CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland -- The European Masters will be co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours next year, the first golf tournament on European soil to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. The move, announced Friday, is a partial response to the development of the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour, which has cut into the quality of the field at the tournament this week. "The FedEx Cup is one of the constant challenges faced by all the tours and players. We are staking a claim to being an international tour," said Keith Waters, director of international policy for the European Tour.
CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland -- The European Masters will be co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours next year, the first golf tournament on European soil to be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour.
The move, announced Friday, is a partial response to the development of the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour, which has cut into the quality of the field at the tournament this week.
"The FedEx Cup is one of the constant challenges faced by all the tours and players. We are staking a claim to being an international tour," said Keith Waters, director of international policy for the European Tour.
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SUNNINGDALE, England – If you were in any doubt that Korean golfers are in the process of taking over women’s golf, then all you have to do is look at the numbers here at the Women’s British Open. For the first time in this championship, the number of Koreans matches the number of Americans in the field – 31 players apiece. Last year there were 26 Koreans to 31 Americans. Next year could mark another watershed year for Korean golf. There is a good chance Korean golfers will outnumber every other nation in the field when the tournament takes place at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. The growth of Koreans playing in this championship is absolutely staggering. Eleven years ago there were no Koreans in the Women’s British Open. Se Ri Pak made history in 1998 when she became the first Korean to play in the Women’s British. Pak was the only Korean in the field that year and tied for 34th. Pak won the tournament in 2001 here at Sunningdale. However, it was her victory in the 1998 McDonald’s LPGA Championship that started a revolution that has brought Korean golf parity with women’s golf in the United States.
From Golf WorldBy Ron SirakChina has lurked as a defiant mystery for thousands of years. First, as an exotic series of dynasties guiding a creative culture that gave the world paper, movable type and gunpowder—while at the same time holding outsiders at arm''s length. More recently, China groaned beneath the weight of a closed society under which that entrepreneurial spirit was suffocated by Communist rule. Of the great ancient empires, China had the least interest in expanding its borders—and even less of a desire to open its doors, the 4,000-mile-long Great Wall serving as both a physical and symbolic barrier. Mao Zedong bolted those doors even tighter in 1949 when his revolution led to the massive and at times brutal task of bringing 25 percent of the Earth''s people from feudalism into the 20th Century. There is no part of Chinese history in which golf makes sense—until now.Keep reading.....
China has lurked as a defiant mystery for thousands of years. First, as an exotic series of dynasties guiding a creative culture that gave the world paper, movable type and gunpowder—while at the same time holding outsiders at arm''s length. More recently, China groaned beneath the weight of a closed society under which that entrepreneurial spirit was suffocated by Communist rule. Of the great ancient empires, China had the least interest in expanding its borders—and even less of a desire to open its doors, the 4,000-mile-long Great Wall serving as both a physical and symbolic barrier. Mao Zedong bolted those doors even tighter in 1949 when his revolution led to the massive and at times brutal task of bringing 25 percent of the Earth''s people from feudalism into the 20th Century. There is no part of Chinese history in which golf makes sense—until now.
From Golf DigestIt''s 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the day before the China Open starts, and a press conference is taking place in the media center at the CBD International Golf Club, on the outskirts of Beijing. Liang Wen-chong, 29, the best Chinese golfer, is holding court. He provides long answers in Mandarin. Through an interpreter, each one becomes a single sentence in English. For Westerners in China, so much gets lost in translation."What does Liang need to work on to improve this year?" he is asked. The translated reply is strangely cryptic: "Golf is a learning process," says the interpreter. "If he goes for one goal, he may have to forfeit another."Liang arrived back in China from America three days earlier, having been only the second Chinese golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. It was, he says, "a learning experience." He played a practice round with Gary Player, who told him he needed to exercise more, and to learn how to speak English. He enjoyed every minute, even though he missed the cut by seven shots. "Overall I was very happy," he says. He hopes to do well this week, in his national championship.Keep reading....
It''s 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the day before the China Open starts, and a press conference is taking place in the media center at the CBD International Golf Club, on the outskirts of Beijing. Liang Wen-chong, 29, the best Chinese golfer, is holding court. He provides long answers in Mandarin. Through an interpreter, each one becomes a single sentence in English. For Westerners in China, so much gets lost in translation."What does Liang need to work on to improve this year?" he is asked. The translated reply is strangely cryptic: "Golf is a learning process," says the interpreter. "If he goes for one goal, he may have to forfeit another."Liang arrived back in China from America three days earlier, having been only the second Chinese golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. It was, he says, "a learning experience." He played a practice round with Gary Player, who told him he needed to exercise more, and to learn how to speak English. He enjoyed every minute, even though he missed the cut by seven shots. "Overall I was very happy," he says. He hopes to do well this week, in his national championship.
