"Such heightened sensitivity naturally shows up in the elite player’s toolbox."

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For all of the talk about the average golfer aspirational golfer wanting to play the same equipment as the professional, we always assume the pros are getting stuff that's fine tuned compared to what's on the shelves of Roger Dunn. As Michael Bamberger demonstrates in this look at feel players, with a focus on Bubba Watson, it's not just the manufacturers who can refine equipment to the tightest specs. Elite players demand differently than most of us. 
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Telegraph: "Even in the singular and self-satisfied world of professional golf, Faldo remains notoriously fond of himself."

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After Kevin Pietersen's claim that "his selfless resignation was the reason for England's Ashes victory" --and who wasn't spellboud by that here in the States--the Telegraph's Thom Gibbs and Mike Norrish prove it's a slow news day for UK sports by putting together a list of sport's biggest egos. Sir Nick made the first spot!

'I've never known Nick," said Sandy Lyle in 2002. "If he walked past me right now, he wouldn't stop to talk. He wouldn't even say hello." Faldo has recently reinvented himself as a commentator for ABC in the US. "Zing [Paul Azinger] was the straight man and I was the funny one, bouncing things off him, going off at tangents," he says of his first forays into broadcasting. Faldo has also branched out into course design and winemaker. "Talking about myself as a brand comes naturally now," he said.

"I don’t want to look back knowing that I had the chance to do it and not doing it, and hating myself for it."

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Doug Ferguson tells us that Brett Waldman is giving up his looping duties to play on the Nationwide Tour next year after earning his way in through a miraculous Q-school run.

The hardest part of his journey was the final decision – give up financial security by working for Villegas, or grind it out on a tour with no guaranteed pay from smaller purses.

"It’s just a dream," Waldman said. "I don’t want to look back knowing that I had the chance to do it and not doing it, and hating myself for it. I would always look back and say, ‘What if?’ There’s a reason I got to where I am. I might as well chase the dream."

Waldman, who played college golf at Kansas State and Central Florida, had not played competitively since he was eliminated from the second stage of Q-school in 2002. He went to work as a caddie for his cousin, Tom Pernice Jr., for Ben Crane and eventually Villegas.

On a whim – and with prodding from his wife, Angel – he decided to try PGA Tour qualifying this year and was one of only nine players who made it through a pre-qualifier (four rounds) and the next two stages of four-round tournaments. While trying to advance, he continued to work for Villegas as the Tour Championship and tournaments in China and Australia.

Waldman might want to think about keeping the bag (if allowed) until late February since, as Sean Martin reports, the Nationwide tour is down to 26 events from 29 and doesn't start play domestically until mid-March.

"There's one guy in his 20's who has the physical strength, the putting, the monster ball flight to dominate and win six, seven, eight majors in the next 10-12 years."

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I think this was the most intriguing statement from Brandel Chamblee in his Golf Magazine interview, conducted by Connell Barrett. The topic? The Ryo, Rory, Rickie talk and their future in majors.

Who steps up? One of the three R's?

Maybe. But they all lack one thing: size. I like the bigger guys who don't have to swing at 100 percent. Big guys tend to have what I call "big game" — the sky-high ball flight that wins majors. Bigger guys can do that while swinging at 80 percent. Think Tiger, Vijay, Phil. Ryo, Rory and those guys swing full throttle all the time. But there's one guy in his 20's who has the physical strength, the putting, the monster ball flight to dominate and win six, seven, eight majors in the next 10-12 years. And that's Dustin Johnson. Dustin has everything. He has some weaknesses around the greens, but so did Jack. If he doesn't win a Masters or two, I would be shocked.