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]

Ian Poulter is an awesome tweeter. He posts a gagillion pictures. He’s taken a few “controversial” ones, though. There was the mud ball at the US Open (he took a pic of his ball during a tournament round). He briefly deleted it, but re-posted it after clearing things up with rules officials.

More recently, he tweeted this with a picture of Camilo Villegas and Justin Rose giving him the finger. I thought it was hilarious. My interpretation was that they were annoyed and making fun of him because he’s always taking pictures. Apparently others were offended. Yesterday he tweeted:

Sorry if any of you guys took offence to the picture on the plane, i wouldn’t want to offend any body. It obviously did. So sorry folks. X

First off, I love that he wrote “X” (FYI, it means “kiss”). But seriously, people, chill out. It’s your choice to follow him. And if you think it’s inappropriate because “he’s a role model for kids,” then monitor what they’re looking at on the Internet. There’s much more offensive content.

I saw the notorious tweet on Sunday, but I only noticed today he took it down. He shouldn’t have done that or felt like he should. Did the powers-that-be on the PGA Tour say something? First the Marines, then ESPN, the NFL* and now the PGA.

*Update

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

The PGA Championship at Hazeltine starts tomorrow. It’s that time again — yeah, my favorite guessing game. I pick…Adam Scott! I kid, I kid. But he has played decently at past PGA Championships, notwithstanding last year. (His best finish was T3 in ‘06 at Medinah.) He just can’t putt for the life of him! More important, he needs to get this girl out of his head before he can think about winning again. Maybe this new distraction is helping, though.

I’ve only heard a few times Hazeltine is playing really long — 7,674 yards to be precise. So obviously the bombers have an added advantage; same goes for the good ball strikers that hit a high fade. But what it really comes down to — especially in majors — is putting. Even if you’re not hitting the ball that well, it drives confidence and momentum. It’s all about having the right mindset in golf, yeah? Yeah.

Here’s who I like (read: I’m not saying they’ll win necessarily).

Tiger Woods: Obviously. Two wins in a row, four PGA Championship titles, runner-up when it was last played at Hazeltine in ‘02, yada, yada, yada. He has to win or else it’ll only be the fourth time in his career that he hasn’t won a major. God forbid. It’s not like he hasn’t already won 5 tournaments this year.

Padraig Harrington: Your defending champion. After the heartbreaker last week, he’s a sentimental favorite, not to mention he’s just so likable. Even Tiger speaks up and commends him; perhaps more than I’ve heard him praise anyone. Paddy is a good putter, too.

FIGJAM…I mean, (gosh, why do I keep doing that?) Phil Mickelson: Break out the tissues if he wins. He’s such the people’s favorite.

Sergio Garcia: Like woah! I’ve never been a fan. I don’t think I ever got over his waggle-stuttering at Bethpage in ‘02. Ugh, then there’s the whining and bashing Augusta. But I’ve heard he’s actually a really good guy; in fact, one of the nicest to play with. If he’s learned how to putt since Sunday, then he’ll win or finish second behind Tiger. ZING!

Martin Kaymer: My dark horse pick. He won back-to-back weeks last month…on the European Tour. Does that count? Maybe for something. But it seems like most of the guys that have had loads of success there can’t seem to win on the PGA Tour (e.g., Miguel Angel Jimenez). Well, the PGA Championship has a history of producing unlikely winners. Rich Beem, anyone?

I like Ian Poulter, too. He was my favorite for the British Open, but he practically finished DFL. As an aside, his tweets are a-mazing. Check out this one.

My blogger’s pick is over at Dogs That Chase Cars. Go HERE (that is, when Shane posts it).

Call me a tree-hugging socialist hippie, but I think this is an interesting controversial topic to discuss. Are individual corporate sponsorships hurting golf? Yes, to a degree. Check out the PGA players — their clothes and bags are splattered with logos. It’s hard to say no to throwing a company’s emblem on your shirt, hat or bag when there’s a fat paycheck waved in your face.

The downside is that a lot of the players’ individuality is lost amidst the money and the graffiti logos. Perhaps if a brand isn’t a good fit for their “personal” brand, they should seek other options. In fact, it’d be in their best interest to be more selective and stand apart. I know the reality is that they make money from personal endorsements and not all players have their pick of the litter. But if they’re not a top-tier player, they’re probably not getting paid that much money (if any) to wear or play something. So what’s the difference? It seems like it’d be liberating to choose your own equipment rather than be under contract with a few companies.

Everyone looks like they’ve walked out of a [insert: generic large corporation] factory, unless your name is John Daly or Ian Poulter. Sure, there are guys like Anthony Kim, Adam Scott and Camilo Villegas who stand out and we get a taste of their personality (or lack thereof) — whether you agree with their fashion sensibilities or not. And it doesn’t mean you have to look like a poseur or be outlandish. There are classic players that have distinct styles, like Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros. Even if it’s “boring,” their character still shines through.

