Well, they're enthusiastic, at least. The Golf Boys (Ben Crane, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson) took the stage at Watson's "Bubba Bash" in Columbus, Ohio for a little rendition of "Oh, Oh, Oh." And, well ... perhaps they should either decide on lip-sync'ing or singing, but not both at once. Still, it was for a good cause, and your hearing will recover one day.

One other question: no green jacket, Bubba? Come on!

Luke Donald / 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 between two of the three lands you half a point. (Double for the majors.) And when we burn a golfer, he's done for the year. We turn our attention to the Memorial.

Wall: I open my big mouth and look what happens: Busbee picks the guy who wins the tournament. So much for the Showdown rout! Since someone already took my pick for this week, I guess I'll roll with Steve Stricker. Aside from being the defending champ, his last nine rounds at Muirfield have been under par. Plus, he already has a win and 4 top 10s this year. I like my chances at Jack's place.

[Jonathan Wall: PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament has a major feel]

Busbee: Score! After a victory last week thanks to Zach Johnson, I'm riding high. And I'm going to keep on riding high with Mr. Luke Donald, because, hell, he's the No. 1 player in the world and this isn't a major. Donald is coming off a victory, and yes, he'll be coming off a transoceanic flight, but I'm thinking he'll still have enough game to acquit himself on Jack's home turf.

Last week: Busbee picked up a much-needed two points with a Zach Johnson win at Colonial. Wall selected Rickie Fowler, who despite finishing a respectable T-5 for the week, couldn't keep the win streak alive. That means we're all knotted up at 3.5 points heading into the Memorial.

Current score: Wall - 3.5, Busbee - 3.5.

Muirfield Village Golf Club / Getty ImagesIt's tournament time! Some of the best golfers in the world head to Dublin, Ohio this week for Jack Nicklaus' tournament — the Memorial. Even though it's not considered a major championship, the field certainly gives it a fifth major feel. Here's a tournament primer to get you prepared.

The course: Home to the Memorial Tournament since 1976, Muifield Village Golf Club is one of those courses on the schedule that players flock to each year. That may have something to do with Jack Nicklaus being the host for the week, but the layout's no slouch with its rolling topography and tree-lined fairways. Much like Augusta National, the only way to fully comprehend the severe elevation changes is to walk it yourself. With significant drops from the tee box to the fairway, and also from the fairway back to the green, you get the sense early on that you need to be deadly accurate to score at Muirfield. Water comes into play on nine of the holes, and that includes water on not only on the tee shot, but around the green as well. At 7,265 yards, the par 72 layout doesn't require you to be long off the tee. Steve Stricker, Carl Pettersson, Justin Rose, Kenny Perry and K.J. Choi are some of the tournament's most recent winners. Needless to say, none of them are considered bombers on the PGA Tour; but all of them are consistent from tee to green. The course ranked as the 19th-most difficult on tour in 2011 and 2010, but in the two years prior it was as high as fifth. If, as Nicklaus confirmed during Wednesday's press conference, the greens are firm and fast this year, we could see higher scores this year.

[PGA Tour showdown: Steve Stricker vs. Luke Donald]

The schedule: The tournament runs Thursday-Sunday. It'll be broadcast on the Golf Channel from 3 to 6 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday; and on CBS from 3 to 6 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.

The field: With all due respect to the Players Championship, the Memorial field certainly has a fifth major feel to it. With the exception of Lee Westwood (No. 3 in the OWGR), Matt Kuchar (5) and Jason Dufner (8), the rest of the top-10 is playing this week. That includes Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson (who's making his first start in more than a month). Unless you having something pressing going on this weekend (like your own wedding), you should probably carve out some time on the couch for the Memorial.

Could be hell on the backswing.Who wants to see Lady Gaga golf? Not me, but I wouldn't mind seeing a professional golfer tee off in a Gaga-esque outfit. That is exactly what Thomas Levet is hoping to do, and you can help him.

