On the Tours

HAVRE DE GRACE, Md., - Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens and Herb Lotman, co-founder of McDonald's sponsorship of the McDonald's LPGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola, today jointly announced an ownership change in one of the LPGA's longest-running and highest-profile tournaments. Effective with the 2010 championship, the LPGA will own and operate the event, marking the first time in its history the LPGA will own its players' championship.

"This truly is a momentous day for the LPGA, as it marks the first time in our history that we will own one of our Majors," said Bivens during a press conference at the 2008 McDonald's LPGA Championship. "As we have done with the LPGA-owned and operated ADT Championship and The Solheim Cup when in the United States, we are committed to ensuring the LPGA Championship is a best-in-class tournament, worthy of showcasing the best golfers in the world.

The United States Golf Association has an unapologetically straightforward policy when it comes to the U.S. Open: make it the most rigorous, yet fair, examination of golf skills, testing all forms of shot-making.

This year when the U.S. Open comes to Southern California for the first time in 60 years when it visits the Torrey Pines South Course in sunny San Diego (actually La Jolla to be exact), the USGA has the unique task of turning a course accustomed to robust red numbers during its annual PGA Tour stop, the Buick Invitational, into the grind-it-out, gut check everyone has grown to expect in early June. 

The PGA TOUR is back in Ohio for its yearly stop hosted by the game’s greatest champion, Jack Nicklaus.

The 33^rd addition of the Memorial begins Thursday morning at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin and once again features a fantastic field. Seven of the Top 10 players in the Official World Golf Rankings will compete in the event.

The PGA of America has announced that this year's PGA Championship and Ryder Cup will require players to abide by the Performance Enhancement Substance Policy and the Prohibited Substance List developed last year with other members of the World Golf Foundation.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - With Annika Sorenstam’s announcement of her impending retirement from competitive golf, the season-ending 2008 ADT Championship, Nov. 20-23, at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., will be her last official LPGA Tour stop before she puts down her clubs.

“We are saddened by the prospect of Annika’s retirement from the game of golf, but honored that the ADT Championship will be her last LPGA Tour stop,” said Duffy House, tournament director for the ADT Championship. “It seems fitting that this LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame member will finish her LPGA season and career on a course where she has found so much success.” 

On the strength of his win at THE PLAYERS Championship Spain's Sergio Garcia vaulted eight spots to place himself back into the Top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings.

The 28-year-old's victory was his seventh on the PGA TOUR but first since 2005. 

Garcia entered the May 12 rankings at No. 10 after becoming the first European winner of THE PLAYERS since Sandy Lyle won the event 21 years earlier, Garcia overcame journeyman Paul Goydos on the first extra hol, the famous 17th at TPC Sawgrass. The pair tied at 5-under-par totals of 283 after 72 holes. Goydos also made a dramatic jump in the latest rankings, moving all the way to No. 59.

Tiger Woods is still No. 1 in the rankings by a considerable margin, holding a lead over Phil Mickelson of 11.45 average points. Woods has now held the top spot in the World Rankings for a total of 495 weeks.

Following Mickelson in the standings are Ernie Els (3) and Adam Scott (4).

American Steve Stricker is No. 5 and is followed by Geoff Ogilvy (6), Jim Furyk (7), K.J. Choi (8) and Vijay Singh (9). 

Boo Weekley's first victory at the Verizon Heritage, which doubled as his first victory on the PGA TOUR, bordered on improbable. Weekley holed out from a greenside bunker on back-to-back holes at 17 and 18 to overtake Ernie Els during a weather-induced Monday finish in 2007. This year was more dominant than dramatic.

Dealing with ideal scoring conditions for the majority of the week, Weekley flirted with the overall scoring record, extended his run of rounds in the 60s to seven, a tie for the second most all-time at South Carolina's only PGA TOUR stop with Nick Price and displayed a knack for getting the ball in the cup despite lacking his best stuff on his way to another Heritage win and another berth in the Masters.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND – The winners of the Verizon Heritage and The Masters will each be presented with a brand new sports jacket for their accomplishments. At the Heritage the jacket is tartan, a plaid pattern usually seen in Scottish kilts, and at The Masters the coat is Augusta National’s legendary shade of green.

While the coronation at each event is of a similar nature, not much else binds the two tournaments together. 

Tiger Woods needed only to close with a final round of 69 to force a playoff and keep his chances of completing golf’s Grand Slam alive.

In the end, Woods couldn’t catch Trevor Immelman and couldn’t solve the greens at Augusta National.

Immelman led the tournament wire-to-wire after posting three rounds in the 60s over the first three days of competition and then hung on with a gritty 75 in the final round to claim his first green jacket and his first major championship. 

HILTON HEAD ISLAND - With his long blond locks securely tucked beneath his Bridgestone Golf visor, Brandt Snedeker flashed his trademark smile that made him a crowd favorite last week at Augusta National. The 27-year-old native of Nashville, Tenn. had finally recharged and put an emotional Masters Sunday behind him.

"Sunday night was tough kind of sitting there having dinner, having a glass of wine trying to decompress and figure out what just happened," Snedeker said Tuesday at Harbour Town Golf Links the site of the Verizon Heritage. "Monday I couldn't have felt more refreshed and excited to be coming here. So it's kind of a complete 180. I don't know why it was that way. It was just because I got a chance to reflect and realize that life is not really that bad. I still get to play a game for a living. I still get to come here and have a great week.