FanHouse Ernie Els

There are few times that a tournament preceding the U.S. Open gets as much buzz as this years St. Jude Championship, which has dominated golf headlines lately. But amongst all the Phil Mickelson and John Daly news come the pairings for the U.S. Open next week at Bethpage Black.

Most times Tiger Woods alone can make a group star-studded, but that isn't the case with the 8:06 AM ET starting time next Thursday. Woods will be matched up with PGA Championship and British Open champion Padraig Harrington, as well as Masters champion Angel Cabrera. In that pairing alone will be 19 major championships, with Woods carrying 14, three for Harrington and two for Cabrera.

In an effort to keep our golf visitors well informed on what is going on around the Internet, Range Balls is our weekly link dump. Every Tuesday during golf season, we will toss out some of the most interesting things we came across. If you have a tip, e-mail us at fanhousegolf@gmail.com. Enjoy the links.

--It appears Justin Timberlake, Michael Jordan and Ben Roethlisberger can avoid hiring that extra security detail for the U.S. Open Challenge this year at Bethpage Black. Phoenix police lieutenant Larry Giebelhausen was named big winner and will have his chance at breaking 100 at the U.S. Open venue. [Golf Digest]

--Ernie Els, rejoice, because the British Open is heading back to Muirfield in 2013. The site of his '02 victory, his last major championship, the Royal and Ancient has decided to swing back by the home of the honorable company of Edinburgh golfers for another shot at the Claret Jug. [PGA]

--If you think you're a true Tiger Woods fan, you might need to have a word with Whiskers. [Armchair Golf Blog]

--You know the only drawback to hitting drives upwards of 340 yards? You might have to wait a while until you get to hit your next shot. Bubba Watson was obviously upset with the slow play at Quail Hollow, admiitting, "I mean, it's just not fun." [CBS Sports]

--A detailed looked at the Catch-22 in women's golf. [Golf Girl's Diary]

Each Wednesday during the golf season, FanHouse will be bringing you the top five names in golf and why they are important this week. Did Barack Obama play 18 holes with Tiger Woods? Did a certain player do something off the course that made him or her a hot topic? Or was just playing golf enough to get the pot stirring? Join us for a new weekly ranking feature we call Making the Cut.

5. Danny Lee -- He is only 18, but Lee has made some waves in his amateur career and just this week decided to turn pro, after using his Masters invitation from his U.S. Amateur win. If you don't think he's ready for the PGA Tour, you're very wrong. Earlier this year, Lee won the Johnnie Walker Classic, a European Tour event that has such esteemed former champions as Adam Scott, Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Mr. Woods. Lee was the youngest winner ever on the European Tour, and will be in the field at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for his first tournament as a pro.

Sebastian Junger wrote a non-fiction book about a 1991 Halloween Nor'easter that was, as you probably know, known as "The Perfect Storm". Play just started at Augusta National in the 2009 Masters (the gentleman above starts his day at 1:52 PM ET), but the story lines are quickly adding up to what could quickly become a Perfect Storm at Augusta. In fact, could the story lines at this year's Masters make it the most memorable Masters ever? Let's dive in.

For golf fans, this week is March Madness, a really good shoe sale, the NFL playoffs, your birthday, Christmas morning and the day "Star Wars" comes out on DVD, all wrapped into one. It's Masters week, and with it comes tradition, beauty and the first major championship of the year. As a preview of this year's Masters, FanHouse will be giving you three groups of golfers to watch at Augusta; we covered the Heavy Hitters Monday and the Regular Joes Tuesday. Here are the Sleepers.

There was exactly one person that was glad they signed up for the Shell Houston Open this week after winds pounded players for four straight days, and it was the man holding the trophy late Sunday evening.

Paul Casey won his first PGA Tour title on Sunday after a marathon three days of golf after play was suspended on Thursday due to high winds. Casey's win came in a playoff against J.B. Holmes, who posted a 3-under 69 in the final round and sat in the clubhouse for more than two hours and 40 minutes waiting for Casey and Fred Couples to finish their rounds.

Holmes' tee shot on the first playoff hole found the water and Casey needed just a bogey for the title a week before the Masters. It was his 10th career win worldwide but first on American soil.

Tiger Woods heads into the final round of the WGC-CA Championship nine shots off the lead. Such news wouldn't merit a mention if we were talking about Ian Poulter or Paul Casey or Ernie Els, all top-flight players who will each face a nine-stroke deficit when they make their way to the tee box Sunday.

But this is Eldrick, where no news is still newsworthy, which is why we're up to date on every Tiger-related development, no matter how inconsequential. And it's that fact that has a lot to do with this one: some people are burned out on Woods.

If you spent any time this past week watching golf, you probably caught some of Rory McIlroy at the Honda Classic.

Well, it isn't a coincidence that McIlroy, just 19 years "young," is from a place in Northern Ireland properly named "Holywood," as the golf world is already treating him like the second coming.

For too long, "effortless swing" and "Ernie Els" just went together. He is the Big Easy. He's 6-foot-3 with the ability to smash the ball off the tee, but you'd never know it from the tempo of his golf swing. If Anthony Kim's golf swing is the samba -- quick, solid and exhilarating -- Els brings his power in the form of a waltz.

After spending much of the past week sitting in the middle cushion of my leather couch, watching hours upon hours of the Accenture Match Play, I have basically talked myself into believing that Geoff Ogilvy's swing has taken over Els'. Is it possible the Australian has surpassed the South African for effortless golf passes? Let's dive in.