By Alex Myers

Boo Weekley is probably best known for wearing camouflage on the course and doing the "Bull Dance" from the movie "Happy Gilmore" during the U.S.'s upset win at the 2008 Ryder Cup. But unfortunately for the colorful golfer, his claim to fame this season isn't anything to smile about.

Related: Golf's answer to "Dancing With The Stars"

It only seems fitting to mention Boo on Halloween and even more appropriate to point out his frighteningly-bad putting stats. With one fall series event left on the PGA Tour schedule -- the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic Nov. 8-11 -- Weekley checks in at 189 out of 190 in the tour's most comprehensive putting metric: strokes gained-putting.

Of the players ranked, only Kyle Thompson is worse and his 36 measured rounds (to Weekley's 55) isn't really a fair sample size to compare. Of anyone playing as many rounds as Weekley on tour this year in which this stat was documented, Kyle Stanley is the closest when it comes to putting futility, and even he has an average that's nearly half a shot better per round.

So how has Weekley managed to earn $683,259 -- a figure that places him just inside the all-important top 125 on the money list -- thus far in 2012? Attribute it to a season of Ben Hogan-like ball-striking for the 39-year-old. Weekley ranks first on tour in total driving, T-4 in greens in regulation and first in overall ball-striking. Who are Nos. 2-5 you might ask? Just a few guys named Jason Dufner, Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose.

Related: Golf-themed Halloween costume ideas

Amazingly, Weekley ranked first in ball-striking last year as well to go along with 186th in strokes gained-putting. Without top 10s at the Puerto Rico Open and RBC Heritage (the site of his two career PGA Tour wins) to buoy him, though, Weekley made less than $300,000 in 23 events.

The stats reveal that this isn't a new trend, however. Since the tour started keeping track of strokes gained-putting in 2007, Weekley has never finished better than 161st. Weekley probably isn't a big fan of that stat, but if you also have your doubts, just know that his best "traditional" putting stat this year is putting from 20-25' -- where he ranks 134th. Come to think of it, Happy Gilmore (Think: "Just taaaap it in") wasn't known for his touch on the greens, either. . .

Alex Myers is a GolfDigest.com contributing editor.

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(Photo by Getty Images)

By John Strege

News that Rory McIlroy will be changing equipment companies has resurrected an old debate about the wisdom of an elite player doing so while at the top of his game.

Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

"I call it dangerous," Nick Faldo said on Golf Channel's "Morning Drive" on Tuesday. "I've changed clubs and changed equipment, and every manufacturer will say, 'We can copy your clubs, we can tweak the golf ball so it fits you.' But there's feel and sound as well, and there's confidence. You can't put a real value on that. It's priceless."

McIlroy, 23 and No. 1 in the World Ranking, announced on Tuesday that he will not re-sign with the Acushnet Company, manufacturer of the Titleist equipment that he has used throughout his professional career.

"You have to be very, very careful," Faldo said. "You easily could go off and do this and it messes you up because it just doesn't quite feel the same."

Related: Costliest equipment changes

The example often cited is the late Payne Stewart, who endured a season-long slump in 1994 after leaving Wilson and accepting a lucrative contract to play Spalding equipment. He fell from sixth on the money list in '93 to 123rd in '94.

Other stars, meanwhile, have had no particular problem with the transition to a new equipment company. Tiger Woods went from Mizuno irons as an amateur, to Titleist irons early in his professional career, and to Nike irons in late 2004 with no discernible effect.

Phil Mickelson has twice changed equipment companies, including his switch from Titleist to Callaway late in 2004. He won four times, including the PGA Championship, in 2005.

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By Stephen Hennessey

Starting the week at No. 44 on the Web.com Tour's money list, Justin Bolli needed to make a big move to jump the 19 spots required to earn his PGA Tour card.

How about winning the Web.com Tour Championship outright?

