Thanks to a weather delay, the final round of the penultimate PGA playoff event is going down today in the Chicago area.

Tiger Woods came into today's final round just four shots back of leader Jim Furyk. On his first hole he had a 120 yards to the green for second shot. He went over the green, made a bogey, and that was pretty much that. 

Through 12 holes, he's +1 on the day putting him 6 shots back of the leader, who is still Furyk. 

The Golf Channel's twitter feed that follows Tiger on every hole says, "I think if he could fast forward his life about 90 minutes, he'd do it."

He looks indifferent, and his back might be bothering him. 

It didn't have to be like this, though. Woods has played the course pretty well this week. He should be in contention instead of walking around like he wants to leave. 

But for some reason, Woods is struggling in the final round of tournaments. 

During his round, Golf Channel flashed the follow graphic that shows he's 120th on the tour in final round scoring. 

He's won 5 times this year, so it's not like this is a killer. Still, it's weird that he struggles to close out events with a good final round. 

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Henrik Stenson was at 4-under and eyeing a top-20 finish at the BMW Championship when he bogeyed the 17th hole and then hit a ball into the water hazard on the 18th hole.

The frustration was apparently too much for Stenson who then slammed his driver into the ground, causing the head of the club to break off and bounce away. Stenson would double-bogey the hole and finish 1-over for the tournament.

Outside of a proving that golf can even make professionals act crazy, the best part of this GIF may be that Stenson's caddy doesn't even flinch at the sound of a dying golf club...

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Holly Sonders, one of the hosts for The Golf Channel's "Morning Drive" show added a unique twist to baseball's ceremonial first pitch.

Rather than throw a baseball prior to Monday night's Rays game, Sonders used a golf club to hit a little chip shot to pitcher Cesar Ramos.

This isn't the first time somebody has been creative with the first pitch at a Rays game. Last year, former Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher used a hockey stick to hit the baseball to home plate. Here is a GIF of Sonders (via @Cut4):

And here is video from another angle (via The Golf Channel):

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Tiger Woods is balding, and it's very disorientating.

He's always been a little light on hair up top, but he typically wears a hat so we don't get the full effect. 

Tiger feels younger than he is, maybe because he was a teen phenom when he burst onto the scene. But he's 37 and his best days (including hair days) are probably behind him.

Here's a photo from a President's Cup party that Lindsey Vonn just posted. He looks older than usual:

Here he is with a hat two months ago. Much younger looking:

The pace of balding appears to be accelerating. At the Met Ball last May his hair seemed a little fuller:

Ouch:

My 7-year-old just saw Tiger Woods at the Prez Cup opening ceremony and asked, "Is that Tiger Woods' dad?"#ouch#nohatmakesadifference

— Jay Coffin (@JayCoffinGC) October 3, 2013

SEE ALSO: Lindsey Vonn Is The Most Hardcore Fan In Golf

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This is as light-hearted as you'll ever see Tiger Woods on a golf course.

Here he is doing a very cool high-five with partner Matt Kuchar after they won the first hole of their President's Cup match today.

And then they tapped each other's butts with their putters:

SEE ALSO: 17 Examples Of Tiger's Insane Competitiveness

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Despite the surprisingly giddy Tiger Woods at this week's Presidents Cup, the best highlight of day one undoubtedly belonged to this young fan, his imagination, and his pure love of the game.

There is the practice swing, the way he moves some debris and picks up his marker, and the way he fist-pumps just like Tiger Woods.  But mostly, this is great because it is the same thing we all did as children whether it was a pretend basketball shot, or an imaginary home run, or a soccer goal that never actually happened...

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In one of the stranger moments you will ever see at a golf tournament, Lindsey Vonn surprised Tiger Woods at the President's Cup when she put a squirrel on his shoulder. Woods, who was focused on the golfers who were still on the course appeared rattled by the furry little creature.

The squirrel has been adopted by the U.S. team captain, Davis Love III, who carried the squirrel around most of the day in his pocket.

Here is the strange scene...

And here is the moment that seemed to please Vonn the most...

Tiger did appear to warm up to the little fella...

