The breakfast of champions! — Getty ImagesRory McIlroy isn't exactly strapped for cash. With more than $8 million in earnings this season and a rumored $200 million-plus deal with Nike out there, the 23-year-old is already set for life.

The kid may have more money than he knows what to do with but that didn't stop him from taking $50 off good friend Graeme McDowell, who apparently dared McIlroy to eat broccoli topped with blueberry yogurt for breakfast.

Yep, broccoli topped with yogurt. McIlroy may be all business on the course, but off it, he clearly likes to have a little fun and act like he's a sophomore in college taking a bet to win some extra beer money.

Quite honestly, this is one of the reasons why he's one of the most marketable athletes on the planet. Eating broccoli and yogurt won't earn him millions -- unless a yogurt or broccoli company want to sponsor him -- but keeping things in perspective and having fun certainly helps. In a sport that's perceived by most mainstream sports fans to be stuffy and an elitist's game, McIlroy is a breath of fresh of air. Keep doing what you're doing, Rory.

We've seen some incredible finishes this season on the PGA Tour, but what Tommy Gainey produced during the final round of the McGladrey Classic could go down as the most impressive performance of them all.

If this is your first time hearing Gainey's name, here's a quick rundown on the 37-year-old's career: before he made it to the PGA Tour, he spent years working as an assembly line worker in a water heater; played nearly every mini-tour in the Continental U.S.; has the most unorthodox swing on tour; wears a golf glove on each hand; won the Golf Channel's "Big Break" in 2005; and then earned his card, in 2007, after making it through all three stages of Q-School.

The guy is a journeyman in every sense of the word. On Sunday, he added a new title to his growing resume -- that of course being first-time PGA Tour winner, after he carded an eye-popping 10-under 60 -- he came within a couple inches of recording the sixth 59 in tour history -- to win by one over David Toms.

With the win,

Rory McIlroy / Getty Images

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods are good friends on and off the golf course, but next season season the top two players in the world could have something else in common. According to the Irish Times, McIlroy is reportedly being linked with Nike for a deal that could be worth upwards of $250 million.

McIlroy's deal with golf giant Titleist/FootJoy expires at the end of 2012, making the 23-year-old the most sought-after free agent on the equipment market.

The 23-year-old from Co Down has long been considered a sponsor's dream — clean cut, articulate and immensely popular worldwide — and according to London-based publication SportPro Media, he is the second most marketable athlete in the world behind Brazilian soccer star Neymar.

But while there has been industry chatter for the best part of the last three years that he is set to join sports equipment giants Nike, the noise has reached deafening levels over the past few months.

Sources consulted by The Irish Times insist that the move to Nike will become a reality when the Titleist/Footjoy deal expires.

Think about that for a second: 10 years, $250 million. It's a head-spinning figure that, in all honesty, is probably a little inflated. Back in 1996 when Tiger Woods first joined Nike, he signed a deal worth a reported $40 million over five years. In 2001, Woods re-upped with Nike for $100 million over five years.

Sure, there's more money in the sport than in 2001 when Woods signed the reported $100 million deal. But it's difficult to fathom McIlroy making more money than a guy who completely changed golf's financial landscape.

Even if McIlroy doesn't make $250 million, there's a good chance he could make close to $200 million, which would come out to $20 million per year ... or what Tiger Woods reportedly made in 2001.

Jeff Overton / Getty ImagesSo in an attempt to inject a bit more life and interest into tournaments, and because we're all inveterate gamblers who are one bad card from being out on the streets, Jay Busbee and I are playing a golf version of a football suicide pool: We each pick one golfer per tournament and see how they do against each other, straight up. Victory over the other guy gets one point, victory in the tournament gets three points, and a tie lands you half a point. (Double for the majors.) We turn our attention to the McGladrey Classic.

Wall: I need a win in the worst possible way, so I'm playing a hunch this week and taking Jeff Overton. While Overton's not playing for full time status next year -- he finished the season 58th in the FedExCup standings -- I like the fact that he's coming into the week with seven straight rounds in the 60s, and three top-15 finishes in his last four starts. Here's hoping Overton can follow Jonas Blixt's lead and become a first-time PGA Tour winner this week.

Busbee: Wow! Blixterrific! What a pull-it-out-of-the-air ... er, well-thought-out, genius pick. I'm following up on that one with Alexandre Rocha, who's playing very well as he tries to secure his Tour card for 2013. You've got to like a guy who's got something to play for at this point in the season, and Rocha fits that bill. He was T4 last week, and he's got the kind of motivation that puts him miles ahead of the guys just playing for pride or a paycheck.

Last week: Busbee lands a Showdown haymaker after Jonas Blixt wins the Frys.com Open to capture his first PGA Tour win ... and three points for the defending champion. Wall's Bud Cauley pick was a total flop, as the rookie started strong with 68 but faded into the background over the weekend.

Current score: Busbee - 17.0, Wall - 14.0.

Ping's Anser driver — PingWelcome to Devil Ball's Proving Ground, where we put the latest golf gear through its paces. Today, we take Ping's Anser driver and fairway wood for a spin around the course.

Tester — Jonathan Wall — Handicap: 2.1

Target Golf Audience — 0-15 handicapper

Ping has been designing adjustable clubs for years -- the color coding system on their irons allows you to select the correct lie angle to suit a specific golfer -- but for the first time in the company's history, they have a driver that allows you to optimize launch.

Considering nearly every other major manufacturer has an adjustable driver on the market, you're probably wondering what makes Ping's new Anser line different from the rest. We decided to take the driver and 3-wood for a test drive to find out.

