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Executive power should be used for only the most important stuff

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MIDLAND, Texas -- The taller players were head and shoulders above the rest on Friday in the "Tall City" -- Midland's official nickname since the city skyline towers above the Permian Basin -- in the second round of the WNB Golf Classic.

MADRID, Spain (PA) -- A statement on the health of five-time major champion Seve Ballesteros is expected over the weekend, with further tests planned on the 51-year-old on Saturday.

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INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Kirk Hanefeld, a PGA Life member from Acton, Mass., separated himself from the field Sunday by making four consecutive birdies between the 14th and 17th holes to capture the 20th Senior PGA Professional National Championship presented by Callaway Golf at Toscana Country Club.

The rain held off as the putts fell during an exciting Day 2 of the 2008 Special Olympics Golf National Invitational Tournament played here today at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Borrowing a phrase from his playing partner, John Aubrey said that the Toscana Country Club "really fit my eye well."

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Mike Borich of Midvale, Utah, a long-hitter who is accustomed to the wind, became the "rabbit" Saturday morning as the weekend chase officially began for the title in the 20th Senior PGA Professional National Championship presented by Callaway Golf.

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- Roy Vucinich of Moon Township, Pa., smiled after looking over his scorecard once more, and said that the Rees Jones-designed Andalusia Country Club "fits my eye real nice."

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TORONTO (PA) -- Former Masters champion Mike Weir believes that including golf as an Olympic event would help the game grow as a global sport.

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MIDLAND, Texas -- The taller players were head and shoulders above the rest on Friday in the "Tall City" -- Midland's official nickname since the city skyline towers above the Permian Basin -- in the second round of the WNB Golf Classic.

MIDLAND, Texas -- The City of Midland earned its name because it was midway between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific railroad. There were no middlin' performances from Spencer Levin, Tom Gillis and Reid Edstrom on Thursday, and they share the lead after the opening round of the WNB Golf Classic at the Midland Country Club.

JUNCTION CITY, Ore. -- Matt Bettencourt fired a final-round 69 Sunday to win the Oregon Classic for his first career title. Bettencourt, the 54-hole leader, posted a tournament-record 19-under 269 total, good for a two-stroke win at Shadow Hills Country Club.

JUNCTION CITY, Ore. -- Matt Bettencourt took golf's "moving day" to heart Saturday by firing a 7-under-par 65 and taking over first-place in the Oregon Classic. The Greenville, S.C., resident put together the day's best effort to grab a three-shot lead over second-round leader Bubba Dickerson, who rallied with birdies on the last three holes to gain a spot in Sunday's final pairing.

JUNCTION CITY, Ore. -- Bubba Dickerson shot a 6-under-par 66 Friday to grab the lead after 36 holes of the Oregon Classic, the 25th stop on the 2008 Nationwide Tour schedule.

Fairhaven, MA (October 8, 2008) - Titleist announces its plans to exhibit at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show to be held in Orlando, Florida, from January 29-31. Titleist also will participate in the Outdoor Demo Day at the Orange County National Golf Center on January 28.

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- PING, founded by World Golf Hall of Fame member and renowned golf club engineer and manufacturer Karsten Solheim, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2009 and plans to begin its celebration at the global golf industry's 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, Jan. 29-31, in Orlando, Fla.

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TSN.caGolf-Stroud vaults into Texas Open leadReuters.uk, UK - 40 minutes agoHOUSTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - American Chris Stroud fired a six-under 64 to surge to a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the Texas Open in San Antonio on Green shoots 62 to lead Texas Open Bradenton HeraldWhat they said: Chris Stroud PGA TourStroud leads at Texas Open The Press AssociationThe Associated Press - Sports Networkall 187 news articles

Leishman leads by three at halfway in Nationwide WNB Golf ClassicPGA.com - 1 hour agoLeishman, from Warnambool, a small, coastal Australian town with a fabulous golf course, had been playing well this year without getting the desired results Leishman leads by three in Midland Sports Networkall 3 news articles

August Wilson's 'Radio Golf' finishes cycleSan Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 4 hours agoNow, local audiences can complete the journey, with TheatreWorks' regional premiere of the last of the plays, "Radio Golf." And with Berkeley Repertory August Wilson's century cycle comes to close in 'Radio Golf San Jose Mercury Newsall 2 news articles

Galveston golf course prepares to openBizjournals.com, NC - 9 hours agoOfficials with the Moody Gardens Golf Course expect the facility to be back in the swing of things by the end of October. The island’s public golf course

Arizona RepublicMotorist crashes car into lake on Sun City West golf courseArizona Republic, AZ - 9 hours agoby Parker Leavitt - Oct. 10, 2008 10:32 AM Fire crews rescued a man around 9:30 am Friday after his car went into a lake at the Grandview Golf Course in Sun Man drives car into Sun City West golf course lake YourWestValley.comall 4 news articles

Follow the action at the USGA Senior Amateur's Official Web site. Real-Time Scoring, news, blogs, photos, course information and more can be found. The USGA Senior Amateur is being held at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Andover, Kan.