The players are using a brand so they’re selling it too. It’s a marketing competition for equipment companies. The point is to win the Darrell Survey reports (the company takes a survey of every piece of equipment in the players’ bags at every tournament). TaylorMade is the top ranked driver on Tour (read: they pay the most guys) and it’s probably not a coincidence it’s the best-selling wood on the consumer market. (I love and play their woods.) The lesson is it pays to pay - what the players use often dictates or influences what people buy. I find it a little irrational, though. Oh, Stewart Cink plays NIKE and he won the British Open so I should buy NIKE clubs! What about finding a brand that fits your game and swing the best? Not to mention who else noticed Lee Westwood’s shirts? I was confused whether he was a golfer or a NASCAR driver. When did quantity become more important than quality?

To clarify, this isn’t an attack on capitalism. There needs to be some incentive for players to sport a brand. But it becomes a problem when people are only paying attention to what shoes the players are wearing or what driver they are using. Or focusing on just one athlete who monopolizes has every commercial deal on this planet. That’s when athletes become mere vehicles for corporate advertising. It’s absurd.

The reality is everything revolves around money these days. To the extent that it’s taking away from the sanctity of golf. What happened to playing just for the love of the friggin’ game? I guess I’m just naive.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

When it became apparent that Stewart Cink would top Tom Watson in the four-hole playoff to win the British Open, I tweeted, “I wonder how many congratulatory @replies Stewie is going to have.” I was thinking upwards of 500,000 to a million. I have no idea where and how I can find this number other than searching “StewartCink” on the Twitter home page and counting the results.

[Stewart Cink getting his makeup done for the Late Show with David Letterman]

By far, Stewie is the most popular PGA Twitterer (Tweeter, whatever you want to call it). Ian Poulter has started to give him a run for his money, but is still a few hundred thousand short. When I first started following Stew’s tweets back in March, I absolutely loved it. He was the first “big name” golfer to join Twitter and the PGA’s little trendsetter. From the get-go, he was a master tweeter - he just “got” it. Twitter has been great publicity for both him and golf. I’ve actually heard he gets comp’d everywhere because he tweets about the places. Does this mean golfers, other than Tiger, are “real” celebs??

With a major title win, he’s being recognized for his tweeting skillz by the mainstream press.

Darren Rovell ranked him #1 for CNBC’s July Twitter rankings!!! I know it’s not quite as prestigious as winning the Claret Jug (or perhaps as exciting as a Watson victory would have been). But hey, it’s a something, right? Rovell makes a good point that I couldn’t agree with more - “Now that he’s got the British Open title, he’s going to be relevant to follow. In the last 52 days, Cink, who hit 570,000 followers today, has picked up more than 6,000 followers a day. It’s hard to believe, but he has more followers than Lady Gaga.”

That’s right! More followers than Lady Gaga! Stewie must be pretty excited about that one. I just checked again and he has over 580,000 followers. He’s a relatable guy, not to mention funny. I wonder when he’ll reach a million…

I say after his appearance on Letterman tonight - which I also found out via Stew’s Twitter feed. I have a feeling Stewie’s Top Ten will be much, much more interesting than Lucas Glover’s. So perhaps a Cink win wasn’t such a terrible result.

Sigh. My picks for the British Open are struggling this week and won’t be seeing weekend play. Ian Poulter is in 152nd place. That’s right, 152nd! He hadn’t made a birdie all week until his 35th hole. Yikes. Otherwise, he would have been one stroke away from DFL. Instead he’s two strokes away! Oh Poults, I feel for you.

During the first round coverage, one of the announcers said that perhaps Poults was too worried about his appearance. He suggested this as the reason for the bad showing. To me, that argument is completely ridiculous and baseless regardless of your opinion on Pouter’s outlandish clothing choices. (Personally I like them.)

Geoff Ogilvy, who is fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, almost matched Poulter’s stellar performance. Ogilvy started the year hot, winning the Mercedes Benz Championship and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. This week he fired 13-over-par — only besting Poults by one shot.

Poulter and Ogilvy are two of the top-ranked golfers in the world. I find their poor showings rather, well, shocking and embarrassing (obviously), but also inexcusable. Everyone is entitled to a bad week, but seriously?! Golfers of their caliber just shouldn’t be two strokes from last place. That’s right, DFL. This also goes to show how good Tiger is. He is playing terribly — for him — but shot one-over-par. He’s even in the second round through four holes. It looks like the putts aren’t dropping for him so far.