From GOLF.comSports Illustrated published a story on the country as a burgeoning golf mecca in 2003. The relatively new golf trail''s name, however, evokes images of the war.That''s why it''s perfect. It''s a guaranteed attention-getter. I haven''t been there (the boss said in his rejection note that it had something to do with budget issues), but you can check out the courses at hochiminhgolftrail.com, where you''ll find this brochure-style prose: "From the bustle of modern Saigon to the languid, thousand-year-old streets of Hanoi... from the sunny, windswept beach of Phan Thiet to the startling seascapes of Ha Long Bay, the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail delivers the ultimate golfing adventure."Hal Phillips is a Maine-based media consultant who helped dream up the surreal name for the trail. "When we came up with the name, we knew it would be provocative in the West," Phillips said. "The rest of the world doesn''t have that visceral response that Americans do."Keep reading....
Sports Illustrated published a story on the country as a burgeoning golf mecca in 2003. The relatively new golf trail''s name, however, evokes images of the war.That''s why it''s perfect. It''s a guaranteed attention-getter. I haven''t been there (the boss said in his rejection note that it had something to do with budget issues), but you can check out the courses at hochiminhgolftrail.com, where you''ll find this brochure-style prose: "From the bustle of modern Saigon to the languid, thousand-year-old streets of Hanoi... from the sunny, windswept beach of Phan Thiet to the startling seascapes of Ha Long Bay, the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail delivers the ultimate golfing adventure."Hal Phillips is a Maine-based media consultant who helped dream up the surreal name for the trail. "When we came up with the name, we knew it would be provocative in the West," Phillips said. "The rest of the world doesn''t have that visceral response that Americans do."
Sports Illustrated published a story on the country as a burgeoning golf mecca in 2003. The relatively new golf trail''s name, however, evokes images of the war.
That''s why it''s perfect. It''s a guaranteed attention-getter. I haven''t been there (the boss said in his rejection note that it had something to do with budget issues), but you can check out the courses at hochiminhgolftrail.com, where you''ll find this brochure-style prose: "From the bustle of modern Saigon to the languid, thousand-year-old streets of Hanoi... from the sunny, windswept beach of Phan Thiet to the startling seascapes of Ha Long Bay, the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail delivers the ultimate golfing adventure."
Hal Phillips is a Maine-based media consultant who helped dream up the surreal name for the trail. "When we came up with the name, we knew it would be provocative in the West," Phillips said. "The rest of the world doesn''t have that visceral response that Americans do."
Keep reading....
From GOLFWEEKFinal scores with relation to par and earnings from the Pine Valley Beijing Open, played May 8-11 at the par-72, 7,259-yard Pine Valley Golf Resort and Country Club in Beijing, China (Note: a-amateur):1. Hiroyuki Fujita$158,500 67-65-72-72--276 -12Keep reading....
From The Futures Tour WebsiteShe could have taken the more predictable route. And if it weren’t for golf, she probably would be sitting in an office cubicle in Hong Kong, making a very good living as an investment banker.But JEEHAE LEE of Seoul, South Korea, has never opted for the easy path. Not when she entered Yale University as a student-athlete. And certainly not now as a second-year professional on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.“Golf is much, much harder than academics, and much harder than what I thought it would be,” said Lee, 24, who earned an economics degree at Yale in 2006, with a concentration in Chinese.Keep reading....
She could have taken the more predictable route. And if it weren’t for golf, she probably would be sitting in an office cubicle in Hong Kong, making a very good living as an investment banker.But JEEHAE LEE of Seoul, South Korea, has never opted for the easy path. Not when she entered Yale University as a student-athlete. And certainly not now as a second-year professional on the Duramed FUTURES Tour.“Golf is much, much harder than academics, and much harder than what I thought it would be,” said Lee, 24, who earned an economics degree at Yale in 2006, with a concentration in Chinese.
From The Sporting LifeThe Royal and Ancient Club is to use £100,000 of Open Championship profits to support the HSBC China Junior Golf Programme.The programme was launched last May, attracting over 1,200 junior golfers to attend seven tournaments and two summer camps, and this year the game is being taken into schools, resulting in more than 70,000 more boys and girls being introduced to golf.Keep reading....
The Royal and Ancient Club is to use £100,000 of Open Championship profits to support the HSBC China Junior Golf Programme.The programme was launched last May, attracting over 1,200 junior golfers to attend seven tournaments and two summer camps, and this year the game is being taken into schools, resulting in more than 70,000 more boys and girls being introduced to golf.
From GolfweekThe first LPGA tournament to be played in China will take place Oct. 24-26 at the Haikou West Golf Club in Hainan’s capital, Haikou, the LPGA announced Tuesday.The event will be called the Grand China Air LPGA. Grand China Air is a subsidiary of the HNA Group, one of the four largest airline companies in China.Keep reading....
The first LPGA tournament to be played in China will take place Oct. 24-26 at the Haikou West Golf Club in Hainan’s capital, Haikou, the LPGA announced Tuesday.The event will be called the Grand China Air LPGA. Grand China Air is a subsidiary of the HNA Group, one of the four largest airline companies in China.
