The long, drawn out debate over whether belly putters and any other form of anchoring in a putting stroke should be illegal may soon be coming to an end. 

The governing bodies of golf proposed a ban on such practices Wednesday and while it's only step one of the process, all signs point to said ban passing. 

The new rule states that during a stroke, a player cannot anchor the club, either “directly” or by use of an “anchor point.” Prohibited stokes would include a belly putter anchored against the stomach, an anchored long putter to the sternum, the end of the club anchored against the chin, and an anchor point created by the forearm.

Bifurcation should not be a problem going forward and will create an even playing field across all ranks from recreational to professional. In other words, this rule is being put in place everywhere.

A 90 day comment period immediately follows Wednesday's ruling for golfers and industry professionals to talk about the matter and have their opinions expressed, but at this point it already feels like that's all out in the open. It's more of a courtesy and in my opinion, one that is unnecessary. There is not one argument for or against that hasn't already been said. 

Let's just get to the spring, when this rule can become official and then happily watch as the illegal anchoring goes away forever... starting in 2016. 

Yes, 2016. This ban will not be fully implemented until the next publishing of the Rules of Golf in three years. What kind of ridiculous bylaws prohibit the governing bodies to just push this thing through and, seriously, why do they exist? It's a bit maddening. 

We've had three golfers win majors in the past two years using belly putters: Keegan Bradley, 2011 PGA; Webb Simpson, 2012 US Open; and Ernie Els, 2012 British Open. Before I declare an illegal injustice on them, it is worth mentioning that no golfer using a belly putter was ranked in the Top 20 in putting in 2012. To me, that simply says that you don't have to be consistently great at putting for an entire year to win a major, just over a four day period when the tournament is being held. 

I'm going to love not having to watch men in their 20's and 30's slumped over a belly or long putter as if they are ready to start collecting Social Security checks. 

And speaking of our "veteran golfers" (very PC, I know)... I do wonder what this will mean for Champions Tour golfers who are stricken with age-related injuries that might prohibit them from adjusting to the no anchor rule. I'm guessing a One-A-Day multivitamin isn't going to be a great substitute, but then again, these guys do have caddies and if you're unable to swing a putter like everybody else, it's probably time to call it a career anyway.

It's worth considering, but not enough that it should make a difference in the outcome. 

You'll hear all in power within the PGA Tour say this rule is a way to improve the future of golf and keep the rules fair. Believe those words, because they are true. You'll hear some golfers gripe about it and bring up a bunch of lame complaints as well, but just brush those off and look forward to a brighter future for golf... or something like that. 

Players can still use their precious belly and long putters, anyway. They just can't illegally anchor them anymore. Who wants to cheat to win, anyway? 

"We legitimately believe it’s the right thing to do for the game of golf long-term. We know short-term there is going to be some angst over this. We accept that. We don’t like it either. But we want to, once and for all, put this controversial ruling to bed," US Golf Association executive director Mike Davis said.

Let me be the first to offer to tuck it in and read it a bed time story, Mike. Anything for it to rest in peace.

The British Open became a perfect storm as play was winding down Sunday afternoon. It was a bogey-fest for Adam Scott as he shot his way out of contention for his first major championship in the last four holes. It was the round of a lifetime for Ernie Els, who capitalized on every opportunity down the stretch and became the unlikely champion. Els might be an older, grizzled veteran, but it's not like Scott is a young up-and-comer who got "deer in headlights" syndrome due to being in contention at his first major. He's been a pro for 12 years and been in contention for big wins in the past. His game simply failed him. 

Els wasn't the only big winner, though, the TV ratings had just as good a weekend. Saturday's ratings were up 48% with 3.8 million viewers and Sunday's ratings were up 38% with 4.8 million viewers. That's a great weekend for the PGA Tour and British Open. Opening round coverage was up 71% and 78% for Thursday and Friday, respectively. If you think about the weird time difference we have in the US due to the broadcast being aired live in Great Britain, it makes the numbers even more impressive. Sure, Tiger Woods probably had a good amount to do with it since he was playing good golf, especially through the opening rounds, but you have to give credit to Els' charge and be a little bit happy about Scott's collapse if you are the PGA Tour and British Open. Those occurrences certainly didn't hurt viewership. 
I never seem to great when I make picks, but my British Open picks weren't terrible...

