Kraft Nabisco Championship - Rancho Mirage, CA

                        CURRENT LEADERBOAD          SATURDAY TEE TIMES

               FRIDAY INTERVIEWS:     OCHOA     SORENSTAM     YOUNG     KIM

- To Play Or Not To Play: Among a number of the modern era’s greatest players, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods have seldom elected to play competitively in the week before a Major championship, preferring instead to rest, practice, arrive at the Major venue early, etc.  This week, however, three of the top five players in the world (Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Adam Scott) are among nine top-25s who chose to play at the Shell Houston Open rather than practice/rest for the Masters.  Smart move?  Certainly each of these players knows their own methods of preparing better than anyone else, but it is probably worth noting that of the 152 Major championships contested since 1970, only three times has a winner also won on the PGA Tour the preceding week  The first was Lee Trevino in 1971, who claimed the Canadian and British Opens in back-to-back weeks.  Of course, Trevino was also in the midst a red-hot streak; indeed, by coupling these titles with a U.S. Open victory at Merion two weeks earlier, he completed the unique feat of claiming three national championships in a four week period.  The second double winner was Sandy Lyle in 1988, who took the Greater Greensboro Open seven days prior to his memorable victory (with a 72nd-hole birdie) at the Masters.  The third was Phil Mickelson, who won the 2006 BellSouth title in Atlanta the week before a dramatic 72nd-hole Masters victory of his own.  As Mickelson has observed this week, the type of golf course being played in the warm-up week is a key to this equation; if it bears some stylistic resemblance to the upcoming Major site (as Westchester Country Club did for so many years prior to the U.S. Open), then one might be more inclined to play.  But my question is this: As much as contending and (hopefully) winning can take out of a player, is it the right thing to aim for only days before the crushing pressure of a Major?  And if you’re not going to contend, then what was the point of playing in the first place?

- Welcome To Paradise:  The main goal of resorts ponying up sponsorship money (not to mention their golf courses) for professional events is, quite obviously, to expose their properties to potential guests and generate business.  Thus I always feel a bit sorry for such places when the weather doesn’t cooperate, as it failed to do in Punta Cana yesterday for the opening round of the Champions Tour’s inaugural Cap Cana Championship. Winds widely reported at 25 mph (but which generally looked stronger on TV) blew steadily, raising scores markedly and whipping the adjacent Caribbean surf into a froth.  Now…  I hate to pick on the Golf Channel’s David Marr (because his father, the late 1965 PGA champion Dave, was tremendously nice to me when I was just starting out) but referring to yesterday’s wind-buffeted Punta Cana landscape as “paradise” just might represent taking the standard network shilling a bit too far…

- Quotable: "When you compare it to the other major events, it is the weakest field technically. There are only 90 players (at the Masters); the top 50 players in the world are guaranteed. Of those 90, there are 20 old guys still playing, past champions, who shouldn't be playing golf. So, technically, it's a field of 70." - Stephen Ames' carefully considered thoughts on the Masters.

- Yankee Go Home?:  One tends to think that when a showdown between a billionaire American blowhard (Donald Trump) and elements of the Scottish government over a planned £ 1 billion golf resort community on the Aberdeen coast actually happens, the quality of the golf course itself will never be an issue.  The discussion will surely come down to questions of economics – essentially, is it worth turning the Ugly American loose in order to pick up tourism dollars and jobs – and perhaps for area residents, these are the most important considerations.  But if Trump succeeds in bringing his Martin Hawtree-designed project to fruition, I wonder how the normally staid Scots will react to hearing him proclaim the facility “the greatest golf course in the history of the universe,” “far better than St. Andrews,” “infinitely more championship worthy than the entire Open Championship rota combined,” and so on.  And the use of such ridiculous hyperbole is not as far-fetched as some might think, for Trump used to refer to his mountainous course in Briarcliff Manor as “the best golf course in New York State” (I wonder what his fellow members at Winged Foot – or those of a good 30 more superior Empire State clubs – had to say about that).  Perhaps even more entertaining are his claims that his Los Angeles area club at Palos Verdes (“the world’s first and only Donald J. Trump signature design”) is the best layout in Southern California.  Golfweek apparently felt otherwise, recently rating it an imposing 18th in the state among public-access facilities (private clubs weren't even included).  Anyway, should the Scots let him go ahead with his plans, they cannot say they haven’t been warned.

