FanHouse FredCouples

It is the most famous golf hole in America, and if not for another famous 17th, the Road Hole at St. Andrews, it would be the top hole in the world. It's the island green at TPC Sawgrass, and with The Players Championship coming up this weekend, it's in full view.

The thing is, any golfer's opinion of the 17th is displayed firmly on their sleeve. They either love the hole or want to blow it up, but why such black-or-white thoughts? Well, there are a few reasons.

Like Torrey Pines in 2008, this year's U.S. Open is being played at a unique destination: Bethpage. The course is unique for a number of reasons. First, if you have the patience to sleep in your car overnight, you and I could get on Bethpage Black for around $100 and play the same golf course that the pros will be teeing it up on in less than two months. Also, it might just be the toughest course in the country, boasting the famous sign outside that warns, "Warning: The Black course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers."

Now, as it turns out, if you're lucky enough to win the 2009 Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge, a contest that's open to the public, you'll not only get a chance to play Bethpage, but you'll do it with Michael Jordan, Justin Timberlake and Ben Roethlisberger, who recently announced he'd participate this year.

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.

Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.

Houston, We Have Weather Problems -- Professional golfers have two ways of preparing for major championships. You can go the Tiger Woods route of taking the week off prior to the major and spend that time practicing, resting and getting yourself mentally prepared for such a grueling week, or you can take Phil Mickelson's advice and play the week before to keep yourself in shape.

Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you may have missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.

Mickelson Wins, Tiger's Back In -- To all but the most die-hard of golf fans who are above hero worship and basic story-lines, there are two golfers that are sure to grab your attention every time they set foot on the course: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (seen here in June of 2008).

It was a tale of two Phil Mickelsons this week at Riviera Country Club. Two days, Thursday and Saturday, he had the game that won him three majors and 34 PGA Tour tournaments over his illustrious career. The other two days it seemed like anything could happen on any given hole.

The real Phil showed up at the end of Sunday's final round, with a stealth 9-iron on the 16th hole, a two-putt birdie on the 17th hole and a sneaky par putt that found the center of the cup for a par on the 18th and gave him his first win of 2009 at the Northern Trust Open.

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If you had only watched the PGA Tour on Thursday and Saturday this week, you'd probably be wondering how many tournaments Phil Mickelson has won this year.

The answer, of course, is zero, as Lefty has struggled the entire year leading up to the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles where he won last season. The first round was a bogey free 63 where Mickelson needed only 22 putts.