Who won the first-ever Donald Ross Memorial Invitational boys individual title?

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Baek has work to do

Bradenton's Sookhee Baek needs to go low at the Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice on Friday.

It's the final round of the 72-hole LPGA Sectional Qualifier.

Only the top 30 and ties advance to Q-School's final stage in Daytona Beach at LPGA International in December.

So far, Baek is tied for 58th after a third round 76.

That round puts her at 13-over par for a 229 total with just one round to go.

If you missed the story on her road to recovery from the car accident she was in six years ago, click here

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Team USA retains Junior Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup's countdown is winding down, but the Junior Ryder Cup is already here.

Doris Chen and Ginger Howard, two IMG Academies' golfers, are representing Team USA against Europe at The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.

The venue is the a preview for the main attraction, albeit down the road.

Gleneagles is the host site to the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Team USA took a 9-3 edge after Monday's opening day, with Chen and Howard featured in this photo.

The squad used the first day lead in holding off a European comeback bid with a solid second day.

The result is Team USA retaining the Junior Ryder Cup with a 13 1/2 to 10 1/2 victory.

The players aren't finished yet, as they'll embark south to Wales and Celtic Manor on Thursday to participate with their elder statesman in the game.

The Ryder Cup begins Friday and finishes Sunday.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Additional Masters TV coverage

The Masters is set to expand television coverage beginning with next year's tournament, according to the Associated Press.

The new plan calls for one extra hour for ESPN's coverage, the AP reports.

For more on this story, visit the USA Today's AP story here

Top field at WFGT Ritz tourney

The West Florida Golf Tour's tee times are out for Wednesday's tournament at the Ritz-Calrton Members Golf Club.

And there's some interesting players competing.

Former Lakewood Ranch High standout Seath Lauer, fresh off advancing from the PGA Tour's pre-qualification stage of Q-School, is entered.

So is Jim Chancey, who fared decent in this year's U.S. Senior Open.

Plus former Nationwide Tour member Brennan Webb, 2010 United States Open participant Travis Hampshire and hottest player on tour, Matthew Galloway, are in the field.

Webb, Hampshire and Galloway are in the top four on the WFGT's Order of Merit.

Galloway recently won the Tour's stop at the Legacy where he set a new course record. That was followed up with a second-place finish at TPC Prestancia, which has allowed Galloway to vault past Webb for No. 3 on the Order of Merit.

The Tour's money leader, Joey Lamielle, is listed as well as Travis Perkins, who played on the PGA Tour.

Speaking of the PGA Tour, former three-time winner Robert Gamez is entered.

Even the amateurs in the mini-tour event carry big names.

For instance, Andre Ginola is slated to play the event.

Ginola's father, David, is a former French international soccer player who played his club soccer in the English Premier League for Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Everton.

Nick Torrance is another amateur in the tourney and is based out of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy at IMG Academies.

It's a star-studded and strong field of players, which should make for highly-competitive tournament.

Here's the list of tee times

Monday, September 20, 2010

Lauer advances to PGA Tour Q-School First Stage

Lakewood Ranch alum Seath Lauer made it through Pre-Qualification for the PGA Tour after Friday's final round.

Lauer shot a 69 Friday to secure a fifth-place finish and advancement to the first stage of PGA Tour Q-School.

Lauer played his last 36-holes on Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club's South Course in 6-under par.

The top 41 and ties advanced from the Dade City track, including several West Florida Golf Tour players.

Jay Mills, Eddie Peckels, Brian Richey and Sarasota's Brian Ward are just some of the qualifiers who have played WFGT events.

Lauer is also a WFGT player.

First stage begins in about one month.

Korda and Sweeney make it through Q-School

Bradenton's Jessica Korda made it through the LPGA's Sectional Q-School stage with a final round of 73.

Korda's 6-under total for the 72-holes was good enough for a tie for sixth, which advances the 17-year-old amateur to the Final Stage of Q-School slated for December.

The top 30 and ties secured spots at LPGA International in Daytona Beach - site of Q-School's final stage.

