Unlike most shots, in which the golfer largely controls the flight of the ball through the air, a putt's terrestrial trajectory can be altered by a lot more variables the speed of the green, the contours of the earth, a spike mark, or any little object that might be in the ball's path.

WSJ: Tiger Woods Should Credit His Return to No. 1 on Improved Putt

For Ford, the spike in rare earth prices a couple of years ago came at a critical time, when it was finalizing development plans for its next generation hybrid system.

FORBES: Ford Sees Cost Breakthrough With New Family of Hybrids

But since the spike in rare-earth prices seems not to have taken hold within China, many see another, more nefarious calculation behind the export quotas.

ECONOMIST: Rare earths