Last summer, ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel compiled a definitive list of the world’s elite under-25 players, a detailed ledger that featured 25 up-and-coming stars from eight countries, as well as 50 more Honorable Mention selections.  I found this list so well-presented that I saved it and, upon re-examining it yesterday, thought it might be interesting to update the progress made by the talented 25.

It will be noted that seven of them (America’s Philip Francis, Chris Kirk, Jamie Lovemark and Michael Putnam, plus Rhys Davies of Wales, and the Scottish pair of Richie Ramsay and Lloyd Saltman) are not yet competing professionally as of this writing, and thus will not be considered here.

As for the rest…

Andrew Buckle - Brisbane, Australia  (9/24/1982)  - A former World Junior (2000) and Australian Amateur (1999) winner, Buckle played the PGA Tour full-time in 2007, finishing 146th in earnings and logging a T4 at San Diego’s Buick Invitational.  Has thus far shuttled between the PGA and Nationwide Tours in 2008.  Major Tour Victories: 2002 Queensland Open (Aus) + 1 Nationwide victory (2006).   Current World Ranking: 343.      (Continue...)

                   Kraft Nabisco Championship - Rancho Mirage, CA

                            CURRENT LEADERBOAD          FRIDAY TEE TIMES

      THURSDAY INTERVIEWS:     OCHOA     SORENSTAM     PRESSEL     STUPPLES

                   Kraft Nabisco Championship - Rancho Mirage, CA

                         CURRENT LEADERBOAD          THURSDAY TEE TIMES

      WEDNESDAY INTERVIEWS:     OCHOA     SORENSTAM     PRESSEL     CREAMER

- He Didn’t Fly All This Way To Rest:  Last week in Spain, Jose Maria Olazabal returned from a seven-month rheumatism-induced layoff to finish tied for 61st at the Open de Andalucia.  Understandably, the 42-year-old Olazabal downplayed expectations going in, indicating that it was only a test run, and that he surely wasn’t fully recovered yet.  But evidently he considered the test successful, for after announcing on Sunday that "The pain was more bearable today then earlier in the week,"  he was soon on a plane to Texas and entered in this week’s Shell Houston Open.  All of which raises the obvious question: as a two-time champion, and a man who clearly knows the mysterious ins and outs of Augusta intimately, might he be joining the Masters field next week?  When asked that upon leaving Europe, Olazabal was non-commital, saying only “I've got clothes packed for two weeks just in case and we'll see how it goes."  So assuming that he’s able to successfully complete the Houston Open, which is the better bet: Olazabal doesn’t enter the Masters or, say, Lorena Ochoa chooses to withdraw from the Kraft Nabisco?

- Speaking Of Comebacks...:  Another man even further along on the comeback trail is France’s Thomas Levet, whose playoff victory at that same Open de Andalucia would have looked extremely unlikely back in 2006.  At that time, the former European Ryder Cupper and playoff loser at the 2002 Open Championship was battling vertigo and, quite literally, unable to stand up.  But Levet managed to get back into action by May of 2007, even logging top-10 finishes at the late summer Dutch Open and Johnnie Walker Championships, and now, less than a year later, he is once again a winner.  As competitive as it is out there, you’ve got to tip your cap.

- Youth Did The Serving:  And then there is 19-year-old Englishman Oliver Fisher, who helped Levet’s chances greatly by bogeying the 72nd hole in Andalucia, then also bogeying the first playoff hole (as Levet parred) to really give the Frenchman a boost.  Fisher played a full schedule on the 2007 European Tour as an 18-year-old and hardly overwhelmed, logging but a single top 10 (a T9 at the Johnnie Walker Championship) en route to finishing 109th in the Order of Merit.  But at Fisher’s age, the learning curve is a steep one, and thus far in 2008, he’s finished T9 at the New Zealand Open and T11 the following week in Abu Dhabi, in addition to his runner-up in Andalucia – all of which adds up to occupying 32nd position in the Order of Merit and 195th place in the Official World Ranking.  Just another young star to keep an eye on…

