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was written to cast middle-aged, doughy golfers — you know, the stereotype of professional golfers — to reinforce that outdated image.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]

At least Captain Couples didn’t try to pucker up.

The US retained the Presidents Cup, finishing with 19.5 points vs. the Internationals’ 15.5.

It was only fitting that Tiger’s dominating 6&5 victory over Y.E. Yang — the man who took him down at the PGA Championship — sealed it for the US. For Tiger, the hole was the size of a toilet bowl, where he dropped putt after putt on a defenseless Yang. There was never a doubt Tiger would seek some sort of redemption today. It appeared it was good enough for him:

He got me there, and I figured I could get him here. It certainly was not exactly the same atmosphere, but then it still was an important point.

And he closed the week with a pristine 5-0 record — which apparently Freddie was banking on:

I needed him — this is going to sound stupid — to go 5-0.

Tiger had a little help from his BFF Steve Stricker in the team matches, particularly yesterday, which the always insightful and tactful Johnny Miller pointed out during the telecast. But Tiger graciously concurred:

Man, I helped out on two holes pretty much — well, three holes all day, 17, 18 this morning and then here. Otherwise I was cheerleading all day.

Teamwork! But those contributions were spectacular enough: The clutch 22-foot birdie on the 17th to extend the match. The picture-perfect Tiger fist-pump, one more animated than usual. One that we haven’t seen enough of this year (despite his 6 wins). The beautiful 4-iron approach shot to 7 feet on the final hole.

Now of course there were 10 other guys that chipped in, too. Kinda. After struggling on the greens earlier in the week (despite Michael Jordan’s sage words of wisdom), Sean O’Hair cured his atrocious case of the yips with a putting lesson from Phil Mickelson. It helped, obviously — O’Hair obliterated Ernie Els 6&4.

Let’s not forget about Phil. I will happily admit his play highlighted the team matches and greatly contributed to securing a dominating US victory. Yay FIGJAM.

The team camaraderie and the match play format in the Presidents Cup are what provide the theatrics that make only the true die-hard fans swoon. Like me and you.

[Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images]

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]

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]

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]

On today’s Tour Championship pregame coverage, the Golf Channel showed Tiger gave good buddy O’Hair a putting lesson in a practice round. O’Hair looked frustrated and baffled by his own stroke. The stats reveal O’Hair isn’t the best putter — he’s ranked 159th on Tour for Putts Per Round.

He said, “[Tiger] asked how I felt about my putting and took a look. I asked him a few questions and he showed me a few things. Very helpful stuff…It’s nice to pick his brain. I worked on it hard yesterday.”

It appears the tips and practice are paying off. He putted well and ranks first in the field for Putts Per GIR today. More notable, he shot 4-under 66 to take the early lead. Tiger, Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink trail by one.

So, remember: It’s not the game. But practice! And Tiger’s advice is money.

The PGA Tour is having a contest for Best Shot on the Road to the Tour Championship. The video above is Ryan Moore draining a birdie putt to beat out Kevin Stadler in a playoff at the Wyndham Championship. The other nominees are Tiger Woods, Heath Slocum, John Senden and Sean O’Hair.

Currently Tiger’s approach on the 16th hole at Bridgestone is leading by a mile. Now that’s a shocker! I mean, he could be walking out of the bathroom and win the contest for “best shot.” Because, you know, we react to everything Tiger does like a baby taking its first steps.

So, let’s vote for Ryan (I know, I’m biased) — but I actually think his approach was more deserving of the nomination. I like Senden’s albatross, too. And no denying Slocum’s par putt on the 72nd hole at The Barclays was clutch.

I ripped into the FedEx Cup last week. Perhaps I was being a bit unfair and it was premature to predict how the changes the PGA Tour made to the system would play out. While I’m still not a huge fan, I’ve reassessed and the format isn’t that terrible. After the Deutsche Bank Championship, it now appears the playoffs are intriguing for both fans and players. Finally.

Another Look at How It Works

The changes the Tour imposed were meant to reward players for consistent play in the regular season and put more significance to their performance in FedEx Cup events. Well, it’s actually working (shocking) somewhat now. We’re seeing how many spots players can move up if they finish well and how it doesn’t affect others much if they’ve played pretty well all year.

