Ryder Cup Captains Agree on Condensed Sunday Finish

The Associated Press reports that a new schedule has been created by Ryder Cup officials that details six alternate shot matches in the second session instead of just four and then two alternate shot and four better ball matches in the third session which means all players will play the course for both sessions.

The report says officials hope to finish the team play by Sunday morning and then have all 12 singles matches afterwards which will leave all 28 points up for grabs.

Officials had both captains from each team agree upon the changes.

The AP story says that rain is in the weather forecast for Sunday which could push the Ryder Cup into Monday.

Sherlock Among Group of Canucks Heading to Q-School

There will be five Canadians including Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont. looking to earn their LPGA Tour card in December as they each finished within the top-30 of the final LPGA sectional qualifier on Friday.

Sherlock fell slightly in the standings after carding a final round 73 but still kept her status as top Canadian in the field at T-11.

Isabelle Beisiegel of St. Hilarire, Que. matched Fort St. John, B.C.’s Kirby Dreher’s round of 74 to share the 25th spot.

Two other Canadians, Seema Sadekar of Toronto and Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. reached the magic number and tied for 30th place- the cut-off for earning an invitation.

Of the six Canadians who started the final LPGA sectional qualifier, Ashley Scholer of Hamilton, Ont. was the only one left outside of the bubble after a tough final round 78 that plummeted her ranking to T-60.

The five Canadians who finished inside the bubble will now join Ashley Smith of Calgary in December at the final Q-school tournament to try and grab their 2011 LPGA Tour cards.

Mills Clicking in California

Jon Mills of Belleville, Ont. has his PGA Tour card in sights and a chance to take the lead at the Soboba Golf Classic after going red-hot Friday at the Country Club at Soboba Springs in San Jacinto, Calif.

Mills sky-rocketed his position after starting T-81 and went eight-under-par before play was suspended when he entered his final hole due to thunderstorms.  Mills started on the back-nine and scored five birdies and one bogey and continued his strong play into the front-nine nailing four more birdies-- three consecutively on the 4th to 6th holes.

Only the top-25 on the Nationwide Tour money list will earn their 2011 PGA Tour cards and the top-100 will retain their spots on the Nationwide Tour-- Mills hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since 2008 and was ranked No.32 going into this week’s tournament. 

The only other Canadian inside the top-25 is David Hearn of Brantford, Ont. who entered this weekend at No. 22 and is currently below the Soboba Golf Classic cut-line as he struggled in the second-round after carding a 68 Thursday. Hearn is currently four-over through 14 holes.

Canadian Chris Baryla of Calgary has appeared to shaken the rust off in his second start on the Nationwide Tour since major hip surgery in April to repair a torn labrum and was three-under through 14 holes and carded a 69 Thursday. Baryla earned his PGA Tour card last year via the Nationwide Tour and will now use a medical exemption to get back onto the PGA Tour.

Three other Canadians who are currently below the cut-line are waiting to tee-off including Ted Brown of Calgary, Bryan DeCorso of Guelph, Ont. and Barrett Jarosch of Edmonton.

Woods, Stricker Look To Rekindle Magical 2009 Team Performance

Although Tiger Woods won’t be in the starting group at the Ryder Cup- a first since 1999, the world No.1 ranked golfer will however play with a familiar face in Steve Stricker at the Celtic Manor in Wales Friday morning.

This very same duo was the first to go 4-0 at the 2009 Presidents Cup and U.S. captain Corey Pavin hopes they will rekindle their chemistry Friday as they will be the third pairing in a fourball match against European teammates Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher.

The match-ups will go as follows: (courtesy of rydercup.com)

7:45 AM -- Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson (USA) vs. Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer (EUR)

8:00 AM -- Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar (USA) vs. Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell (EUR)

8:15 AM -- Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods (USA) vs. Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher (EUR)

8:30 AM -- Bubba Watson and Jeff Overton (USA) vs. Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington (EUR)

Sherlock Strong in Q-School Qualifier

Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont. is looking to join Ashley Smith of Calgary at the final LPGA Q-school stage in December after moving into a tie for seventh-place Thursday as she carded a 70 at the sectional qualifier in Florida.


Only the top-30 spots including ties will advance to December’s final qualifier for an LPGA Tour card and so far four Canadians are inside that mark.


Isabelle Beisiegel of St. Hilarire, Que. is T-21 with Kirby Dreher of Fort St. John, B.C.


