The Clubhouse

Tom Watson has thrown his hat into the Ryder Cup ring. The eight-times major winner was quoted as saying at this past weekend’s Australian Open that it “would be cool” to be the United States captain again in 2014.

The 63-year-old captained the 1993 U.S. team to victory at the Belfry, which was also the last time the Americans won the Ryder Cup.

“It would be a great honour if I got tapped on the shoulder. I know that ‘93 was the last time I’ve been to a Ryder Cup. I’d like to go back as captain. That would be cool.”

The United States has not had a repeat captain since Jack Nicklaus got the nod for a second time in 1987.

Appearing on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, Graeme McDowell said Watson would be a “fairly intimidating captain” to the European side. While Watson would appear to fall outside of the PGA of America's age criteria when considering someone for captain, Ian Poulter said he didn't think that would prevent Watson from connecting with the players.

“He has been around the game long, won so many majors, factored in so many majors,” he told Golf Channel. “I think he would do a great job.”

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THE YEAR OF RORY: Rory McIlroy has been named the recipient of the European Golf Writers Trophy for 2012 after a spectacular season during which the world number one landed his second major title and topped the money-list on both sides of the Atlantic.

The 23-year-old Northern Irishman, who added the PGA Championship to the U.S. Open crown he bagged in 2011, finished ahead of Europe’s triumphant Ryder Cup team in the voting. It was the second straight time that it was given to an individual in a year when Europe won the Ryder Cup. Graeme McDowell won in 2010.

“Wherever we play the golf writers are there helping to promote our sport and give a voice to golf and therefore I am delighted to win their award,” he said in a statement.

“I hope to give them plenty more good things to write about in 2013,” added McIlroy who claimed a total of five tournament victories this year.

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MEMORABLE MOMENT: GolfWeek’s Beth Ann Baldry ranks Lydia Ko’s win at the CN Canadian Women’s Open in Vancouver as her No. 1 moment from the 2012 LPGA season.

“Hands down the most impressive moment of the year came at the CN Canadian Women’s Open when Lydia Ko birdied five out of six holes on the back nine Sunday to become the youngest player to win an LPGA title at 15 years, 4 months and 2 days,” says Baldry. “She can’t legally drive a golf cart, yet has the chops to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur and an LPGA event in back-to-back weeks.”

Other moments to make the list include I.K. Kim’s heartbreaking missed putt at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and Jiyai Shin and Paula Creamer’s marathon nine hole playoff at the Kingsmill Classic.

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GRIP IT AND SIP IT: John Daly says he’s had enough of bars capitalizing on his drink of choice so he’s decided to put it out there himself.

The Original John Daly Cocktail, sweet tea, lemonade and vodka - a spiked up version of the Arnold Palmer, you could say - is scheduled to be available in California, Nevada and Arizona. The cocktail will be available in three flavors: sweet tea lemonade, peach tea lemonade, and raspberry tea lemonade with the slogan "Grip it and sip it". Daly says there are plans to take the beverage global.

“I don't drink anymore but tired of people using my name and serving a bad john Daly my drink is awesome #The Only John Daly” he tweeted over the weekend.

“My name is on 14 thou menus illegally not fair to me so I'm bringing my John Daly drink out its better #theonlyjohndalydrink”

Two years ago, Daly called on all his followers to tweet locations and pictures of bars which he claimed were using his name illegally to sell similar drinks

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RECOGNIZED: Davis Love III, winner of the 1997 PGA Championship and U.S. captain at the 2012 Ryder Cup, was named as recipient of the U.S. Golf Association’s Bob Jones Award.

Presented annually since 1955, the award, considered the USGA’s highest honour, recognises an individual who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones.

“Throughout his impressive career, Davis has distinguished himself with his sense of fair play, integrity and reverence for the game’s traditions,” USGA president Glen D. Nager said in a statement.

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THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT: Robert Goldberg says he’s had a fascination between sports and stress since the age of 12 when, as a standard bearer at the Greater Hartford Open, he witnessed first hand when Tour pro Ken Green "lost his s---", as he put it.

Now, with a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience in hand, Goldberg has spent the last two years trying to figure out how to prevent a golfing meltdown. The result of Goldberg's research is a wristband that measures stress in real time by shooting small electrical charges into sweat glands. That data is then relayed via Bluetooth to an iPhone app, which displays stress as a line graph, with peaks and valleys, depending on how rattled the player feels. Goldberg hopes that golfers - and their coaches - can use that information to understand what triggers stress on the course and then go about unearthing solutions. Scott Cacciola of the Wall Street Journal has more of this story.

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FINAL WORD

"(A broomstick or belly putter stroke) is not a stroke of golf ... but it makes it easier to play. My son Michael, with a conventional putting stroke he couldn't make it from two feet half the time but he went to a belly putter and he makes everything. The game is fun to him now, so there lies the danger. Do we take the ability for people to have fun away? Do we go to two sets of rules, where some people can use (long putters) in certain competitions but the PGA Tour maybe can't?” -- Eight-time major winner Tom Watson, who admits to having mixed emotions over the decision to ban the anchored putting stroke.

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Files from Reuters and the Associated Press were used in this report