From The Economic TimesThere has been an incredible amount of money invested in cricket’s Indian Premier League. This is great for the maturity of the Indian sports management and promotion industry. Finally domestic cricketers beyond the starting Indian 11 are getting paid decently. Their earnings are starting to match the earnings of India’s top golfers like Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa who routinely have been pulling in an average of Rs 3-4 crore per year for the past 5-8 years.Keep reading....
There has been an incredible amount of money invested in cricket’s Indian Premier League. This is great for the maturity of the Indian sports management and promotion industry. Finally domestic cricketers beyond the starting Indian 11 are getting paid decently. Their earnings are starting to match the earnings of India’s top golfers like Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa who routinely have been pulling in an average of Rs 3-4 crore per year for the past 5-8 years.
From The BBCNorthern Ireland''s Darren Clarke claimed a one-shot lead at the end of the third round of the BMW Asian Open after firing a five-under-par 67.Clarke, seeking his first European Tour win in five years, started one shot behind Robert-Jan Derksen but five birdies saw him overtake the Dutchman."I played really well. I''m very pleased with the way I hit the ball," he said.Keep reading....
Northern Ireland''s Darren Clarke claimed a one-shot lead at the end of the third round of the BMW Asian Open after firing a five-under-par 67.Clarke, seeking his first European Tour win in five years, started one shot behind Robert-Jan Derksen but five birdies saw him overtake the Dutchman.
Northern Ireland''s Darren Clarke claimed a one-shot lead at the end of the third round of the BMW Asian Open after firing a five-under-par 67.
From GOLF.comBEIJING (AP) — Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands and China''s Zhang Lian-Wei both shot 3-under 69s on Friday for a share of the lead at the midway point of the Asian Open.Derksen and Zhang had a one-stroke advantage over Northern Ireland''s Ryder Cup regular Darren Clarke, who also shot a 69 in the second round of the $2.3 million jointly sanctioned European and Asian Tour event (scores).Keep reading....
BEIJING (AP) — Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands and China''s Zhang Lian-Wei both shot 3-under 69s on Friday for a share of the lead at the midway point of the Asian Open.Derksen and Zhang had a one-stroke advantage over Northern Ireland''s Ryder Cup regular Darren Clarke, who also shot a 69 in the second round of the $2.3 million jointly sanctioned European and Asian Tour event (scores).
BEIJING (AP) — Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands and China''s Zhang Lian-Wei both shot 3-under 69s on Friday for a share of the lead at the midway point of the Asian Open.
Derksen and Zhang had a one-stroke advantage over Northern Ireland''s Ryder Cup regular Darren Clarke, who also shot a 69 in the second round of the $2.3 million jointly sanctioned European and Asian Tour event (scores).
From ESPN.comBEIJING -- Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands and China''s Zhang Lian-Wei both shot 3-under 69s on Friday for a share of the lead at the midway point of the Asian Open.Derksen and Zhang had a one-stroke advantage over Northern Ireland''s Ryder Cup regular Darren Clarke, who also shot a 69 in the second round of the $2.3 million jointly sanctioned European and Asian Tour event.First-round leader Peter O''Malley of Australia (74) and England''s Miles Tunnicliff (70) were another stroke back at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.Keep reading....
BEIJING -- Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands and China''s Zhang Lian-Wei both shot 3-under 69s on Friday for a share of the lead at the midway point of the Asian Open.Derksen and Zhang had a one-stroke advantage over Northern Ireland''s Ryder Cup regular Darren Clarke, who also shot a 69 in the second round of the $2.3 million jointly sanctioned European and Asian Tour event.First-round leader Peter O''Malley of Australia (74) and England''s Miles Tunnicliff (70) were another stroke back at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club.
From ESPN.comSHANGHAI, China -- Australian veteran Peter O''Malley shot a 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Asian Open on Thursday.O''Malley, who has only won one European Tour event in the past 13 years, led a group of four who shot 4-under 68s: Sweden''s Henrik Stenson, India''s Jeev Milka Singh, Oliver Wilson of England and Finland''s Mikko Ilonen.The 42-year-old O''Malley had six birdies and one bogey to lead the $2.3 million jointly sanctioned European and Asian Tour event at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong course.Keep reading....
SHANGHAI, China -- Australian veteran Peter O''Malley shot a 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Asian Open on Thursday.O''Malley, who has only won one European Tour event in the past 13 years, led a group of four who shot 4-under 68s: Sweden''s Henrik Stenson, India''s Jeev Milka Singh, Oliver Wilson of England and Finland''s Mikko Ilonen.The 42-year-old O''Malley had six birdies and one bogey to lead the $2.3 million jointly sanctioned European and Asian Tour event at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong course.
From GolfweekFinal scores with earnings and relation to par from the Token Homemate Cup, played April 17-20 at the par-71 Token Tado Country Club (Nagoya) in Mie, Japan (Note: earnings in yen):1. Katsumasa MiyamotoY22,000,000 71-66-73-66--276 -8Keep reading....