Another golfer out of British Columbia, Sue Kim went two-over par 74 and now sits in a tie for 27th place. 
On the outside looking in is Seema Sedekar of Toronto as she bolted up 27 spots and is currently T-36 after her one-under-par 71 performance Thursday left her just two-strokes behind advancing to December’s final stage.


Ashley Scholer of Hamilton, Ont. trails the magic number by five strokes at 11-over-par.

Tour Ends Suspension For Barron

40-year-old Doug Barron’s suspension for violating the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy was lifted by The PGA Tour Thursday and Barron was granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption for testosterone according to a report by the Associated Press.

The AP report states that PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw confirmed the suspension was over through an email but would not give additional information on the exemption.

Barron of Memphis, Tenn. became the first player in 2008 to be suspended for violating the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy after testing positive at the PGA’s St. Jude Classic in his hometown for anabolic steroid testosterone and propranolol, a nerve calming beta-blocker and also failed to fulfill the requirements in his original request for the drug exemption.

Barron, who hasn’t been on the PGA Tour in three years, allegedly stated that he was under doctor’s supervision and recently submitted new information to the PGA Tour Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee which allowed his suspension to be lifted and granted his exemption.

Barron was quoted in the report as saying after now having completed his one-year suspension, he looks forward to being eligible to compete on both the PGA and Nationwide Tours. 

Azinger Healing After Motorcycle Crash

According to golfcanada.ca Paul Azinger is healing from his injuries he suffered last week in a motorcycle accident close to his Bradenton, Fla. home.

The Florida Highway Patrol said in the report that the 50-year-old Champions Tour rookie was traveling north on his 2010 BMW motorcycle when another driver attempted to make a left turn onto the street. The report states that police say Azinger laid the bike down in an attempt to avoid a collision. The driver of the car was reportedly cited by police for a violation of right of way.

According to a tweet by the 1993 PGA champion, he has been on morphine and painkillers since Friday for three broken ribs and road rash but he also tweeted that he was fine and is doing really well.  

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Lone Canadian Advances To LPGA Final Qualifying Event

Canadian Ashley Smith of Calgary was the only Canadian out of a possible six to advance through to the final LPGA qualifying tournament in Florida held later in 2010.

Smith carded a final round 74 to put herself inside the top-30 at T-25 in the first of two sectional qualifiers and will decide her own fate in December as she will play for her 2011 LPGA Tour card in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Isabelle Beisiegel of Quebec came close to the top-30 but fell short of the mark as she finished in a tie for 40th place.

Seema Sadekar of Toronto, Ont. (T-48), Sue Kim of Langley, B.C. (T-56), Ashley Sholer of Hamilton, Ont. (T-70), and Stephanie Sherlock of Barrie, Ont. (T-72), were also disappointed as they each missed the cut for December’s qualifier.

The top-30 from a second sectional qualifier scheduled Sept. 28 in Venice, Fla. will also move on to December’s final qualifier.

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Paddy Wary of Woods

Padraig Harrington understands Tiger Woods’ worth as he refuses to underestimate the current world No. 1 going into the Ryder Cup in early October according to a report from the Associated Press.

The AP report states that Harrington insists Woods retains an “intimidation factor” even though the American has struggled for most of the season.

Woods made the team only after receiving a wild card from captain Corey Pavin which was the first time he did not make the team solely based on points. The previous 14-time major winner also hasn’t won a tournament in 2010.

Harrington, who also made the European Team on a wild card and hasn’t won on tour in more then two years, was quoted Friday as saying,

“In many ways the Ryder Cup could be the pinnacle of his year. Definitely he’ll be in a fighting mood for the week – a mood to perform.”

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Back To School

According to the Shag Bag on thegolfchannel.com American Michelle Wie is going back to school at Stanford where she will begin her senior year next week.

The report outlines that the 2010 CN Canadian Women’s Open champion plans to have a good start in school and will probably not see any LPGA action until she is set to appear at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia event Oct. 22-24 and the LPGA Hana Bank Championship in South Korea the following week of Oct. 29-31.

The report states Wie is not considering to play the Navistar LPGA Classic on Oct. 7-10 or the CVS/Pharmacy LPGA Classic on Oct. 14-17.

Wie’s swing coach, David Leadbetter was quoted in the report as saying,

“Even with all Michelle’s talent, she’s still on a learning curve. Really, she’s a part-time student and a part-time golfer. When she’s done with school, I think she’ll have her special interests outside golf, but I believe when she focuses 100 percent on golf, that’s when we’ll really see what Michelle can do.”

