Mizuno MP-R12 wedge / MizunoWelcome to Devil Ball's Proving Ground, where we put the latest golf equipment through its paces. Today, we take a take Mizuno's MP-R12 wedge for a spin around the course.

Testers -- Jonathan Wall -- Handicap: 2.4

Target Golf Audience -- Scratch to 10 handicap

You've likely heard this before from your local club professional, but you should never buy a club straight off the rack and put it in play the very next day -- especially if that club happens to be a wedge. If you have aspirations of getting to a single-digit handicap or possibly contending for your club championship, you need a set of wedges that are not only tailored to your game, but give you the confidence to stand over a critical shot, take dead aim, and stuff it within a couple feet of the hole for birdie.

Mizuno's MP-R12 wedge may or may not be for you, but it's definitely worth adding to your list of potential suitors ... especially if you get properly fitted for it before it goes in your bag (yep, we're going to keep hammering home the importance of getting fitted).

After taking a quick look at these wedge, we were certainly impressed with the overall design, but as you already know, the only thing that matters is how it performs on the course. Here's our review of Mizuno's latest wedge.

Initial thoughts

I never put a lot stock into what tour pro is playing what brand, because most of the time it comes down to money. But when you look at Luke Donald's relationship with Mizuno, you can tell the two are still together after all these years -- he's been playing the company's clubs since he was an amateur -- for one reason: Donald believes in the clubs.

That's not some marketing pitch Mizuno passed along. If you've ever picked up a Mizuno stick before, you know the quality and craftsmanship that go into their irons. These clubs not only look good, they usually feel incredible coming off the face when you pure one.

While Mizuno hasn't been a major player in the wedge market, you can tell they spent a lot of time perfecting the MP-R12. I didn't think it was possible to improve on the T11 (one of the best looking wedge I've ever seen), but the MP-R12 looks good. Really, really good.

Golf won't make its return to the Summer Game until 2016, but that didn't stop adidas Golf spokesmen Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia from kicking off the 2012 Olympics in style by hitting balls to a floating green on London's River Thames. (Earlier this year at the U.S. Open, TaylorMade did a similar campaign where they had Dustin Johnson hit drives from inside AT&T Park into McCovey Cove.)

With the iconic Tower Bridge in the background, both players had three attempts to hit the green and managed to hit the floating target every time.

After spending the week grinding at Royal Lytham and St Annes, it would appear as if Johnson and Garcia enjoyed the change of scenery and the chance to take aim at a target that didn't have a pot bunker nearby.

Adam Scott reacts to his missed par putt on the 18th hole. — Getty Images

Sizing up the TV coverage from the British Open ... and away we go. (Side note: Here's the TV recap from the first round.)

One hole. That's what four days of golf at Royal Lytham and St Annes came down to on Sunday afternoon. If you're the network in charge of coverage for the week, that's what you dream about on Monday morning when the trucks pull in and the crews set up for the week.

Every major is important, but what happened on Sunday at the British Open was historic -- the kind of tournament people will likely tell their kids about years from now. Whether they remember it for Ernie's birdie or Adam Scott's collapse is up to them, but if you're the network of record that week, the pressure is on for you to not only get it right, but make an indelible mark on the viewing audience.

Whether you agree or not, ESPN did a bang-up job handling the Ernie Els' call on 18, setting the stage for a 15-footer that had the potential to be the putt of the tournament. ESPN analyst Curtis Strange led off with a stat regarding past British Open winners, as Els eyed the putt

"Ernie Els is leading the field in greens in regulation, not so much on the greens," Strange said. "None of the last 11 winners of this tournament have finished outside of the top 20 in total putts. Ernie ranks 75th currently in putts."

It was a stat that let you know what Els was doing was a one-off; but Mike Tirico wanted viewers at home to know that stat didn't matter. The only thing that did matter at that very moment was the birdie putt.

"All of those numbers have significance, tell the story," Tirico said, "but they don't matter a bit right now."

As the putt tracked towards the hole and disappeared for birdie, Tirico let out a "Yes!" and then let the roar from the crowd and Els' celebration tell the rest of the story.

There are moments where it's better to be silent and forgo making some over-the-top comment that may or may not make the British Open highlight reel, and this was one of them.

Give Tirico and Strange a lot of credit. They set the scene perfectly and pulled it off like pros.

Ernie Els / Getty ImagesErnie Els took home the Claret Jug and a cool $1.452 million for coming from six shots back to win the British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes. But he wasn't the only guy who cashed in on Sunday afternoon.

As betting website WagerMinds.com reported, someone had the chutzpah to throw $70 on Ernie Els to win the British Open at 469-to-1 odds when Adam Scott had a four-shot lead with four holes to play.

Crazy bet, right? There was no way Scott was going to lose ... at least that's what most of us thought at the time. When Scott came unglued over the final four holes, the bettor, who placed the wager through a site that allows you to bet during the round, cashed in on his $70 Hail Mary bet and walked away with a tidy $32,830.

[Brian Murphy: Welcome to the era of choking at majors]

Not a bad day's work if you ask me. But wait, the story gets even crazier: This isn't the first time a bettor has made over $30,000 betting on the British Open. Just last year, a gentleman placed a $300 futures

Ernie Els / Getty Images

Every major has a winner and a loser, and this week's British Open was no different. Ernie Els came out the big winner, while Adam Scott ... well, we all know where he lands on this list. Here's a look at our winners and losers from Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Winners

Ernie Els — The 2012 British Open will be remembered for Adam Scott's epic collapse, but let's give Ernie Els credit for putting together one heck of a back-nine run to win his second Claret Jug. Starting the day six shots back of Scott he looked to be a non-factor after going out in 2-over 36. But Els put it all together over his last nine holes, closing with four birdies. The crazy thing is the back nine could have been even better. His birdie putt slid by the hole on 16, and he left his attempt on 17 just short. Say what you want about Els being handed the trophy, but if he doesn't make that birdie on 18, we may be talking about Adam Scott as a major champion. The guy made a clutch putt when it counted -- something

Ernie Els / Getty Images

With the 2012 British Open in the books, it's time to look back on the highs and lows from the tournament with some of the best photos from the day. Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson? Yep, they're all on the list.

We highlight some of our favorites after the jump.

That, via ESPN, is how close Adam Scott was to winning this thing ... his name was sketched on the championship medal. Hope he doesn't see that.

For the masochistic among you, here's one more look at Scott's missed putt on 18.

Ernie Els / Getty Images

It didn't seem likely at the start of the day. Six shots back of Adam Scott when he teed off on Sunday afternoon, Ernie Els' chances of taking home his fourth major championship were slim. The way Scott was playing coming into the final round, hitting picture-perfect approach shots and rolling in key putts, Els knew the only way he was walking away with the Claret Jug was with a brilliant round ... and a little bit of help from the Aussie.

He got both, as Els picked up four birdies on the back nine, including a must-make, 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that cut the deficit to one, and Scott completely unraveled over the last four holes to hand the South African his second Claret Jug. (Side note: The win means Els now has major wins in three difference decades.)

[Related: Adam Scott was this close to a win: his name was on the medal]

"I feel for him," Els said of Scott after the round. "I'm numb. Later on it will set in that I won this golf tournament, but right now I really feel