- Quotable:  “A good season for me would be several wins, a few majors and just being the best player out here.” - Lorena Ochoa Annika Sorenstam on her 2008 prospects

With Ladbrokes listing Lorena Ochoa at 5-4, one wonders if there will much action anywhere else as this, professional golf's first Major championship of 2008, kicks off on Thursday in Rancho Mirage, California.  Ochoa must be the heavy favorite, of course, but there is no shortage of potentially interesting stories all around her.  Imagine, for example, if Annika Sorenstam were to beat Ochoa head-to-head; now that would certainly put a damper on Ochoa's-as-great-as-Tiger talk...  Or if Korea's Ji-Yai Shin, still little-known in this country, were to introduce herself in a big way...  Or if Suzann Pettersen awakens from her early season slumber, or Paula Creamer grabs her first Major championship...   About the only player not looking at great possibilities this week is Michelle Wie, who is home nursing her re-injured wrist.  That costs the field some glamour of course, but not, at this moment anyway, a realistic contender.

Anyway, the favorites as I see them (odds based on realistic chance of winning, not the betting handle):

Lorena Ochoa (Mexico)  (3-1): Not a lot to say here.  She’s the world’s best player and she’s red-hot.  Ladbrokes is indeed listing her at 5-4, but with only one victory in 24 Major starts, we shouldn’t get carried away here.  Still, she’s a runaway favorite.

Annika Sorenstam (Sweden)  (8-1): Okay, so she’s back…sort of.  One win in four 2008 starts (with a worst finish of T9) suggests that Annika is indeed rolling again – but Ochoa has beaten her by a combined 22 shots in the two events they've both started.

Ji-Yai Shin (Korea)  (13-1): The 19-year-old Korean star recently won her first JLPGA Tour title, and took Karrie Webb to a playoff at the Australian Women’s open back in February.  Finished T15 here a year ago (as well as 6th at the U.S. Women’s Open) so she’s no rookie.

Paula Creamer (USA)  (14-1): The Pink Panther has a win and a 3rd in four LPGA starts in 2008, and was twice among the top 10 in last year’s Majors.  One of these days...

Suzann Pettersen (Norway)  (14-1): Hasn’t played well thus far in 2008, with nothing better than a 15th at the Fields Open to show for four LPGA starts.  There’s no denying the talent, though – and she shouldn’t be lacking for motivation after last year’s heartbreaking loss here.

Karrie Webb (Australia)  (15-1): Another who has been quiet in America thus far in 2008, though she did win the Women’s Australian Open in February.  Her game seems up and down these days, but as a two-time former champion here (2000 & ’06), she’s tough to look past.

Morgan Pressel (USA)  (21-1): The 19-year-old defending champion is another who’s started 2008 slowly, logging a single top-10 last month in Singapore, but then missing last week’s cut at the Safeway.  Still, she’s aggressive, and we know she can win here…

Cristie Kerr (USA)  (30-1): The reigning U.S. Women’s Open champ has logged three top-5 finishes here (2002, ’04 &  ’05) but with only a single top 10 in 2008, she’s not quite on form.

Angela Park (Brazil)  (30-1): The 2007 LPGA Rookie of the Year has started more slowly in ’08, and finished 80th last week in Arizona.  Was twice among the top 5 in 2007 Major championships, including a tie for 2nd at the U.S. Women’s Open.  Would rate higher save for this season’s slow start.

Juli Inkster (USA)  (32-1): At age 47, and without a win since early 2006, Hall-of-Famer Inkster would appear to be on the downside – but a closing 65 at last week’s Safeway International might be hinting at better things?

Jee Young Lee (Korea)  (32-1): Twenty-three-year-old Korean was struggling in 2008 prior to last week’s T2 in Arizona.  Has logged top-10 finishes in four of the last six Majors, however, including a T2 at last August’s Women’s British Open.

Catriona Matthew (Scotland)  (35-1): Veteran Scottish player has 11 career top 10s in Major championship, and seems focused on them of late; she finished 28th in LPGA winnings in 2007, with five top 10s, three of them being in Majors – including a tie for 2nd here.

