On the Tours

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 Perry has withdrawn from the tournament in order to remain near his mother, Mildred Perry, who is battling Multiple Myeloma.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. 

The problematic and oft-criticized reign of Carolyn Bivens as the chief executive of the LPGA Tour has officially come to an end.

On Monday the LPGA Board of Directors jointly announced Bivens resignation and the elevation of LPGA Board member Rear Admiral Marsha J. Evans, Navy (retired) to the role of interim commissioner effective immediately. 

The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) in partnership with title sponsor RBC, announced today that John Daly has accepted an exemption to compete at the 2009 RBC Canadian Open, July 20-26 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.

Daly, whose last appearance in Canada came in 2007, has competed in seven Canadian Opens throughout his PGA Tour career with his best finish coming in 2001 when he finished fourth. Long considered among the PGA Tour’s highest profile competitors and a Canadian fan favourite, Daly’s return to Glen Abbey will find him among the most followed players during tournament week. 

GRAND BLANC, Mich. - Preparations have been set in place for the 2009 Buick Open to get underway as planned at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan, Monday-Sunday, July 27-August 2.  The tournament recently announced that it expects another world-class field that already includes solid pro commitments.

Defending champion Kenny Perry leads the field of early player commitments that includes the recently-crowned U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover, 2008 Ryder Cup team members and former Buick Open champions Justin Leonard (1996) and Jim Furyk (2003), and Brian Gay, who has recorded two wins on the PGA Tour this year.  

BETHESDA, Md. - Tournament host Tiger Woods, newly crowned U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and defending champion Anthony Kim headline a star-filled field at next week's AT&T National.

Woods, the top-ranked player in the world, will welcome 119 of the world’s best golfers to the Blue Course at storied Congressional Country Club in Bethesda for the $6 million event to be played June 30-July 5.

The PGA Tour has announced that Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., and Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J., will host The Barclays, the first event of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup, in 2010 and 2011, respectively. This year's Barclays will be contested at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., Aug. 27-30.

Ridgewood Country Club hosted The Barclays in 2008 when Vijay Singh won the first of two Playoff events en route to capturing the FedExCup. The 2011 Barclays will be the first PGA Tour event at Plainfield Country Club, although the Donald Ross-design has hosted the 1978 United States Amateur Championship and the 1987 United States Women's Open.  

The 109th edition of the Men's U.S. Open Championship tees of Thursday morning at Bethpage Black. The USGA had a little fun with the pairings, including the featured group that currently holds all four major championships. That group consists of Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington and Angel Cabrera.

Whether you'll be following in person at Bethpage or tuning in to the various forms of coverage over the first two days, you'll want to know who is playing with who, so without further ado here are the pairings for Thursday and Friday.

The PGA Tour recently announced a multi-year agreement to bring the Champions Tour to Asia for the first time with the debut of an official tournament in the fall of 2010.

The tournament will be played at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Songdo International Business District (IBD), located 40 miles west of Seoul in the country’s largest current economic development project. Songdo IBD is being developed by Gale International, a New York-based real estate development and investment firm. Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea is being co-developed by Gale International and Kitson & Partners, a leading golf community and club development company.

BLAINE, Minn. - Tournament officials with the 3M Championship, held July 10-12 in Blaine, Minn., announced that the 2009 Champions Tour event will be free for the public. The tournament is the first ever free Champions Tour event with free admission, parking and shuttles.

"Giving back is the right thing to do," said Hollis Cavner, tournament director. "We've received such tremendous support from fans and corporate partners over the past 17 years. We are thrilled that we have an opportunity to say thank you and provide this free gift to golf fans."