Golf Capsules: One major finally in hand, Creamer wants more
Comments 0Paula Creamer still plays with a bandage. What she no longer plays with is a burden.
Even though Creamer won't turn 24 until a week from Thursday, after she returns from Royal Birkdale and the final LPGA Tour major of the year, few other players so young have received so much scrutiny for failing to win a major.
At least that's one question she won't face this week at the Women's British Open.
"No, I'm sure it will be, 'Do you want to win two in a row?'" Creamer said with an easy laugh just four days after her U.S. Women's Open victory at Oakmont.
"I feel like my whole career, it's always been about majors," she said. "That was the one thing I didn't have. And now that I do, I only want more. It's like opening a can of worms. I can't wait to play the British Open, because I know what it takes to win."
Creamer endured some tough lessons along the way.
Three times she was poised to win the U.S. Open, the biggest stage in her sport, only to fall apart with bad swings or a bad decision. As an 18-year-old rookie, Creamer was one shot out of the lead going into the final round at Cherry Hills in 2005 when she closed with a 79. Two years ago, she was one shot behind and in the final group when she shot 41 on the front nine at Interlachen and had to rally for a 78.
Last year at Saucon Valley was the toughest to take. She can live with a bad swing. This was a bad decision. One shot behind going into the third round, she tried to drive the 10th green and wound up making triple bogey, sending her to a 79 and ending her hopes.
But she learned, just as Lorena Ochoa did before her.
On what is reputed to be the hardest golf course in America, with her left thumb bandaged from reconstructive surgery that kept her out four months, Creamer stuck to a conservative plan she cooked up with swing coach David Whelan. She never buckled until she had a four-shot victory at Oakmont.
That gives Creamer nine victories and a major. She has played on three winning Solheim Cup teams, losing only twice in 14 matches. That's not a bad record for someone still only 23.
By her own admission, however, Creamer is an "old 23."
She won her first LPGA Tour event a week before going through high school graduation, and in her first Solheim Cup as an 18-year-old, she crushed Laura Davies (7 and 5) in an opening singles match that set the tone. Off the course, she is one of the most marketable players on the LPGA Tour. Creamer has had to learn how to fit in with business executives at corporate outings.
"I think I am older than my age," she said. "I had to grow up pretty fast. There are times when I'm a young 23, but on the golf course, I've definitely matured much faster than my age. But there's still so much I have to learn."
Greatness in women's golf doesn't wait very long.
Annika Sorenstam won the first of her 10 majors in her second year on tour. Se Ri Pak won two majors as a rookie. Karrie Webb won her first major in her fourth season on the LPGA Tour, and then she had the career Grand Slam two years later.
Creamer is only 23, but this is her sixth year on tour. She risked getting left behind, especially with a thumb injury that caused her to wonder if her career was over much earlier than she had planned.
That's why it was important to get that first major.
Equally important is where she goes from here. Creamer is No. 7 in the women's world ranking, although No. 1 has never been so close. There is not a dominant player at the moment, not like Sorenstam when the ranking made its debut, or Ochoa who followed.
Three players have been No. 1 during the last three months — Jiyai Shin, Cristie Kerr and Ai Miyazato. It gives the LPGA Tour something to talk about every time there's a change at the top, but what it really needs is a veritable star.
It doesn't hurt that Americans are starting to show up. Kerr won the LPGA Championship by 12 shots, and Creamer won at Oakmont by four shots. If an American wins at Royal Birkdale, it would be the first time since 1999 that a Yank captured three majors in a year.
"Right now, it's going to be a battle," Creamer said. "It's going to take awhile for one person to dominate. We've got eight players, 10 players who can win every week. We've never had that. We've never had that strength. We had Annika dominate, Lorena dominate. This makes it exciting. But somebody has to push a little."
Golf is always better off when the game is "King of the Hill" instead of "Musical Chairs."
Creamer has talked about being No. 1 since she was a teenager and finished second to Sorenstam on the money list as a rookie. That seems like a long time ago. She needs to be a young 23.