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Golfer Keegan Bradley totally nailed this dude at the 2013 President's Cup.

Fortunately, it looks like the guy got right back up — though he's likely nursing a pretty horrible lump on his head right now.

The sound of initial contact is perfectly audible, and wince-inducing.

Watch (and listen):

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The final day of the President's Cup has been anticlimactic (the U.S. team won easily).

The most exciting news — as it has been all week– came off the course and involved some players' wives and girlfriends.

When Amy Mickelson (Phil's wife) and Lindsey Vonn (Tiger Woods' girlfriend) got their golf cart stuck in the mud, Amy had to get out and help push. It produced this fantastic GIF from Adam Sarson:

The President's Cup in general has been a bit of a snoozer, and the wives have been stealing all the headlines.

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The world's top golfers are in Shanghai to play the HSBC Champions tournament.

Jason Dufner, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson, and a very excited Rory McIlroy posed for this great photo with some HSBC execs before play began.

Jason Dufner:

Justin Rose:

Ian Poulter:

Phil Mickelson

Rory McIlroy:

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This feature is a part of our Sexiest Athletes series.

2013 has been the biggest year of Adam Scott's life.

He won the Masters, which has made him a sex symbol and a mainstream athlete in the process.

On top of that, we named him the sexiest athlete alive.

He's also one of the highest-paid golfers in the world — and he has the lifestyle to go with it.

Scott made $11.9 million in 2012, making him the 10th highest-paid golfer in the world.

Source: Forbes

He'll be even higher on that list in 2013 thanks to his $1.44 million Masters win.

His total PGA winnings in 2013 hit $3.9 million. He has made $33.2 million on tour in his career.

Source: PGA

Augusta National, the club that hosts the only sporting event that matters, the Masters, just demolished an apartment building complex to build a parking lot. 

It spent $8.3 million on the property in 2012, Bloomberg reports. 

There's widespread speculation that eventually Augusta National is going build some more housing on the lot to host guests during the Masters, but a spokesperson tells Bloomberg, "Any other commentary would be misleading and potentially create public speculation that is unnecessary."

Bloomberg decided to skip the spokesperson's warning, and reported the following:

Since Billy Payne took over as the club’s chairman in 2006, Augusta National has built $13 million worth of cabins and corporate entertainment facilities, including the two-year-old, 90,000-square-foot Berckmans Place inside the gates. There are no such club-operated structures outside the grounds and limited housing options for guests.

While it makes sense for the club to use it as a parking lot now, the land might eventually be the site of lodging or corporate-entertainment facilities for its members and commercial partners as the club caters more to business guests under Payne’s leadership, said Steve Parry, who opened the 1018 Club, a corporate-entertainment house a half-mile from the main clubhouse, in 2005. Other than on-course cabins, current club visitors can stay at downtown Augusta hotels about 5 miles from the golf course.

Read more at Bloomberg >

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We visited the high-tech lab where Nike is testing and creating its next generation of golf balls. 

Next year, the company is going to release a new line of balls with the RZN brand name. It flew us, and others, to its headquarters in Oregon to talk about its golf equipment. 

Right now, Titleist with its ProV1 line, is the biggest ball company in golf. Nike hopes that its new branding for RZN will eat into some of Titleist's sales. 

Nike say the key differentiator for its RZN line is that the core is made of resin, which is a lighter material than rubber. A golf ball has a small core, then other stuff around the core, and then the outer coating. By making the core lighter, Nike can make the stuff around the core heavier, which it says promotes stability and distance.

The RZN ball will come in Black, Platinum, Red, and White for different swings and skills. We got to hit the balls and they seemed pretty good. We'll do more testing next year when it's a bit warmer to get a truer sense of the ball's performance.

For what it's worth, Nike pro Rory McIlroy says he's a half club longer with the new ball. Nike pro Paul Casey said he fell in love with the new ball the first time he hit it, and he's pretty finicky about equipment. 

Yes, these guys are paid to use Nike stuff, but they don't have to switch to the new gear immediately. For instance, Tiger Woods is still using a golf ball that's 4-5 years old. Nike says it's going to try to get him to switch to the new stuff. The golf ball is the only piece of equipment a player uses on every hole, so it has to be pretty exact to meet the standards of a pro. 