Follow the action at the USGA Senior Women's Amateur's Official Web site. Real-Time Scoring, news, blogs, photos, course information and more can be found. The USGA Senior Amateur is being held at Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.

Far Hills, N.J. - Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., has been selected by the United States Golf Association as the site of the 2010 USGA Senior Women's Amateur Championship. The dates of the championship are Oct. 9-14.

Far Hills, N.J. - Rickie Fowler, 18, of Murrieta, Calif., and Kyle Stanley, 19, of Gig Harbor, Wash., have been selected to complete the 10-man squad that will represent the United States of America for the 2007 Walker Cup Match. The Match is scheduled for Sept. 8-9 at Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.

Far Hills, N.J. - A proposed amendment to the 2008 Rules of Golf regarding additional forms of club adjustability has been approved by the USGA. Any such adjustment(s), however, cannot be made during a stipulated round. All new forms of iron and wood adjustability must be approved in advance by the USGA.

Ben Crenshaw hasn't won in more than 12 years. With a one stroke lead over Fred Funk heading into the weekend that may be about to change.

She's been in numerious calendars and video games. The most-requested player in LPGA Tour pro-ams shares her favorite Vegas hot spot, golf course and travel past time...

Battling back from a season of injuries, Chris Stroud fired a four-under 64 and grabbed a two-stroke lead over a group of three other players after 36 holes.

Charl Schwartzel overcame illness and a sore shoulder Friday to shoot a 7-under 64 and share a two-shot lead at the Madrid Masters with Marcus Fraser.

A first-hand account of how that devilish stretch of holes Augusta came to be named (This article originally appeared in the April 1984 issue of Golf Digest)

If the struggles of those in the morning groups today at the Longs Drugs Challenge are any indication, this tournament is gearing up for a classic free-for-all on Sunday. In-Kyung Kim looked like she was going to run away from the field when she followed up her eagle on the tricky 360-yard 8th hole yesterday with her 4th birdie of the morning, but after bogeying the 10th she reeled off 8 pars in a row to settle for a 69 that brought her to -8 for the tournament. And Mollie Fankhauser birdied 3 of her last 5 holes for a 68 that got her within 1 shot of the lead. But I would not be surprised at…

Hiromi Mogi opened the Sankyo Ladies Open with a 7-birdie barrage as her 67 helped her to a 2-shot lead over Eun-A Lim, Shinobu Moromizato, and Mie Nakata. With Ji-Yai Shin taking the week off, Ai Miyazato back on the LPGA, and Momoko Ueda headed to Hawaii for next week's LPGA event--not to mention Yuri Fudoh and Akiko Fukushima taking the week off--the Sankyo seemed like a golden opportunity for Ji-Hee Lee, Mi-Jeong Jeon, Miho Koga, and Sakura Yokomine to re-establish their dominance on the JLPGA. It still may be, but they'll need to turn it around fairly quickly over the next 36 holes. Koga…

Maria Hjorth has birdied 4 holes in a row from the 16th through the 1st on the Blackhawk track that's hosting the Longs Drugs Challenge to jump out to an early lead at -5 through 11. That tops Lorena Ochoa's 3-hole birdie streak on the 11th through 13th even earlier in the day. Also off to good starts are Laura Davies (-4 through 11), Wendy Ward (-4 through 11), Michelle McGann (-3 through 14), Michele Redman (-3 through 9 thanks to 3 birdies in a row on the 3rd through 5th), and Kate Golden (-3 through 13 thanks to an eagle on the par-5 11th). Way to go, vets!But don't worry--the kids are…

I was saddened to see that Randall Mell's employers are pulling the plug on his Bunker Shots. I appreciated his balanced, well-informed, and Morgan Pressel-centric perspective on the LPGA and am happy to hear his regular column will be unaffected by the end of his golf blog. But I was dismayed at the rationale that he wasn't getting "enough" readers, hits, and comments to justify the paper's "investment" in his blog. What about links? Just how many of all that does it take for a golf journalist to be allowed to keep a long-running and successful blog going?Here's hoping Mell gets to resurrect…