The art of Power Rankings is that there is no art to it at all. Make your pick, come up with an explanation and publish. It's a simple recipe that cooks up an imperfect dish  of speculative analysis about who has the best chance of winning in any given tournament. 

But, there's always room to analyze that which has already been analyzed by another, and frankly, that's just what we do here from time to time. Let's dig into my main source for PGA Tour Power Rankings, Rob Bolton of PGATour.com...

HP Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas

His picks:

1. Adam Scott; 2. Jason Day; 3. Matt Kuchar; 4. John Rollins; 5. Phil Mickelson; 6. Brian Day; 7. Ernie Els; 8. Louis Oosthuizen; 9. Carl Petterson; 10. Jason Dufner

What I like

Every week, the Top 10 of a tournament changes dramatically due to qualifying, player schedules, sponsor exemptions and injuries. The hardest part about making any leaderboard predictions is deciding on which lesser-known players are going to crack the Top 10. Randomly picking names that are unfamiliar to you is as good a strategy as any, because that's just how the game of golf works. Depending on your level of golf fandom, John Rollins, Brian Day and Carl Petterson are probably names that don't make up pronouns in your golf sentences. I couldn't tell you if those are good picks, but I like that they're there. 

Matt Kuchar in the Top 5 after winning THE PLAYERS last week is a good choice. He's got one win, a third place finish, five Top 10's, and eight Top 25's in the 10 events he's played in 2012. Logic says that his game is good and ready to notch another Top 10. Though golf is a seemingly illogical game, I like Kuchar's chances anyway. 

What I don't like

Adam Scott has not had a great 2012 and even though he finished T15 at THE PLAYERS, I can't support anyone to win a tournament if they're using a long putter. Sure, the long putter has improved Scott's play on the green, but I hate long putters and think they should be banned, so I don't like Scott at No. 1 (for selfish reasons, obviously.)

Not having defending champion Keegan Bradley in the Top 10 when he's already had three Top 10 finishes this year. It's an oversight to not give the defending champion his due, especially when he's having a good season going into a tournament he's won in the past and I don't like that.

My Picks:

1. Phil Mickelson; 2. Jason Dufner; 3. Keegan Bradley; 4. Matt Kuchar; 5. Jason Day; 6. Adam Scott; 7. Vijay Singh; 8. Brendan Steele; 9. Padraig Harrington; 10. Johnson Wagner

Round 1 Tee Times

Groups to Watch

Lots of action on the PGA Tour this week, including the Tavistock Cup and Arnold Palmer Invitational. Tavistock is already underway and the Arnold Palmer kicks off on Thursday from Bay Hill Country Club & Lounge in Orlando, FL.

If Tavistock is just a blip on your golf radar and you're ready to get into API already, tune into live interviews on PGATour.com today. Martin Laird is up at 11am CT and Commissioner Tim Finchem goes live at 12pm CT. I've got a feeling the Finchem interview will be a bit dry, but you never know, and it's always good to hear from the Commish.

I'm not very big into Power Rankings in any sport, but I as curious what Rob Bolton on PGATour.com had to say heading into Bay Hill. The competition has been very strong in 2012 and we've seen a lot of different faces atop the leaderboard this year. From week-to-week, the golfers on the PGA Tour are doing a great job of keeping the "content" fresh and that's a good sign early in the year, especially with the Masters just around the corner.

Top 10 via Rob Bolton

1. Tiger Woods - Not sure I agree with Woods topping this list because he's been playing pretty streaky golf lately, but I understand why he's here. Woods is returning to form moreso lately than we've seen in a long time and I think he'll be very tough to beat once he gets that first win under his belt.

2. Justin Rose - Rose is coming off a WGC-Cadillac win, so anywhere in the Top 5 would have been a fine placement in my eyes.

3. Webb Simpson
4. Bo Van Pelt

Both golfers are finishing in the Top 10 very frequently this year and when you put yourself in contention that often, it only takes a few improved holes over the course of 72 holes to get yourself a first place finish.

5. Jim Furyk - Happy to see Furyk contend last week at Transitions after such a tough 2011. Basically, if he's healthy, he's going to contend.

6. Hunter Mahan
7. Sergio Garcia
8. Bubba Watson
9. Jeff Overton
10. Ernie Els

No question 2012 has proven to be a good year for this group so far. I think you can take any combination of those five and shuffle them around in the 6-10 slots and no one would have complaints. My guess is this grouping a five golfers will win before the 1-5 ranked golfers do. Just a hunch, though.

