was a significant only because it was Woods' first tweet in more than a month. It was his 35th tweet in the span of a year, most of them commercially related. And that Dufner tweet was the first of -- get this -- FIVE tweets in two days.

"I'm hot, aren't I?" Woods said.

Woods said girlfriend Lindsey Vonn is trying to persuade him to tweet more. Progress remains slow.

"I grew up in a different era, and it's a little bit different for me," Woods said, who is 9 years older than the downhill ski champion. "I'm still a little bit old-school. I'm kind of getting it, but still not grasping the whole concept yet. But I'll get there eventually."

DIVOTS: K.J. Choi donated his $100,000 from the World Cup to help with relief efforts in the Philippines. "I wanted to represent Korea in sharing the sentiment of my fellow countrymen to our friends in the Philippines," Choi said. "I send my deepest condolences to the people of the Philippines who have lost their families and homes. The donation from the KJ Choi Foundation was sent to the American Red Cross. ... Redstone Golf Club is now called "Golf Club of Houston" under a contractual requirement when it changed ownership. It still is host of the Shell Houston Open, the final PGA Tour event before the Masters. ... Cal coach Steve Desimone has been selected U.S. captain of the Palmer Cup next year. The Palmer Cup, matches between college players from the United States and Europe, will be June 26-28 at Walton Heath.

STAT OF THE WEEK: The 19 tournaments Tiger Woods played this year offered an average of 72.7 world ranking points to the winner.

FINAL WORD: "Driving accuracy far outweighs distance. And I sleep better at night knowing that." -- Zach Johnson. He was No. 8 in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour last year and No. 153 in driving distance.

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Rory McIlroy ready to put season of struggles behind him

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Rory's McIlroy's year began with a coronation. He was the star attraction at what felt like a rock concert, with music blaring and lasers flashing in a room at Abu Dhabi to celebrate the No. 1 player in golf joining Nike's stable.

It ended Sunday with a bogey on the ninth hole at Sherwood with hardly anyone watching.

An offseason never looked more appealing to him.

"It's been a long season, a long stretch," McIlroy said after signing for a 70 to finish 11th in an 18-man field at the World Challenge. "I'm excited to put the clubs down for a little bit, have a few weeks' rest and get after it at the start of the new year."

He won't have to worry about getting used to new equipment. He spent the better part of nine months doing that.

Expectations are sure to be lower.

A year ago, McIlroy was the clear No. 1 in golf. He was coming off another record win in a major - an eight-shot victory in the PGA Championship -- and threw his game into overdrive with two FedEx Cup playoff wins and money titles on both sides of the Atlantic by closing his season with a win in Dubai.

It looked as if he would stay there for many years.

That lasted three months.

There were equipment issues, a product of changing everything at once instead of slowly working the swoosh into his bag, as Tiger Woods did a decade earlier. He changed management companies, which ordinarily is a seamless transition unless the split is ugly.

McIlroy is scheduled to be in a courtroom in Ireland not long after the Ryder Cup next year. So yes, this is ugly. According to reports in Irish newspapers, he split with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki at least twice, maybe three times. Except it wasn't true. The tennis star was at Sherwood all week, an ever-present smile as she followed him along, even going across the parking lot to hit balls (tennis, not golf) at Sherwood's stadium court.

All that became as tough an obstacle as anything on the golf course.

McIlroy, for all his brilliance inside the ropes, is refreshingly honest when it comes to his golf and often self-deprecating. He was talking earlier in the week about playing casual rounds with friends, noting that he had more of those days than in previous years.

"Had more weekends (off)," he said.

It wasn't that bad, though his golf certainly was by his standards. He failed to make the cut five times, which is high for a player of his caliber. One was at the British Open. Another was at the Honda Classic, where he walked off the course after 26 holes out of frustration, blaming it on his wisdom tooth.

He didn't win a tournament until his 24th start, two weeks ago at the Australian Open. He ends the year at No. 6 in the world, miles away from Woods at the top.

"It's been the first year I've had to put up with scrutiny and criticism," McIlroy said. "You just have to believe in what you're doing and not let it get to you too much. I let it get to me a few times."

The toothache was one example of that. McIlroy conceded a week later at Doral that all the hype translated into more pressure he put on himself to perform, and he snapped. An honest answer. He said he would never do it again. So far, so good.

More than the golf was the inspection outside the ropes.

"All the other stuff," he said. "I don't care what people say about my golf. It's when people start digging into my personal life, that's where it starts to annoy you. Whether it's Caroline, the management, all that should that should be no consequence to how I play my golf."

That's a part of celebrity he still hasn't mastered.

When you're 24 and already have two majors (setting records in each), when you're dating a former No. 1 tennis player, when you're looked upon as the next great player in golf, there will be prying. He has to learn how to protect what he wants to keep private and ignore the rest.

As for the golf, McIlroy can only hope this year was an aberration.

Woods went through his first "slump" - everything is relative when it comes to Woods - at age 22 in his second full year as a pro. He won only two tournaments. He lost to Nick Price in a playoff at Sun City. He lost to Mark O'Meara in a 36-hole final at the World Match Play Championship. About the only off-course issue he faced was the GQ article that quoted him telling racial jokes.

"As far as battling a slump, that's just part of playing golf," Woods said. "You play golf long enough, you're going to go through it."

The great ones emerge. And the great ones don't stay in slumps for long.