Check out Hound Dog's preview of and LPGA.com pre-tournament interviews for the Longs Drugs Challenge, a small-purse event at an unpopular course that had been the gateway to the LPGA's Asian Swing until the creation of the Kapalua Classic. The field, as a result, is a bit thinner than it ought to be, but only a little. I'm just pleased that my fave Ai Miyazato, fresh off last week's "win" on the JLPGA, is back on the LPGA for the next 2 events at least. And yet, I'm surprised that onechan's fave Karrie Webb, who's had a fair bit of success at this course and event of late, won't be going for…

Slideshow: To every sand bunker, there is a purpose. Yes, some of them are traps

Golf Digest Changes Its View On Conditioning

There are more than a thousand golf courses in the United States that can be considered "coastal." More than half of them could be gone by the end of this century because of global warming.

You can do plenty of things to make a difference. Here's how

Golf Digest has redefined the Conditioning category used in our various course rankings.

Phil Blackmar, Bruce Fleisher and Des Smyth shot five-under-par 65s in the first round of the Senior Players Championship.

Paula Creamer’s wait to win as a pro in the Bay Area was over on Sunday after making a tricky 4-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to ice a one-stroke victory over Song-Hee Kim.

Camilo Villegas charged home with a 66 to make up five strokes against Sergio García and beat him on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

The Anthony Kim-Sergio García rivalry that is gaining momentum in the late season sprouted a promising new plotline Saturday.

Twelve years after, Tom Cousins, an Atlanta commercial real estate mogul, unfurled his plans for rebuilding East Lake, the revitalized community is not merely thriving, its vision is spreading.

Ben Crenshaw hasn't won in more than 12 years. With a one stroke lead over Fred Funk heading into the weekend that may be about to change.

Charl Schwartzel overcame illness and a sore shoulder Friday to shoot a 7-under 64 and share a two-shot lead at the Madrid Masters with Marcus Fraser.

Battling back from a season of injuries, Chris Stroud fired a four-under 64 and grabbed a two-stroke lead over a group of three other players after 36 holes.

Today's drivers have stretched the limits of shape and volume to approach mailbox dimensions, but it's the face that does all the work.

Playing almost mistake free, Maria Hjorth's seven birdies and one bogey matched Michele Redman's six-under 66. They lead by one.

South Korea's In-Kyung Kim shot a 3-under 69 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Mollie Fankhauser in the Longs Drugs Challenge, while top-ranked Lorena Ochoa was two shots behind.

Ben Crenshaw found his long-lost golf game Friday, shooting a 4-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Fred Funk at the midway point of the Senior Players Championship.

Seve Ballesteros was moved out of intensive care Friday but remained hospitalized four days after being admitted because of a dizzy spell.

Charl Schwartzel overcame illness and a sore shoulder Friday to shoot a 7-under 64 and share a two-shot lead at the Madrid Masters with Marcus Fraser.

Members at Aronimink Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia are to vote Oct. 15 on whether to accept a proposal to host Tiger Woods' AT&T National for two years, in 2010 and 2011, while Congressional Country Club undergoes renovation for the 2011 U.S. Open.

The Texas Open and the Phoenix Open (now known as the FBR Open) are two tournaments that have produced some of the lowest stroke totals in PGA Tour history. How...

Coming in early November, 2008, are the latest drivers from Titleist, the three drivers of the 909 Series: the DComp, the 909D2 and the 909D3. The drivers debuted on the PGA...

The Cobra L5V driver leads off our latest roundup of new golf equipment coming to pro shop aisles near you. There's also an ultra-premium set of irons, the Miura Small Blade...

Have we really already arrived at the 10th season of the Golf Channel's "Big Break" series? It seems like only yesterday that Justin Peters was winning the inaugural season of...

The Texas Open is one of the oldest tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule, first played in 1922. These days, the Valero Texas Open is part of the Fall Finish,...

DANVILLE, California (Ticker) - In-Kyung Kim is eyeing her first career win, but world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa has designs on crashing her party again.

American Chris Stroud fired a six-under 64 to surge to a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the Texas Open in San Antonio on Friday.

South Korea's In-Kyung Kim shot a 3-under 69 in cold, windy conditions Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Mollie Fankhauser in the Longs Drugs Challenge, while top-ranked Lorena Ochoa was two shots behind. The 20-year-old Kim, winless in two seasons on the LPGA Tour, had an 8-under 136 total on the Blackhawk Country Club course.

Former Lamar University star Chris Stroud moved into position to make a big jump on the PGA Tour money list, shooting a 6-under 64 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Texas Open. The 26-year-old Stroud, 209th on the money list, had a 10-under 130 total on the La Cantera Golf Club's Resort Course.