Jeong Jang (Korea)  (36-1): A very consistent money earner (finishing among the LPGA's top 10 for the last three seasons) but to date more of a show horse than a winner.  Did claim the 2005 Women’s British Open, however, she’s been up the mountain.

Christina Kim (USA)  (36-1): Perhaps a bit overlooked – if that’s possible given her outgoing nature – following two winless seasons, but the colorful Kim has finished in the top 10 in her last three starts, with six of 11 rounds in the 60s.  Looks to be rounding into form.

Angela Stanford (USA)  (37-1): Steadily improving 30-year-old with two top 10s since late February, including a T4 last week when she opened with a career-best 62.  Tied for 10th here a year ago.  Can she stay hot?

The women dominate the agenda this week with the playing of their first Major championship, the Kraft Nabisco in Palm Springs.  With The Masters scheduled for next week, the men's tours offer a full slate of events, but only the Shell Houston Open features a substantial field.  Definitely a week for the ladies...

PGA Tour:  Shell Houston Open

Site: Redstone Golf Club (Tournament course)  -  Humble, TX
Yards: 7,457     Par: 72
Defending: Adam Scott 271  (beat Stuart Appleby & Bubba Watson by 3)
Field:   World Top 25: Phil Mickelson (2), Steve Stricker (4), Adam Scott (5), K.J. Choi (7), Geoff Ogilvy (11), Padraig Harrington (12), Angel Cabrera (17), Aaron Baddeley (18), Trevor Immelman (25)   Other Notables: Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Justin Leonard, Davis Love III, Jose Maria Olazabal.

Notes: The Houston Open dates to 1922, tying it with the Texas Open as the third oldest non-Major championship on the PGA Tour, trailing only the Western Open (1899) and the Canadian Open (1904)………This is the sixth playing at the Redstone Golf Club, following a three-decade stint at the TPC at the Woodlands………Jimmy Demaret and Jack Burke Jr’s Champions Club hosted it five times between 1966-71………This is its second year being played immediately before The Masters………Though many of the game’s all-time greats eschewed playing the week before Majors (e.g. Nicklaus, Watson and now Tiger Woods), Houston boasts a fairly strong field with 10 top-25s and three of the top five………Since 1999, Hal Sutton (2001) and Fred Couples (2003) have been the only American winners………Much has been made of the course being groomed in a manner similar to Augusta (a smart P.R. move) but any suggestion that this helps to meaningfully prepare players is silly; Redstone is built on pancake-flat terrain and, though in spots watery, bears little strategic resemblance to what remains of Augusta National.........World number three Ernie Els was initially entered but withdrew on Tuesday due to illness.

                        ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

European PGA Tour:  Estoril Open de Portugal

Site: Oitavos Dunes  -  Estoril, Portugal
Yards: 6,894     Par: 71
Defending: Pablo Martin 277  (beat Raphael Jacquelin by 1)
Field:   World Top 25: None   Other Notables: Darren Clarke, Stephen Dodd, David Howell, Charl Schwartzel, Thomas Bjorn.

Notes: By any other name, the Portuguese Open………The event dates from 1953, when Scotland’s Eric Brown won the inaugural at the Estoril Country Club, which hosted the first 18 playings………No native has ever won the title, and little-known Hal Underwood (1975) is the only American winner………Last year’s event was historic as the winner, then-20-year-old Pablo Martin, was the first amateur ever to win an official E Tour event………The former Oklahoma State Cowboy will defend his title as a professional………This is the event’s second visit to Oitavos Dunes, a 2001 Arthur Hills design which, constructed over some semi-links-like terrain, little resembles much of Hills’ more modernized American work.

                        ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

Asian Tour:  Philippine Open

Site: Wack Wack Golf Club (East course)  -  Mandaluyong City, Phillipines
Yards: 7,053    Par: 72
Defending: Frankie Minoza 278  (beat Gerald Rosales by 2)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Frankie Minoza, Thaworn Wiratchant.

