Better check that eBay return policy — PING finally gave in to the unnerving pressures of the PGA Tour and waived its rights to a lawsuit that prevented the Tour from banning the 20-year-old wedges with square grooves, which didn’t conform to the new regulations set by the USGA.

As you may recall, the loophole caused some ruckus the other month when Phil Mickelson went on his anti-groove policy crusade. But since then, Phil, along with Fred Couples and Hunter Mahan, put the old wedges back in the garage because, well, Scott McCarron called Phil a cheater.

Tour boss Tim Finchem thanks PING for its appeasement:

John Solheim and PING had a terrific opportunity to do something very positive and significant for the game of golf and we very much appreciate his willingness to take this action.

And this from PING CEO John Solheim:

We all believe it is in the best interests of golf. It levels the playing field on the PGA TOUR and resolves a very unfortunate situation that we predicted would happen when the USGA first proposed the new groove rule more than two years ago. It keeps in place all of our other rights established in the 1993 PGA TOUR settlement and the 1990 USGA settlement, including ensuring amateurs will continue to be able to play their pre-April 1990 EYE2s at all amateur events played under the USGA Rules of Golf.

Beginning on March 29, the old PING Eye 2 clubs will be banned on the PGA, Nationwide and Champions tour. So good news for the average Joe — you can still play with the Eye 2’s in your club championship!

But what’s in it for PING? The AP’s Doug Ferguson explains via Twitter: “A USGA forum this fall that Solheim hopes will give companies a stronger voice when equipment rules are changed.”

Phew, glad that’s been settled. Now I can finally get some sleep.

In three starts on the 50-plus tour (otherwise known as the Champions Tour), Fred Couples has two straight wins. Firing a final round six-under 65, he breezed his way to victory by four strokes at the Toshiba Classic.

Freddie’s scoring average on the Champions Tour is 65.67 and he hasn’t carded anything over a 68 all season. In the event he didn’t win, he placed second. Also in the two tournaments he’s played on the PGA Tour, he finished T14 at the Waste Management Open and T37 at the Northern Trust Open. Impressive for, you know, an old guy.

And look out — there are a few others on the senior tour who can still compete with the young guys, like Tom Lehman and Tom Watson who finished T3 and T5, respectively. The 60-year-old Watson shot 62 on Sunday and we all remember what he did at Turnberry last year (let’s hope he gets that US Open exemption, too!). Lehman has placed T14 and T16 in two starts on the PGA Tour — Phil Mickelson also has two top-20 finishes.

When was the last time it was so much fun to watch a bunch of old dudes hobble around the course? Probably not since the days when Lee Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Chi Chi Rodriguez dominated in the early 90s.

What’s more interesting is that Couples, Lehman and Watson could potentially win on the big boys tour this year, too. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the last player to win after his Champions Tour debut was Fred Funk in the 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic.

I put my money on Couples to be the next.

[Photo by Craig Dolch via PGATour.com]

With Tom Watson and Fred Couples battling it out on the final day, the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship provided some fantastic drama. While the 50-year-old Couples was aiming to win his Champions Tour debut, Watson was trying to capture his first title at the ripe age of 60.

This time age outlasted youth in a duel which Watson dubbed, “young kid versus old fart.” It came down to the last hole, where Watson, who is still one of the best ballstrikers in the game, hit a beautiful pitching wedge to four feet. After Couples missed his 15-foot birdie attempt, Watson calmly tapped in his for the win. (Good thing it wasn’t a 6-8 footer — he’s known to struggle with those.)

But in standard Freddie style, he didn’t seem bothered by the runner-up finish. Instead, as he walked off the green, he asked, “Who won the football game?”

With other big names like Hale Irwin, Mark O’Meara and Jay Haas, along with Corey Pavin, who, like Freddie, turned 50 last year, 2010 might be a compelling year for the 50+ crowd. Watson’s performance at Turnberry last summer proved glory is attainable at any age. Now, add Freddie, who has always been a fan favorite, to the mix — things can only get more interesting.

I’m just really looking forward to the US Senior Open at Sahalee, where Freddie is returning to his hometown area and serving as the honorary chair of the tournament.