McIlroy headed to his Florida home to start his vacation. He'll eventually wind up in Melbourne to watch Wozniacki in the Australian Open, and then go to Dubai to start preparing for a new season that will begin in Abu Dhabi.

Even at age 24, this is shaping up as important season.

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BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013: Justin Rose keen to move on from US Open glory

Justin Rose’s victory at the US Open proved a profound experience for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominee – but now he is ready to move forward

Justin Rose always believed the major was there; it was just that he thought the special moment was gone. But then the heavens opened.

When he tapped in at Merion, Rose looked and pointed sky-bound and for that second it was just him and his dad. And so Justin and Ken had their time on the green, as the son finally fulfilled the destiny for which his father invested so much before being taken by leukaemia.

“It’s funny because in Rory [McIlroy] and Graeme [McDowell] I’d seen two pals in the years before hugging their fathers on the 18th after winning a US Open and, because dad had passed away in 2002, I thought I would never experience what they felt,” Rose said.

“But I was wrong, I did and I was surprised how wonderful it felt. Honestly, I could feel him there with me that day.”

With that tale the reminiscing stops for Rose. There will be a rocking chair, a pair of slippers perhaps and almost certainly a few grandchildren with whom to share the nostalgia.

“All that’s for the veranda now,” Rose said.

“I don’t want to get too caught up in harking back all the time. For first two months after winning, you’re talking about Merion, you’re in the past, you’re talking about what happened last week, a month ago, two months ago ... I want to win more And I think you can only do that by looking forwards not backwards.”

Except there have been times since when he could not fail to reflect on the achievement. For instance, every time the glint of silver has stopped him in his tracks as he has chased his children or fulfilled his household chores.

“Sometimes, if I pass by the trophy in the house, I catch myself cutting off from what I’m doing and taking a second look. And out of the blue it makes me smile. Not only is it still sinking in, but I’m still in the period where I’m in possession of the real US Open trophy, not just a replica.

"So it is the actual trophy that [Jack] Nicklaus and Hogan and Tiger [Woods] have all held; that’s what make it is very special. Just think, Nicklaus, Hogan and Woods and other great, great names in golf had that trophy in their house. When you win the US Open you realise that you’ll go down in the history books, but that notion just confirms the magnitude of it, the history of it. It’s very surreal.”

Yes, Rose has taken his place with the legends, but he is adamant to continue teeing it up with the boys. In October, he returned to Merion with 11 friends he has known since primary school in what has become the annual “JR Challenge”.

First they played the revered New Jersey track of Pine Valley, then Aronimink, another Pennsylvania course where he tasted glory in the 2010 AT&T National – and then they arrived at the scene of Rose’s breakthrough.

“I was waiting for them all in the foyer of the hotel where we were staying and they came down dressed exactly as I was dressed on that Sunday,” Rose said. “They had the same outfit for me, too.”

When they reached the 18th, Rose was predictably asked to recreate the winning four-iron. When he stood over the ball, he was asked by one of his friends what he recalled about that shot.

“I just remember thinking I’m glad I’ll never have to play this again,” Rose replied. As the group was still united in laughter, Rose hit it long and left. “It’s playing short today!” Rose shouted as whistled over the putting surface.

It did not matter. After all, his mates insisted that he played off a ridiculous handicap of plus-10, so there was little chance of him prevailing. Four months before he had stood in that exact spot, 229 yards out and a few yards ahead of the Ben Hogan plaque – from where the American legend had played his fabled one-iron – and struck one of the greatest shots in British golfing history.

With Phil Mickelson in behind there was no margin for error and so Rose took none, catching the sweet spot and seeing it skirt hole before trickling to the back of the green.

And so, England hailed its first US Open champion in 43 years; maybe not the 77-year wait of a British winner of Wimbledon, but still, enough to earn Rose a berth on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist alongside Andy Murray.

Like Murray, Rose cannot be in Leeds on Sunday as he is playing the Thailand Golf Championship to close out his season. He will then take off four weeks before beginning his 2014 campaign in Abu Dhabi.

Rose is not too concerned about any enduring hangover. The slumps which followed his fourth place at the 1998 Open as a 17-year-old amateur, his four titles in 2002 and his Order of Merit in 2007 were, he believes, somewhere inevitable. “All those successes were in a way, anomalies,” he said. “This year was built on solid foundations.”

Yet while there can be no doubting the greatness of a swing sculptured by Sean Foley, the improvement of a putting stroke fashioned by David Orr, or the strength of a mind chiselled by Gio Valiante, there is always the “what next?” conundrum to overcome.

“Yeah, it’s definitely been a ‘dream-come-true’ type season,” Rose said. “I’d fantasised about winning a major for years. Ever since I’ve started the game that was the benchmark, that was the goal. Obviously there’s been a lot of great players throughout history who have never won a major, so I’m grateful to have that monkey off my back.

“But you never want it to be, ‘OK, that’s my career, I’m done’. I feel I’ve got to the point now where I’ve got a clean slate, where it’s behind me. I have renewed focus and renewed goals. I feel like I’m working my way into the prime of my career. I always thought that my time, if ever, would come between the ages of 30 and 40.

“You take a lot of encouragement from guys like Phil, who didn’t start winning his majors until he was a year older than I was. So you begin to believe that a great career is possible. That has to be the aim.”

In truth, it always was. For son and father.

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