Bolli, 36, made his PGA Tour rookie debut in 2005, and has been a PGA Tour member for three seasons, never once keeping his status for the following year. His best PGA Tour finish was a T-5 at the 2008 AT&T Classic in Georgia.

This is the last year the top 60 on the Web.com Tour money list will play the Tour Championship in attempt of getting into the top 25. Next year, as part of the changes to the PGA Tour schedule, the top 75 from the Web.com Tour will compete in "The Finals", along with 75 PGA Tour players who don't qualify for the FedEx Cup, for another 25 spots. The top 25 players on the Web.com money list at the end of the 2013 season will clinch a card.

Justin Bolli fired a final-round 65 to clinch his fourth season on the PGA Tour. Photo by Stan Badz/PGA Tour.

Two of the more unlikely stories to earn a card out of TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas include Luke Guthrie and Ben Kohles. Both 22-year-olds and recent college graduates--Guthrie from Illinois and Kohles from Virginia--won two Web.com Tour events to lock up their cards early in the season. Kohles won two events in a row, lucking into a spot at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational, then winning the Cox Classic the next week.

Another good story is Morgan Hoffmann, who was struggling to Monday qualify for Web.com events early in the season. The former All-American at Oklahoma State finished in the top-10 in six of the last seven events of the year, including a T-3 at the Tour Championship to earn his card. A roommate of Rickie Fowler and Cameron Tringale in Jupiter, Tringale said he hadn't seen Hoffmann in months with their differences in schedule. Now the trio will be on the same schedule in 2013.

Casey Wittenberg had locked up his PGA Tour card early in 2013, winning two events before June. The 27-year-old Memphis resident also qualified for the U.S. Open, and was paired with Tiger Woods in the final round at the Olympic Club.

Fifteen of the 25 newly-minted PGA Tour cardholders will be first-time PGA Tour members.

Here's the full list:

1. Casey Wittenberg, $433,453

2. Luke Guthrie, $410,593

3. Russell Henley, $400,116

4. Luke List, $363,206

5. James Hahn, $337,530

6. Shawn Stefani, $307,371

7. Robert Streb, $305,591

8. Ben Kohles, $303,977

9. Justin Bolli, $300,924

10. David Lingmerth, $287,148

11. Justin Hicks, $277,159

12. Paul Haley II, $263,841

13. Cameron Percy, $256,238

14. Andres Gonzales, $235,505

15. Scott Gardiner, $234,145

16. Lee Williams, $223,468

17. Darron Stiles, $213,031

18. Brad Fritsch, $212,168

19. Morgan Hoffmann, $207,540

20. Brian Stuard, $205,711

21. Andrew Svoboda, $203,717

22. Nicholas Thompson, $192,751

23. Alistair Presnell, $190,567

24. Doug LaBelle II, $186,320

25. Jim Herman, $182,001

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From the October 29 issue of Golf World Monday:

By Ron Sirak

What seemed like a lock only a few weeks ago--that Stacy Lewis would become the first American since Beth Daniel in 1994 to be LPGA Rolex Player of the Year -- is now a race.

Photo by Getty Images

Inbee Park's (above) second-place finish Sunday at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship moved the Korean within 28 points of Lewis with three events left. Thirty points are awarded to a tournament winner, 12 for second place and nine for third with seven for fourth place down to one for 10th. Since finishing T-9 at the Wegmans LPGA Championship in June, Park has earned POY points in 11 of the 12 events she has played.

Related: Suzann Pettersen wins for a second-straight week

During that run, Park has two victories and five runner-up finishes. Meanwhile, Lewis, who skipped the Taiwan event, has not earned points in five of her last 11 tournaments.

"I think I have a good chance because I'm playing good, and I have confidence," Park said about winning the POY race.

Next up is this week's Mizuno Classic in Japan, then the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico and the season-ending CME Group Titleholders in Naples, Fla. Both Park and Lewis are scheduled to play all three.