With half the field still on the golf course, your leader in the clubhouse after 36 holes is Steve Marino at 5-under-par. He earned a spot in the tournament at the last minute when Shingo Katayama withdrew. As noted by the announcers, this is Marino’s first time playing links golf - sometimes that’s almost better - nothing to lose and no expectations. Post-round he said it was the hardest course he’s ever played. It sure doesn’t seem that way. So far, he’s dodged the wrath of Turnberry. I bet Poulter and Ogilvy wish they could say the same. Well played, Steve.

Stay tuned for more this afternoon.

[Update: Tiger Woods is not as invincible as I thought. He’s human! He’s seven-over-par and likely going to miss the cut. Then again, he could make birdie on #16 and eagle on #17. It’s possible. We clearly never know with Tiger!]

[Photo by Harry How/Getty Images Europe]

The British Open, excuse me, The Open Championship, has officially started. Ian Poulter was criticized earlier this week for referring to the championship as the “British Open,” rather than by its official name or simply, “The Open,” as everyone else in the world aside from Americans calls it. His response to the scrutiny was nothing short of amusing: “I did say it the other day, I got caught up on it, I suppose. So, sorry, the Open Championship…Does it really matter?” Being that he’s British, it’s just funny. When I was studying abroad in London in the summer of 2003, I went to the Open in Royal St. Georges. I actually got used to calling it that for quite a while. Of course I resorted back to my ignorant American ways.

But I digress. I just looked up when the telecast was starting - 7AM. (Are the West Coast peeps going to wake up at 4 for it? Or just stay up?) DVR is set. I’m looking forward to seeing Turnberry in hi-def. My first reaction to every photo I’ve seen has been, “WOW.” Wait, what’s that you say? It won’t be broadcasted in HD?! That’s a shame. Regardless, I can’t wait. In fact, I’m so excited I can’t sleep. Just kidding. I’m passing out in T-30 seconds.

Without further ado, here are my favorites for the week. To clarify, I’m not necessarily saying they’ll win. Simply I’ll be looking out for them to make a strong showing.

Ian Poulter: He’s my “official” pick. I already said it over at Dogs That Chase Cars, but to cover all my bases, here it is: Let’s not kid ourselves, Tiger is going to win, but I won’t officially pick him out of principle. Way too boring. Le sigh. I’m basically picking for second here; though I’d really, really like to see Poults come through. I mean, I just like his tweets so much. Aside from that, he’s been having a pretty good year. He finished T2 at THE PLAYERS and T18 at the US Open. Surely he hasn’t forgotten how close he came last year. He’s an all around solid player - accurate, good iron player and stellar around the greens. No doubt he has the game to win Majors. If he’s rolling in the putts, watch out.

Tiger Woods: Come on now, I don’t believe anyone would leave him off their list. As I always say, I’d certainly never bet against him. In fact, I’m almost positive he’ll win. A better question might be: how much will be win by? It’s also been reported that he won’t be pulling driver often. Smart play. It worked for him three years ago at Holyake - the last time he took home the claret jug.

Rory Mcilroy: RORY, RORY!!! I really like this kid. From everything I’ve read and seen, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe he’s only 19. He conducts himself with such poise both on and off the golf course. His best finishes this year include 5th at the BMW Championship, T10 at the US Open and T20 at the Masters. Not so shabby, huh?

Zach Johnson: I got a good tip that I should go with him as my top pick - the reason being that his game suits a course like Turnberry. While I didn’t choose him to win, I trust my source and I’d look for him near the top of the leaderboard. Not to mention he finished second last week at the John Deere Classic. Overall, he’s had a stellar year with 6 top ten finishes, including two wins. Hmmm, maybe I should have chosen him as my favorite runner-up.

Geoff Ogilvy: I’ve picked him at almost every major this year. He’s been pretty disappointing, especially after he started the year so strong. I figure if I keep picking him, he’s bound to win or be in contention at some point. Let’s hope sooner rather than later. But seriously, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were this week. Because he’s been quiet for the past few months, he might just creep out of nowhere…

GO HERE to see who some of golf’s best bloggers chose. Who do you think will win?  Who do you want to win? Drop your thoughts below.

[Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images]

Over the past few weeks, Ian Poulter has been an absolute Twitter addict. I’d say it started during the NBA Finals when he tweeted a picture of Hulk’s hairpiece at Game 4 of the Magic vs. Lakers series.

The U.S. Open rolled around and you could say he stepped it up. During his practice rounds, he showed how tough Bethpage Black was set up here and here. He told us how the 18th hole was playing. He gave us a glimpse of his yardage and green books and his biggest fan.