Notes: As in South Africa, with virtually all foreign players eligible for The Masters already in America, this will be a particularly lean field………Event dates to 1962 but has only been won seven times by natives, including twice (1998 & 2007) by defending champion Frankie Minoza, the finest international competitor ever produced by the Philippines………Of primary interest to Western fans may be the site, for the incomparably named Wack Wack Golf Club dates to the 1930s and has long been viewed as the nation’s best………Long-memoried Americans may recall it as the site of a 1963 Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf match between Dave Ragan and then Philippine Open champion Celestino Tugot.

                        ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

Sunshine Tour:  Vodacom Origins of Golf Free State

Site: Bloemfontein Golf Club  -  Bloemfontein, South Africa
Metres: 6,344     Par: 72
Defending: Ulrich van den Berg 202  (defeated B. Vaughan by 3)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Desvonde Botes, Darren Fichardt, Hennie Otto, Des Terblanche.

Notes: Another lean-field South African event, though in addition to domestic veterans Botes and Terblanche, Darren Fichardt and Hennie Otto – European Tour regulars – are scheduled to compete………This is the first leg of Vodacom’s annual “tour within a tour,” a six-event pro-am series during the Sunshine Tour’s much quieter winter season………Readers viewing the course aerial can also see the adjoining Schoeman Park Golf Club immediately to the west, site of the old Schoeman Park Open and other more modern Sunshine Tour events.

                        ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

LPGA Tour:  Kraft Nabisco Championship

Site: Mission Hills Country Club (Dinah Shore course)  -  Rancho Mirage, CA
Yards: 6,673     Par: 72
Defending: Morgan Pressel 285  (beat Brittany Lincicome, Catriona Matthew & Suzann Pettersen by 1)
Field:   Ranked: The entire Rolex top 20 ++

Notes: This will be the 37th playing of the LPGA’s annual first Major championship of the season, though the then-Dinah Shore did not have Major status for its first 11 playings (172-82)………All 37 editions have been contested over Mission Hills’ Dinah Shore course, a 1970 Desmond Muirhead design which was for many years known as the Old course………Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa enters as a Tiger Woods-like favorite, having won twice (by a combined 18 shots!) in three 2008 starts………The field is predictably elite, the only big name missing being Michelle Wie, thrice a top-10 finisher here during her young career but presently nursing her re-injured wrist………Last year, 18-year-old Morgan Pressel claimed the first victory of her much-anticipated professional career, charging home with a 69 to edge Brittany Lincicome, Catriona Matthew and a faltering Suzann Pettersen by one………Winner traditionally dives into the moat that surrounds the island 18th green, a tradition started by colorful Amy Alcott in 1988.

                        ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

Champions Tour:  Cap Cana Championship

Site: Punta Espada Golf Club  -  Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
Yards: 7,260     Par: 72    
Defending: Inaugural Event
Field:   Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup to 20 except Loren Roberts (7)    Other Notables: Andy Bean, Hale Irwin, Sandy Lyle, Graham Marsh, Larry Nelson, Nick Price, Ian Woosnam and Fuzzy Zoeller.

Notes: The Champions make their debut in the Dominican Republic at the Punta Espada Golf Club, a spectacular seaside course designed by Jack Nicklaus at the island’s eastern tip………Coming off an eight-stroke victory at the Ginn Championship in Florida, Bernhard Langer is an obvious favorite here.

                        ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL

Elsewhere…
The Nationwide Tour visits northern California for the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship, while the Tour de Las Americas and the European Challenge Tour co-sponsor another South American event, the Argentine Open.  On the women’s side, the JLPGA returns to action with a brand-new event, the Yamaha Open, while in Europe, those LET players not invited to the Kraft Nabisco will journey to Alicante, Spain for the VCI European Ladies Cup, a team event featuring pairings from 20 European nations.

With most of the male elite taking the week off, we watched a South American star-in-the making win on the PGA Tour, the return of an established star in Europe, the arrival of a 19-year-old domestic star in Africa, and a semi-runaway of a Hall-of-Famer on the Champions Tour.  Oh yes, Lorena Ochoa also won again.  Ho hum.