As part of the trip to Nike we got an inside look at the R&D facility Nike uses to work on its next-generation of golf balls.

Welcome to the Oven West! (Nike has another "Oven" in Texas.)

We were invited to look around, but asked not to touch anything.

Stepping into the facility, it's loud and filled with all sorts of machines.

Anyone who loves and appreciates the game of golf has created a bucket list of courses they want to play. Many have courses like Pebble Beach, Augusta, or Pinehurst #2, but here are some unconventionally awesome courses to add to the list.

25. Bay Harbor (Quarry)— Michigan, USA

One of three courses at Bay Harbor, Quarry’s 40 foot gorges and stone cliffs, makes this one of the world’s most unique 9-hole courses. Golfweek Magazine says, “Bay Harbor Golf Club is one of the most picturesque golf sites in the country … it may be America’s most diverse collection of holes.”

24. Chambers Bay Golf Course — Washington, USA

Primed to be the venue for the 2015 US Open, this course is filled with many distinct features including the shared fairway between 1 & 18. Definitely want to try “Free Fall”, the par 4 with a 80 foot drop that offers two possible greens. Finally, the 18th that plays along a wall of concrete structures, which remain from its time as a gravel mine.

23. Whistling Straits — Wisconsin, USA

Designed to look like Ireland, Pete Dye had quite the project considering the canvas he had to work with – a former army base. Dye had to remove concrete bunkers, an airstrip as well as underground fuel storage tanks to make the course playable. Boom goes the dynamite! Since then, the course successfully hosted two PGA Championships and one US Senior Open. It is set to host the PGA Championship in 2015 and Ryder Cup in 2020.

22. Shadow Creek Golf Course — Nevada, USA

One of the most luxurious golfing experiences available, this is a highly rated course designed by Tom Fazio. This course is unconventional because it started out as a desert wasteland. At the time Shadow Creek was built, it was the most expensive course ever built. To make this possible, over 20,000 mature trees had to be transplanted, elevation had to be changed by over 200 feet and streams and other water features needed to be created.

21. El Camaleón at the Fairmont Mayakoba — Quintana Roo, Mexico

Time to take a drop if your ball goes in there. This course gets its name from the chameleon because of its ever-changing challenges. This course is filled with hazards like sand dunes and mangroves that line the fairways, cenotes(subterranean caves) with names like “The Devil’s Mouth”, and beautiful lagoons.

20. Streamsong — Florida, USA

Forget your typical Florida golf course. Streamsong was built on an old phosphate mining operation that produced a 2,000 acre pile of sand. Over time, dunes were formed and grass began to grow, making this course feel like a piece of the Scottish coast.

19. Old Works Golf Club — Montana, USA

The track is built on the old Anaconda Copper Mine, which was one of the EPA’s largest Superfund cleanup sites. Jack Nicklaus incorporated elements from the mine. He used a byproduct of copper smelting to frame the bunkers and included the smelter, oven, and flue into the design.

18. Fossil Trace — Colorado, USA

Make sure you can clear those boulders. Designer Jim Engh left old rusty pieces of equipment alongside many of the holes. Footprints left by dinosaurs on holes 11 through 15, make this former clay mine quite unusual.

17. Coeur D’Alene Golf Resort — Idaho, USA

Pack extra balls for this one. Overall, this course has a pretty traditional park-like feel. That is until you get to the par-3 14th hole, which is one of the most unforgettable par-3s on the planet. It is an actual island green that can be moved as far as 218 yards through a system of cables and winches. Golfers head over to the 15,000 square-foot putting surface by ferry.

16. Le Touessrok Golf Course — Port Louis District, Mauritius

If you have ever dreamed of playing in paradise, Le Touessrok is probably exactly what you pictured. Golf World Magazine calls it “A Top 10 Golf Course in the World”. Le Touessrok is an 18-hole course on its own island, across the water from the mainland resort.

15. La Jenny — Aquitaine, France

Naturist golfers can feel free with a round at La Jenny. Said to be the only place in Europe where the sport is practiced in a naturist setting, golfers play the 6-hole course (4 par 3, 2 par 4). Would be concerned about a full body sun burn.

