Professional golfers Natalie Gulbis, Rocco Mediate and Duffy Waldorf will play themselves on this Thursday’s episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” CBS’s favorite funnymen David Feherty and Gary McCord will also make cameos.

The episode, titled “Long Ball,” revolves around a “legendary” golfer who is murdered at a “high-profile tournament.”

Gulbis blogged about her experience and posted the above photo of herself on the set with — I’m assuming — other cast members at LPGA.com:

I am a huge fan of CSI and have been watching the show for many years. I was thrilled when recently asked to make a guest appearance! I especially enjoyed having the opportunity to experience the process of how an episode of a show comes together. I was able to watch firsthand beginning with the first time I read the script, to then being on site of the episode watching the crew film. It was an incredibly unique experience. I can’t wait to see how it comes together when the show is edited and airs. I feel that the fact that CSI asked professional golfers to make guest appearances is a testament to how much the sport is growing in popularity in the US.

Now I’m not sure if I entirely agree with that last statement and I believe Jim Frank would challenge it. Apparently while TV viewership and corporate sponsorships have increased in the past decade, participation in the sport hasn’t.

But considering the LPGA schedule features only 24 events, down from 27 last year and 34 in ‘08, any publicity is a positive. Gulbis is a great representative given her tremendous popularity among male fans for her cheery personality and swimsuit calendar. But will this generate a larger LPGA following? A small percentage might be enticed to ogle at the ladies playing good golf, but not enough to move the bar — every little bit helps, though.

As for Mediate and Waldorf, it appears the script was written to cast middle-aged, doughy golfers — you know, the stereotype of professional golfers — to reinforce that outdated image. Too bad it didn’t call for younger, more entertaining guys, such as Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia or even Sean O’Hair, who I suppose wouldn’t have been relatable to the show’s target demographic.

Oh well, I’ll still watch. /Setting DVR for CSI, 9PM on Thursday.

[Photo via LPGA.com]

As Adam Scott, the guy once dubbed The Next Tiger Woods, fell into an awful slump this year, the scrutiny quickly followed.

Recently, one of his peers gave his take — the soft-spoken Retief Goosen (seriously!). In the November issue of Golf Magazine, he said, “Scotty’s still young and he has a lot of hot chicks on his mind. I’m sure once he gets over that his game will be back.”

Ouch?

When Adam was spotted at Wimbledon cheering on girlfriend, Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic — in lieu of competing at Tiger Woods’ tournament, the AT&T National — more speculation surfaced. His relationship appeared to be taking precedence over his game, which, logically, was the cause of his poor play.

But in today’s edition of the Sydney Morning Herald, Adam denies such claims [via golf.com]:

‘I don’t know how to respond to that,’ Scott told the Herald of talk golf had not been his main priority. ‘Should I not have a girlfriend? I tried to do everything that I felt was 100 per cent right for me this year. I wasn’t working on the right things for a period of time and it took a long time to work out what was right again.’

So there you have it. But I still blame Kate Hudson.

[Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images]

We saw impressive performances by two up-and-comers last week — Rickie Fowler and Jamie Lovemark. Both found themselves in a three-way playoff with Troy Matteson. While Matteson won on the second playoff hole, there’s still something to be said about Fowler’s and Lovemark’s outstanding play.

Now I’m not going to do the whole “They’re the next big things!” (Though admittedly I’ve gone that route a bit in the past.) Frankly, it’s silly and overrated. The Golf Channel commentators have made no secret of their man-crush on Fowler with their nonstop chatter about his star quality. But I thought it was absolutely absurd when they tried to compare Fowler to Tiger. (It was probably better than their mention of his resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio, though that was stupidly entertaining, especially when they did the split screen of the two.)

The golf world is always pondering over when we’ll discover someone who can rival Tiger’s greatness, but let’s be real — we won’t see that…ever — so long as he’s still competing. But, I find it refreshing to watch these young players perform well, particularly if it’s consistent.

Take Fowler, for example. In his first two starts as a professional he already has two top-10 finishes, not to mention they came in back-to-back weeks. He’s even played well enough to put himself at 135th place ($553,700) on the money list (!), which has gained him some special status for the rest of the season and to sidestep the first and possibly second stages of Q-school. Sure, it’s the Fall Series and the so-called marquee players (Tiger, Phil, etc.) aren’t in the field, but there were still some major champions and top-ranked guys. Plus, Fowler has put up good performances right out of the gate. From what I’ve seen, he seems to have a solid attitude and mentality, the kind where it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to win soon. In a brisk period, he’s shown he can handle the pressure and intensity competing against the big boys on the PGA Tour.

Now I’m positive about one thing — guys like Fowler, Lovemark, Rory McIlroy and Ryo Ishikawa are fun to watch — they bring a new level of excitement, one that makes us glued to our televisions like it did on Sunday. But, we’ve seen the dangers of ordaining budding young players as the real deal, only to cast some disappointment on our high expectations.