PGA Tour:  Zurich Classic of New Orleans – Avondale, LA

Argentina’s 26-year-old Andres Romero greeted the international golfing world at last year’s Open Championship, where only a meltdown at the 71st cost him a chance at pulling one of the bigger upsets in recent memory.  On Sunday, he said a more formal hello to the PGA Tour, where in only his 12th U.S. start, he captured the Zurich Classic by a single stroke over Australia’s Peter Lonard, with a 13-under-par total of 275.  Romero began the rain-interrupted week slowly with a Thursday 73, but made up massive ground with a third-round 65 that wasn’t completed until early Sunday morning.  He then posted a closing 68 that included back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th, then what would ultimately prove the clincher, a kick-in three at the par-4 16th.  Because the weather delay necessitated retaining third-round pairings for the finale, Romero finished more than two hours ahead of the last groups, mandating a long wait as his final pursuers, Lonard and Woody Austin, fell by the wayside.  Lonard stood 13 under through 16 before bogeying the par-3 17th and making a disappointing par five at the last, while Austin arrived at the 18th needing a birdie to tie, then proceeded to meltdown with an ugly double-bogey seven.  Aside from gaining U.S. playing privileges through 2010, Romero moves from 40th to 21st in the Official World Ranking, and from 119th to 12th in PGA Tour earnings – and we have surely not heard the last of him.

                       FINAL RESULTS          MONEY LIST          PGA TOUR STATS

                 INTERVIEWS:     ROMERO (1)     ROMERO (2)     LONARD     AUSTIN
 
 
European PGA Tour:  MAPFRE Open de Andalucia – Andalucia, Spain

It wasn’t so very long ago that France’s Thomas Levet was part of a four-man playoff for the 2002 Open Championship (won by Ernie Els) and finishing 5th in the 2004 E Tour Order of Merit.  But two years after a 2006 bout with vertigo, when, in Levet’s words “just to be standing up was a victory,” the affable Frenchman completed an inspiring comeback on Sunday by defeating England’s 19-year-old Oliver Fisher in sudden death at the Open de Andalucia.  Both Levet and Fisher began the final round one back of third-round leader Lee Westwood, but Westwood, despite birdieing four of the first six holes, later stumbled, while Levet and Fisher charged home with 67s.  Though Levet boldly birdied the 14th, 16th and 17th, the title lay well within Fisher’s grasp until he drove into a pond at the 72nd, the ensuing bogey leaving the pair deadlocked on 16-under-par 272.  Fisher then missed the green to bogey the first playoff hole, leaving Levet standing with his fourth career E Tour title.  Westwood, the defending champion, came home in 71 to finish a somewhat disappointing 3rd.  The victory lifts Levet from 270th to 130th in the world ranking, though its importance to his career surely cannot be measured in numbers alone.

                      FINAL RESULTS          ORDER OF MERIT          E TOUR STATS
 
 
Sunshine Tour:  Chainama Hills Zambia Open – Lusaka, Zambia

In only his eighth Sunshine Tour start, 19-year-old Tyrone Ferreira closed with a windblown 75 to claim the maiden victory of his professional career at the Zambia Open.  Starting the day two strokes ahead of first-round leader Johan Etsebeth, Ferreira fought his way through three early bogeys, but in the end, the difficult conditions limited the ability of any potential challengers to mount a serious charge.  Ferreira’s total of eight-under-par 280 defeated Charl Coetzee and Divan van den Heever by two, but given the weakness of the field, he still has not accumulated enough points to break into the world ranking.

                      FINAL RESULTS          ORDER OF MERIT          SUNSHINE STATS
 
 
LPGA Tour:  Safeway International – Superstition Mountain, AZ

This is fast becoming monotonous.  Lorena Ocha began her week as the Safeway International impressively, firing a seven-under-par 65 on Thursday – and, amazingly, found herself three shots behind the dazzling 62 posted by Angela Stanford.  A second 67 on Friday marched Ochoa closer, but Stanford’s 69 was good enough to hold a one-shot lead.  Grinding inexorably onward, Ochoa added a Saturday 68 to nose into the lead, then turned on the afterburners with a sterling Sunday 66 to win going away, the final margin being seven.  That Jee Young Lee and Minea Blomqvist took 2nd and 3rd respectively seems of little relevance (except, perhaps, to their bankers); that former-world-number-one-now-bent-on-a-comback Annika Sorenstam could do no better than a tie for 9th, on the other hand, does carry some weight in the bigger picture.  Though an inexplicable flop in her homeland two weeks ago, Ochoa has now won two of three 2008 starts by a combined margin of 18 shots.  Any thoughts on an early favorite for next week’s Kraft Nabisco Championship?