Avoid your Twitter timeline and all golf coverage for the next week because Tiger Woods is returning to the PGA Tour. Don't let yourself get suckered into the bottomless debates about how good he will be or if this will be the tournament that breaks the spell and magically makes the old Woods return.

Seriously, don't do it. I implore you to fight of the urge to be excited that the most prolific golfer of our time will tee it up after a summer of absence. No matter what you do, just pretend this is another golf tournament and that there isn't a 14-time major winner in the field trying to reclaim his position at the top of the golf world.

This is the pep talk I gave myself when I started doing research for the Frys.com Open this week. The problem is, there really wasn't much else to latch my blogging hooks into besides the fact that Woods is playing a second-cut-of-the-rough tournament he would have never played a few years ago.

But we can find something besides Woods to discuss here. There are three 2011 winners (Brendan Steele, Scott Piercy, and Kevin Na); three past winners (Rocco Mediate, Cameron Beckman, and Troy Matteson); and 11 other major winners besides Woods (Steve Elkington, Louis Oosthuizen, Ben Curtis, David Duval, Trevor Immelman, Rich Beem, Justin Leonard, Ernie Els, Le Janzen, Shaun Micheel, and Angel Cabrera).

If that list of players gets you excited about a golf tournament, then you're really going to enjoy this tournament without having to rely on Woods for any entertainment value whatsoever. Take those players, leave the Woods drama behind and have yourself a lovely Frys.com Open.

Or do what I'm doing... ignore your pep talk and just hope Woods stays somewhat in contention so the tournament isn't a snooze fest.

Picks
1. Ernie Els
2. Patrick Cantlay
3. Paul Casey
4. Louis Oosthuizen
5. Charlie Wi
18. Tiger Woods

In golf, we talk a lot about history. Each week there is a chance that some golfer, somewhere is going to have a historic performance. We never know when that will be or who will be doing it, but it's one of the biggest reasons we tune in for the tournaments - especially the Majors.

This year marks the 93rd PGA Championship and for all we know - at this moment - it could be the greatest, or worst, one of the 93. My guess is that it's going to be amongst the better ones we've ever seen. The drama heading into the tournament is just too good for a let down.

There's Tiger and Steve. The young up and comer's Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler (and what seems like nearly half the field). There are past major winners here, quite a few of them actually (Mickelson, Woods, Schwartzel, Harrington, Clarke, McIlroy, etc..) and also those who are looking to claim their first major (Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, etc.).

One of the biggest questions is can two of the greatest golfers we've ever seen (Woods and Mickelson) reclaim their place atop the world of golf with another Major win? Because that's all it will take to catapult them from having a down year to headlinging the main stage of the golf world.

They certainly will have a tough course to play at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, GA. You never really know how hard the course is going to play until you get out there. No practice rounds can give you a true test of what's to come, especially if the weather turns for the better (or worse). It's not like the U.S. Open, where you know it's going to be a struggle out on the course. We could very well see some really low scores if the conditions play out just right.

Last year, we saw Martin Kaymer win the PGA and heading into this year's tournament, we haven't really heard much about him. This is in part because Woods just returned and Steve Williams decided to run his mouth off, but count him out of it at your own risk. I don't think he'll win, but a Top 10 is certainly in the cards for him.

I also don't expect to see a leaderboard with young talent atop it. That's not to say McIlroy and Fowler won't make some noise this weekend, because I think McIlroy will for sure, but I just have a feeling that the old guard is going to have a big say in who takes home the Wanamaker trophy.

Picks
1. Tiger Woods - I don't know why I'm doing this... I just am. I'm as desperate for a win as he is.
2. Steve Stricker
3. Martin Kaymer
4. Lee Westwood
5. Ernie Els

Watch Live  |  Leaderboard

South African Ernie Els was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility Monday night. The three-time major champion has 67 victories worldwide in his career (19 on the PGA Tour). Els' consistent play has made him a household name on the PGA Tour and around the world throughout his career and continues to be in contention on Sundays to this day.

Els is joined by Jock Hutchison, Doug Ford, Jumbo Ozaki, President George H. W. Bush and Frank Chirkinian.