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By Alex Myers

I never met Payne Stewart. Nor did I ever cover his curtailed career, or even see him play in person. But 13 years after his tragic death, I've never forgotten how crushed I was to read about it in the local newspaper; and I'm still grateful for the role he ended up playing in my own journey.

The year 1999 was the first one I really got into watching golf, and the U.S. Open, with its wall-to-wall TV coverage, was the perfect sporting event for a lazy junior to plop himself down on the couch in between final exams. I remember getting so caught up in the action that I even backed out of playing baseball with my friends that Sunday. Yes, I was choosing to watch golf instead. No, that was not cool.

Related: Jim Moriarty on Stewart's death

What unfolded that day at Pinehurst was one of the most memorable final rounds in major championship history -- and not just because it was probably the first one I watched from start to finish. The current top-ranked player in the world, David Duval, was in the mix, and there were charges from other marquee names like Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods. But it was the final pairing duel between Stewart and Phil Mickelson, famously on-call with his wife due to give birth to their first child at any moment, that took center stage.

Usually, I would have been drawn to the younger player in that scenario, but for some reason, I felt myself rooting for Stewart all day. OK, so maybe the initial reason was I had him on my fantasy golf team (I wish I was kidding). . . Nevertheless, I was pulling for Stewart to keep Mickelson major-less, and I'm still struck by how he was able to do it.

Stewart was always known as a great putter, but the way he rolled it that day, especially on the back nine, has taken on mythical proportions in my mind. Yes, there was the winning 18-footer for par on No. 18 (was it really only that long?) that set off a reaction so perfect (above) it would be immortalized as a statue behind the green. But there were plenty of other clutch, curling putts -- like the 30-footer (nowt that's more like it) for par on No. 16 -- that Stewart seemingly willed his way into the cup on the diabolical Donald Ross greens to earn his second U.S. Open title and third major overall.

It was truly inspiring. Not just to someone who was still stuck in a phase of questioning whether mini-golf was better than playing real golf, but to a sports nut hoping that one day watching similar drama unfold could be a bigger part of my life.

I still ditch my friends during weeks of major championships, but they don't make fun of me anymore. It's part of my job now. Thanks, Payne.

Alex Myers is a GolfDigest.com contributing editor.

By Derek Evers

Actress Minka Kelly tees off on the final day of the World Celebrity Pro-Am. Photo: Ed Jones/Getty

HAIKOU, China -- The stars were out this past weekend for the 2012 World Celebrity Pro-Am at Mission Hills golf course in Haikou, China. Minka Kelly, Ryan Reynolds, Adrien Brody, Andy Garcia, and Michael Phelps -- who was back in the country where he won his record eight gold medals -- highlighted the bi-annual event that was won this year by Garcia and Matt Kuchar.

Related: Michael Phelps drains 159-foot putt

The Oscar-nominated star and Kuchar finished with a combined winning Stableford score of 92 over 36 holes to take top honors. Chinese pop star Sun Nan and Greek professional Liebelei Lawrence finished close runners up with a total of 91 points and celebrated Chinese movie director, He Ping and Rich Beem finished third with 89 points.

Also on hand was one of China's most prominent athletes -- Yao Ming -- whose foundation, along with UNICEF, were the beneficiaries of the charitable efforts of the World Celebrity Pro-Am. The tournament is set to return to Mission Hills in 2014.

Related: Yao Ming's golf swing

Kuchar's second round 66 earned him a total of 84 points and subsequently wrapped up victory in the professional individual competition, while renowned Chinese actor, Wang Zhiwen, took home the celebrity individual shooting thirteen strokes under his handicap to amass an 85 point total.

Matt Kuchar and Andy Garcia pose with English golfer Simon Dyson and Adrien Brody after winning the 2012 World Celebrity Pro-Am. Photo: Ed Jones/Getty

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By Alex Myers

It was just a matter of time. South Korean rapper Psy is quickly taking over the planet with his song "Gangnam Style." Now, this seemingly unavoidable tune has even permeated the world of golf.