Just ask Adam Scott.

[Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images]

With all the young talent out there, we’re constantly talking about and searching for golf’s next big thing (otherwise known as the next closest thing to Tiger). Forget Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas and Adam Scott — they’re yesterday’s news. Now, it’s about Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa and Danny Lee. Add another to that list: Rickie Fowler, the 20-year-old All-American Oklahoma State standout, who only turned pro in September.

So far, this kid is living up to the hype (surprise!). Last week at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (God, that’s a mouthful), he made his first start on the PGA Tour as a professional. And while we know he’s good, he surpassed many expectations, finishing T7.

But then could he continue his hot streak at this week’s Frys.com Open? Oh, yes. Rickie fired rounds of 65-64 for a two-day total of 11-under, and going into the weekend he’s at the very top of the leaderboard. He only missed two greens in two rounds (both on Friday).

Oh, and, the Golf Channel can’t stop the Rickie-fawning — the commentators are drooling over him. Or, they’re just thinking: Thank God, he’s playing so well. Now we have something to talk about other than Chad Campbell’s niceness and pretending we think the Fall Series is tremendously thrilling.

Then, there’s the question of Q-school. For Rickie to bypass it and secure his card for next year, he needs to finish in the top 125 on the money list. With the $113,700 check from last week, he would either need to win or place second to do that. It’s too bad he had to wait until after September’s Walker Cup to turn pro, otherwise he likely would have cashed more than enough. If he does pull off the near impossible this weekend, he would be the first player since Ryan Moore to dodge Q-school.

Rickie shared his positive and level-headed take:

My expectations were basically just to go out and have two fun weeks and play as well as I could…There’s no reason to tee it up in a tournament if I don’t think I can win. Last week I put together some solid rounds and put myself in contention. This week, feel like I’m in a great spot going into the weekend…Right now [going to Q-school] is still the plan.

Considering Rickie’s fearless, chill attitude, he’s got what it takes to handle the limelight, the pressure and the intensity. That said, he might actually pull off the unthinkable this weekend, and you know, win. Believe it? TBD Sunday.

[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Image]

And as far as the question concerning the rematch, never again. (Laughter) I would like to stay as the guy who won over Tiger at the PGA Championship, and that’s about it. No redos. (Laughter) —Y.E. Yang, post-win presser, August 16, ‘09

Unfortunately for Yang, Freddie and the former Mr. Evert had a better idea. And a well known golf blogger and I had the same one — on Thursday we decided it would be the best thing in the world if Yang and Tiger played each other in Sunday’s single matches.

I hope we get to see Yang hit another 3-hybrid like this. (Go for broke!) And when he takes down Tiger, he should totally hoist his bag over his head again — even if a chance for an International team victory is futile.

Thank you, captains.

******

The Americans currently lead the Internationals 12.5 to 9.5. Here’s the complete lineup:

International vs. US (matches begin at approximately noon EST in ten-minute intervals)

Camilo Villegas vs. Hunter Mahan — Grade: C-

Adam Scott vs. Stewart Cink — C+

Mike Weir vs. Justin Leonard — B

Robert Allenby vs. Anthony Kim — B

Geoff Ogilvy vs. Steve Stricker — A-

Ernie Els vs. Sean O’Hair — B+

Ryo Ishikawa vs. Kenny Perry — A+

Tim Clark vs. Zach Johnson — D

Y.E. Yang vs. Tiger Woods (!!!) — A+

Vijay Singh vs. Lucas Glover — F-

Retief Goosen vs. Phil Mickelson — B

Angel Cabrera vs. Jim Furyk — C+

[Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images]

…AK is just not into you.

Captain Couples was so excited about AK and Jim Furyk winning two-up over Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera that he attempted to get to first base with a grossed-out Anthony Kim.

Adam Scott is making International team captain Greg Norman look smart. Norman’s controversial captain’s pick was highly scrutinized — and rather surprising — considering Scott, once dubbed the next big thing, played downright awful this season.

But on Thursday, we saw indications that the slumping Scott is on the road to recovery. Paired with Ernie Els, Scott hit solid golf shots throughout the match. The two closed the match with consecutive birdies. On the 17th, Scott faced a 6-footer (gulp) for the win…and OMG, it went in! Scott/Els won 2&1 over O’Hair/Mahan.

Following the victory, Ernie praised Scott’s stellar play: “He hit it so good today. I had a great partner and obviously a great pick.”

Norman had mentioned that he hoped a good showing by Scott would jumpstart his confidence. And it appears it’s working:

Honestly, I haven’t felt like that for a while. Juices were really flowing and I had one of those feelings that, I mean, I used to have a lot of the time, and to get it this morning was fun. To smoke a drive down there felt even better. Yeah, I really enjoyed it. But it was hard work.

