There are certain no-brainers in golf. Jack Nicklaus with a meaningful putt at Augusta National. Phil Mickelson always taking the riskier of the two shots. And then there was this, the LPGA’s decision on what to do with 16-year-old Lexi Thompson.

Two weeks ago, Thompson became the youngest winner in the history of the LPGA, taking home the Navistar Classic by five shots. It might have been a shock to some, but if you follow the sport closely, you knew she had this in her. Sometimes, age is simply a number, and certain athletes have that ability to mature quicker, learn the game faster, and succeed sooner. Tiger Woods did it. Matteo Manassero has been killing it at a ridiculously young age on the European Tour, and Michelle Wie played some of her best golf when she was just a teen.

The problem was, Thompson was too young to be a full-time member of the LPGA. As they say, those were the rules, but on Friday, commissioner Mike Whan made the right decision to allow Thompson an exemption, making her a full fledged LPGAer next season.

It was a tap-in, if you don’t mind my golf lingo for a minute. The murmuring that we’ve heard from some of the LPGA players that weren’t exactly pumped about the idea of letting every teenager into their exclusive club made sense, but Lexi is different. First, she’s already a winner, but this is also a girl that finished in top-10 at the Women’s U.S. Open at 15, and has continued to play great golf this season. Sure, allowing everyone this opportunity might get a little out of hand, but Lexi is special and has proved that she belongs out there with the rest of them, no matter how young she is.

The LPGA needs every boost they can get. The Solheim Cup was a big one, and it sure doesn’t hurt that for the second straight week that tour can bring the sports world good news.

Sure, Thompson would have breezed through Q-School if the petition didn’t go through, but didn’t she earn this? She’s special, and the tour needs her. This was as no-brainer as they come.

With the conclusion of the Tour Championship, we’re at a natural break point for the PGA Tour. So why not take a moment to reflect back on the best moments of this year? It was a time when unknowns seized the stage and unbelievable drama resulted in some of the best tournaments in years. Finally, we’ll wrap things up with five who have a shot at taking home the tour’s Player or the Year award.

(Note: Rory McIlroy wasn’t included on out list because he’s not a full-time PGA Tour member.)

Luke Donald: If this award was given to a player based solely on his consistency during the season, Luke Donald would probably win in a landslide. Throw out a missed cut in his first event in the season and the Englishman’s worst finish, on American soil, was a T-45 at the U.S. Open. Every other tournament he played in this year saw him  finish inside the top-18. Winner of the Accenture Match Play — an event where he never saw the 18th hole all week – he also had 13 top-10 finishes in 2011. Another tour win would have turned the POY race into a rout.

Keegan Bradley: The kid from Vermont had a dream season in his rookie year on the PGA Tour. He’s already wrapped up the Rookie of the Year award, but for the first time in the history of the tour, we could see the ROY take home the POY. OK, I’ll stop with the abbreviations. Bradley captured his first tour victory in a playoff at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, and followed it up with, what else, another playoff victory later in the year at the PGA Championship. He’s enjoying one of the greatest seasons by a rookie we’ve ever seen, and based on the quality of his two victories, he certainly has a shot to take home the tour’s top honor.

Webb Simpson: There was a time earlier this year where you had to wonder if Webb Simpson was ever going to win on tour. Following a gut-wrenching playoff defeat to Bubba Watson, that included a one-stroke penalty for his ball moving after addressing a putt, you figured karma would pay him back. It certainly did three months later, as Simpson won the Wyndham … and then promptly rolled his good fortune into a playoff win at the Deutsche Bank. He came oh-so-close to taking home the FedEx Cup, and with two wins this season, he has to be part of the equation.

Bubba Watson: Another member of the multiple wins club, Watson defeated Phil Mickelson early in the season at the Farmers Insurance, and followed it up four months later with a win at the Zurich Classic, thereby cementing his place as the best American golfer for a short time. Watson erratic play late in the season — he only posted on top-20 finish in his final 12 starts — could be a mark against him. Even still, it’s hard to pick on a guy with two quality wins.

Steve Stricker: The most unassuming guy on the PGA Tour certainly had a nice season. For the third year in a row, Stricker was a multiple tour winner, capturing the Memorial against one of the strongest fields in the game, and then following it up one month later with a dramatic win at the John Deere. His consistency was present again in 2011, but a herniated disk in his neck ruined what could have been an even better year.

We’ve got our preference, but we’ll let you decide. So who’s your pick? Got another nominee? Go!

Well, this is news, of a sort: the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup tourney will once again be played in Phoenix at the Wildfire Golf Club at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge resort. It’ll also grow from 54 holes to 72.

The news isn’t that the tournament is returning, though in this climate that’s always good news for the LPGA. The news, or rather the question, is whether the tournament will once again see all the players donating the entire $1 million purse to charitable organizations.

