John Holmes's blog

The distance gains just keep on coming. In debuting its new X Hot drivers, Callaway Golf engineers say they have achieved gains of 13 yards as compared to their RAZR X Black drivers. These advancements are possible, they said, thanks to a host of design and engineering advancements that make the new drivers faster, hotter and more lightweight than their predecessors.

It's still several years before golf makes its return to the Olympic Games in 2016, but already world No. 1 Rory McIlroy is giving serious thought to staying home.

Why? McIlroy might skip the Olympics to avoid the controversy already being generated by the decision over which country he would play for. As a native of Northern Ireland, he – and compatriot Graeme McDowell – are eligible to play for either Ireland or Great Britain, and hard feelings are likely to result no matter what.

I'd venture a guess that many of us woke up this morning thinking about the pounds we ought to shed after our holiday season (or year or lifetime) of indulging. Not LPGA Tour player Karen Stupples.

Stupples tweeted a photo of herself today showing us in dramatic fashion how much weight she's lost.

Earlier Tuesday, I posted an item on Nike's signing of Nick Watney and Kyle Stanley, but they are just two big-league players whose changes for 2013 are becoming public.

The folks at Nike Golf aren't taking it easy on New Year's Day. Instead of sleeping in, the Swoosh has announced that it has signed Nick Watney and Kyle Stanley away from Titleist.

Stanley's story -- crushing defeat at Torrey Pines followed the very next week by a redemptive victory in Phoenix -- is a great one, but Watney is the big story here. He's a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, with the most recent of those coming at the Barclays, the first event of the 2012 FedExCup playoffs. And, of course, he won the FedExCup in 2011.

There was a buzz around the arena during Caroline Wozniacki's first-round match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament amid rumors that she and world No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy had gotten engaged over the Christmas holidays, according to the Australian Associated Press. But alas, Wozniacki lost her match, and then splashed cold water on the speculaton of her romantic status.

By now, I think most of us have about had our fill of reflections on the year in golf just past and are more eager to get the 2013 party started – I know I am. However, there is one last look back I'd like to share with you because it's different – and better – than any other I've seen.

Today has been a bittersweet Sunday in our house. For one thing, it's the final day of the NFL regular season, which means the last day of my wife's favorite TV show – the NFL Red Zone. I can't help but chuckle at how much she loves it, even as I'm frowning over how my home-state Houston Texans nuked my chances of winning this final week of the office football pool.

Over in the "lead story" area of PGA.com, I have just posted a column by Dave Tindall of the British wire service PA Sport in which he looks back on 2012 and offers up his picks for the top 10 moments of the season just past. I don't agree with all of his choices, but I posted his piece because Europe had such a big year and it's always fun to see what people from different vantage points have to say about the big happenings in our sport.

Not to get all TMZ on you or anything, but tennis star Caroline Wozniacki showed up in Australia this morning with a big new diamond ring on her left ring finger. That has sparked plenty of speculation that she and Rory Mcilroy might have gotten engaged.

Wozniacki, who is playing in the Brisbane International as a warm-up to the Australian Open, had the ring on at the airport and as she prepared for her afternoon practice session at the Queensland Tennis Centre, according to the Australian Associated Press, but took it off before she played.