Mickelson, Golf Greats Inducted into Hall of Fame

Phil Mickelson has been called a modern-day Arnold Palmer by many for his contributions to the game of golf both on and off the course. Last night, he joined two-time major champion Sandy Lyle of Scotland, writer Dan Jenkins, British player-turned-broadcaster Peter Alliss, and four-time LPGA major champion Hollis Stacy on stage as all were formally inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Unique to the sport, golf's Hall of Fame allows currently-competing players to be inducted (as was the case last year with Ernie Els, also). Mickelson is certainly still able to perform at an extremely high level and seems to be a favorite for any tournament he plays. He currently sits in the top-20 of the Official World Golf Rankings.

Mickelson's rise to greatness was the result of both highs and lows in his career, as the man himself acknowledged during his heartfelt induction speech last night in Florida. Every golf fan remembers the amazing shots he has crafted throughout his career - perhaps none more amazing than one particular effort at Augusta National - and even a few of the man's failures on the course. Regardless, Mickelson remains a fan-favorite for his charitable efforts, his attention to fans, and his unwavering ability to create spectacular golf memories more often than not.

On Monday night Mickelson shared a few stories about his family and how his children would react to various moments in his golf career:

There were memories of his oldest daughter born after the first of his record five runner-up finishes in the U.S. Open, the blonde curls of his second daughter, Sophia, whom he told, "Daddy won!" after his first major at the Masters. He told of the 2005 PGA Championship win, how son Evan was high-fiving the New Jersey state troopers.

However, the main topic of his speech was more on following one's dreams and allow one's self todream. Referring to his fellow-inductees on stage that evening, Mickelson stated, "They can attest that you can't start fulfilling your dreams until you dream big."

Indeed, Phil. You have dreamed bigger than most, and have succeed more than most in the process. Congratulations on an honor well-deserved.

Warren Buffett: Let Ladies into Augusta!

Seems like everyone is throwing their opinions around regarding whether Augusta National should open their doors to female members. And when I say "everyone", I mean everyone. Next up? Billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

According to various sources, the 81-year old Buffett is all for allowing female members at Augusta National, saying he would have it no other way if he had a say in membership committee proceedings.

"I'm not telling the group at Augusta what to do, but if I were running the club I'd have plenty of women," Buffett said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

"I might prefer having female members, but I'm not on the (membership) committee."

Warren, you old fox! We all know you would love to see the addition of female members donning the Green Jacket if you were in charge. Heck, that was never even a question with you, Mr. Buffett.

But in all seriousness, the dub-dub-dubya-bee has a point. Somebody just needs to knock some sense into Augusta Head Chairman Billy Payne first.

Is it really that big of a damn deal to allow female members, Billy? I mean really; what's the worst that can happen? A bunch of old coots frowning at you for allowing women into membership locker rooms and other club functions? Big flippin' deal. Those guys will get over it soon enough, or die of old age in the process.

Show off some of that southern gentleman charm, Billy, and do the right thing. If nothing else, you'll get some of the negative attention off your back for awhile.

Rickie Fowler Breaks Through

Let's face it; the United States is still looking for a dominant golfer to stand up to the competition offered by some of Europe's best players. With his first PGA TOUR victory this afternoon at the Wells Fargo Championship, Rickie Fowler through his (orange) hat in the proverbial ring as a new hope for American golf.

Fowler accomplished his career milestone while in the midst of Europe's best, including superstar Rory McIlroy (who once again took over the top-spot in the Official World Golf Rankings with another strong finish). Fowler and McIlroy would ultimately face-off in a playoff to determine today's winner.

In his 67th start as a professional, Fowler was able to finally silence his critics while holding off one of the best players on the planet.

"It's a good feeling right now," Fowler said. "There's definitely some relief, satisfaction. I'm definitely happy. It's not a bad thing, winning. It's kind of fun.

"I definitely knew I was good enough, and it was just getting everything to come together and stay patient. It's been a wait, but I'm definitely still young, and hopefully this opens the door to many more. Obviously there were a lot of people that have doubted me or said I'll never win.

"So it's nice to kind of shut them up a little bit."

