Have you ever been in the middle of a great round of golf when, all of a sudden, you snap-hook a drive out-of-bounds costing yourself a chance to post your best score ever?

Well, if you play the game of golf on a regular basis, I'm sure the answer to the above question is a resounding "yes"!

But the great thing is, if you're just playing a friendly round with your buddies on a Sunday afternoon, all you have to do is take a "mulligan" and hit another drive.

What a concept, eh?  You make a horrible blunder that negates every great shot you made prior to that moment, only to receive a "do-over" that can make the costly mistake immediately disappear and get you back on the track toward personal triumph. 

But what if we could use "mulligans" in other aspects of our lives?  What if we could take back things we say or do that impact our own lives, or the lives of those surrounding us, and get a do-over to make things right again?  If nothing else, it would certainly make the relationships with our significant others a whole lot easier, wouldn't it?

Just as certain, in sports there are several personalities and organizations that could benefit greatly from mulligans on decisions they make, words that they say, and actions that they perform.

With that in mind, the following are ten random sports figures/organizations that would like to use a mulligan in 2005:

The University of Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the 2004 regular season undefeated and were the top ranked team in the BCS,  thus earning the right to play in the Orange Bowl for the National Championship.  Unfortunately for the Sooners, the USC Trojans and Auburn Tigers also finished the season undefeated and because of that, the title game was not without controversy.

The Sooners had an opportunity to prove to the entire sports world that they definitely belonged in the title game instead of Auburn.  Instead, they laid an egg and were blown out by USC, 55-19.

If the University of Oklahoma could use a mulligan, I think they would step aside and allow Auburn to play the role of sacrificial lambs to the vicious predators in maroon and gold.  Then, and only then, could they make the claim that they really deserved National Championship recognition.

The University of Auburn

If Oklahoma is going to be included in this list, then the Auburn Tigers should not be exempt either.  After all, Auburn had the enviable opportunity to completely discredit this bogus BCS formula.

If the Tigers would've stepped up to the plate and blown out Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl last January, the National Championship would've been at least somewhat disputed and perhaps the NCAA would've taken a closer look at the success, or lack thereof, of the BCS.

I think if Auburn had a mulligan, they would've come out of the gates hungry against the Hokies instead of harnessing the attitude that they were simply playing the "National Consolation-ship" game.

The National Hockey League

Entering 2005, the NHL was in the midst of a four-month long lockout that jeopardized the entire '04-'05 hockey season.  Instead of doing everything in their power (on both sides) to come to an agreement and save the season for fans, the owners and the labor union decided that because the two sides were so far apart, the only logical thing to do was to cancel the season.

If Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow could do it all over again, I think they'd realize that the NHL was nothing without the fans and would've worked much harder to come to a deal much sooner.  But then again, considering the owners barely budged when they did finally come to an agreement, I could be wrong about that.

The University of Arizona

The Arizona Wildcats were leading the top-seeded Fighting Illini of Illinois by 15 points with four minutes to play in the 2005 Midwest Regional Final.  They were seemingly on their way to the Final Four to meet Louisville in a National Semifinal game. 

But instead of continuing to be aggressive on both ends of the floor like they had for much of the game, the Wildcats began playing tentatively and allowed Illinois to erase the deficit and eventually win the game in overtime. 

If coach Lute Olson and Arizona were given a mulligan, I think they'd simply turn back the clock to the final minute.  They led 80-72 at that point before allowing two huge three's and committing two costly turnovers that ultimately cost them the game.  Perhaps Lute would've called a timeout and warned his team that the game wasn't over and they had to finish before they could make their travel plans for St. Louis.

Matt Millen

There are an endless supply of reasons why Matt Millen would want to utilize a mulligan, but I'll narrow it down to one -- draft day.

Millen used the 10th overall pick to select WR Mike Williams from USC.  Not even taking into account that Williams hadn't played football in a year and a half and had a reputation for being a bit lazy, the Lions already used their first round picks from the previous two seasons on wide receivers (Roy Williams in '04 & Charles Rogers in '03).  Therefore, the pick made little sense.