The most interesting, and head scratching name on the list is obviously President Bush... until you actually read why he's being enshrined. Bush has been the honorary chairman of The First Tee since 1997. In my opinion, any president who puts time into the First Tee program, especially over such a long period of time, deserves high recognition.

I've seen first hand the impact the First Tee program can have on kids, and it's a commendable program that doesn't get enough attention or main stream support. 

A few months ago I saw a special on Frank Chrikinian, the man known as the "father of golf on television," right after he passed away and it was refreshing to hear the story of a man other than Tiger Woods that had such a huge impact on the popularity of golf on television. Chirkinian was the executive producer of golf on CBS from 1956-1996 and was the first to use technologies such as cameras on blimps, placing microphones to hear the natural sounds of the game, and put reporters in action around the course to broadcast.

My generation is the Tiger Woods generation and too often Woods gets all the credit for all that is good in the game. Sometimes a history lesson is the best way to appreciate what you have. I never knew what Chirkinian did for golf until a few months ago, but I'm glad I do now.

Jim Nantz summed it up best on PGATour.com: "Frank is universally regarded as the father of golf television," said Jim Nantz, CBS' lead golf announcer since 1989. "He invented it. He has touched every golf production we watch today. Frank is a genius. He helped popularize the sport as much as anyone. He took a sport that no one knew how to televise and made it interesting. He brought the Masters Tournament to life. Golf was good to Frank Chirkinian, but Frank was great to golf."

...make sure to read that in your best Jim Nantz voice. It makes it better. 

Interviews  |  Ceremony Coverage  |  Story

[Exhibit A] Paul Casey has not won a single PGA Tour tournament in 2010. Should he win the Tour Championship this weekend at East Lake, he'd take home the $10 million prize bestowed upon the FedEx Cup Championship.

The past has shown the Top 5 players going into the final tournament for the FedEx Cup have a shot at taking home the trophy and a huge check. But something is fundamentally wrong with a "championship" that can be won by a player who has never finished atop the leaderboard throughout the year. The Sprint Cup in NASCAR thinks the FedEx Cup is a joke. An 8-8 division winning NFL team that makes the playoffs is finding humor in golf playoffs as well.

Tiger Woods might as well be in contention for that paycheck this weekend. He'd probably only get to keep half of it, so don't tell Elin there's a chance a golfer that hasn't won in 2010 has a chance to take home $10 million... better yet, forget I wrote that last sentence and let's move forward.....

Breaking down the past three winners and their win's on tour in that respect year....
2009 - Tiger Woods - Wins: 6 - Top 10: 14
2008 - Vijay Singh - Wins: 3 - Top 10: 8
2007 - Tiger Woods - Wins: 7 - Top 10: 12

If Casey wins on Sunday here's where he stacks up:
2010 - Paul Casey - Wins: 1 - Top 10: 7

That's a lof of money on the line for mediocrity. In Major League Baseball, 162 games-played (plus playoffs) is a marathon that 99% of the time crowns the best team in baseball. In golf? Doesn't matter.

Part of me sincerely hopes that Casey wins on Sunday just so the screaming heads in the national sports media can go to town and I can laugh. Then again, I won't be the one laughing the loudest... Casey will have the last laugh, all the way to the bank.

A look at the rest of the field
Current Standings:
(points behind leader)
1. Matt Kuchar - 4,935
2. Dustin Johnson (636)
3. Charley Hoffman (1,486)
4. Steve Stricker (1,563)
5. Paul Casey (1,920)
6. Jason Day (2,302)
7. Luke Donald (2,338)
8. Ernie Els (2,592)
9. Martin Laird (2,641)
10. Phil Mickelson (2,686)

A quick guide to how we got here...
Ernie Els spent 21 weeks atop the FedEx Cup standings, but fell off after a miserable tournament at the Barclays, shooting a +5. Matt Kuchar won the Barclays and has been atop the FedEx Cup standings ever since. For a week-to-week Top 5 breakdown, click here.

Rather than break down the entire scoring system, here's a link to the scoring breakdown by finishing position.

Here are the current odds for the 2010 Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

• Phil Mickelson 9/1
• Ernie Els 11/1
• Martin Kaymer 16/1
• Graeme McDowell 20/1
• Retief Goosen 22/1
• Francesco Molinari 28/1
• Robert Allenby 28/1
• Charl Schwartzel 28/1
• Camilo Villegas 33/1

This is a very good field that should garner more attention than The John Deere Classic.