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Malaysia Gets Star-Studded Player Field

Ai Miyazato of Japan, Crisite Kerr of America, South Korean Jiyai Shin, Yani Tseng of Chinese Taipei, and Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, all listed in order of rank, have each confirmed their entry into the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

This is the first year for the US$1.8 million purse event on the LPGA Tour and there will be no cuts throughout the tournament which runs from October 22-24.

Miyazato recently reclaimed her world No.1 status after winning the LPGA Safeway Classic last month and leads the race for the Rolex Player of the Year award.

21-year-old Tseng is the youngest player in LPGA history to capture three major championships which includes this year’s Kraft Nabisco Championship, the RICOH Women’s British Open and her 2008 LPGA Championship she won at 18-years-old. Tseng was recently reported as saying she aims to become the world’s No. 1 golfer and with a win at Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, she will certainly improve her chances of doing just that.

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Boise To Be Less Noisy

Commentary silence is scheduled for Golf Channel’s broadcast of the third round of the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft according to pgatour.com.

This will be a first for golf broadcasting as viewers will be able to listen to golf swings and chatter between players and their caddies but there will be no host-broadcaster or analyst speaking.

On-course microphones will enhance the sounds of the environment and there’s also a reported chance of a player who’s in contention to be wired up during their play.

Viewers will also be able to use Twitter to send questions to Jerry Foltz and analyst Curt Byrum as they will answer and interact with viewers during action.

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Woods To Keep Multi-Million Dollar Isleworth Home

According to Bloomberg News, Tiger Woods will keep his US$2.4 million home in the Isleworth community in Orlando, Fla.

Bloomberg News obtained court records and reported that the settlement outlines that the property was transferred to Woods July 3-4 when Woods was in the field at the AT&T National in which he finished four-over-par. Nordegren will reportedly keep US$100 million according to unidentified sources.

Woods and Nordegren officially announced their divorce August 23 to the public and both will reportedly share the parenting duties of their two children, Sam and Charlie.

Woods has been able to keep his No.1 Official World Golf Ranking throughout his very public divorce to Nordegren but failed to reach the final stage of the FedEx Cup playoffs next week at East Lake GC.

Tseng Wants Top World Spot

Yani Tseng of Taiwan says she is going after the No. 1 spot on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking list currently held by Ai Miyazato according to an Associated Press report.

Tseng has played very well this year recently winning the Northwest Arkansas Championship Sunday for her third LPGA victory this year and has five total in her career.

The AP outlines that the 21-year-old spoke to reporters in Taipei Tuesday saying her game needs to reach even higher levels if she is to improve on her current No. 4 ranking.  

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Heritage and Texas Open Get New Dates For 2011

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According to pgatour.com the Heritage tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina will be played April 21-24 in 2011. The Heritage is usually scheduled for the week following the Masters but this is a one-time move and the Heritage should return to its normal date in 2012.

As a result of the date change, the Texas Open will be temporarily pushed into the Heritage’s usual spot.  There will be an extra week between the Masters and The Players next year and the Heritage will be held the same week as the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, which is the Champions Tour team event.

The Heritage’s future on the PGA Tour was in question after losing longtime sponsor Verizon following last April’s tournament.

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Finch Flying at Johnnie Walker Championship

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Richard Finch of England takes an early lead in the first-round after he carded a 66 at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

Five other players are crammed together at five-under in a massive tie for second-place including four other Englishman, David Lynn, Robert Rock, Richard Bland and Gary Boyd and also Stephen Gallacher of Scotland.

Italian Francesco Molinari who is currently seventh on the European selection table has been guaranteed a place in the nine automatic spots on the Ryder Cup team after Ross McGowan of England withdrew from competition Thursday due to a shoulder injury.

McGowan was 12th on the table and needed to finish first or second at the Johnnie Walker Championship for any hope of making the Ryder Cup team.

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Tiger Comes Alive at The Barclays

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Tiger Woods grabbed the world’s attention for a good cause Thursday as he stormed into the first round and carded a 65 to share an early lead at The Barclays at Ridgewood CC.

This was the world’s No.1 lowest score in 46 rounds going all the way back into 2009 where he carded a 62 in the BMW Championship.

Tied with Woods is American Vaughn Taylor who has five top 10 finishes in 2010.

Canadians Stephen Ames of Calgary and Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. struggled in their respective opening rounds. Ames finished two-over-par 73 and DeLaet was one off of Ames’ pace at 74.

Each will have to shoot magic Friday to stay inside The Barclays cut-line and fall into the top 100 in the FedEx Cup points list and continue next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship.