Karrie Webb won the tournament earlier this year, and while charitable organizations are always a worthwhile endeavor, I think you can forgive her in that picture for looking at that check and wondering about all the wonderful things she could’ve gotten for herself. As winner, she was entitled to $150,000 and got, well, presumably a nice tax deduction. Still, she’s scraping by; she’s earned $716,000 to date this year.

More news as it breaks on this; bottom line, good for the LPGA to continue to play in Phoenix, where it’s done so off and on since 1962, and good for the tournament to find the sponsorship, the wherewithal and the will to keep going.

[Via Shackelford.]

There is no Tiger Woods news right now. Repeat, there is no Tiger Woods news now.

Woods has not been seen tuning up for his Frys.com Open Fall Series play. He’s made no public comment since his thoughts on new caddie Joe LaCava back on Sunday. He hasn’t told us how his fantasy football team is doing or tweeted pics from his latest sponsor engagement. And nobody in the last couple days has come out and said how unlikely it is that Woods will pass Jack Nicklaus.

In short, people, we’re running at a severe Tiger News Deficit (TND) here. We haven’t seen much substantive on Woods since he stumbled off the course at Atlanta Athletic Club back in early August. We’re not quite in the TND doldrums like we were back in December 2009, when Woods completely dropped off the map. At least then, we had parodies and late-night jokes and speculation to keep us going. Now? Now all we’ve got is our copies of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 to keep us company and dreaming of a day when Woods will return to the course.

But hey, good news: Woods tees it up at the Frys.Com Open next week! And then we’ll have plenty to talk and write about. Because otherwise we’re left to write about LPGA phenoms like Lexi Thompson, astounding tournaments like the Solheim Cup and the Tour Championship, and by-their-fingernails drama of the players trying to hold onto their Tour cards in the Fall Series. And come on, nobody wants to read about that stuff.

Imagine this … you’re 158th on the money list, you’re trying to make some change before the end of the season so you don’t have to go back to Q-School or the Nationwide Tour.

And here you are in Las Vegas, the place where nobodies become legends. That’s Billy Horschel, the University of Florida product trying to make it in the big leagues, and it helps when you hit shots like these.

Seriously, what is a hole-in-one on a par-3 when you nearly do it on a par-4? He went on to make eagle, and post a 5-under 66, putting him just in the hunt at the Timberlake.

If that shot lands a foot short, it would have definitely made this list. Keep it up, Billy!

With the conclusion of the Tour Championship, we’re at a natural break point for the PGA Tour. So why not take a moment to reflect back on the best moments of this year? It was a time when unknowns seized the stage and unbelievable drama resulted in some of the best tournaments in years. Now, we’ll look at the five best shots of ’11:

Steve Stricker‘s second shot on 18 at John Deere Classic: It was really tough for us to pick between Stricker’s second shot here and the putt that won him the tournament, but come on, just look at the shot again. Ball below his feet, in a bunker, and having to hit it over water with par for a playoff and birdie to win, Stricker hits the perfect shot at the perfect time to beat Kyle Stanley by one.

Rory McIlroy‘s near-ace in final round of the U.S. Open: By the time McIlroy had reached the 10th tee on Sunday at Congressional, the only thing that wasn’t settled was who would finish second, but it didn’t stop Rory from pulling off some dramatics. I was standing behind the 10th green when it happened, and as his ball landed on the hill and started rolling back, it looked inevitable that he was going to walk away with a “1″ on his card. Still, it was the best shot from the best performance of the year.

Tom Watson‘s ace at the British Open: It didn’t really change the golf tournament’s outcome, but come on, when Watson knocks a tee ball in the hole at the championship he’s owned over the years, it has to make the list. During the second round, as Watson was paired with an amateur playing out his mind, he dropped his tee ball in the hole for the one, taking a bow for his efforts. It was really a special moment for everyone watching, and especially for Watson, who can still play links golf with the best of them.

Keegan Bradley‘s birdie on 71st hole at PGA Championship: A slippery green, a must-make putt and about 35 feet or so to go, the rookie that didn’t seem to have a chance with four holes to play but needed to make this putt disappear to put the pressure on Jason Dufner. The ball found the middle of the cup, his reaction was priceless, and the rest is history. The putt was definitely the most clutch of the year, and gave him a chance to put his arms around a major trophy for the first time.

Bill Haas‘ water-ball in the Tour Championship playoff: It isn’t hard to think back to last week when Bill Haas yanked his iron shot into a water hazard during a playoff with Hunter Mahan, but it will be a long time before we forget it. Standing in water, Haas flipped the ball up on the green, made it check instantly, and his par save from the drink was what propelled him to a win on the next hole, snagging both the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup with one incredible par save.

We’ve got our preference, but we’ll let you decide. Which among these gems was your pick? Got another nominee? Go!