14. Furnace Creek Golf Course — California, USA

Located in Death Valley, Furnace Creek is 214 feet below sea level, making it the lowest altitude golf course in the world. In the peak of summer, temperatures can reach 130 degrees. A course to be played in winter, unless you want the full experience of dangerously hot temperatures.

13. Royal Colombo Golf Club — Western Province, Sri Lanka

For the most part, this is a typical golf course located in a beautiful suburb outside the city of Colombo. This course is unique in the fact that it has train tracks that cross over four holes. Some golfers may not enjoy loud trains, packed with a screaming audience, as they try and make an important putt.

12. Palmetto Hall Plantation (Robert Cupp Course) — South Carolina, USA

The first geometric golf course of its kind, featuring trapezoidal-based bunkers and fairways, along with square/rectangular tees and greens. Originally designed on the computer, the results make a unique golfing experience.

11. Brickyard Crossing — Indiana, USA

Nothing can be said other than that this course plays in and around the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500. ‘Murica!

10. Don Mueang International Airport Golf Course — Bangkok, Thailand

Noise canceling headphones? Check. The owners of this airport decided to capitalize on the extra space and place an 18-hole course right beside the tarmac. Can only imagine how loud it would be to play on this course, but guests seem to love the unique placement.

9. Prison View Golf Club — Louisiana, USA

This is probably the only golf course where a background check is needed in order to book a tee time. The Louisiana State Penitentiary Employee Recreation Committee operates this 9-hole golf course. Before starting a round, it should be noted that play may be suspended at any time, due to institutional need or at the Warden’s discretion. Confusion arises when you talk about “shanking” with the guards.

8. The Opal Fields Golf Club — South Australia, Australia

Well, this course doesn’t have the outrageous costs one would expect to have to keep a desert course green. That is because they don’t keep it green. This famous 18-hole par-72 course is one big sand trap. The grassless fairways create a lot of roll and the oiled sand greens create a surprisingly smooth putt.

7. Nullarbor Links — Western Australia to South Australia

Golf for days! Meet the world’s longest golf course. An average round of golf on your typical course will last about four hours, a round on Nullarbor lasts about four days. Measured to be 848 miles long, the course spans two time zones with plenty of service stations and accommodations along the way.

6. Himalayan Golf Club — Western Nepal

One of the most unique golf courses based on its mountainous view. Along with that golfers can expect plenty of wildlife as they play off 70 foot elevated hillside tees, an island fairway, and a canyon amphitheater layout.

5. Firestone Overseas Golf Club — Montserrado County, Liberia

This 9-hole course is on the Firestone Rubber Plantation, just outside Monrovia, Liberia. It costs way too much to maintain a course you’d find in North America, so their fairways are treated like roughs and they do not have greens. The greens are actually called “browns” at this course, a combination of sand, oil and iron ore.

4. Merapi Golf Course — Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia

Ever dream of playing a round at the base of an active volcano? Well now you can! Smoke can be seen emerging from Mount Merapi three hundred plus days a year. Smaller eruptions happen approximately every two to three years, and larger ones about ten to fifteen years. With eruptions happening in 2006 and 2010, we won’t be visiting very soon.

3. Uummannaq Greenland — Qaasuitsup, Greenland

If you find yourself getting a lot of back sweat from the heat on the course, playing on a giant iceberg with an orange ball could be better suited for you. Uummannaq is actually the home of the World Ice Golf Championships, it's a thing. The rules are pretty much the same as your standard game of golf, except you the holes are a little shorter, the cups are larger, and everything is frozen.

2. Camp Bonifas — Between North & South Korea

The most dangerous course on the planet has to be Camp Bonifas. This single-hole course, near a military base in North Korea, is a 192 yard par-3 beside one of the most fortified borders in the world. Did we mention that the green is surrounded on three sides by minefields?

1. Extreme 19th at Legend Golf & Safari Resort — Limpopo, South Africa

The picture says it all. Accessible by helicopter, the tee shot 400m above the ground on Hanglip Mountain is breathtaking. Pro golfers and celebrities come from around the world for a chance at making the toughest par-3 on the planet. Padraig Harrington was the first to get par, many others have since followed.