Chris Stroud moved to the top of the leaderboard through the second round at the Texas Open.

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TIMONIUM, Md. (AP) -- Ben Crenshaw didn't just turn back the clock at the Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. He ripped 13 years off the calendar and floated back to 1995.

MIDLAND, Texas -- The taller players were head and shoulders above the rest on Friday in the "Tall City" -- Midland's official nickname since the city skyline towers above the plains -- in the second round of the WNB Golf Classic.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Former Lamar University star Chris Stroud moved into position to make a big jump on the PGA TOUR money list, shooting a 6-under 64 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Valero Texas Open.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- A total of 75 players made the cut at 1-under-par 139 from a starting field of 132 professionals.

Read second-round notes and interviews from In-Kyung Kim, Mollie Fankhauser, and Lorena Ochoa at the Longs Drugs Challenge.

ShopRite, presenting sponsor of the Sybase® Classic presented by ShopRite, has donated $1 million to 36 local non-profit organizations through their partnership with the LPGA Tour.

The 2008 Longs Drugs Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, Calif., is playing host to 108 of the LPGA's finest, as seven of the top-10 players on the LPGA Official Money List teed it up on Thursday. Maria Hjorth (31-35=66, -6) and Michele Redman (34-32=66, -6) lead the field, while defending champion Suzann Pettersen (34-34) is two strokes back at 4-under-par 68.

The LPGA T&CP membership has selected the following members for national recognition: Michelle Melia, Coach of the Year; Karen Palacios-Jansen, Teacher of the Year; and Donna White, Professional of the Year.

Angela Stanford made a trip to the Bell Micro Headquarters in San Jose to sign autographs and take pictures with employees before heading to this week's Longs Drugs Challenge.

I've officially started our Twitter page today.  What is Twitter?  Basically, it's a service that let's people post quick hit links to things and update their thoughts.  It's kind of like facebook, blogging, and SMS messaging all in one.  The link will be on the sidebar, too.  Check it out!

No. VA Club Working to Lure LPGA Event Len Shapiro has a piece in the WaPo about the efforts of Piedmont Club - a 7 year old facility - working with a local group to try to line up a sponsor and score a LPGA Tour event in the nation's capital area.

If you're a LPGA fan, I'm sure you've heard of the Wilhelmina 7 at this point.  It's a group of 7 LPGA players that have banded together under the umbrella of representation by the Wilhelmina agency (clever enough) to give them collectively more sponsorship opportunities.  The kicker is that they're going to use their beauty and golf ability to get these chances. But, is it going to work?  (You should click the jump.) Eric Pinkela is a little behind the story, but wrote about the Wilhelmina 7 for a story covering the Longs Drugs event in the Bay area for the Mercury News out of…

We got a message to the SB Nation inbox about a discount of 10% for your order at Radical Golf Carts.  They sell all kinds of parts and accessories for golf carts.  Some of the friends that I made while golfing in Costa Rica would love this site.  I wanted to pass it along in the event that you do own a golf cart and would like to pimp it out.  The discount code to use would be titan_promoRAD.

T-Joh Watch Oh no! Tiffany Joh has opened 74-78 and is in 38th place in the Women's World Amateur. Amanda Blumenherst came back with a 71 after an opening 79 to lead the Americans at T27, but Alison Walshe started 78-73 and is T30. Our girls are +6 in the team competition, tied for 8th behind Mika Miyazato's Japan (+3, 5th), Dewi Claire Schreefel's Netherlands (+2, 4th), and the absolutely loaded Spanish (-7, 2nd) and Swedish (-15, 1st) teams. The Swedes have the 2 leaders--Caroline Hedwall (-8) and Anna Nordqvist (-7)--and nobody lower than 6th place, while the Spaniards are all in 11th…

In-Kyung Kim leads by one shot at -8 after two rounds at the Longs Drugs Challenge.  Mollie Fankhauser is second at -7 while Lorena Ochoa is third at -6. Wind gusts of up to 30mph drove scores through the roof, especially for the afternoon groups.  Only 17 players were able to break par.  Even so Inky was -9 at the turn, but she bogeyed 10 for the second straight day before parring out to post 69.  Fankhauser played the back nine in 32 as she birdied 14, 15 and 17, equaling the Round of the Day at 68.  Ochoa matched Mollie as she birdied three of the last four to…