"One person is going to have to branch out of that group and work harder than anybody," Creamer said. "I want to be that person."
Kerr eyes top of women's rankings
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Cristie Kerr has her sights set on a return to the top of world rankings when she tees off at the Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.
Kerr is currently third behind Japan's Ai Miyazato and top-ranked Jiyai Shin of South Korea, the winner of last week's Evian Masters.
The American reached the top for the first time in her career in late June after winning the LPGA Championship, before slipping back. Kerr now believes that two more tournament victories would restore that ranking.
"It adds a bit more spice to this week," she said. "Every week counts and you have a chance to be No. 1 every week, so it's going to be exciting until the end of the year.
"I've worked my whole life to be world No. 1 and I'm in a position now to do it."
However, Kerr knows it would only be a stepping stone if she succeeded this week at one of her favorite courses.
"To be world No. 1 it's going to take probably a couple more tournament wins," Kerr said. "I've had a good start to the season as far as trying to accomplish that. I've just got to keep playing well.
"I enjoy playing Birkdale. It's one of the best courses in the world. I played a lot of good golf when we were here in 2005 despite the weather and birdied the last hole to finish fifth. So I have good memories of playing here."
Kerr, who tied for second at the Women's British Open at Royal Lytham in 2006 behind fellow American Sherri Steinhauer, will play with Brittany Lincicome and 1990 champion Helen Alfredsson in the first two rounds.
Melissa Reid, who got her first win on the Ladies European Tour in Turkey in May, is full of confidence going into her third Women's British Open as a professional, having won the Smyth Salver as leading amateur at St. Andrews in 2007.
"Physically and mentally I'm getting stronger and I certainly feel that my game is moving in the right direction and my goal this week is to win," Reid said. "I think if I stay patient and my mind stays calm I can certainly compete with these girls and I feel I can also beat them as well."
Defending champion Shin to play in NW Arkansas
ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Top-ranked Jiyai Shin will defend her championship at September's P&G NW Arkansas Championship on the LPGA Tour.
The tournament announced Tuesday that Shin would be entered in the field Sept. 10-12 at Pinnacle Country Club. Shin, of South Korea, won the Evian Masters last weekend to reclaim the top spot in the world ranking.
Shin took the 2009 championship at Pinnacle in a playoff.
The NW Arkansas Championship is presented by Wal-Mart.
Champions
Trees the biggest obstacle at Sahalee
SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — Corey Pavin's thought process was sound. His execution was a little off.
Standing in the middle of the 11th fairway on Tuesday morning, Pavin decided to take the two mammoth fir trees creating field goal uprights in front of the green out of play. Hitting a low, stinging fairway wood could keep the ball under the tree limbs and leave a reasonable pitch on the long par-5.
Five shots later, Pavin finally had a shot that wasn't engulfed by one of the giant trees at Sahalee Country Club.
"What am I supposed to do?" Pavin pondered with a laugh to his caddie.
Avoiding the thousands of trees framing the fairways of Sahalee is a good first move.
After two weeks of playing links golf in Scotland — first at the British Open and then the Senior British Open last week at Carnoustie — the USGA could not have picked a more stark contrast for the players in this week's U.S. Senior Open. Small shrubs and fescue grass is gone, replaced by lush, damp, emerald green rough and trees that create a sense of claustrophobia.
"After playing links golf for the last two weeks then standing on that first tee, it looks like you have to walk sideways," Tom Lehman said. "The trees really make it feel like there's no room."
Truth is, there isn't much room out there.
The USGA has set the course so most fairways are on average about 26 yards wide, followed by graduated rough that has become the USGA's setup for all major championships.
But by the time someone's shot finds the deepest of the 4-inch rough well off the fairway, it has likely been engulfed by hanging branches. The sight of cedar and fir limbs falling from the air and the clang of balls hitting tree trunks are ominous and all too familiar.