Now, the question is whether Scott can keep up the solid play, not just through this week, but going forward, too. Let’s hope so ‘cause it’s sure nice to see the former number-3 ranked player show up and play.

In Friday’s four-ball matches, he’s teamed with Retief Goosen — the two will be battling Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard.

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

The Presidents Cup matches at Harding Park in San Francisco begin tomorrow. Here are the pairings for Thursday’s foursomes:

International vs. US.

Tim Clark and Mike Weir vs. Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson

Adam Scott and Ernie Els vs. Hunter Mahan and Sean O’Hair

Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby vs. Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink

Angel Cabrera and Camilo Villegas vs. Kenny Perry and Zach Johnson

Geoff Ogilvy and Ryo Ishikawa vs. Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker

Retief Goosen and Y.E. Yang vs. Jim Furyk and Justin Leonard

My favorite is Ogilvy/Ishikawa vs. Woods/Stricker — the Americans have the advantage with the world’s number one and two playing together. Plus, they’re BFFs! It will definitely be interesting to see how the 18-year-old Ishikawa, who just won his fourth tournament on the Japanese Tour, perform. With the format being alternate shot, Tiger’s and Stricker’s games balance each other. And lucky for Strick, the rough isn’t too thick. So, if Tiger is hitting errant drives, it won’t be a huge travesty. Ogilvy and Ryo better bring their A-game to stand a chance.

I also love Cabrera/Villegas vs. Perry/Johnson. Given that Angel doesn’t speak English, it’s probably smart Norman paired him with Camilo because, you know, communicating with your teammate is important.

And then there’s Scott/Els vs. Mahan/O’Hair. Everyone will be watching how Adam Scott plays. At least he’s paired with Ernie, who has been playing pretty well lately. Good news is that none of the four are good putters. Oh, apparently Ernie requested to play with Scott:

Yeah, I think Scotty wanted to play with me. I really enjoy Scotty. I think he’s one of the great talents of the game. He’s had a very tough year. So mentally, I want to help him, and you know, if he can get over the little stumbling block that he’s had it will be great for his career.

What a generous, helpful friend! No, seriously. Let’s hope Scott can regain his confidence this week.

Now that I’ve shared my super-insightful thoughts, it’s your turn. By the way, Mike Walker will be live-blogging the matches over at Press Tent tomorrow — stop by for his Beavis & Butthead commentary on the action.

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

And then there’s the other Presidents Cup team captain, the newly sad-sacked Greg Norman, who was peppered with a couple of tough questions at the PC press conference.

First, the curious choice to pick the slumping Adam Scott (who showed signs of life last week at Turning Point):

When you look at Adam in totality, not only his playability, but his compatibility with the other players. He’s a great team member. If you ever get to see him connect with the players, like Fred says, in our team rooms, it just phenomenal.

So looking at that aspect, as well. Not saying the other guys wouldn’t have been, but if you roll the clock back 11 months with Adam, he was the No. 3 player in the world and doesn’t necessarily mean just because his golf game has gone away; it’s because of his golf game, there could have been other things going on in his life that may have taken his mind away from it.

Ah-choo…KateHudson…ah-choo! Speaking of “other things going on” in one’s life, how’s Norman holding up after his recent very public romantic flame-out? One member of the press tried to get some dirt but failed.

Well, first of all, about that, I’m not going to make any comment on that.

And then a second attempt, this time, a little softer approach.

Q. You have often spoken publicly about Chrissie’s positive influence on your game. How do you think her absence will affect your performance and going forward?

Well, I’m not going to talk about any of that personal life right now. I think from my game’s perspective and the influence that anybody has, if it’s positive, it’s always good, no question.

Wow, so Greg Norman is trying to be Adam Scott’s own Chris Evert. Adorable.

[Photos by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

Shane Bacon over at FanHouse is giving out awards for the 2009 PGA and LPGA Tour season. Last week he asked Patricia Hannigan from Golf Girl’s Diary to select the PGA’s “Best Dressed.” She chose an unassuming winner, 18-year-old Japanese phenom Ryo Ishikawa. He’s probably not the first guy you’d think of — Ian Poulter, Camilo Villegas and Adam Scott seem like they would be the front runners for their cutting-edge fashion. But that’s also why Ryo is such a great choice.

Here’s how Patricia described his style:

Color, cut and artful accessorizing are the main components of the Ryo style. A distinct Asian influence can be seen in the bright, saturated hues that define each outfit he wears. Always artfully blended with a contrasting solid, these powerful color notes are picked up in his visors, belts, shoes and gloves and stand out in a way that’s fresh and exciting.

Not to mention the Japanese simply have good style and Ryo showcases it better than most. If the kid can pull off a pastel, rainbow striped polo paired with lime green pants, then he deserves to win hands-down! It’s not close to his best look (or my favorite), but just saying.

Also, be sure to check out the tableau Patricia put together of some of Ryo’s color combinations here.

[Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images]