Jesper Parnevik, rocking a pretty sweet pink suit with pink sunglasses, appears to be the ring leader in a parody video of the musical phenomenon released on YouTube today. Also making appearances (and donning odd wigs) are fellow golfers Dustin Johnson, Fredrik Jacobson and Richard S. Johnson. Parnevik's wife and kids round out the main cast in the video, which was made as a birthday present to a friend, according to its description online. Take a gander:

Those participating in the video lip-sync the words and do the accompanying "signature" dance, which basically looks like someone riding a horse while holding onto the reins cross-handed. As for the words themselves? Let's just say it's pretty safe to assume there has never been as widespread of a song where so few people knew what they were actually saying.

Still, it's fun and we appreciate the effort. Although for the time being, we'll still say that "The Golf Boys" reign supreme as the sport's premiere musical group since their debut featured an original song. But as for dancing and style, Parnevik's gang -- "The Golf Men"? -- might have them beat. Is it possible that the PGA Tour is closing in on its first-ever battle of the (boy) bands? You can just picture Tim Finchem cringing at the thought.

For point of reference -- and to help you recognize what undoubtedly will be a popular Halloween getup -- here's Psy's original video. And no, that's not a misprint. As of the time of this post, it has more than 530 million views. Now that's something that doesn't need any translation.

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From the Oct. 22, 2012 edition of Golf World Monday:

By Ryan Herrington

The phrase "next logical step" was a popular one from Canadian Tour officials at last week's press conference announcing the PGA Tour would be taking operational control of the 42-year-old circuit and rebranding it PGA Tour Canada for 2013. Despite a proud history that saw the likes of Mike Weir, Steve Stricker, Chris DiMarco and Tim Clark compete in its events, the Canadian Tour faced crippling financial issues without assistance from Ponte Vedra Beach.

Photo by Getty Images

In the end, losing your autonomy is better than becoming extinct -- although the 133-yard hole-out eagle that won Eugene Wong (above) the Canadian Tour Championship in August would have been a memorable way to go out. Less discussed, however, is the strategic sense the acquisition makes for the PGA Tour.

As with the recently created PGA Tour Latinoamerica, which began its first season last month, the top five money leaders in Canada will earn status on the Web.com Tour.

Related: The 10 best players to come from the developmental tour

The schedules for the two tours will complement each other, Canadian events (a minimum of eight are expected in 2013) to be played in the summer and Latin America stops in the fall. More importantly, they help establish a structured feeder system to funnel young international talent toward the United States -- and away from the PGA Tour's chief rival, the European Tour. Next logical step, indeed.

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By Tim Rosaforte

Tommy Gainey Sr.--the original Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey--had to excuse himself and step outside. There was so much noise inside Bishopville CC in South Carolina on Sunday night that he couldn't hear. Up on a TV screen, his son, Tommy Jr., had just won the McGladrey Classic with a final-round 60 to beat three potential Hall of Famers: Davis Love III, Jim Furyk and David Toms. It was an open bar.

"I'm telling you right now I'm the proudest papa in the world," Gainey said. "Tommy is such a good boy and for somebody to come from a small town like Bishopville, be a little unorthodox, never went to college and win on the PGA Tour? How hard do you think that is?"

Photo by Getty Images

When he was a boy, Tommy and his brother Allen would come to Bishopville CC in their bare feet and hit shag balls while their father played in his two gloves. Working in the factories as a material planner for 41 years, Mr. Gainey didn't have enough money to buy his sons two sets of clubs, so they shared.

"I knew the talent Tommy had," his dad said. "He had a special talent ever since he started playing. What I'm so proud of, even though this year hasn't been great to him, is that somehow or another, he can find a 60 inside him last day of a tournament. That is just remarkable."