"It can be intimidating, especially coming from Carnoustie last week. The tallest tree over there was probably a 3½-foot bush," Peter Jacobsen said. "And you come here and anybody who is not from the northwest has never seen 100-foot firs and 100-foot cedar trees so it is different. And as tight as fairways are, you just really have to keep the ball in play."
When the PGA Championship was held at Sahalee a dozen years ago, players raved about the overall condition of the course. But it wasn't considered a favorite of players because the constricting nature of the trees took away aggressiveness and forced a conservative hand.
"Most tour players are used to golf courses that are a little more open," Jacobsen said. "There is nothing open about this golf course."
-- Tim Booth
Notebook: USGA making schedule changes for Sr. Open in '13
SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — For many players in the U.S. Senior Open field, they've had to go longer, harder and farther than ever to get into this competition.
It's been a tough month for the 50-and-over crowd. It began three weeks ago when some competed in the Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. That was followed by the British Senior Open at nearby Carnoustie. Then they all scrambled to catch the 9½-hour flight from London to Seattle to be ready for this senior major at Sahalee.
All three tournaments are contested over four rounds. Most events on the Champions Tour are three rounds.
"It's a situation that none of us really like," said Tim Flaherty, USGA's Senior Open tournament director. "It's a combination of the USGA schedule, the R&A (European) schedule. And we have a contract with NBC. We have to work through their dates."
This is the third year that the players have had to play the British Senior and U.S. Senior Open back-to-back. But it's the first time they've had to travel to the West Coast, adding another few hours to their itinerary.
Two top players, Paul Azinger and Nick Price, withdrew because of injuries.
"I don't like that. That's why I didn't go to the Senior British last week," said veteran Peter Jacobsen. "It's got to change, it's a hardship. It's great playing in the Senior Open and then coming back to the U.S. Senior Open, but it's a hardship. Everyone will tell you it's tough going from one senior major to another senior major."
This will change after next year. The British Open will be followed by the U.S. Senior at Inverness in Toledo, Ohio, in 2011 but then the U.S. Senior will be moved up in the schedule to the week following the July 4 holiday.
"We hear from the players. That's why we've addressed it," Flaherty said. "We definitely hear from the players. I think their concerns are legitimate."
Tom Lehman, in his second year on the Champions Tour, played in the Scottish Open, the Open, the British Senior — all four round events — then flew from London to Seattle on Monday to compete here.
"It's way better coming home," said Lehman. "When you're over there (British Isles), it's 11 a.m and I can't wake up."
COUPLES CLINIC: As part of his duties as honorary chairman of the tournament, Seattle native Fred Couples put on a youth teaching clinic Tuesday afternoon. A quarter of the Sahalee driving range was blocked off, while kids from area youth groups crowded in to get a lesson from Couples.
Questions from the kids ranged from how many tournaments Couples has won (15 on the PGA tour) to his longest drive (about 330 yards) to his favorite color ("Augusta green"). The Washington State Junior Golf Association also brought out the trophy Couples won in 1978 when he was the Washington state Open champion.
Not all went smoothly with the clinic. Sprinklers suddenly turned on early in Couples' talk, soaking some spectators, and Couples was left wondering what to do as the three junior players selected to take part in the clinic didn't need much help with their swings.
"It was pretty awesome. Meeting someone like Fred Couples who has done amazing things ... it was nice to meet him and he gave me a couple of pointers," said 18-year-old Ashley Danforth.
PGA
Wyndham Championship now cell-phone friendly
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Fans will be able to bring their cell phones onto the course at next month's Wyndham Championship.
Defending champion Ryan Moore hopes to give them something to talk about.
Tournament officials said Tuesday that they would allow fans to use mobile phones at Sedgefield Country Club — as long as the devices are kept in silent mode and calls are made only in designated areas around the course. Also, fans won't be allowed to take pictures or video during the four competitive rounds.
