Kirk IrwinThe Ravens' playoff scenario is pretty simple. Beat the Bengals on Sunday, and they're in. Lose and watch as either Tennessee or Buffalo also lose, and they're still in. This is good news for 32-year-old Ravens safety Eric Weddle because, sure, playoffs are always a good thing, but also for another reason:
If the Ravens make the playoffs on Sunday, Weddle gets a $1 million bonus. No questions asked.
RELATED: God save the Queen…from the Baltimore Ravens social media team
For Weddle, it wasn't quite as simple as simply squeaking into the final AFC Wild Card spot, however. The incentive stipulated that the veteran safety must make the Pro Bowl (on the original ballot) and playoffs in the same season, which he managed on the back of six interceptions, two forced fumbles, and 62 tackles. Strangely enough, Weddle didn't even know he was eligible for the bonus until Ravens owner Ozzie Newsome came to him before last week's matchup with the Colts and t..

Through a combination of technology and fitness, today's golfers are doing things never seen before. But today's golf trick shot artists are also performing on another level. Fueled by creativity and remarkable hand-eye coordination and motivated by one-upmanship and the ability to go viral, 2017 was an incredible year for bite-sized moments of brilliance that wowed people everywhere. Let's take a look back at some (emphasis on “some”) of the trick shots we found most impressive.
We start with Josh Kelley, aka @holein1trickshots. If Justin Thomas was the PGA Tour Player of the Year, then Kelley is the Trick Shot Artist of the Year. He's so good and so prolific that we could just make this entire list from his Instagram feed. But we particularly enjoyed this backwards shot:
LoadingView on Instagram
And this club toss hole out:
LoadingView on Instagram
And whatever the heck this is:
LoadingView on Instagram
Kelley also proved you can keep your short game sharp even if..

The adicross Bounce Niuhi golf shoe is inspired by one of the most well-known animals to swim around the coastlines of Hawaii

The life of a PGA Tour player is seemingly pretty idyllic, so it can be tough for us Average Joes to listen with a straight face when tour players complain about some issue that plagues them.
Perhaps, except, the fans who insist on yelling absurd things like “Mashed Potatoes!” and “Baba Booey!” at tour events. Most of the common-sense-thinking among us can agree that this tired phenomena might be ready to be phased out.
That's what made this video released by Graham DeLaet quite hilarious. He acknowledges that tour players love the fans who come to support tournaments and root for them. That is, until they start yelling random thoughts. Then it becomes an annoyance to all. DeLaet tackles the issue with a funny tone in this Christmas-themed video:
https://twitter.com/GrahamDeLaet/status/944990966519234560
RELATED: Graeme McDowell is NOT a fan of “Baba Booey” shouts. Here's his NSFW reaction to one…
Point taken. We knew DeLaet had a good sense of humor, but this was really we..

Sadly, Tiger Woods didn't give the world a taste of “Mac Daddy Santa” in 2017, but that doesn't mean his infamous Christmas character didn't surface at home. In a recent interview with the PGA Tour, Tiger explained (sort of) this, um, interesting tradition, and how it almost caused him serious bodily harm.
“Last year I burned my face off trying to dye my goatee, which is never going to happen again,” Woods says in a video clip.
Yikes. As if this guy needs to worry about any more injuries.
But despite the dye mishap, Woods says Mac Daddy Santa — colored goatee or not — is here to stay.
“Kids absolutely love it. They love when I do something crazy,” Woods continues. “It provides something that our family does each and every year, even as they get older, I'm still going to do it. And they're still going to say it's me or 'dad, you look ridiculous,' or anything like that. But it's something they're always going to remember for the rest of..

Several selfless icons in golf died in 2017 as we pay tribute to those who the game lost this past year

Ernie Els says he received an invitation to Augusta National for the first week in April. It just wasn’t an invitation to play in the Masters.

Els had to clarify a tweet from Sunday that said: ”Thank you for a Great Xmas present! (at)TheMasters Can’t wait!” That led several media sites to post stories that Els, a four-time major champion, had received a special exemption into the Masters.

Instead, the 48-year-old South African received a letter welcoming him as an honorary invitee. His five-year exemption into the Masters from winning the 2012 British Open ended last year. Augusta National has a tradition of inviting past major champions as honorary guests for the week.

Article continues below …

Els tweeted Monday : ”Wanted to clarify my excitement getting an invite from (at)TheMasters. Work continues to qualify to compete!

Augusta National occasionally awards exemptions to international players, but those typically are given to players who are not full PGA Tour members and ..

With three words, Jordan Spieth delivered a British Open moment as memorable as the 50-foot eagle putt that prompted his famous line.

”Go get that.”

He was telling Michael Greller to get his ball from the cup as Spieth stood to the side of the 15th green, still soaking up the significance of such a long eagle putt that restored his lead with three holes to play.

Article continues below …

And there’s a story behind it.

The reaction, while entirely spontaneous, might not have happened except for Spieth being in the makeshift gym all week at Royal Birkdale.

”I had been watching replays of the Open in the gym,” Spieth said. ”There was a TV in there, and they were playing old Opens. For whatever reason, it intrigued me earlier in the week that the guys, when they made putts, they never went and picked their ball out of the hole. The caddie went and got it on long putts. And I guess that stuck in my head: `You don’t have to pick the ball out of the hole. Michael can go get it.”’..

Ernie Els says he received an invitation to Augusta National for the first week in April. It just wasn’t an invitation to play in the Masters.

Els had to clarify a tweet from Sunday that said: ”Thank you for a Great Xmas present! (at)TheMasters Can’t wait!” That led several media sites to post stories that the four-time major champion had received a special exemption into the Masters.

Instead, Els had received a letter welcoming him as an honorary invitee. His five-year exemption into the Masters from his 2012 British Open victory ended last year.

Article continues below …

Els tweeted Monday : ”Work continues to qualify to compete!”

Augusta National typically invites former major champions to the club during the Masters. They used to be able to play practice rounds and the Par 3 Tournament until that practice ended last year.

With three words, Jordan Spieth delivered a British Open moment as memorable as the 50-foot eagle putt that prompted his famous line.

”Go get that.”

He was telling Michael Greller to get his ball from the cup as Spieth stood to the side of the 15th green, still soaking up the significance of such a long eagle putt that restored his lead with three holes to play.

Article continues below …

And there’s a story behind it.

The reaction, while entirely spontaneous, might not have happened except for Spieth being in the makeshift gym all week at Royal Birkdale.

”I had been watching replays of the Open in the gym,” Spieth said. ”There was a TV in there, and they were playing old Opens. For whatever reason, it intrigued me earlier in the week that the guys, when they made putts, they never went and picked their ball out of the hole. The caddie went and got it on long putts. And I guess that stuck in my head: `You don’t have to pick the ball out of the hole. Michael can go get it.”’..