According to industry insiders, Anthony Kim isn’t a saint, but he’s also not “the current John Daly.”

During AK’s rookie year in ‘07, he was infamous for hitting bars post-rounds, not practicing and staying out all night mid-tournaments. But he made it well known in ‘08 that he’d learned from his mistakes and reformed — he said he’d quit his excessive partying ways and since then, was maintaining a stringent practice and workout routine. Given his very public affirmations, he should realize an alleged minor slip-up becomes major news.

If there’s truth to Robert Allenby’s accusations, it doesn’t surprise people. Even though AK publicly proclaimed he’s cleaned up his act, he still has a huge party reputation. And during this year’s NBC’s pre-US Open Bethpage Black event — Michael Jordan, Fred Couples and Rocco Mediate attended, too — AK was rumored to be hitting it hard once again.

Sure, he’s had some come-to-Jesus moments with several of the veteran players on Tour — they basically told him he would just be an average golfer if he continued his reckless boozing and tail-chasing.

So if AK did indeed beat Allenby hungover and with little sleep, that could be disastrous for him — if he gets in his head that he can play well with a Jager bomb regimen, he could be in for a serious backslide.

Is he destined to be the next John Daly-like train wreck? No. He’s a 24-year-old kid who likes to have a good time. But AK should be aware that once he goes public about his reformation project, whether he’s partying once a week or 24/7, it’s going to be heavily scrutinized.

[Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images]

In the past, Anthony Kim admitted to excessive partying and acting irresponsibly:

After all-night binges, he’d barely make his tee time. His “diet” consisted of pizza, French fries, and meatball subs—at 4 a.m.

But he reformed himself and stopped drinking for six months in 2008 and started a stringent workout program with Darby Rich, the former strength and conditioning coach at Oklahoma University.

Yesterday at the Presidents Cup, Robert Allenby, whom AK obliterated 5&3 in the singles match, bitterly accused him of staying out late the night before:

Maybe we should all take the theory of Anthony Kim. Get home at 4 o’clock (in the morning) and then go shoot 6 under.” Asked if his comments were on the record, Allenby said, “I don’t care. Ask his playing partners. Ask his team. He is the loosest cannon in that team…I’m just pissed off that I lost to him. Maybe I should have gone out with him.”

Burn. When AK heard the comments, he called them “absolutely false,” and suggested Allenby practice more.

He also denied a report that earlier in the week he was asked to leave a team event because “he was sweating and did not feel well.” A team member said captain Fred Couples told AK “to either be more presentable or go back to his room.” Freddie verified that AK returned to his room, but defended him:

He’s so much younger (24) than everybody else. He certainly doesn’t want to hang around with Kenny Perry and me…You know, it’s just the team room. Come on and eat and go home.’ I don’t expect him to sit and talk to the wives.

Freddie also consulted team mascot Michael Jordan on how to handle AK’s wayward behavior:

We picked on him a little bit and then I decided with Michael. Michael said, ‘Just let him go, and he’ll come back to you.’

At the end of the week, Freddie identified AK, who finished the week with a 3-1 record, as one of the most valued team players. He awarded him with “one of only four limited-edition Jordan basketball jerseys that he handed out to special achievers during the week.”

So yeah, perhaps Allenby should have gone binge-drinking.

[Photo by Harry How/Getty Images]

Q. I guess Phil if you could — Fred said he didn’t have much to do with it, but you’ve played for a lot of captains over the years, but how is this distinctive and how much of a role do you think Fred had in your success?

PHIL MICKELSON: We were talking earlier about how impressed we were with the job that he did. He just seemed to be on top of everything, from even details, which isn’t, you know, his personality. He was on top of all of the details. He was on top of who was playing well —

TIGER WOODS: (Stifling laughter).

PHIL: — how he wanted to match up pairings, how he wanted them to play. I thought he and Jay and Michael did a great job of staying on top of everything and allowing us to play our best.

Q. Would you like to do this again or did all of that attention to detail take too much out of you?

FRED COUPLES: Well, I will say this, that coming from Phil Mickelson, that’s very, very complimentary, because when I came in here, I thought Phil was going to be my toughest player to deal with out of the 12 guys.