Tournament director Mark Brazil, a member of the PGA Tour's tournament advisory council, said the group discussed changing the cell phone policy after some fans complained they were out of touch with their families and businesses without their mobile devices. He said the tour has confidence in his event's network of volunteers and security workers to enforce the trial rules.
"We're going to be kind of the guinea pig tournament on allowing this," Brazil said. "We're just going to test it here."
Though wireless devices have long been a no-no on the tour, Moore said he usually hears rings from contraband cell phones roughly once or twice per tournament. He joked that he might send some text messages from the course, then said he expects fans to use their phones responsibly.
"People are going to sneak (phones) in anyways, somehow get them in. It's adults. I feel like if you let them actually bring them out there, they'll probably respect the fact that you let them have it and actually go use those (designated) areas a lot more," he said. "People appreciate the fact that you're not treating them like a 10-year-old: 'You're not responsible enough to do this.' They're actually letting them have it, and just say, 'Please, just be respectful of play.' I think people will do that, for the most part. I really do."
Moore said he wants to give fans more reasons to reach for their phones and text their buddies.
I'm "going to do everything I can to come out of the way and play this event every single year," he said, and not just because he claimed his first tour victory here last year. Rather, it's a gesture of gratitude to the people who gave him his first shot on the tour six years ago.
He hadn't yet turned pro in 2004 but had just won the U.S. Amateur when he was invited to play that year's Greensboro event, which at the time was held in the fall across town at Forest Oaks Country Club. Since finishing tied for 24th that year, he has skipped the tour stop in the North Carolina Triad only once.
"When people take care of you and treat you right, you remember it," Moore said. "That's how this tournament has been for me."
But for Moore, nothing topped last year. He beat Kevin Stadler with a birdie on the third hole of a sudden death playoff to claim his only win on tour. His best result this year was his second-place finish at the AT&T National earlier this month.
"What the win did for me last year, it wasn't quite what I thought it would do for me — it actually showed me a little bit more of how far off I was, which is weird," Moore said. "I simply just came in here, this is a golf course that fits my game ... and I just kind of got some good momentum and I played some really good golf that week."
-- Joedy McCreary
PGA European
Bahrain tournament added to European Tour schedule
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The European Tour has added a tournament in Bahrain to its schedule, bringing to five the number of events it will hold next year in the Middle East.
The tour Tuesday announced it will hold the Volvo Tournament of Champions in Bahrain, a $2.2-million event from Jan. 27-30 at the Royal Golf Club. The field will mostly feature players who have won previously on the European Tour.
Along with the Bahrain tournament, there will be a European Tour event in Abu Dhabi, two in Dubai and one in Qatar.
Sheik Mohammed bin Essa al-Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, called the tournament "big news for us" and said it would give the country an economic boost.
Golf Notes
Making the cut: Policy change helps Pettersson
Good thing for Carl Pettersson that the PGA Tour amended its cut policy two years ago.
Pettersson was among those who put in writing his opposition to the tour's new cut rule at the start of the 2008 season. In an effort to avoid two-tee starts and 5½-hour rounds on the weekend, the tour changed its policy from the top 70 and ties to the nearest number of players to 70th place whenever more than 78 players made the cut.
It caused so much consternation that someone posted a one-question survey — "Do you agree with the new cut policy?" in the locker room at the Sony Open. There were six signatures under "No," which included Pettersson.
The policy was changed a short time later to include a 54-hole cut when more than 78 players qualified for the weekend. Two years later, that change enabled Pettersson to keep playing at the Canadian Open, where he made the cut on the number Friday, shot 60 on Saturday and closed with a 67 to win on Sunday.
"I would have missed the cut," Pettersson said. "Now they have the Saturday cut instead, which ... I really don't see the point of it. But I guess it helps people get around quicker."
Pettersson still doesn't like the amended rule, and he has company.
John Daly was a victim of the original cut policy at the Sony Open. He made the cut on the number in Canada, but failed to stay inside the top 70 and ties after Saturday's round of 73.
"It used to be a 72-hole tournament, shouldn't they let everyone play hard right to the end?" Daly said on Twitter.