Initial thoughts

There's a lot to like about the Anser, a 460-cc driver that's a mix between the G20 (Ping's "game improvement" driver) and the i20 (the "better player" option). Trying to blend drivers designed for different skill levels can be a slippery slope, but the Anser seems to be the best of both worlds wrapped up in one beautiful package.

The matte-black finish -- first released with last year's i20 -- not only looks fantastic, it helps reduce glare on a sunny day. I fell in love with the color scheme last year and thought it was the right call to give the Anser an "i20 look."

Another similarity to the i20 is the Anser's curved crown, which is supposed to limit drag if you have a high swing speed. While the Anser is slightly larger, the overall profile remains intact. As a single-digit handicapper it's nice to see Ping keep some of the same characteristics that made the i20 the perfect club for better players.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods will open the 2013 season in Abu Dhabi. — Getty Images

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy committed to their first event of 2013 on Wednesday and, surprise, they'll be teeing it up at the same tournament, after Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship officials confirmed the top two players in the world would be starting the season in the Middle East Jan. 17-20.

"This will be the first time I have headed to Abu Dhabi as world number one, and I am determined to keep the wins coming and cement my ranking," McIlroy was quoted as saying on the tournament's website. "The strength of field means there will be a ton of world-ranking points on offer, so Abu Dhabi will be a really significant tournament that sets the tone for the year."

The Dubai Desert Classic used to be the top golf event in the Middle East, but over the last few years, the balance of power has shifted to the $2.7 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Woods and McIlroy played the event last year, so their commitments likely didn't come as a huge surprise. After all, there's nothing better

Sea Island Golf Club, site of this week's McGladrey Classic. — Getty Images

It's tournament time! Only two events remain on the PGA Tour's 2012 schedule, as players on the top 125 bubble head to Sea Island, Ga., for the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island Golf Club. Here's a tournament primer to get you prepared for the week.

The course: The Seaside Course at Sea Island, site of this week's McGladrey Classic, has only hosted a PGA Tour event for the past two years, but in that short time frame, the course has garnered rave reviews from a number of players on tour -- including Stuart Appleby, who took this video of the pristine course conditions ... on the tee box.

The Colt & Allison designed layout is not only one of the toughest par-70 layouts on tour -- it ranked fourth out of 14 last season -- but one of the most picturesque. With Saint Simons Sound and the Atlantic Ocean as the backdrop for this week's event, some players may find it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand.

But with full-time status on the line, we're pretty sure they'll find a way to buckle down and go after it on Thursday. Just 7,005 yards, the Seaside Course puts a huge premium on driving accuracy and shot placement. It shouldn't come as any surprise that the two par 5s played as the easiest holes on the course last season. The seventh and 15th, which measure 582 and 565 yards respectively, are the green light holes where birdies and eagles need to be made.

Ranked as the 31st easiest course, out of 52, on tour last year, you'd probably assume Sea Island would yield a bunch of birdies. That actually couldn't be further from the truth. Aside from the fact that it had the fourth-lowest scoring average among 14 par-70 courses last year, it also came in second in putting average (1.707) on tour.

What exactly does that mean for the players in the field? If you're carrying a balky putter this week, you might as well book an early flight home.

Hole to watch: It has to be the the fourth, a 429-yard dogleg left par-4 that requires you to hit a perfect tee shot to attack the green. With marsh surrounding the hole and Saint Simons Sound in the background, it's one of the few holes on the course that's both terrifying and beautiful at the same time. It's the No. 1 handicap hole on the card and ranked as the toughest hole at last year's McGladrey Classic with a stroke average of 4.202.

The schedule: The tournament runs Thursday-Sunday. All four rounds will be broadcast on the Golf Channel from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

The field: The McGladrey Classic boasts another solid but not spectacular field that includes 2012 PGA Tour winners Mark Wilson, Ben Curtis, Zach Johnson, Ted Potter Jr., Scott Stallings and Jonas Blixt. Ryder Cupper Jim Furyk, Gary Woodland, Stewart Cink, Vijay Singh, Davis Love III, David Toms and John Daly are some of the other notables.

If you've ever played or watched a soccer match before, you likely know physical play is part of the game. Slide tackles, shoving, even the occasional elbow are considered legal ways to take the ball away from your opponent. But what transpired during a recent match between Woods Cross (Utah) High and Salt Lake City (Utah) East High completely crossed the fair, physical play line.

Per reports from ABC-4 in Salt Lake City, the Deseret News and KSL.com, video from a recent match between the two schools surfaced belatedly showing East High senior Petiola Manu kneeing Woods Cross High's Makenzie Clark in the face during a dead ball period in the contest.

"I just see my baby out there," Makenzie's mother Susie Clark told ABC-4. "It makes me sick to my stomach. It was a dead ball. It was after the fact. It was after the play was over. It was a brutal, dirty shot."

According to ABC-4, Clark tore a ligament in her ankle and had to be carried off the field following the play, leaving her helpless when Manu decided to unleash a vicious knee to the face of the Woods Cross player that didn't even draw a yellow or red card.

[Penn State cheerleader's fall and brain injury brings campus together in prayer]

After seeing video of the incident for the first time on Sunday, East High's principal Paul Sagers sat down with the soccer coach and Manu to discuss the brutal incident and watch the clip. Manu has since accepted responsibility for the incident and apologized, but that has done little to quell the furor over the unprovoked attack.

Perhaps more troubling still is the fact that these incidents are becoming more and more commonplace on the field.

In March, a South Carolina teen brutally attacked another player during a match and earned an assault charge for the incident. While charges haven't been filed against Manu for the cheap shot on Clark, she likely will face consequences from the school and possibly the Utah High School Activities Association, which recently launched its own investigation.