If Levet gets 1 million Twitter followers at @thomaslevetgolf, he's pledged to play as Gaga in his next UK tournament. And I say we help him in his quest!

Now, Levet is not exactly a household name; he's currently ranked 215th in the world, right between Prayad Marksaeng and the immortal Lee Dong-Hwan. Still, you gotta do what you gotta do. And since Levet is, at this writing, at about 5,600 followers, he has a loooooong way to go.

[Visor tip to Shane at Eye On Golf]

Turns out when you dish out some solid golf-tourney beatings, you get asked back again and again. Fred Couples, who captained the U.S. team to two straight wins in the 2009 and 2011 Presidents Cups, will be back again in 2013. Facing him this year will not be Greg Norman, who took both losses, but Nick Price.

Couples and Jack Nicklaus are the only three-time captains of the team. Price, a three-time major winner, has played on five Presidents Cup teams, the most of any captain in the 18-year history of the event. His most recent appearance as a player came in 2003.

The 2013 Presidents Cup is slated for Muirfield Village Golf Club, which is -- hey, coincidence! -- where the PGA Tour is playing right now. Alas, Nicklaus has said this could be his "last involvement in anything significant in the game of golf," which would be a real shame. Still, his course will now have hosted the Ryder Cup, the Solheim Cup and the Presidents Cup, which seems appropriate.

Rory McIlroy / Getty ImagesRory McIlroy usually prefers to not play week before a major championship. But the way the last couple of starts have gone, it shouldn't come as surprise that the 23-year-old is mixing things up a bit ahead of his U.S. Open title, adding the FedEx St. Jude Classic to his schedule.

"In Heathrow about to go to the US. Excited about the next 3 weeks! Memorial, Memphis and then defend the US Open in San Fran," McIlroy tweeted on Monday before heading back to the U.S.

Even though McIlroy won't have the added benefit of getting an early look at Olympic Club prior to the Open, after missing back-to-back cuts at the Players Championship and BMW PGA Championship, he admitted that what he's lacking at the moment is additional work on the course.

"I just feel like I've lacked competitive rounds a little bit," McIlroy said, after missing the cut last week at Wentworth. "I'm still confident in my abilities. It's just a matter of working hard and trying to bring it up a level from where it has been

Phil Mickelson is swinging for the fences. — PGATour.comThe San Diego Padres are having a rough go of it in the National League West at the moment. Losers of their last four and 16 games below .500, there's a pretty good chance we won't be seeing them in the playoffs this year.

That has to frustrate Phil Mickelson, a life-long Padres fan who grew up in the area. But unlike most fans who lament about their team's current plight and dream of one day being able to do something about the quality of the squad on the field, Mickelson has the cash and the time to do just that.

As the San Diego Union-Tribune reported, Mickelson is ready to join a group of investors -- headed up by former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley -- that's currently in the process of lining up a bid to buy the Padres. And he's ready to be more than the face of a potential billion-dollar-plus bid. Lefty's apparently going to put his money where his mouth is, confirming that "given the price tag, it's going to be a significant amount."

"Growing up, the Padres were my team and still are," Mickelson said Monday. "I always had a love for the team. But (recently) I just felt disassociated with the organization a little bit as a fan. I just know I didn't identify with the players or have an emotional connection.

"Where I want to get involved is I want to get a personal involvement with the players and the community — personal interaction with fans, more community outreach. I want to create an emotional tie with the players and the community."

If you'll recall, Mickelson's love affair with baseball stretches far beyond just being a fan of the Padres. He tried out for the Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A) in 2003, throwing batting practice to the Akron Aeros but never getting a chance to start in an actual game.

Needless to say, Mickelson enjoys being around baseball. And if he can somehow help turn the Padres around with some extra cash, more power to him. Although, I doubt being part owner of the team would afford him the opportunity to take the field in the future. With a couple extra pounds on his frame, I think it's safe to say his playing days have passed him by.