PHIL : What?

See?

[ASAP Sports Transcripts/Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images]

There have been many questions as to why Michael Jordan is sauntering around with the American squad as Captain Fred Couples’ assistant at this year’s Presidents Cup. It’s a valid question. What, besides megawatt star power, could the retired basketball player “assist” this team with outside of hollow pleasantries. It appears he doesn’t even know:

I joke around with the guys, make it somewhat competitive. I’m just trying to keep them relaxed. I’ve been trying to give them as much insight in regard to team play, going out under pressure and just enjoying yourself.

So he’s like a 6’5 cigar-smoking mascot. And that’s exactly the support Freddie wanted from MJ…but they didn’t have animal costumes large enough.

But Jordan’s decided to go all Dr. Phil with Sean O’Hair to try to help with his putting jitters. Third person alert:

He’s nervous because I know he wants to do well — not just because Michael Jordan is around, but because every golfer wants to do well. He’s definitely doing well. The first couple of days he couldn’t make any putts and now he’s doing well.

And after diagnosing Sean O’Hair’s problems, he got in his car and drove up to Oakland so he could enjoy a celebratory cigar for his efforts.

But seriously speaking, it’s no secret MJ isn’t there to offer serious “coaching” help — he’s not giving swing tips, reading putts or providing course management strategies. So, let’s just enjoy his presence for what it is: the all-time greatest basketball player hanging out and doing some cheerleading from inside the ropes.

[Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images]

Last week Golf Digest’s Marty Hackel, otherwise known as “Mr. Style,” was kind enough to chat with me about golf fashion, the PGA and LPGA Tours’ best dressed — and the players that need help the most.

The preppy and traditional look is coming back in a big way generally speaking in fashion. How can you incorporate those looks into your golf wardrobe without looking costumed or like a tool?

I think we sometimes get too fixated on what you’re wearing and need to focus on how you’re wearing it. You can take tan bermuda shorts and a white button-up and wear it with a degree of a dressiness; if you want to be preppy, you probably have a grosgrain ribbon belt or the khakis are leathered out and there’s no “tech” in them. I think tech is great in certain things. For example, I think outerwear tech is terrific, like Gore-Tex. It’s fabulous and when it’s used properly, it makes great rain gear. We’ve gotten way too techy. It’s created a buzz and people saw: “It doesn’t look like I sweat and that’s a good thing, I’m going to buy more. Polyester is lightweight material, I don’t even feel like I have it on.” Tech is great in footwear and hosiery. Tech can be good in wearing apparel when used properly. It’s synthetic product — generally speaking. We make a huge mistake. We get too focused on sportswear. It doesn’t have to be golf-specific. Why can’t you wear a woven golf shirt on the course?

John Paul Newport wrote a column earlier this year about the return of the “Full Cleveland” — white shoes and white belts — and it appeared to be a big trend this year. What do you think about that look?

White belts came back more, particularly in the first part of the year. And this Full Cleveland thing, come on, please, what are you talking about…there are a couple of players on the Tour. We misread this a little bit. I think white belts are great on thin guys that are tall. They’re not great on guys with a 38-inch waist. Don’t wear white unless you have holster attached to that belt and badge attached to your shirt, then wear your white belt. Period.

Phil gets a lot of grief about his wardrobe. And recently he wore white pants the week he won the Tour Championship. What’s your general feel on him these days?

His shirts have gotten a little snug. It’s way better than a few years ago when his shirts were oversized. Clothes don’t make you look thinner — diets do. Americans think oversized shirts make you look thinner, but they don’t. Next few people you hear criticize Phil, ask them to look in the mirror. Because it’s mostly oversized guys. He’s not batting a thousand, but who is on the PGA?

FanHouse named Ryo Ishikawa “Best-Dressed in ‘09.” How would you describe Ryo’s look?

He’s costumed, very programmed. There’s not a lot of creativity there. I would like to see what he wears when he loses his luggage. But I think he looks great on Tour.

And how about Fred Couples? I love his classic style.