SEE ALSO: 10 Awesome Ski Resorts In Unexpected Places

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Zach Johnson beat Tiger Woods and won the World Challenge but only after sinking a shot from the fairway to force a playoff.

Johnson shanked his second shot on the par-4 18th hole, hitting the ball well-right and into the water in front of the green. But after dropping, Johnson then hit a gorgeous approach shot that skipped about a foot past the hole and then rolled back in.

Johnson celebrated by throwing his club up into the air and then chest-bumping his caddy. All Tiger could do at that point was grin (see GIFs below). Johnson went on to win the playoff with a par on the first playoff hole. Here is video of the shot.

Here is the chest bump.

Here is Tiger's reaction.

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If you were watching football yesterday, you missed an amazing finish to Tiger Woods' annual year-ending tournament.

Woods lost in a dramatic one-hole playoff, in what can easily serve as a metaphor for his 2013 season.

Woods came into Sunday with a two-shot lead. It looked like he was going to cruise to victory, getting up by four shots at one point.

But then Zach Johnson, who was playing with Woods in the final group, turned it on. He shot a -3, 33 on the back nine. Woods faltered, shot an even 36. 

By the time they were on the 18th hole, they were tied. Woods hit his tee shot left, leaving himself a hard approach shot. The ball was below his feet, with a slice lie. He tried to hook it into the green, but it faded into the deep green side bunker.

Johnson was in the center of the fairway. He had birdied the previous two holes, and he was in position to hit a third birdie and win the thing.

Instead, Johnson hit his worst shot of the tournament and put in a water hazard in front of the green. It looked like he had given up the tournament.

He stepped to the drop zone to hit his fourth shot. From 58 yards out, he holed it for a miraculous par. 

Woods managed to get up and down from the bunker par, and the two went to a playoff.

The playoff started (and ended) on the 18th hole. This time Woods was in the middle of the fairway after his tee shot. So was Johnson. But Woods sliced a seven iron right back into the same bunker. Johnson, meanwhile, pulled his shot left, safely on the green.

Woods hit his bunker shot to 4 feet.

Johnson two-putted for par.

Then Woods, needing a putt to extend the match, stood over the putt for a long time. He hit it and it lipped out.

Johnson won.

There was a time when this sequence was unimaginable. Woods is supposed to be clutch. He's not supposed to pull a tee shot into the rough. He's not supposed to put two approach shots in the bunker. He's not supposed to freeze over a four footer before ultimately missing to lose. 

But, Woods is no longer the golfer he once was. He can be caught by a talented, but not exactly awe-inspiring golfer like Johnson. He is entirely too human now.

This tournament was the perfect encapsulation of his entire season.

He was brilliant on Friday of the event, posting a course record tying 62. He hit every green that day, and only missed one fairway. He made it look easy. He went into the weekend looking like the sure winner. But other than that brilliant round, the rest of the week was pedestrian, especially by his standards.

He had bad putting and lazy ball striking on the weekend and couldn't seal the victory.

For instance on Sunday with Johnson starting to come on, Woods bogeyed 14 after having a wedge in hand for the approach shot. He put it short right, and then three putted. That was where the tournament turned against him.

Throughout 2013, Woods has shown moments of absolute brilliance that remind you why he is the best golfer in the game. But, he also follows those moments with sloppy blunders that remind you he's almost 38, and mentally he's just not as strong as he once was. 

This wasn't an important event. It was just an 18-man field at the end of the season. It's not an official event. But Woods could have and should have won. This is not how he should have ended 2013.

It's a shocking reminder that Woods is now just another guy out there. He's better than most, but not by a wide margin. And performances like his on Sunday make it nearly impossible to believe he's going to break Jack Nicklaus's major record. (Nicklaus has 18, Woods has 14, and hasn't won a major in 5 years.)

If he can't close out his opponent with a 3 shot lead on the back nine in a limited field event, then what chance does he have against the world's best in the most important tournaments?