Tiger Woods Misses Cut at Wells Fargo

Just a quick note before the Bulls game tips off on TV:

According to my friends on Twitter, Tiger Woods has officially missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. Why is this news? Because this is only the eighth time in Tiger's career that he hasn't made it to the weekend in a golf tournament. I wonder what he'll have to say about this in his next fan question segment. (Note: Don't worry, it likely won't come up.)

Tiger had the following to say after his round:

"I figured I needed to get to 3 under to be safe, 2 under for sure," Woods said before departing. "It's frustration. I'm not playing a weekend where I have a chance to compete for a title. I've missed my share of cuts in the past, and none of them feel good."

Woods' next stop will likely be The Players Championship next week. Maybe golf swing guru Sean Foley will come up with another band-aid solution for his prized pupil. (Note: Don't worry, not likely)

Rickie Fowler One Shot Back at Quail Hollow; Moore Tied For Lead

Rickie Fowler is among a group of players tied for second place after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship, placing him in a situation the young PGA TOUR star has not found himself often in his career. Fowler is joined by four others at 6-under par for the tournament.

Fowler was actually tied for the lead upon the completion of his opening round, however a late-afternoon surge from Stewart Cink, Webb Simpson and Ryan Moore catapulted the trio to a tie for the lead by day's end, currently at 7-under.

While each of the leaders has a win to his credit on tour, Fowler - and others tied for second - hope to break the seal on their first career victory this week. Fowler certainly has the talent to be a multiple-time winner on the PGA TOUR, however he has routinely fallen short whenever near the top of the leaderboard.

"I wouldn't be surprised if a win is right around the corner," Fowler told reporters following a flawless round that included an eagle on Quail Hollow's par-5 seventh. "Once it does, hopefully the doors open and we'll go from there."

This is not to say Rickie hasn't won a professional tournament before. In fact, his win at the Kolon Korea Open last season came in a tournament that also featured oft-World #1 Rory McIlory.

In other news, Tiger Woods shot a 1-under 71 in his opening round. Whoop dee doo.

Jason Dufner: Second Best Athlete Coming Out of Auburn!

A funny thing happened this past weekend at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Jason Dufner won a golf tournament on the PGA TOUR (and even showed a bit of emotion - although I am still not convinced what emotion that might have been).

While this was certainly a grand achievement for Dufner on a professional level, the 35-year old veteran from North Olmsted, Ohio is no stranger to receiving attention for his golf talents.

As a student at Auburn University, Dufner walked-on to the university golf teamand played for three years (along with fellow-PGA TOUR player Roland Thatcher). As his talents progressed, Dufner would ultimately earn an Honorable Mention All-American nod in 1997 (and nothing says "success" like an honorable mention!). He would graduate from Auburn in 2000 with a degree in Economics.

Dufner still makes his home in Auburn, which by no means is a large city. He often trains at the Moores Mill Golf Club, whose name was predominately displayed on his golf bag the last few PGA TOUR events. Commonly known as a gentleman around town and on tour, Dufner routinely stops to sign a few autographs for fans both at his home driving range and other tour events.

In terms of recent Auburn Tiger athletes, Cam Newton certainly holds his place as "most recognizable" in the eyes of most sport fans. With any luck - and continued success on tour - Dufner may just become the second-best athlete out of Opelika-Auburn.

2012 Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Dufner Making a Charge

While first-round leaders Ken Duke and Cameron Tringale - "The Triangle" - have yet to tee-off Friday, Jason Dufner has surpassed the duo to take the lead at 9-under par in New Orleans.

Dufner started his morning with a birdie on the par-4 opening hole, followed by three consecutive birdies on holes five through seven. He is currently playing his back-nine for the second round, but history tells us that Dufner will likely remain towards the top of the leaderboard for the remainder of this week thanks to his hot start.

The Auburn alum has been playing quite well over the past few months, but Dufner continues to search for his first win on the PGA TOUR. He came close twice in 2011 - including a major - but lost both of his playoff matches (Waste Management Phoenix Open to Mark Wilson; PGA Championship to Keegan Bradley).

Dufner also made some noise early on in this year's Masters tournament but would ultimately fall to a tie for 24th place.

Speaking of Masters champions, Bubba Watson currently sits at 1-under par and will tee off a little later today. Watson is also the defending Zurich Classic champion and has his work cut out for him as tournament leaders are quickly approaching the 10-under par mark.