I received an e-mail from Mike Scanlan, Media Relations Coordinator at the LPGA (yes, I was very surprised!).  He explained that Rolex rookie points are awarded at all official LPGA events and the ROY race continues through the ADT Championship.  So Na Yeon Choi has seven chances left (counting Longs) to catch Yani Tseng. Apologies for the mis-information.  I was referencing a document I found about a year ago (probably through Google) at LPGA.com which obviously is now out-of-date.  Now that I have a "rapport" with Mr. Scanlan, maybe I'll try clearing these notices…

Maria Hjorth and Michele Redman share the lead after opening rounds of 66 at the Longs Drugs Challenge.  In-Kyung Kim and Mikaela Parmlid are one shot back in third place.  Suzann Pettersen, Yani Tseng, Wendy Ward, Sarah Lee, Meaghan Francella, Reilley Rankin and Sarah Kemp are tied for fifth after posting rounds of 68. Hjorth birdied four straight holes around the turn and got as low as -7 before a bogey at 7 (her 16th).  A pretty good performance considering Mimi is carrying her first child around with her!  After her lone bogey of the day…

It's funny how people like me have to figure this stuff out piece-by-piece because nobody at LPGA headquarters does... I just noticed that Na Yeon Choi is not in the field at Kapalua.  Therefore... Yani Tseng has clinched the 2008 Rolex Rookie of the Year award. I'm sorry I missed that possibility in yesterday's post, and I'm sorry you have to rely on me to make these announcements.

I just noticed that Rolex rookie points are only awarded at full-field domestic events.  So with only two of those remaining, Yani Tseng is very close to locking up the Rookie of the Year award. Tseng goes into Longs with a 199-point lead over Na Yeon Choi, the only player who could catch her.  The maximum points Choi can gain at one event is 150.  Choi must finish at least 10th at Longs (while Tseng misses the cut) to have any chance of passing Yani next week at Kapalua.  If Choi wins Longs, she will shave at least 70 points off the deficit no matter what Tseng…

South Korea's In-Kyung Kim shot a 3-under 69 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Mollie Fankhauser in the Longs Drugs Challenge, while top-ranked Lorena Ochoa was two shots behind. The 20-year-old Kim, winless in two seasons on the LPGA Tour, had an 8-under 136 total on the Blackhawk Country Club course. Fankhauser shot a 68. Ochoa, a seven-time winner this season who lost a playoff to Suzann Pettersen last year at Blackhawk, followed her opening 70 with a 68.

Chris Stroud's 64 on Friday gave him a 2-stroke lead at the Texas Open — and a chance to move up the PGA money list.

Ben Crenshaw didn't just turn back the clock at the Senior Players Championship. He ripped 13 years off the calendar and floated back to 1995. Crenshaw found his long-lost golf game Friday, shooting a 4-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Fred Funk at the midway point of the Champion Tour's final major tournament of the year. Crenshaw made four birdies on back nine, sinking long-range putts on Nos. 11 and 17 on the East Course at the Baltimore Country Club.

Five-time major champion Seve Ballesteros remained in the hospital Friday despite moving out of the intensive care unit - four days after being admitted because of a dizzy spell. Madrid's La Paz hospital said the 51-year-old Spaniard was in "stable condition" and that tests to determine what made him lose consciousness would resume Saturday. On Thursday, Ballesteros said he was "feeling well" in a message written on his Web site.

Charl Schwartzel overcame illness and a sore shoulder Friday to shoot a 7-under 64 and share a two-shot lead at the Madrid Masters with Marcus Fraser. Schwartzel nearly withdrew before play started Friday but the South African went on to shoot the day's second-lowest score to join Fraser (66) at 9-under 133 after the second round. Sweden's Steven Jeppesen (67) and Robert Rock of England (65) were two shots back. Andrew Tampion of Australia had a 63 that left him five strokes off the pace.

Will Pfeifer: Charming, blue-eyed villain lives onGalesburg Register-Mail, IL - 3 hours agoWhether he’s claiming Waring’s still-lit cigar, offering ominous golf tips to Robbins or trying to think of a new name for the company (“Musssucker”?

CabinWindow: ThumbsLog Cabin Democrat, AR - 12 hours agoThe higher amount came from an Internet news blog, bringing home two basics: (1) Internet news blogs are not gospel and (2) double-check numbers before they

Palin's Troopergate scandal was fabricated by Bill Ayers -- really Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 14 hours agoIndeed, the right-wing blogs and email networks are all abuzz this morning with the latest theory on that front, the claim that Ayers and Obama are so close

At Fallsview, A Man's Best FriendCardPlayer.com, NV - Oct 9, 2008When I first moved to California I became friends and played golf with a great guy, successful businessmen, and German Shepard owner whom I became close

The First Impression: What's the Big Deal?U.S. News & World Report, DC - Oct 9, 2008I had a candidate show up for an interview in a corporate office in a golf shirt and khaki pants. The only thing that could have saved him is if he had

Both Tiger Woods and Lebron James have supported Barack Obama with donations. Greg Oden (from Ohio State, now on the Portland Trailblazers) also endorsed Obama. King James has even campaigned for Obama.The support from Tiger Woods should not be all that surprising after one of John McCain's surrogates mocked Tiger Woods in an attack on Barack Obama. Whether an attempt at a joke or not, that kind of comment probably did not sit well with Tiger.