He looks silly. He’s done more to confuse people about good fit in the past 20 years. I love Freddie. As a human being, he’s a lovable guy. Every woman thinks he’s handsome. I just think his shirts are too big. He’s always pulling up his sleeves before he hits the ball. I think a lot of women say you should look like Freddie Couples, but it’s not because of the clothes.

Who are the best dressers and why?

I’m a big Watson fan. Elkington has the best taste on Tour. Kuchar looks great all the time. He’s terrific. He puts it together well, he’s in good shape, he wears things that are appropriate, he has a good idea of style and he carries himself well. Almost all the time Tiger looks great in everything but his trousers. He’s my textbook example of someone who carries it well. He’s put good fit more on the map than anyone. Charles Howell looks good and can look even better. Just trim up his shirts a little more, so he’s not wearing quite as much of oversized shirts. It would be fine tuning with a guy like Howell, not an overhaul. It would be dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. You don’t have to be young to look great. Jason Gore always looks great to me. That’s a big guy who looks great! You don’t have to be 140 pounds to look great. The way he carries himself, he has a good taste, he knows a good pair of trousers when he sees it.

I think Stewart Cink looks great — he wears bright colors, he wears clothes that fit, he has some fun, he certainly dresses within himself. I mean, he looks terrific!

I’ll give you another example of a player who wears nice clothes, but carries them to the greatest amount of confidence and looks terrific in them — Rich Beem in Oakley. He has a lot of fun with it. But you know, I like Alex Cejka because he’s in shape and wears clothes that fit. So does Will MacKenzie. So does Camilo. Has Camilo ever looked bad? I don’t think so.

Most of the Spanish guys look fabulous. Alvaros Quiros! He looks like a million bucks. You wanna know why? He’s got great personality! There’s something terrific about him. Soren Hansen looks great to me all the time, love him. Most of the guys that I think look great are European. Because they understand fit much better.

Who needs the most help?

Justin Rose needs help. Everything is one slice off. He doesn’t wear the right combination. He doesn’t wear the stuff that fits him properly. The clothes are fine, it’s the way you wear them. And I think that’s a huge challenge. Huge challenge. Everyone says Woody Austin is a bad dresser. It’s not that he’s a bad dresser, it’s that he doesn’t wear the right stuff and size for him. He’s a terrific golfer and he’s not in terribly bad shape, but he certainly looks that way, doesn’t he? I’ll give you an example of someone who has huge potential to look great. Bill Haas. He’s dressing like his father! He should be dressing like himself. He wears those old man trousers. Everything is oversized!

Biggest fashion faux pas?

What’s not wearing appropriate for your body type. That’s a mistake most people make.

Marty to me: Who’s on your top 5 list?
Me: On mine…Off the top of my head?
Him: No, I want it off the bottom of your head. Yes, of course off the top of your head.
Me: I know Poulter is a little outlandish but I think he always looks great. I mean, how many people can pull off the British flag get-up he wore at the British Open?
Him: Ian Poulter looks great! Once again, classic example of not what you wear, but how you wear. I’m with you on that.
Me: I like Aaron Baddeley’s style, too.
Him: He does! I don’t know what people say Aaron dresses Badd-e-ley. But I think they just like the play on words.

Who would you like to go on a shopping trip with?

Rory Sabbatini would be on my shopping team — if I had to go shopping with 5 guys on Tour, he would be on that list. Elkington would be and so would Darren Clarke. Those three guys right away because they would be great to go shopping because they know what they’re doing. Sometimes I don’t like everything that Rory Sabbatini wears, but I’ll defend him all day long because he doesn’t dress like an Ottoman, he doesn’t dress like he’s been manufactured to look one way, he dresses to his own drummer.

What do you think about the logos? Do you think they are cheapening up the game?

Here we go again with everyone trying to get me to compare golf to NASCAR Racing. And yeah, I think you can overdo it, but these guys are just trying to make a buck. I mean, I think we’re about maxed out right now. I don’t want to see it getting any bigger and I don’t want to see any more logos. I think it’s getting a little confusing. But they’re independent contractors and they’re trying to make money.

How do you feel about the women’s side of things?

