On the Tours

LA JOLLA, Calif. - Twenty of the best female golfers in the world set their sights on the famed Torrey Pines South Course this week when the Samsung World Championship tees off near San Diego with a $1 million purse and $250,000 for the winner.

The field, which boasts 17 of the top 20 players on the Rolex Rankings, features all four LPGA Major Championship winners from 2009, as well as defending champion Paula Creamer, 2008 Vare Trophy winner Lorena Ochoa, Ladies European Tour (LET) money leader Sophie Gustafson and LPGA rookie Jiyai Shin, who currently leads the 2009 LPGA Official Money List after her third official LPGA win this season at last week's P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship.

The LPGA Tour and the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic Presented by Kroger jointly announced a one-year extension to stage the event in 2010, continuing a tradition that dates back more than two decades.

"We are pleased to return to the Toledo area for the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, a staple on the LPGA Tour for 25 years," said Marty Evans, acting LPGA commissioner. "The fans in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan embrace our players and appreciate the impressive level of golf and sports entertainment that they provide the community and the tournament sponsors. We appreciate the commitment of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic and its sponsors, which has produced so many great winners over the years, counting Hall of Famers as well as up-and-comers on its list of champions." 

Thirty-five-year-old Heath Slocum rolled in a 21-foot par putt on the 72nd hole of The Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club to avoid a playoff with a list of more accomplished players, which included Tiger Woods, and hold on for his third career PGA Tour victory. The win catapulted Slocum from No. 124 to No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings, giving him a legitimate shot to capture the Cup and the $10 million check that goes with it.

Just minutes before Slocum sank the improbable putt, Woods missed a six-foot birdie attempt that would've put a signifcant amount of pressure on the eventual winner, and perhaps produced a different outcome. 

The 91st PGA Championship has received commitments from 100 of the world’s top 101-ranked players, the most for any golf event this year, continuing a tradition since 1994 of featuring golf’s strong field in the season’s final major.

The PGA Championship marks its second return to Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., Aug. 10-16, with 71 international players representing 21 countries, the most of any U.S. major and the largest international contingent in PGA Championship history. The current Official World Ranking attendees, should it not change, would surpass the all-time record set at the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National, which featured 98 of the top 100 world-ranked players. 

The PGA Tour and The Greenbrier recently announced that they have entered a six-year agreement, through 2015, whereby the historic West Virginia resort will sponsor and host The Greenbrier Classic as part of the FedExCup, beginning the week of July 26-August 1, 2010.

The new tournament will be held on The Old White Course, The Greenbrier’s original of four golf courses, dating back to 1914. The Greenbrier will form a separate non-profit charitable organization to serve as the tournament operator. 

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Davidson College alumnus Stephen Curry, former Charlotte Hornets player Del Curry, and LPGA players Marcy Hart and Anna Rawson will play in the upcoming Wyndham Championship Pro-Ams.

Stephen Curry will play in the New Breed Logistics Pro-Am on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Curry played three seasons for the Davidson Wildcats and led NCAA Division I in scoring with 28.6 points per game during the 2008-09 season. He entered the NBA draft following his junior year and was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the seventh overall pick. He is an alumnus of Charlotte Christian School. 

After rampant speculation that the economy and government intervention would cause Buick to end its remaining sponsorship agreements with the PGA Tour, the split has been made official.

In a statement released today, Buick and the PGA Tour cited the recent court-supervised restructuring of General Motors as the main reason behind withdrawing all agreements between Buick and the Tour, effectively ending the Buick Open and Buick Invitational. 

Tiger Woods, who has carved out an unprecedented career since becoming a professional golfer in late summer of 1996, will appear in his first Buick Open since 2006. The event is scheduled for July 27-August 2 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc.
     
“We are very fortunate and honored that the world’s No. 1-ranked player has decided to play the Buick Open,” said Larry Peck, national promotions manager for Buick-GMC. “There is no doubt that Tiger brings an elevated excitement level to Warwick Hills whenever he plays, and we are delighted to share the news with Michigan fans.”

GRAND BLANC - Buick Open officials have confirmed that two-time champion Kenny Perry will not defend his title at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club next week due to a family health matter. Perry has withdrawn from the tournament in order to remain near his mother, Mildred Perry, who is battling Multiple Myeloma.

“Obviously I regret not being able to defend my title at the Buick,” said Perry. “It’s a great tournament, and I love the course, but I need to be with my family right now. We have some tough decisions to make over the next few weeks.” 

The Legends Tour, the official senior tour of the LPGA and comprised of the greatest female golfers of all time, will play its first major championship at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in November. The Legends Tour Open Championship will be contested on Innisbrook’s Island Course from November 20-22, 2009, and feature a $300,000 purse.

The announcement came at a press conference at Innisbrook that featured Legends Tour CEO Jane Blalock, LPGA Acting Commissioner Marty Evans, Innisbrook Owner Sheila C. Johnson and several of the Legends Tour players, including past champion Rosie Jones, Dale Eggeling, Colleen Walker, Renée Powell and Pat Bradley. The Tour has more than 100 members, including nine LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members, and its players have accumulated more than 600 LPGA Tour victories and 55 major championships.