On Monday, Dustin Johnson officially withdrew from the Sony Open this week in Hawaii, stating he had to "go take care of some things at home," which in one short sentence has sent the rumor mill in a tailspin.

Just this past week, LPGA star Natalie Gulbis announced that her and Johnson were dating, and while the four-time PGA Tour winner has yet to confirm it, the presence of Gulbis following Johnson around at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions was enough to put the two as golf's new power couple.

It is interesting timing, however, and until we hear exactly what is going on with Johnson at home, we will focus on some writers that have pointed to a few possibilities.

Ryan Ballengee over at PGT noted that the quick exit out of Hawaii might have something to do with Johnson's ex-girlfriend finding out the news over the wire, much like the general public found out. While some say Johnson and his former girlfriend broke up as far back as November, it doesn't seem like the craziest

It might not be the biggest sport in the world, or even in this country, but the LPGA is quickly becoming the most selfless.

Commissioner Mike Whan announced on Thursday that the opening tournament of the American-based schedule will donate all of the earnings, for every single player in the event, to charity.

I'll step back for a second while you catch your breath.

Yep, the LPGA is making its mark on charity, and with every move comes more and more admiration for Whan and the women that make up the LPGA. You might remember back to November, when In-Kyung Kim donated her entire winnings from the Lorena Ochoa Invitational to charity. While that was obviously an incredible gesture, and one that Kim made on her own, this move by Whan might be even more remarkable.

What's the deal with it? On March 18, the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup will kick off a 54-hole event that will have 132 of, as Whan says in his YouTube announcement, "the best women in the world" teeing it up for a

The BCS National Championship game is Monday night (so why aren't you checking out Dr. Saturday? Go now ... right now!), and while there isn't a lot of golf stuff to talk about with a football game (besides it being in beautiful Scottsdale, golf mecca), we do have something to share; an Oregon-themed driver!

Yep, the good folks at DNA Golf landed a deal with the University of Oregon (along with the NBA) to bring you the Duck-iest driver you'll ever swing.

For the hardcore college football fan, nothing says "I bleed green and yellow" like a driver with an Oregon grip, shaft and emblem on the head of the club.

And, while we're here, why don't we do a little "Morning Drive" on the site, and pick who you think has the best chance of winning tonight? I'm going Oregon, but that's just because I'm a Pac-10 homer (Busbee is obviously rooting for Auburn, but can you blame him?).

It happens a few times a year. Someone at home is watching a golf tournament, sees something that didn't look right, and phones it in to the tour. It happened to Juli Inkster last year, when a viewer called in because Inkster was using a swing weight during her round, eventually disqualifying her from the Safeway Classic.

It again happened on Thursday, when Camilo Villegas was struggling on the par-5 15th. As his second attempt at chipping up a hill failed, Villegas nonchalantly moved a divot out of his way. While it seemed like nothing at the time, it broke rule 23-1, and since Villegas signed his scorecard without acknowledging the penalty, he was disqualified from the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

The viewer that "phoned in" on Villegas (he actually sent a Tweet to the tour and The Golf Channel) commented on a Dogs That Chase Cars article I wrote about the incident, saying that, "I actually never 'phoned in' to the PGA Tour. I sent one Tweet to the tour and one to Golf Channel

On Saturday of wild-card weekend, the Jets found themselves down two points with 53 seconds left against the hated Colts. A big return by Antonio Cromartie(notes) and then some great passes by Mark Sanchez(notes) left kicker Nick Folk(notes) with a 32-yarder to advance. He drilled it, the Jets won, and now Folk sat down to chat with Shutdown Corner about what was going on in his head during that final stretch.

Bacon: You're on the sideline, you're moving the kicking net around, are you watching how they're progressing down the field to know the distance you're going to kick or is it just about warming up and getting ready to kick wherever they end up with the ball?

Folk: I went to the net as soon as [the Colts] got close to field-goal range, because I knew we had some timeouts, and when we started to call some timeouts I figured we were going to stop the clock and get a chance to get after it again. So, once they got to third down, I went over to the net, I hit one ball, and then saw

At the end of October just a few months ago, the PGA Tour season had all but winded down. The FedEx Cup race was done. The Ryder Cup had finished. All that was left was a few lesser-known events and then the silly season. But those smaller events still create PGA Tour winners, and Jonathan Byrd found himself in a playoff at the Justin Timberlake event in Las Vegas.

The sun was sneaking away quickly, but the players decided to try one more playoff hole. Byrd was first up, and on the par-3 17th, he hit a great looking tee shot.

What happened next is stuff that will go down in the record books of the PGA Tour. Byrd's ball landed about 12 feet short, rolled out perfectly and went dead center for a walk-off ace. That's one way to win a PGA Tour tournament.

The other, in completely different fashion, happened on Sunday at Kapalua. Byrd closed with a 6-under 67 at the birdie-friendly opening event, but a failed birdie try on the 18th hole meant playoff time again against Robert Garrigus, who

It was supposed to stop this season. Graeme McDowell, a no-name to most sports fans a year ago, had the season of a lifetime in 2010. He won a major. He was the clincher in a very competitive Ryder Cup. He beat Tiger Woods head-to-head when Woods had a huge lead. He did everything he was supposed to do.

But like most that have come before him, the year was supposed to end there. "2010 was yours, Graeme, now go back to being a nobody."

But that sure isn't the case after his performance in Hawaii. Three decent rounds to start the 2011 PGA Tour season, McDowell blew up Kapalua on Sunday. His 11-under 62 at the Hyundai showed us all something; he isn't going anywhere, so get used to his incredible swing and even better accent.

How did he do it? Simple. McDowell made 11 birdies, and was a shot away from the course record when he got to the 18th, but his birdie putt burned the edge for a 61. How costly was the missed putt? It kept him out of a playoff with Robert Garrigus and Jonathan Byrd,

Consider it the TaylorMade tango; LPGA star Natalie Gulbis confirmed on Saturday in Hawaii that she and PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson are an item.

Gulbis, who followed Johnson on the back nine at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, told Golf.com that they are in fact dating, but said the questions about the two can go through the four-time PGA Tour winner.

"I’ll let Dustin handle our PR," Gulbis said with a smile.

While the official news is now on the table, rumors of the relationship have been circling around golf circles for months. The above picture, courtesy of Kristin Sunderhaft, was from the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge back in November, and shows the two being very friendly.

Also, what better way to date someone who understands what you go through than someone in the same field? Gulbis, 28, might not be as dominant on the golf course on her tour as Johnson, 25, is on his, but they both compete and play and fret over 4-footers.