Rory McIlroy potentially joining Nike's stable of golfers as a $200-plus-million man is likely the biggest storyline heading into next season. But there's a side story from the Rory-to-Nike rumors that's equally intriguing -- that of course being the budding "bromance" between McIlroy and Tiger Woods, which blossomed this year as the 23-year-old won his second major and moved into the top spot in the world rankings.

Following last month's Duel at Jinsha Lake, the two sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN to discuss, among other things, whether Tiger Woods still thinks he can break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championship; the close relationship between the two golfers; and the nonstop scrutiny from the media.

Woods and McIlroy have both spoken at length about their friendship, but it's nice to see them doing sit-down interviews together.

What is it with receivers from the state of Colorado falling down on the job? Less than a month after Broncos receiver Eric Decker tripped on his way to the end zone, Thornton (Colo.) High's Isiah Hardy pulled his own "Decker" during a recent game against Boulder (Colo.) High.

But unlike Decker's catch-and-trip, which likely will end up on a future NFL blooper reel, the senior receiver's unfortunate mishap ended with what could be one of the best catches of the season.

Seriously, check out how Hardy keeps his composure after tripping over his own two feet. He not only manages to keep his eye on the ball but somehow gets his arms in the perfect position to make the catch as he's rolling over.

Was there a little luck involved with the catch? Sure. Even with a bit of luck sprinkled in, however, you still have to give Hardy credit for seeing the play through to the end.

At 36, Ian Poulter's past the point in his career where he could be considered an up and coming player. With a flashy wardrobe, three consecutive Ryder Cup appearances and a couple marquee wins under his belt, Poulter has shown flashes of brillance on the course over the last couple of years -- including his incredible performance at the 2012 Ryder Cup and Sunday's win at the HSBC Champions that saw him rally from four shots back to capture his second PGA Tour title over a field that included 13 of the top 20 players in the world.

We're used to spending more time talking about Poulter's outfits than his game, but over the last couple of months, the Englishman's made it crystal clear that he's ready to not just contend for a major title -- he's ready to close the deal and become a first-time major winner.

Poulter's never been short on confidence. However, there's a difference between looking the part and actually putting your money where you mouth is. His recent play over the last few

Guan Tianlang punched his Masters ticket with a win at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. — AP

Let's get this out of the way before we begin: You were going to watch the 2013 Masters no matter who was in the field. The first major of the year is the must-see tournament of the year, as the best players in the world gather at historic Augusta National for the one event every golfer to be a part of.

All it takes is a couple bars from this song or a shot of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player on the first tee at daybreak to get most of us in the mood for the Masters. However, if you needed another reason to make sure you're on the couch for the first major of the year, Guan Tianlang gave us one on Sunday.

Before this week, most of us -- myself included -- knew very little about the 14-year-old phenom from China. There was talk of him being the "next big thing," but it wasn't until this week that everyone saw how great he could really be when he captured the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

Winning one of the most prestigious amateur events in the world at the ripe age of

Rory McIlroy / Getty Images

Two weeks after the golf world wondered aloud whether Rory McIlroy would join Nike for the upcoming season for an eye-popping $200 million-plus, it appears we have our answer, after Fox Sports' Robert Lusetich reported that the No. 1-ranked player in the world will be Swooshing with Tiger Woods in a deal that's worth "at least" $200 million.

While Nike officials wouldn't confirm the report -- and honestly, why would they at this point -- McIlroy has, according to FoxSports.com, already filmed his first Nike commercial with Woods and new signees Kyle Stanley and Nick Watney.

McIlroy now becomes Nike's highest-paid golfer and the face of the company. Sure, Tiger Woods is still the highest profile name on the staff, but at this point, Nike's clearly looking towards the future. The decision to also add Stanley and Watney to the stable -- they, like McIlroy, were also with Titleist last year -- proves the Swoosh means business.

With McIlroy leaving Titleist just a year after he made over

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods / Getty Images

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are private contractors, which means they can pick and choose the events they attend each year. While that may be the case, it didn't stop HSBC Champions officials from taking a shot at the top two players in the world on the eve of the World Golf Championship event.

"On the one hand we have by far and away the strongest field in Asia this year, 13 of the top 20 are here. But of course we are disappointed the top two are not here," HSBC's Giles Morgan said.

"We are looking at a true world golf championship. As a sponsor we can provide the prize money and all of the wonderful facilities for spectators, customers, the media etc. But the one thing you need of course is the players."

Woods and McIlroy are coming off a week where they each played a 72-hole event, and followed it up with a money-grab 18-hole match -- McIlroy and Woods reportedly made $1 million and $2 million respectively for the exhibition match -- the following day in China.

Both could've

Having a pair of siblings on the same team or four brothers play on the same high school football squad in a five-year span isn't what you'd call big news. But when a Minnesota high school football team boasts 24 straight seasons with at least one player with the same last name on the team -- well, you stand up and take notice. When all of those players happen to be brothers, that streak becomes all the more unbelievable.

The Aho family. — Herald Journal News

According to the Hearld Journal News, this season will mark the end of an unbelievable streak, as the last male member of the Aho family, senior wide receiver Seth Aho, prepares to end his high school football career at Dassel-Cokato (Minn.) High. The Aho patriarch and matriarch, Tom and Karen, had 15 children in all, and all 12 boys played football at Dassel-Cokato.

Dating back to 1989 when Steve Aho first played at Dassel-Cokato, 12 Aho boys have played football at the school, and five have gone on to play football at the collegiate level.

"It's kind of crazy with it being that long," Seth told the Herald Journal News. "People remember Ahos from a while ago, but they don't realize it was my brother."

The Aho name was actually supposed to be on the roster for at least two more years after Seth graduated, but Steve moved his family, which included his son James, who was a sophomore at Dassel-Cokato, to end the streak at 24 straight seasons.

Considering all the games and hours spent in the stands watching 12 boys play high school football, you'd think Tom and Karen Aho would be ready for a season without football. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

"That will probably be hard for me," Karen told the Herald Journal News. "I love watching my boys out there. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about that. When this season is done, I will probably feel it."

Ian Poulter doesn't have to worry about quitting his day job anytime soon, but if he ever tires of doing over-the-top celebrations and sinking clutch putts, he has something to fall back on: trick shots.

Trick shot artist Geoff Swain got together with Poults before the Ryder Cup -- I wonder if Jose Maria Olazabal knew he was working on these shots pre-Ryder Cup? -- to teach him a few things -- and wouldn't you know it, the brash Englishman actually looked pretty good pulling off some of the shots.

I wouldn't recommend trying the between-the-legs shot at home, but hey, give Poults some credit for pulling some of these off after a couple attempts. Sure, he's a pro golfer and executing difficult shots comes with the territory. But for a guy who only needed a couple attempts to perfect most of the shots, he makes it look pretty easy.

h/t Eye on Golf