Also knocked out was former Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger, who also made the cut on the number, only to shoot 74 on Saturday. Azinger agreed with one of his follower's tweets that the 54-hole cut kept fans from watching three major champions — Azinger, Daly and Lee Janzen. Who knew they had such a following?
It's worth noting that Azinger also was among the six who signed the makeshift petition two years ago in Hawaii.
BEEM'S BACK: Rich Beem will return to the PGA Tour at Whistling Straits for the PGA Championship. He just won't have his golf clubs with him.
Beem, who had back surgery in April, said he will be doing some work for TNT Sports during the PGA Championship, where he also will attend the Champions Dinner. He won at Hazeltine in 2002.
As for his golf? Beem plans to play about three Nationwide Tour events after the PGA Championship to see where his game is. Then, he will have four PGA Tour events in the Fall Series. To play the PGA Tour any sooner would mean forfeiting a major medical extension, which he will use for the 2011 season.
"I've been playing quite a bit," he said Tuesday. "I just haven't been playing very well quite a bit. Each day gets a little better."
OLYMPIC MOVEMENT: The top priority is to find an executive director for the International Golf Federation, the governing body for golf in the Olympics, and to determine where in Brazil to host the first Olympic golf tournament in more than a century.
At some point, however, the United States will need to create a national governing body that will work with the U.S. Olympic Committee.
It would seem natural for the USGA to assume that role, except that the players competing in Rio in 2016 most likely will be members of the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour.
"Technically speaking, whoever the member of the international federation is of that country tends to be the NGB (national governing body) for their own Olympic committee," said Ty Votaw, who helped spearhead golf's inclusion in the Olympics. "That's difficult in the United States because the USGA is a member of the International Golf Federation, but there are a lot of other entities."
Along with the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, other U.S. groups that belong to the IGF are the PGA of America, USGA and the Masters.
Meanwhile, still under consideration is whether golf can be added to the Pan American Games in 2015, which will be in Toronto.
CONSISTENT LUKE: All of the top 10 players in the world ranking have multiple victories over the last two years — except Luke Donald. So what is the Englishman doing at No. 7 in the world?
It starts with consistency.
Donald's only victory on his two-year ledger came at the end of May against an ordinary field in the Madrid Masters. Still, the Englishman has racked up seven top 3s and 16 finishes in the top 10. Donald seems to be largely forgotten until Sunday, when his name pops up on the leaderboard.
Just don't get the idea he's satisfied with a world ranking.
"I need to win more tournaments," Donald said after closing with a 66 to finish third in the Canadian Open. "Just contending isn't good enough if you want to be the best. You've got to go out there and beat the best continually, which I haven't done in the last few years."
SOAKING IT ALL IN: It might not be the holy grail in golf, but for USGA executive director David Fay, it comes awfully close.
Fay and his wife, Joan, bundled up in three layers of clothing, grabbed rain gear and umbrellas, and climbed to the top row of grandstands along the 11th hole at St. Andrews during the third round of the British Open. They arrived an hour before competition began and stayed there for more than nine hours.
What's so special about that grandstand?
Fay said they could see the seventh and 11th holes (which share the same green), all of the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth, and all of the par-4 10th except the tee box. By turning around, they could see the entire sixth and 12th holes and parts of the 13th.
Beyond the course were uninterrupted views of the Eden Estuary and St. Andrews Bay.
"Once play got going, my wife's comment was that it was a bit like going to a gymnastics meet — you don't know where to turn because there's something going on everywhere," Fay said. "We could see it all unfold. I think it's the best viewing spot in golf, if not all of sports. It was like no other sporting experience."
DIVOTS: The European Tour will have a new event next year in Bahrain called the Tournament of Champions. It will be held Jan. 27-30 in 2011 as part of the Middle East swing and include a 126-man field of past and current winners. Starting in 2012, the tournament will be only for current winners and move to an early January date, making it the first tournament on the European Tour schedule. ... This will be only the second time in his career that Tiger Woods was not atop the standings for a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup team. The other was in 1998, when he was second to David Duval for the Presidents Cup. ... Ernie Els has missed the cut in his last three tournaments. ...