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Top 10 List For World No. 2

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Nine might be the lucky number for Phil Mickelson this week as it will be his ninth attempt at taking over the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking from Tiger Woods.

Pgatour.com has compiled a top 10 must-do mathematical scenario list for Phil Mickelson to accomplish. The list excludes the two most obvious scenarios — Lefty winning The Barclays or Lefty coming in second to any player but Woods.

The reigning Masters champion revealed earlier this season that he has been suffering from psoriatic arthritis and has been taking medication to control it. He also said he has switched to a vegetarian diet.

Click here for a look at the top 10 list.

Coroner Rules Blasberg Committed Suicide

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According to the Associated Press the Clark County Coroner’s Office ruled Tuesday that Erica Blasberg’s death was a suicide.

The coroner’s office said Blasberg died of suicide due to asphyxia and that examiners found toxic levels of medication in her body including prescription headache, cough, pain and anti-anxiety medications.

The 25-year-old LPGA golfer was found dead May 9 at her home in Henderson, Nev., with a plastic bag wrapped over her head.

The Henderson Police Department said it concluded an extensive investigation Tuesday and determined there was no foul play but a misdemeanor obstruction of justice arrest warrant was issued for Dr. Thomas Hess for allegedly removing a suicide note and prescription medications from the death scene before police arrived at the home.

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Lonely Number For World No. 1

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The Associated Press reports that Tiger Woods feels more sadness than relief only two days after his divorce, quoting Woods as saying, “you don’t ever go into a marriage looking to get divorced.”

The world’s No. 1 golfer and his now ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, officially divorced Monday just nine months after their lives were flipped upside-down after the exposure of Woods’ numerous extramarital affairs.

Woods returned to golf Wednesday at The Barclays but said his golf is secondary and he is trying to get his two children accustomed to life after their parents’ divorce.

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Lehman Looking For Second Champions Tour Major

Tom Lehman’s two-stroke lead after three rounds at the JELD-WEN Tradition gives him a perfect opportunity to claim his second Champions Tour major victory in 2010.

On Saturday, Lehman carded a 69 which included four birdies and a single double bogey, putting him in first place ahead of a crowded pack.

Photo By:Darren Carroll/Getty Images

Tied for second place are J.L. Lewis, Fred Funk and Bernhard Langer and nine others are within four strokes of Lehman.

Lehman won the Senior PGA Championship in May after a three-way play-off against runners-up Fred Couples and David Frost.

Langer has finished first on the Champions Tour four times in 2010 and is No.1 in Charles Schwab Cup points on the Champions Tour. Langer is being considered as a wildcard for the European Ryder Cup team by captain Colin Montgomerie.

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Miyazato ahead by four in Oregon

Ai Miyazato remained on top of a crowded leaderboard Saturday at the LPGA's Safeway Classic, leading the field by three shots.

Miyazato of Japan is mixed in a five-player fight for the world's top ranking between Cristie Kerr, Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen and Yani Tseng.

Miyazato has four victories on the LPGA Tour this year and is in strong contention for a fifth after shooting five-under-par 67at the Ghost Creek GC.

Na Yeon Choi of South Korea is in a tie for second place with fellow native Song-Hee Kim both of whom finished at eight-under-par 136.

Shin and Kerr each shot seven-under-par 137 are tied for fifth-place while four others are T7th.Click here for the full story.

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Solid Start for Weir at Wyndham

                    Photo By:Hunter Martin/Getty Images

Canadian Mike Weir made a statement Thursday that he belongs in the 2010 FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The Bright’s Grove, Ont., native shot a three-under-par 70 in the opening round at Sedgefield CC in Greensboro, N.C.

The lefthander is one spot out of the top 125 cut line and must finish within the top 10 at the Wyndham Championship to get into the playoffs.

Weir has not finished inside the top 10 since he placed sixth at the Bob Hope Classic in January.

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Odds Are Woods Will Win 2011 Masters

                              Photo By: Harry How/Getty Images

Las Vegas oddsmakers have Tiger Woods as a 5-1 favourite to win the Masters next April according to golfcanada.ca

For the second consecutive year the current world’s No. 1 failed to win a major championship.

Woods has 14 career majors to his name, four shy of Nicklaus’s record of 18.

Phil Mickelson the second favourite to win the 2011 Masters at 7-1 odds, while Rory McIlroy is a 12-1 pick and the No.3-ranked Lee Westwood is a 20-1 pick.

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