1. Best player: Ian Poulter was absolutely sick, like a man possessed, playing all 5 matches and going 4-1, the best record of any player. He putted lights out. He played with passion. And to think, the nimwits in Europe questioned his selection by Faldo.2. Worst player: Padraig Harrington went 0-3-1. As Johnny Miller said, Paddy was "wiping" at the ball with his clubface completely open. Paddy won 2 majors this year, but he played like a minor figure all week.3. MVP: Really tough call. Justin Leonard would've been a shoe-in had he won his singles match on Sunday. The loss opened the door to…

We love you, Boo, but this is so wrong.

1. Thanks to Nick Faldo for assembling a European team/line-ups that in part helped the US overcome recent Ryder Cup demons. (The Euro press agrees.)2. Thanks to Tiger Woods for staying home. Though it's unfair to blame Tiger for the uninspired efforts of US teams since he first joined, it is hard not to notice that the US performed much better without the distractions he unavoidably creates.Maybe if we can get both Tiger and Phil to sit out in 2010, the US might have a real shot at retaining the cup across the pond.

Click here for videosApparently, the Kentucky crowd said some nasty things to Lee Westwood. It was "shameful."

I first got to know Karen Palacios-Jansen almost two years ago, in the early days of this blog. From the get-go I could see that this golf girl was exceptional. Her enthusiasm for the sport was inspiring, and she had this fun, warm, open personality. I was new to the game, and still not quite sure what I had gotten myself into. After all, there's no denying golf can be excruciatingly

Cooled by gentle ocean breezes, the course at Monarch Beach Golf Links, provides a memorable golf experience. This masterpiece, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. runs along the dramatic bluffs of the Pacific Ocean and is fashioned in Scottish links tradition. It's got panoramic ocean views, and two holes adjacent to the beach. I know... it sounds gorgeous, doesn't it? I hope to

In golf, as in life, I'll try just about anything once. Curiosity + Optimism = Go For It! That's the philosophy I tend to live by. As a result, I've tried more golf training aids then you can swing a seven iron at... but few of them have ever been written about here. That's because, as much fun as I've had trying them out, I've rarely found one that's really been effective. And I just don't

Saturday started out chilly and gray in New York City, but I got to Randall's Island early. Randalls Island is part of the borrough of Manhattan. It's home to a population of roughly 1,500 living on 2.2 km² of land. It's also home to the the awesome Randall's Island Golf Center. Located just under the Tri-Borough bridge, this urban golf oasis offers a state-of-the-art, 80

Paula Creamer walked away with her 4th title of the year today on the beautiful bluffs of Half Moon Bay. The Samsung World Championship is often called the LPGA's fifth major, which makes this Paula's biggest LPGA Tour victory yet, and it was made ultra sweet by the a hometown crowd cheering for their pink princess. Ms. Creamer grew up a mere 50 miles from Half Moon Bay, in Pleasaton CA. The

If the struggles of those in the morning groups today at the Longs Drugs Challenge are any indication, this tournament is gearing up for a classic free-for-all on Sunday. In-Kyung Kim looked like she was going to run away from the field when she followed up her eagle on the tricky 360-yard 8th hole yesterday with her 4th birdie of the morning, but after bogeying the 10th she reeled off 8 pars in a row to settle for a 69 that brought her to -8 for the tournament. And Mollie Fankhauser birdied 3 of her last 5 holes for a 68 that got her within 1 shot of the lead. But I would not be surprised at…

Hiromi Mogi opened the Sankyo Ladies Open with a 7-birdie barrage as her 67 helped her to a 2-shot lead over Eun-A Lim, Shinobu Moromizato, and Mie Nakata. With Ji-Yai Shin taking the week off, Ai Miyazato back on the LPGA, and Momoko Ueda headed to Hawaii for next week's LPGA event--not to mention Yuri Fudoh and Akiko Fukushima taking the week off--the Sankyo seemed like a golden opportunity for Ji-Hee Lee, Mi-Jeong Jeon, Miho Koga, and Sakura Yokomine to re-establish their dominance on the JLPGA. It still may be, but they'll need to turn it around fairly quickly over the next 36 holes. Koga…