(And this isn't to take anything away from Zach Johnson who played brilliantly. He was awesome, it's just that Woods is supposed to be the awesome player. Woods should have won this thing by 4 shots.)

Here's Johnson's amazing hole out:

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Sergio Garcia ended his tumultuous 2013 with his first win since last December, and he did it with his girlfriend by his side.

He shot a final-round 68 to edge out Henrik Stenson and win the Thailand Golf Championship on Sunday.

Katharina Boehm, a German student who graduated from the College of Charleston last spring, was his caddie. She played on the golf team in college, so she has all the knowledge you'd want from a caddie.

Sergio sang her praises on Saturday:

"No, seriously, it's great to have her around, forget about having her on the bag this week. Just a very positive person, a lot of good energy, that's what I love about her, and it's great to be able to go through this with her. I think the experience, not only for me but for her, I'm sure is interesting and a lot of memories."

After the win:

Watching Sergio Garcia's career unfold is like a never-ending soap opera. pic.twitter.com/OXD6Glf7kJ

— Luke Kerr-Dineen (@LukeKerrDineen) December 16, 2013

Here she is in her playing days at Charleston. Apparently she was a good player:

2013 was a rough year for Sergio. 

He escalated a beef with Tiger Woods, and then became the bane of the golf world by making an offensive fried chicken joke about him.

He slumped through most of the summer, but played well in Asia over the past few weeks and set himself up nicely going into 2014.

It's unclear if he'll keep Kathy on the bag when the season really gets going over the next few months.

She has a 100% winning percentage as a caddie, though:

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Two former executives of Japan's Professional Golf Association were found to have ties to the Japanese mafia and now all 91 representatives of the organization will resign en masse according to an AFP report.

The two former representatives, including a vice chairman of the PGA, dined and played golf with the head of one of Japan's yakuza organized crime families. The 91 current representatives decided to resign to "restore public trust in the body."

The PGA in Japan oversees professional golf activities, licensing of golfers, and player development. However, the PGA no longer runs the Japan Golf Tour, the third largest golf tour in the world behind the North American PGA and the European Tour. That tour has been run by the Japan Golf Tour Organization since 1999.

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Tiger Woods made $83 million last year, according to a new Golf Digest report on golfers' earnings. 

Golf Digest reports $71 million came from off course endorsements, and the rest was from his tour winnings. Woods didn't win a major, but won 5 events, and played well throughout the season. 

In his lifetime, Woods' earnings are now estimated at $1.3 billion. That's a staggering sum, but it could have been higher if not for his cheating scandal. He was earning $100 million a year at his peak in 2008 and 2009 just before his fall. 

Woods' haul puts him well clear of other golfers. Phil Mickelson was in second with $52 million in earnings. Following Mickelson was Arnold Palmer with $40 million, Jack Nicklaus with $26 million, then Henrik Stenson with $22 million, and in sixth was Rory McIlroy with $21 million.

It's not a perfect apples to apples comparison, but using Forbes data it seems Woods is way ahead of all other athletes. Woods was the highest paid athlete in the world last year, according to Forbes, which estimated his 2012 earnings at $78.1 million. The next closest was Roger Federer with $71.5 million.

The lesson here, for parents, is to make sure your kid plays wussy sports like golf or tennis. Almost no brain damage, and the earnings potential is much, much higher.

The only down side to golf is that it's expensive. But, you got to spend money to make money, you know? Even if you're not interested in turning your kid into a cash cow, golf is just awesome. You and your kid will have fun playing. It's the best sport in the world. 

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Golf Digest has released its 11th annual "Golf Digest 50 money list" which looks at the total earnings for golfers, both on and off the course, in 2013.

While it is no surprise that Tiger Woods is on top of the list with $83.1 million in total earnings, some of the other names at the top of the list may be a surprise to many. According to GolfDigest.com, off-course earnings includes "endorsements, bonuses, appearance fees, corporate outings, speaking engagements, licensing fees (video games, trading cards, etc.), course architecture, books, instructional videos and businesses that capitalize on a person's status as a player."

As a result, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Greg Norman, who are all retired from golf, are still among the ten highest-paid golfers. Here are the top 20.

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