STAT OF THE WEEK: Phil Mickelson is the only player from the top 10 in the world to have won a major since 2009.
FINAL WORD: "I'm not your typical Swede, as you know. I don't have a 28-inch waist, and I don't eat bananas at the turn." — Carl Pettersson.
-- Doug Ferguson
Golf Glance
| LPGA TOUR |
|---|
| Women's British Open |
Site: Southport, England.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Royal Birkdale Golf Club (6,465 yards, par 72).
Purse: $2.5 million. Winner's share: $398,254.
Television: ESPN (Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon; Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.) and ABC (Sunday, 2-3 p.m.).
Last year: Scotland's Catriona Matthew won her first major title, beating Karrie Webb by three strokes 10 weeks after giving birth to her second child. Matthew was 3 under at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.
Last week: South Korea's Jiyai Shin won the Evian Masters in France to reclaim the top spot in the world ranking, finishing with a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over Morgan Pressel, Na Yeon Choi and 15-year-old Alexis Thompson.
Notes: The tournament became an official LPGA Tour event in 1994 and was elevated to major status in 2001, replacing the du Maurier in Canada. ... Shin won the 2008 tournament at Sunningdale for the first of her seven LPGA Tour titles. ... Sherri Steinhauer won the 1998, 1999 and 2006 titles. ... Webb won in 1995, 1997 and 2002. ... The 2011 tournament will be played at Carnoustie, and the 2012 event is set for Royal Liverpool, also known as Hoylake. ... The tour is off the next two weeks. Play will resume Aug 20-22 with the Safeway Classic in North Plains, Ore.
On the Net: http://www.ricohwomensbritishopen.com
LPGA Tour site: http://www.lpga.com
Ladies' Golf Union site: http://www.lgu.org
Ladies European Tour site: http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com
| U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION |
|---|
| U.S. Senior Open |
Site: Sammanish, Wash.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Sahalee Country Club (6,866 yards, par 70).
Purse: TBA ($2.6 million in 2009). Winner's share: TBA ($470,000 in 2009).
Television: ESPN2 (Thursday-Friday, 5-9 p.m.) and NBC (Saturday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m.).
Last year: Fred Funk won by six strokes, closing with a 7-under 65 at Crooked Stick for a tournament-record 20-under total. Funk broke the event mark of 17 under set by Hale Irwin in 2000 at Saucon Valley.
Last week: Bernhard Langer won the Senior British Open for his first senior major title, holding off Corey Pavin by a stroke at Carnoustie. Langer has three victories this year and 11 in four seasons on the 50-and-over tour.
Notes: Fred Couples, a three-time winner in his first season on the Champions Tour, is the tournament honorary chairman. He's from Seattle. Last week in Toronto, he missed the cut in the PGA Tour's Canadian Open. ... If tied after 72 holes, a three-hole playoff will immediately follow the fourth round. If still tied after three holes, the players will go to sudden death. ... Vijay Singh won the 1998 PGA Championship at Sahalee, also the site of Craig Parry's 2002 NEC World Golf Championship victory. ... The tour will return to the Seattle area Aug. 27-29 for the Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. ... The 2011 event will be played at Inverness in Toledo, Ohio. ... The 3M Championship is next at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn.
Online: http://www.usga.org
Champions Tour site: http://www.pgatour.com
| PGA TOUR |
|---|
| Greenbrier Classic |
Site: White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: The Greenbrier, Old White Course (7,041 yards, par 70).
Purse: $6 million. Winner's share: $1.09 million.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday, 3-6 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.; Friday, midnight-3 a.m., 3-6 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.; Saturday, midnight-3 a.m., 1-2:30 p.m., 9:30-11:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m., 9:30-11:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Last year: Inaugural event.