Maria Hjorth has birdied 4 holes in a row from the 16th through the 1st on the Blackhawk track that's hosting the Longs Drugs Challenge to jump out to an early lead at -5 through 11. That tops Lorena Ochoa's 3-hole birdie streak on the 11th through 13th even earlier in the day. Also off to good starts are Laura Davies (-4 through 11), Wendy Ward (-4 through 11), Michelle McGann (-3 through 14), Michele Redman (-3 through 9 thanks to 3 birdies in a row on the 3rd through 5th), and Kate Golden (-3 through 13 thanks to an eagle on the par-5 11th). Way to go, vets!But don't worry--the kids are…

I was saddened to see that Randall Mell's employers are pulling the plug on his Bunker Shots. I appreciated his balanced, well-informed, and Morgan Pressel-centric perspective on the LPGA and am happy to hear his regular column will be unaffected by the end of his golf blog. But I was dismayed at the rationale that he wasn't getting "enough" readers, hits, and comments to justify the paper's "investment" in his blog. What about links? Just how many of all that does it take for a golf journalist to be allowed to keep a long-running and successful blog going?Here's hoping Mell gets to resurrect…

Check out Hound Dog's preview of and LPGA.com pre-tournament interviews for the Longs Drugs Challenge, a small-purse event at an unpopular course that had been the gateway to the LPGA's Asian Swing until the creation of the Kapalua Classic. The field, as a result, is a bit thinner than it ought to be, but only a little. I'm just pleased that my fave Ai Miyazato, fresh off last week's "win" on the JLPGA, is back on the LPGA for the next 2 events at least. And yet, I'm surprised that onechan's fave Karrie Webb, who's had a fair bit of success at this course and event of late, won't be going for…

There is a golf course renovation just underway that I’m greatly interested in: The Makai Course at the Princeville Resort on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. Princeville is most famously known for it’s demanding Prince Course, widely regarded as one of Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s best designs and a mainstay on all Top 100 lists. I think it might be the most challenging course I’ve ever played, especially when the trade winds are up. There are some knee-knocking shots out there, none more so than the tee shot on the par-4 12th hole, that’s like trying to knock a 3-wood…

If you’re like me, your portfolio is seeing more red these days than a slasher film. And if you watch business channels for a half hour a day like me, chances are you’re so freaked out you’re cutting your budget left and right: Toothpaste is for the elite (tap water has perfectly good fluoride). I haven’t had a decent breakfast since Lehman Brothers went down. I even stopped buying ringtones, so forgive me if you hear my “Destination Calabria” ring at the bar (sooo spring 2008, I know). So I can bet some of you golfers out there are planning on skimping -…

The demise of Sergio Garcia has been greatly exaggerated! I’ve been crunching some numbers for 2008, and it’s shaping out to be the best - if not the most painful - year of his career. While Sergio sips his sangria somewhere in the south of Spain, I can’t imagine him overly disappointed with his tumultuous 2008 campaign. He’s probably quite pleased with it. We’re going to stew on his three runner-ups this year, all in high-profile tournaments (The PGA Championship, Barclays and Tour Championship). But let’s recall earlier this year he won The Players…

LOUISVILLE, KY – Boo Weekley turned a Tiger-less Ryder Cup into one of the year’s greatest sporting spectacles, right there with the Federer-Nadal Wimbledon finals, Michael Phelps’ gold medal runs and even topped Tiger and Rocco’s U.S. Open clash. When Boo bull-danced his way off the first tee Sunday afternoon, it capped a performance this week that is worthy of a lifetime Ryder Cup Matches exemption. Until Weekley decides to hang it up for his fishing rod, he should be a captain’s pick should he not qualify. He rallies his teammates and makes the Europeans want…

LOUISVILLE, KY – This is what happens when free beer is served after dinner in the media center… If you saw the European team’s press conference Sunday night on the Golf Channel, you know the media was feeling a little feisty. It turns out they went easy on Faldo. According to our shuttle bus driver from Valhalla to downtown Louisville, her van turned into The Octagon. “There were two Americans in the van and the rest British,” she recalled. “One of the Americans said something about Sergio’s putting…and they started arguing.” It’s…

Camilo Villegas defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff at the Tour Championship this weekend for his second straight PGA Tour title. Villegas overcame a five-shot deficit with six birdies on his final 11 holes of regulation to close with a 4-under-par 66 … “Winning is awesome,” the 26-year-old Colombian, who finished second in the FedEx Cup points race behind Vijay Singh, told reporters. Lorena Ochoa won the Navistar LPGA Classic Sunday for her seventh LPGA Tour title of the year. She defeated Candie Kung on the second playoff hole … “I had a good feeling that today…