Joining Korda in that select group is newly-turned professional Jaclyn Sweeney.

Originally from Andover, Mass., the would-be Arizona State University senior left school early for a crack at the professional world.

So far the Bradenton resident is making good on that decision.

Sweeney was near the top of the leaderboard with a pair of 69s in the opening two rounds last week.

She finished Thursday and Friday with two 74s at Mission Hills Country Club's Dinah Shore Course in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Those scores still pushed Sweeney through to the final stage with a tie for 13th at the sectional qualifier.

There's one other sectional and it's at the local venue, Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice.

Bradenton's Sookhee Baek is scheduled to participate after she failed to make the cut at the Mission Hills sectional.

The tournament runs Sept. 28-Oct. 1.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Azinger recovering from accident

Bradenton's Paul Azinger is recovering from injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident last Friday.

To read more on the story, click here

Thursday, September 16, 2010

2011 West Florida Golf Tour schedule out

The West Florida Golf Tour wraps up its inaugural season in November with the Tour Championship, but next season's schedule is already out.

There's a few wrinkles to the 2011 schedule.

Most notably, the plan calls for a winter and summer season breaking up the year in half - ending with a Tour Championship for each season.

The winter season starts immediately following 2010's Tour Championship, slated for the Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club on November 29.

The opening tournament to the winter season is at River Hills on December 1.

All the tournaments are designated with a location on the schedule, reading Tampa, Sarasota or Fort Myers.

Those are just general areas, so for a stop in Manatee County would get a Sarasota designation.

To date, the tour has doled out over $122,000 from 38 tournaments in prize money, according to the tour's website.

The remainder of this year's schedule and next season's can be found on the WFGT's site.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Sara Bay hosting another tournament

After hosting Sunday's USGA Mid-Amateur qualifier, Sara Bay Country Club is back at again this weekend.

The Donald Ross course design will play host to the FSGA's Mid-Senior Four-Ball South Championship.

And the event has a slight wrinkle with one team.

Bradenton's John Hewlin is partnering with his significant other, Tatiana Gammicchia.

Gammicchia has played Duramed Futures Tour events with Hewlin caddying for her.

Her athletic background is with the Russian national team in track and field and the triple jump, according to the Duramed Futures Tour's biography on its website.

The duo tees off No. 10 at 9:20 a.m. on Saturday. The tournament is 36-holes and wraps up Sunday with the only eligibility requirements needing to be 40-years or older and a member of the FSGA.

It's normally a men's-only event with the course measuring in the 6,600-6,800 yard range.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Pavin makes right choices with captain's picks

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin selected his four captain's picks earlier today.

They are Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Rickie Fowler.

Woods, Cink and Johnson have all won major championships.

Fowler's resume lacks one, but he's expected to capture some during his career.

The young gun has played well at times this year and the move to select Tiger doesn't quite look too political with his recent finishes on the PGA Tour, even if he hasn't won yet.

The Ryder Cup takes place at Celtic Manor in Wales.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Pavin's nearing decision on captain's picks

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin is close to deciding his four captain's picks, according to multiple media outlets.

Pavin is expected to announce who will play with Team USA at the Ryder Cup held at Celtic Manor in Wales at the end of Labor Day weekend.

European captain Colin Montgomerie already chose his captain's picks when he tabbed three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Edoardo Molinari.

The Harrington selection, despite the multiple majors on his resume, was at Paul Casey's expense.

Casey looked like the better option due to his past match play record, performances in the British Open (tie-third) and PGA Championship (tie-12th) this year and his world ranking (No. 9).

That's in contrast to Harrington, who has played poorly in the two previous Ryder Cups and failed to make the cut in three majors in 2010.

So, when Pavin does make his choices known, there'll be plenty of second-guessing over who was chosen and who was snubbed.

The big decision for Pavin is whether Tiger Woods makes the team or not.

Woods is still No. 1 in the world and despite his poor form since returning to the PGA Tour after a layoff following the fallout from his marriage woes, he still boasts a record that Pavin would have a hard time overlooking.