Steve Stricker won the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second “round” of the FedEx Cup. As a result, he moved to first place in the points standings, dethroning Tiger Woods, who held the lead for most of the season. So, it’s not going to be so easy for Tiger to win the whole thing.

Stricker has been playing solid with three wins and ten top-10 finishes. More important, he placed second and first in the past two weeks — he’s stepped up when it matters, which is the whole idea of playoffs.

But I find it absurd that Heath Slocum is still ranked third in the standings. I mean, seriously, he didn’t even make the cut this week! Not to mention Jim Furyk is only in 18th. He has made 18 of 20 cuts and has eight top-ten finishes.

What Made the Deutsche Bank Championship Compelling

First of all, the players like the venue, TPC Boston. The tournament was focused on the actual golf instead of the (poor) course design and for that matter, the awe-inspiring views.

Tiger made one of his Sunday-come-from-behind runs, shooting a 8-under 63. Even though he couldn’t complete it, it’s always entertaining and exciting to watch.

Had Jason Dufner or Scott Verplank won instead of Stricker, it would have been another ho-hum outcome (a la The Barclays, but a playoff between them would have made it OK). Stricker birdied the last two holes for the win, no less. (I was at the tournament and watched him play the 17th — he made a great clutch putt. He had that look in his eye that said, “I’ve got this. I will win.”)

Overall, the leaderboard was interesting. It was filled with big names, a few of which we hadn’t seen up there in a while, like Angel Cabrera, Geoff Ogilvy, Sean O’Hair and Retief Goosen.

Why We Care Now

With two events remaining, Tiger is no longer the points leader. And, well, we know how he feels about second place.  It’s doubtful he thinks of these tournament as anything “special” per se, but fact of the matter is that he cares about winning. Regardless of how he feels about the FedEx Cup, there’s still something on the line to lose (not money, duh). He’s shown a new level of frustration over the past two weeks — to say the least — and he hasn’t been hiding it well (5-hop clubthrow into the bushes in the first round).

Needless to say, Tiger is fired up and looking for redemption, and let’s face it — when that happens, it always make things more engaging. And, it likely won’t be him running away from the field. He’s up against Stricker, a very worthy opponent, who has shown that he will be tough to beat. Even better.

The FedEx Cup has my attention. For now.

[Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images]

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).

Let’s all agree it’s been a slow week. I’m not sure what to blame credit it to - Perhaps the start of summer, the four-day week, the NYC tap water, or simply the lack of compelling stories. Well, here’s to a new week and feeling inspired once again. Rather than my usual “Picks,” I’m going to throw out 5 potential plot lines for the weekend.

• Colonial CC will whimper as the players continue to stomp all over the “soft” greens and break records left and right.
• The Pink-Out on Saturday will be a success. Will any of the players NOT sport pink? I guarantee that those who don’t wear at least a pink ribbon on their caps will be slammed by the media. Wouldn’t you feel like the biggest jerk if you didn’t? Four words: peer pressure & good cause. I’m putting a watch out on Ian Poulter for best dressed and Rory Sabbatini for worst dressed.
• Ian Baker-Finch will remind everyone that he’s “a CBS commentator” five more times. Tip of the hat to Finchy for shooting a 4-under-par 68 on Thursday and for simply playing (the last time he played on Tour was in 2001). Too bad he fired a 78 (which isn’t exactly shabby considering he hadn’t competed in eight years) the next round to MC. Apparently he couldn’t keep out the “negative thoughts.” But I have a feeling that Finchy was thinking, “Thank God, I broke 90! Two days in a row, no less! Beers on me.”
• Everyone will be talking, writing and tweeting about what John Daly wears this weekend. I’m just going to throw this out there and say it’s going to be LOUD and very pink.
• Sean O’Hair will shoot a 59 if he can manage to get his putter rolling. He’s only missed ONE green in regulation so far this week, but he’s taken 31 putts each day. If he keeps up these stats, let’s just say I’ll be surprised if his putter is intact at the end of Sunday’s round.

No bogeys this weekend. Have a good one!