He kept us updated during Thursday’s wash-out. How did they putt on those greens? Not very well. And he informed us about what the U.S.G.A. was telling the players while play was delayed. He sounded a tad frustrated, but he was a riot - not to mention honest. It was true - personally, I couldn’t see how the players would get back on the course without a canoe and paddle either. (I understand that it was a tough call and I won’t get into that right now, but ultimately the right decision was made.) And in fact, it turned out that the grounds crew at Bethpage were magicians.

He showed us his popcorn at the movies and provided a rave review of Hangover - plus photos. The confusion and error over tee times. And his thoughts on the never-ending and strangest U.S. Open. I have a feeling that he was tired (understandably so).

Poults even had a little contest to give away two tickets for Sunday! He asked fans to send him a tweet and he’d pick the best one. I’m sure he received hundreds, if not thousands. And he even met the lucky winner. How many players would take the time to go out of their way to make such a kind gesture? At a major championship, no less! I’d say very few.

He had countless amazing updates that it’s difficult to say which was the most priceless. But if I had to pick, I’d say this one from Sunday takes the cake. I’m going to spell it out because it’s downright hilarious.

Perfect drive on 10th 235 yards to go into the wind. And that’s what you get… Perfect 3 wood straight right into bunker. It’s B#LL SH#T

That was the caption attached to the picture he took of his muddy ball during a tournament round! (To clarify, he waited to tweet it between rounds.) Say what? Did that actually happen or was he messing with us? Yes, it did. Is that even allowed? I mean, who cares -the guy has guts. I was laughing out loud (perhaps even ROTFL).

Some probably think he took it a little too far this week. Maybe he did, but I enjoyed his coverage of the tournament. I was already a fan, but now I’m a huge one. I’m sure the same goes for many others. We caught a glimpse of his vibrant personality (if you couldn’t already see from his choice of clothes). Most of all, he gave us a real look inside the ropes.

It’s like we were there! Congrats on the low round of the day with a 67, Poults! And keep it up - the play and the tweeting.

Here’s the first hole at Bethpage Black in “Round” One of the U.S. Open aka “Woodstock for golfers” or “The Great Flood.”

The picture says it all. I don’t have to tell you that it was painful and conditions were impossible. You’ve either heard it or caught the highlights on Sportscenter already. Better yet, you’re following Ian Poulter on Twitter and got the play-by-play from him. If you’re not, I recommend that you start now. The guy gets funnier by the minute and tells it likes it is.

At noon, I didn’t think there was any chance that the course could be playable. The greens were completely under water. There were streams running through the fairways, the walkways - you name it. By the end of the day, a better word for “puddles” would have been “marshes.” Speaking of which, hitting it in the fairway for the players is now more crucial than ever. Um, can anyone say, “ground under water?” I’ll be really, really impressed by guys that make par after an errant tee shot a la Tiger on the first hole of the tournament.

I am stupid, make poor decisions and stayed at the course until play was officially called around 2PM. Since I was already there, I tried to make light of the situation, which was obviously making fun of it (and myself).  I came prepared wearing golf shoes, rain gear and armed with an oversized umbrella! My friend Ray and I walked around for probably three hours (I know, we’re such troopers), entertaining ourselves with how absurd the whole thing was. I mean, we were willingly at a GOLF COURSE in the torrential downpour - one that was outside, no less. Enough said.

Nature: 1, Bethpage: 0.

Well, there’s still Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday…

Geoff Ogilvy: He’s my top pick. Why? You’ll have to go to the “Official” U.S. Open Bloggers Picks over at Dogs That Chase Cards. Do it. Now!

Tiger Woods: Do I even need to say more? It’s pretty much him against the rest of the field, right? I’d say the odds are good. He won this tournament here in 2002. He’s hitting the ball well and I don’t have to tell you that he hits it long. I’ve also heard he’s confident.

Ian Poulter: He’s funny, clever and simply a cool guy. Follow him on Twitter and you’ll understand. Every time I saw him this week, he was laughing and having a good time Most importantly, he doesn’t seem the least intimidated by Bethpage and the weather condtions. He’s been playing well this season - he was runner-up at THE PLAYERS - and he has finished in the top ten four times in ‘09.

Sean O’Hair: He hits a lot of greens, in fact, the second most on Tour. He’ll be able to stick it tight and stay out of trouble. That’s all you need to know. Oh yeah, he won the Quail Hollow Championship last month and you could say he’s having a breakout season.

Phil Mickelson: It goes without saying that we’re all pulling for him (in case you’ve been living under a rock, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer last month). He was the runner-up here in 2002 and almost staged a tremendous comeback against Tiger. He’s known to be well-liked by New Yorkers. You can bet that the crowds will be rooting for him louder than ever this week. But I’m not sure if he can keep it together for 72 holes under the circumstances. If he is even in contention on Sunday, I have a feeling there will be a lot of teary-eyed fans (myself included).