On the Tours

DAYTONA BEACH – The LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) kicks off the 2010 season this week by celebrating its 60th year as a leader in the world of professional sports. Founded in 1950, the LPGA was built by 13 pioneering women who envisioned a full professional tour for women golfers.

Additionally, the LPGA's developmental tour, the Duramed Futures Tour, celebrates its 30th year of competition this season. More than 500 alumnae have moved on to the LPGA Tour from the developmental level, including current Rolex Rankings No. 1 player Lorena Ochoa.

NAPLES, Fla. - Fred Couples (68-67-64=199) captured his first title on the Champions Tour by outlasting Tommy Armour III at The ACE Group Classic. Couples shot a bogey-free final round eight-under-par and needed every bit of it to beat Armour III by one stroke. It was his first official event victory since the 2003 Shell Houston Open on the PGA Tour.

Couples got off to a strong start with five birdies on the front nine, including three to start his round, which built him a six stroke lead over Armour III. As Couples made the turn, Armour III made his own charge, going 10-under over the final 13 holes to tie Couples on the back nine. Armour III finished with a course and tournament record 11-under 61.

The wait is over, finally, for Miguel Angel Jimenez - the new Omega Dubai Desert Classic champion.

The evergreen Spaniard, who has been coming to Dubai for many years and twice finished runner-up, dug deep into experience to see off a determined challenge from Lee Westwood, beating the European number one on the third playoff hole at the Emirates Golf Club.

Coming off a controversial week in San Diego, Phil Mickelson will be the center of attention as the PGA Tour climbs northward on the California coast.

Mickelson is the marquee name in the now finalized field for the Northern Trust Open scheduled for Feb. 4-7. The winner of multiple major championships is the event's defending champion and will be looking to become the first player in the event's 84-year history to win three consecutive times.

Tournament officials have announced that the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf has extended its contract with the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa through 2012.

First played in 1978, the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf is credited with launching the Champions Tour for players over age 50 in 1980. In 2010, Liberty Mutual will celebrate its 31st consecutive year as the event's title sponsor. This year's tournament will be held April 19-25 and will feature a $2.7 million purse.

Together with Octagon and Sybase, Inc., the LPGA recently announced the debut of the Sybase Match Play Championship, a unique match play tournament to be held at the prestigious Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey, May 20-23, 2010.

An official LPGA event, the Sybase Match Play Championship will invite 64 of the top LPGA Tour professionals to compete for a $1.5-million purse. Matches will be held in a bracket-style format. The match play format creates the excitement of head to head golf that is not found in traditional tournament stroke play.

The PGA Tour and RSM McGladrey, one of the nation’s leading accounting, tax and business consulting firms, recently announced a three-year title sponsorship agreement that will bring a new PGA Tour event to renowned Sea Island Resort on the southern coast of Georgia beginning in 2010.

The McGladrey Classic will be held Oct. 7-10 as part of the PGA Tour Fall Series and will be played on the Seaside Course, which has been featured in Golf Digest’s list of Top 100 Courses in the United States.

The PGA Tour recently announced the complete official money 2010 schedule that features 46 total events running from the week of Jan. 4-10 at the SBS Championship through the week of Nov. 8-14 at the Children’s Miracle Network Classic.

The PGA Tour FedExCup Season will consist of 37 tournaments ending with the Wyndham Championship the week of Aug. 16-22. Two events will be part of the FedExCup points race for the first time — the inaugural The Greenbrier Classic and the Turning Stone Resort Championship which moves from the Fall Series to the FedExCup Season.

Acting LPGA Commissioner Marty Evans has announced that the Tour will partner with long-time LPGA sponsor Wegmans to conduct the 2010 LPGA Championship presented by Wegmans. It will be among 24 official money events in 10 countries on the 2010 LPGA Tour.

The announcement was made during a press event at the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship presented by Rolex.

The PGA Tour and Fry’s Electronics recently announced the relocation of the Frys.com Open for 2010 to CordeValle in San Martin, CA, with the tournament to be contested in October and televised in 220 countries on Golf Channel. The PGA Tour Fall Series event had been played the last three years at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Az.

Located 30 minutes south of the title sponsor Fry’s Electronics’ world headquarters in San Jose, CA, CordeValle is an 18-hole, par-72 Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design stretching across 7,169 yards of Northern California’s hillsides, canyons and broad meadows.