Related: Gainey adds to PGA Tour's Year Of The Comeback

What's remarkable is that Gainey started the day seven strokes back, or that he shot the lowest score on the PGA Tour in 2012, or that four years ago, at the Children's Miracle Network Classic, he shot a final-round 64 to finish solo second. It was his best finish on the PGA Tour until Sunday on St. Simons Island, Ga., but he didn't earn enough money to keep his card. The man that beat him that day was Davis Love III.

That was the Tommy Gainey that Tommy Gainey saw on the mini-tours, or on the Golf Channel's Big Break, when he learned to play in front of the cameras.

"It's tough being a daddy to start with," Gainey Sr. said. "But buddy to have a boy 37 years old out there, never been taught anything about golf, and he beats some of the world's best players, I feel so doggone good it almost hurts."

What hurts so good is that this won't change Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey. During the two-and-a-half-hour wait between when Gainey posted his 60 and Furyk, Tommy Sr. and Tommy Jr. talked on the phone. When Toms hit a drive, Tommy Jr. could hear Tommy Sr. rooting it into a fairway bunker.

"He said, 'Dad, you can't pull against these guys," Gainey Sr. said. "I said, 'Tommy, those three guys they have everything, they're Hall of Famers."

Related: Furyk has yet another close call in 2012

When it was over, Tommy Sr. headed back to his house in Bishopville so his wife, Judy, could punch the clock for the graveyard shift at the wood plant. He took early retirement when he was 57 but now, at 65, he does consulting work for A.O. Smith, the factory where Tommy Jr. worked as a teenager wrapping insulation around water heaters for $8.25 an hour.

That was on the mind of Tommy Sr., and in the conversation with his son on the range at Sea Island Resort, as he hits balls waiting to see what Toms, Love and Furyk would do.

"I told him he better hurry up and get home," Gainey Sr. said. "You've got a $2,000 bar bill at the club."

Tim Rosaforte is a Golf World senior writer and Golf Channel's Tour Insider.

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By John Strege

A good swing need not be identified by its beauty, as the winner of the McGladrey Classic demonstrated on Sunday. Tommy Gainey has an unsightly motion they don't teach at golf school.

"Everything about his golf swing is different," Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee said.

Related: Gainey adds to PGA Tour's Year Of The Comeback

All the same, it features the hallmark of any good swing: Its ability to replicate itself with the consistency of a copy machine.

Photo by Getty Images

Jim Furyk has one of those, too, an eyesore of a swing, homemade, but effective enough to have assembled a Hall of Fame career, at least by induction standards that have been re-defined by Fred Couples' 15 victories, one major.

Furyk's numbers are 16 and one, a record achieved by his clubhead inexplicably following an identical circuitous route through to impact, "kind of like going from Philadelphia to New York by the way of Pittsburgh," the late Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray wrote.

The problem now is that it gets lost en route to New York, at least late in the game, as it did again on Sunday. Furyk again had a chance to win, trailing by a stroke with three holes to play on the Seaside Course at Sea Island, Ga. He played them in one-over par and missed the green left off the tee at 17 and right from the fairway at 18.

"Another swing in 2012 that he would like to have back," Chamblee said after his errant delivery at 17.

Related: Furyk's most painful miss of 2012 comes at Ryder Cup

The year can't end soon enough for Furyk, who has not experienced another like it in a PGA Tour career that spans 19 years. He once won tournaments in six straight years and nine of 10, but 2012 has produced only a series of disappointments that are at odds with his renown as a ruthless competitor. A recap shows four 54-hole leads (or a share of the lead, as was the case at the McGladrey) squandered on Sunday this year, including one at the U.S. Open.

Then there was the Ryder Cup debacle, when he was one-up on Sergio Garcia with two to play in Sunday singles, finished with consecutive bogeys and lost.

There is an upside to his year. It's almost over. Then there's this: Though 42, he has retained the ability to compete with the best players in the world (his eight top 10s ranked him tied for sixth on the PGA Tour.

The issue is beating them.

A swing that inexplicably made him a star has inexplicably begun to desert him when he has needed it most.

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