There’s where I have a huge problem with too much logo. I don’t like when the LPGA wears a lot of logos. It’s probably because I’m chauvinistic and I like women to look like women. I don’t think women should dress on the golf course like they’re men. I’d like to see them have a little more fun. I think they should dress like they’re stylish women and there are plenty of great golf lines out there — Polo, PAHR Golf Birdie, Adidas — Suzann Pettersen always looks like a million bucks and she wears Nike.

What about girls like Christina Kim? I think she always looks put together and fashionable.

That’s her personality, she sells whatever she wears. She’s a great example of it’s not what you wear but how you wear it. She has fun with it and she smiles and she has a great time. That’s really important. And you don’t have to be a world-class LPGA player — Charlotte Mayorkas, Anna Rawson — these aren’t household names but these gals look like a million bucks all the time.

Well, Anna Rawson can probably wear anything and look great.

Oh that’s true. Or nothing. Either way.

And how about Natalie Gulbis?

Well she’s very consistent. She dresses very athletically, she’s going to wear super-short skorts, she’s not afraid to wear some color and pretty aware of what she’s wearing all the time. It’s not exactly what I like, but at least she’s marching to her own drummer.

How do you feel about Paula Creamer’s pink fetish?

She doesn’t have to wear all pink, we get it’s her color and she likes it. When she wears all pink, she looks like a drum majorette. All she needs is a baton.

What brand that isn’t designing golf clothes would you like to see doing so?

Easy question. Giorgio Armani. Jil Sander. Wouldn’t that be great? I would like to see Prada in golf. You can wear Prada and play golf. You don’t have to call it “golf.” You just call it “great stuff.”

Would you ever design a line?

No, I have much more fun critiquing everyone else. Way much more fun. And I have a lot of opinions as you’ve probably gathered. But I think that’s what makes it fun. We need to have a little more fun, especially in this day and age when we’re stressed all day long with the economy and everything else going on. And golf should be one of those things.

To sum it up, what’s your best advice for the average golfer to look good.

Buy what’s appropriate for your body. Buy what’s not going to make you feel self-conscious. Buy what puts a smile on your face. And rather than buy three things, buy one thing that’s really good. Pick your spot. Make a commitment, decide what you want and go for it.

What are your favorite blogs?

The Sartorialist, Geoff Shackelford, style.com, Golf Digest and Gawker.

Marty Hackel is the Fashion Editor at Golf Digest. For more, go to GolfDigest.com.

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]

We don’t want to like him. He’s known for his temper and abrasive disposition. But shockingly, he’s actually a nice guy (which I sensed from my brief interaction with him at The Barclays). He’s also playing some good golf this season. Despite being ranked 11th in Presidents Cup points and winning the Byron Nelson Classic, Greg Norman passed him up as a captain’s pick. Instead, he chose the inexperienced Ryo Ishikawa and the slumping Adam Scott.

After taking the first-round lead at the BMW Championship, he was asked his feelings on Norman’s decision to pick Scott. He only had kind words:

Adam is definitely one of the top five players in the world. He does have a wealth of experience. He’s a fantastic player. You know, the good news is he will be fresh and ready to go. And you know what, Adam, really, he’s a fantastic player, and I wouldn’t want to play him in match play because he’s a tough player. I’m sure he’ll go out there and put his best foot forward and try and help the team as much as he can. I have no problems with any decisions made.

For someone who should be bitter, he is surprisingly gracious. In fact, he takes personal responsibility, mentioning he hadn’t been playing well in the past few weeks, so he can’t complain.

But, he is disappointed that Norman didn’t have the courtesy to pick up the phone and offer an explanation. He said, “There was not a single conversation or a single phone call, period.” Maybe there’s a hint of passive aggressiveness to his tone, but can’t really blame him.

Fred Couples, the US captain, personally called Brian Gay to let him know. No, he didn’t have to, but it showed class that he made the gesture.

Well, Sabbatini isn’t going to harp on it, or at least he’s not showing it. He’s focused on the task at hand and letting his play speak for itself — he’s T3 after two rounds. For what it’s worth, a win would be sweet redemption.

[Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images]