Last week: Carl Pettersson rallied to win the Canadian Open for his fourth PGA Tour victory, following his tournament-record 60 with a 67 for a one-stroke victory over Dean Wilson. Pettersson was six strokes behind with 11 to play at St. George's.
Notes: Designed by Charles Blair MacDonald in 1914, the Old White was recently restored by Lester George. PGA Tour victory leader Sam Snead was The Greenbrier's professional for 29 years and served as professional emeritus from 1993 until his death in 2002. ... Pettersson and Richard S. Johnson, the Scandinavian Masters winner last week, are in the field. ... The World Golf Championships' Bridgestone Invitational is next week at Firestone in Akron, Ohio. The Turning Stone Resort Championship also is next week in Verona, N.Y. The PGA Championship is Aug. 12-15 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Online: http://www.pgatour.com
PGA EUROPEAN TOUR
| Irish Open |
|---|
Site: Killarney, Ireland.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Killarney Golf & Fishing Club (7,161 yards, par 71).
Purse: $3.9 million. Winner's share: $637,250.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 6:30-9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-noon, 7-9:30 p.m.).
Last year: Irish amateur Shane Lowry won in his first tour start, beating England's Robert Rock with a par on the third hole of a playoff at County Louth.
Last week: Sweden's Richard S. Johnson won the Scandinavian Masters at Bro Hof Slott in Stockholm, holing a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory over Argentina's Rafa Echenique.
Notes: U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, both from Northern Ireland, top the field along with Irish star Padraig Harrington and Lowry. Harrington won the 2007 tournament at Adare Manor. ... Following two weeks in the United States for the World Golf Championships' Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship, the tour will return to Europe Aug. 19-22 for the Czech Open.
Online: http://www.europeantour.com
NATIONWIDE TOUR
| Cox Classic |
|---|
Site: Omaha, Neb.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Champions Run (7,165 yards, par 71).
Purse: $725,000. Winner's share: $130,500.
Television: None.
Last year: Rich Barcelo won his first Nationwide Tour title, closing with a 6-under 65 for a one-stroke victory over Tom Gillis.
Last week: D.J. Brigman won the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational for his second career Nationwide Tour title. He finished with a 7-under 64 on Ohio State's Scarlet Course for a one-stroke victory over Jamie Lovemark.
Notes: In 2005, Jason Gore earned an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour, winning a playoff for his tour-record third straight victory. Gore, who shot a 59 in the second round and had eight straight birdies in his closing 63, beat Roger Tambellini with a birdie on the second extra hole. ... Tommy Gainey leads the tour with two victories — one short of an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour — and is second on the money list with $323,267. ... Lovemark tops the money list with $338,701. The final top 25 will earn 2011 PGA Tour cards. ... The Wichita Open is next week, followed by the Price Cutter Charity Championship in Springfield, Mo.
Online: http://www.pgatour.com
| OTHER TOURNAMENTS |
|---|
| Men |
NGA HOOTERS TOUR: Michelob Ultra Classic, Thursday-Sunday, The Auburn University Golf Club, Auburn, Ala. Online: http://www.ngahooterstour.com
JAPAN GOLF TOUR: Sun Chlorella Classic, Thursday-Sunday, Otaru Country Club, Hokkaido, Japan. Online: http://www.jgto.org
ASIAN TOUR: Brunei Open, Thursday-Sunday, Empire Hotel and Country Club, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. Online: http://www.asiantour.com
SUNSHINE TOUR: Origins of Golf, Wednesday-Friday, Humewood Golf Club, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Online: http://www.sunshinetour.com
TOUR OF THE AMERICAS: Abierto de Colombia, Thursday-Sunday, Club Campestre Guaymaral, Bogota, Colombia. Online: http://www.tourdelasamericas.com
| Women |
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DURAMED FUTURES TOUR: Alliance Bank Golf Classic, Friday-Sunday, Drumlins Country Club, Syracuse, N.Y. Online: http://www.duramedfuturestour.com
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