On the Tours

Newly appointed Legends Reno-Tahoe Open tournament director Michael Stearns has had to squeeze what is typically twelve months of tournament preparation into three or four. However, his upbeat attitude is indicative of the places northern Nevada's premier professional sporting event is going.

This year the tournament will feature its first-ever title sponsor in RED Development's The Legends at Sparks Marina and offer an enhanced entertainment selection for spectators. The event will also celebrate a milestone and showcase an excellent group of golfers. 

Gone are the days of golden brown fairways at the British Open, at least for this year's version of golf's oldest Major Championship. Enter the lush, green pastures of Royal Birkdale, site of this year's Open Championship.

Founded in 1889, Birkdale hosted its first Open in 1954 and has hosted eight since including the current championship soon to be in progress. The club didn't achieve "Royal" status until 1951, three years prior to hosting its first Open Championship. The first major event to be held at the course was The Amateur Championship in 1946. 

If you tuned into the P&G Beauty Northwest Arkansas Championship a few weeks ago on Fourth of July weekend, and let's just pretend that you did for arguments sake, a quick glance at the leaderboard probably sent you searching for the remote, most likely pressing the return key and getting back to Federer-Nadal at Wimbledon.

On that Sunday afternoon the LPGA Tour first page was populated by the likes of Seon Hwa Lee, Jane Park, Meena Lee, Karen Stupples, Ai Miyazato, Kristy McPherson, Angela Park, Na Yeon Choi, Eun-Hee Ji and Inbee Park; not exactly the cast of characters required to carry a network telecast. 

Ottawa, Ont. - CN and the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) announced today that Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor’s exemption and will be at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club this August 11-17 to compete for the $2.25 million (US) CN Canadian Women’s Open.

The CN Canadian Women’s Open will be one of only six LPGA Tour events that Wie is eligible to compete in via sponsor exemptions during the 2008 season.  Her Canadian debut came at the 2007 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton. 

EAST MOLINE, Illinois - Twenty-nine of them have won tournaments in the last two years. Nine have major championships on their resumes, including Cedar Rapids' own Zach Johnson, winner of the 2007 Masters Tournament.

Fifty-one rank among the Top 100 money winners this year on the PGA Tour.

These players are among the sparkling group of pros who will compete this week at the 2008 John Deere Classic at Tournament Players Club Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Eastman Kodak Company and the PGA TOUR recently announced the creation of the Kodak Challenge, a first-of-its-kind competition for PGA TOUR players that celebrates beautiful holes and memorable moments on the PGA TOUR.

The Kodak Challenge begins in January 2009. Select PGA TOUR tournaments will feature a Kodak Challenge hole. Players must play at least 18 Kodak Challenge holes throughout the season to be eligible to win. Players will post their lowest score relative to par on 18 of the Kodak Challenge holes to compete for the Kodak Challenge title and $1 million. 

She's traveled the globe playing golf, earned millions of dollars and now at the ripe old age of 18 Michelle Wie is starting over.

Wie has almost healed from a significant wrist injury that hampered her during the 2007 season; out of nine events played Wie only managed to play all four rounds on three occasions while missing four cuts and withdrawing twice. 

FAR HILLS, N.J. - Three-time United States Women’s Open champion and World Golf and LPGA Hall-of-Fame member Annika Sorenstam has been named a United States Golf Association Ambassador, according to USGA President Jim Vernon.

“Annika has earned a rare place in golf’s history, and we are very privileged to bring her aboard the USGA,” said Vernon. “As a USGA Ambassador, Annika will help us make the game more accessible and more relevant to players of all skill levels. She’ll provide key help in many ways, and we will begin the relationship through an innovative webcast from this year’s U.S. Women’s Open." 

The ending didn't suit the drama that preceded it, but Tiger Woods short par putt on the 91^st hole gave him his 14^th Major Championship victory and perhaps his most impressive triumph to date.

Woods finally vanquished 45-year-old Rocco Mediate, who was vying to become the oldest U.S. Open champion ever, the highest-ranked player to capture the national championship and the oldest first-time major winner, in a Monday playoff finish. 

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The PGA TOUR announced it has informed the Atlanta Classic Foundation that the tournament it operates will no longer be a part of the PGA TOUR schedule after 2008. The decision to discontinue the tournament comes after extensive efforts to identify a title sponsor proved unsuccessful.

"We regret having to notify the Atlanta Classic Foundation of this decision, but the absence of a title sponsor at this point has necessitated the move in order to solidify the schedule for the future," PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "The Atlanta Classic Foundation has been a valuable partner of the TOUR since 1967 and has generated millions of dollars for local charities, primarily the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. We sincerely thank Atlanta Classic Foundation President Tom Coco and his board, Tournament Director Dave Kaplan and the thousands of volunteers who have given so much of their time and energy to the betterment of the tournament and community."