Ryder Cup host course Valhalla Golf Club was damaged Sunday – five days before the start of the event – when strong wind felled a TV tower on the 12th hole and some trees … “The PGA of America is working to clean up all affected areas and is confident that when spectators arrive on Tuesday for the first full practice round, Valhalla will be ready for the biggest event in golf this year.” Robert Karlsson won the Mercedes-Benz Championship by two strokes Sunday for his first victory in two years. The Swede finished at 13-under 275 to claim his first event since the…

Colombian Camilo Villegas earned his first PGA Tour title this weekend, finishing with a 2-under-par 68 to win the BMW Championship. Villegas moved to No. 2 in the FedEx Cup playoffs points standings, but Vijay Singh, who finished tied for 44th Sunday, still has a virtually insurmountable lead … Annika Sorenstam finished third Sunday at the Nydredit Masters, her final golf tournament in Europe. Martina Eberl won the tournament … Meanwhile, Jean-Francois Lucquin defeated Rory McIlroy in a playoff to win the European Masters this weekend. McIlroy had a four-stroke lead heading into…

Vijay Singh defeated Sergio Garcia at The Barclays Sunday for a record fourth victory at the event. The win is also Singh’s second PGA Tour title in four weeks and yet another disappointment for Garcia in a year of high expectations … Cristie Kerr won the Safeway Classic on the first playoff hole Sunday with a 20-foot birdie putt. She finished with a 7-under 65 … Meanwhile, Darren Clarke shot a 4-under 66 yesterday to win the Dutch Open, his second victory of the season. He defeated Paul McGinley by four strokes. Clarke is hoping for a wild card on the European Ryder Cup…

Tiger Woods said in a newsletter yesterday that he will not be hitting the practice tee or green before next year. The 32-year-old Woods had reconstructive surgery on his left knee June 24, after winning the U.S. Open in a playoff … “As far as swinging a club, that’s not going to happen until next year,” he said in the newsletter. “I just don’t have a choice. We simply don’t know what type of swelling there would be or if there would be any residual effects the next day once you start wheeling and dealing on the knee. Everyone’s body reacts…

Click here to listen. Since Anthony Kim is now being heralded as one of the rising young stars of the PGA Tour (and this weekend with a third place finish at the Korea Open), it seems befitting that we spend some time examining the reasons behind his choked down golf grip. The obvious intent is to improve upon basic contact but it’s also a way to establish better control over all of your shots. Kim’s grip even caught the eye of announcer Johnny Miller who made this assessment. “If you grip down, you don’t get the club stuck behind you. Your body can move much…

Click here to listen. Golf Analyst Johnny Miller maintains that Tiger Woods was not missed at either the Tour Championship or the Ryder Cup. He has even gone so far as to blame Woods for Team USA’s problematic history. I can understand Miller’s Ryder Cup theory as Tiger Woods has rarely been known to be a team player but, taking his idea a step further, would the PGA Tour be better off with, or without Woods? It’s true that some of Miller’s off-the-cuff commentary can be a bit absurd (Mediate “looks like the guy who cleans Tiger’s swimming pool, for…

Click here to listen. It was hard not to notice the dejected expression in the eyes of Anthony Kim on Saturday after his teammate, Phil Mickelson, blew his putt on the seventeenth hole to lose to Stenson and Wilson. Kim’s outstretched hand failed to find Mickelson’s even though earlier pairings found the team of Kim/Mickelson to be a solid one. Kim’s victory against Garcia on Sunday proved that it was Mickelson who was the taildragger for Team USA. I understand that Phil is interested in obtaining his European Tour card. I say, let’s trade Lefty to Team Europe in 2010…

Click here to listen. The drive up to Turning Stone Resort and Casino in upstate New York was definitely part of the adventure during our only weekend away this summer. There were farms and cows everywhere and both Barry and I felt the history of the area as we passed through the bucolic countryside. Who would have ever imagined such beauty existed outside of the confines of the City? But, once I heard that Turning Stone Resort is one of the top-five tourist destinations in the entire State, I could understand why! The Oneida Indian Nation opened Turning Stone in 1993 and has been awarded…

Left with no other options to secure their prodigy an LPGA Tour card, Team Wie has decided that Michelle is taking a crack at Q-School! At her last hurrah, the State Farm Classic, Michelle actually had a chance to strut her stuff and prove to the world