If Millen could turn back time, I think he'd look at the deficiencies on the offensive line and select OT Jammal Brown instead.  Either that or nab an impact defensive stud like Derrick Johnson or Shawn Merriman.

Larry Brown

Last year during the NBA playoffs, then Pistons' Head Coach Larry Brown was embroiled in an off-the-court controversy that proved to be a huge distraction in his team's quest to defend their NBA Championship.

Brown, whose future was already in doubt due to on-going health issues, was rumored to have accepted a job as the President of Basketball Operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers while the team he was coaching was still competing in the playoffs.  When asked to confirm or deny these rumors in numerous press conferences, Brown simply proclaimed, "if I coach anywhere next season, I'll be coaching in Detroit."  Obviously that was a lie.

I think if L.B. could use a mulligan, he would've put a halt to those rumors, even if there was an element of truth to them. His responsibility at that time should've been solely to his team.  And if he could do it all over again, I think he would've done everything in his power to ensure that was the case.

Anaheim Angels

During Game 2 of the ALCS against the Chicago White Sox, Angels' catcher Josh Paul non-chalantly rolled the ball toward the mound after an apparent inning-ending strikeout of Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski.  However, the strike-three pitch skimmed the ground before going into the mit of Paul and Pierzynski proceeded to take off toward first base. 

After a long conference and a lot of bickering, the umpires ruled that Pierzynski was safe at first.  From there, pinch-runner Pedro Azuna stole second and promptly scored the game-winning run on a line drive to the wall off the bat of Joe Crede.  The White Sox, of course, went on to win the series and eventually the World Series from there. 

I believe if Mike Scoscia could tee it up again, he'd tell his catcher to tag out the runner just in case and not allow an umpire's decision to decide the outcome of the game.

Terrell Owens

The annual T.O. "I'm the greatest innovation since the advent of television" saga took an interesting, yet predictable, turn this year when he went public with the notion that the Eagles would've been undefeated if Brett Favre was their quarterback instead of Donovan McNabb.

Those words, coupled with other malicious verbal attacks against certain teammates, left Eagles' Head Coach Andy Reid no other recourse but to suspend Owens for conduct detrimental to the team, and to then put him on the inactive list for the remainder of the season afterwards.

If T.O. was given a mulligan, he'd probably use it to give himself a raise for "speaking the truth" about McNabb and the Eagles organization, and then would go on to lead the Eagles back to the Super Bowl all by himself.  C'mon... you didn't really think I'd have the audacity to claim that T.O. would take back his ill-fated words, did you?

Minnesota Vikings

This past October, while the team was muddled in a prolonged losing streak, members of the Minnesota Vikings were caught participating in a "sex party" on a boat in Lake Minnetonka.

As it turns out, four Viking players (Daunte Culpepper, Fred Smoot, Bryant McKinnie and Moe Williams) are now being formerly charged by authorities for their involvement in this scandal.

If the players in question could exercise a do-over, they would've driven the boat far away from any other human contact so that nobody could've possibly caught them during this endeavor.  Of course, they'd also like a mulligan because, hey, who wouldn't want another chance to participate in an orgy?

Ron Artest

Coming off a tumultuous season in which Artest was suspended for the duration of the '04-'05 season for his involvement in the hideous Palace brawl in November 2004, Ron Artest had a chance for the ultimate mulligan.  He had a chance to redeem himself and begin to repair his shattered image by becoming a consummate teammate, an obedient NBA soldier, and a vital contributor to a championship year for the Indiana Pacers.

Instead, Artest has begun his "redemption year" by bad-mouthing Indiana's front office people and asking for a trade because, among other reasons, he doesn't "fit in" anymore.  Now it appears Artest is backing off his trade request... whatever!

If Artest had a re-do (and any sense in his head), he would put his NBA career on hold and make an appointment to meet with a psychiatrist on a weekly basis.  Perhaps after a year or so of good therapy and strong medication, Artest could return and become the kind of player that he has the potential to be.

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I'm sure there are many other sports figures that could've used a mulligan this past year.  That's where my fellow bloggers come in.  Besides those that appeared on this list, who else in the sports world do you think needed a mulligan?  And why?