                          FINAL RESULTS          MONEY LIST          LPGA STATS

                                            INTERVIEW:     OCHOA

 
 Champions Tour:  Ginn Championship Hammock Beach Resort – Palm Coast, FL

As few players have been more competitive in their late 40s on the PGA Tour (e.g. a playoff loss at Colonial at age 49), it stands to reason that Bernhard Langer would find fast success on the Champions Tour.  A single win in five late 2007 starts suggested that there would indeed be no senior let-down and now, with two victories in six ’08 tries, Langer seems poised to emerge as perhaps the dominant player in seniordom.  His victory at the Ginn Championship was in stark contrast to Langer’s marathon playoff win three weeks ago at California’s Toshiba Classic; he began the day two ahead of Lonnie Nielsen but under windy conditions, an outgoing 35 set him six clear of the field, and a birdie at the 10th extended the lead to seven.  There wasn’t too much to discuss thereafter.  The victory places Langer  nearly $300,000 ahead of 2nd-place Scott Hoch on the 2008 money list and, perhaps more importantly, may well serve as a springboard to the sort of Champions dominance which, fair or otherwise, so many observers are expecting.

                        FINAL RESULTS          MONEY LIST          CHAMPIONS STATS

                                              INTERVIEWS:     LANGER

 
Elsewhere...
 
Australian Gavin Coles closed with a one-under-par 70 for a 272 total, good enough for as one shot victory over Kyle Thompson at the Nationwide Tour’s Chitimacha Louisiana Open.  The win is Coles’ fourth Nationwide triumph.……….In an event co-sponsored by the Tour de las Americas and the European Challenge Tour, nineteen-year-old Argentinian Estanislao Goya won the Abierto del Centro in Cordoba, his Sunday 66 tying him at 272 with England’s Gary Boyd before Goya won on the first hole of sudden death….…….Australia’s Stewart Ginn, a former winner on the Champions Tour, claimed his first European Senior title by carding a closing 68 to beat England’s Nick Job by two at the inaugural Azores Senior Open……….Twenty-seven-year-old Li Chao shot a closing 66 to win his eighth OMEGA China Tour title at the Dell Championship, his 274 total defeating the venerable Lian-Wei Zhang by three.

- Rebounding…With A Vengeance:  Yes, my exact words were “Considering that Westwood continues in good form (not to mention that he’s won 18 E Tour events, compared to three by the other seven men combined), you’d have to like his chances this week.”  That prediction wasn’t looking too swift after Lee Westwood’s Friday 73 at the Open de Andalucia, but the defending champion bailed me out nicely on Saturday, hurling himself right back into the fray by birdieing the first five holes (!) en route to a six-under-par 66 and a one-stroke 54-hole lead.  The remainder of the top 10 breaks down neatly along national lines, with Westwood being immediately trailed by two fellow Englishmen (Oliver Fisher and David Lynn) as well as Frenchman-living-in-England Thomas Levet.  The next five spots are occupied by the Swedish contingent (second round leader Peter Hedblom, Pelle Edberg, Michael Jonzon, Alexander Noren and Patrick Sjoland), while the 10th spot belongs to Australian Matthew Millar (who is at least beginning to sound familiar).  The world’s top-ranked amateur, England’s Danny Willetts, who opened with a dazzling Thursday 66, pretty well held his ground (T28) with an even-par 72 for 213, while 18-year-old professional Rory McIlroy stands one better, on 212.

- Beyond Hope:  Running a PGA Tour event is not the simplest of jobs, and it’s a fairly good bet that those inclined to criticize have little concept of the sheer amount of planning, procuring, trouble-shooting and good old-fashioned legwork involved in bringing a multi-million dollar tournament to fruition.  But having offered up that fundamental caveat, one seriously has to wonder if there is much of a future for Palm Springs’ long-running Bob Hope Desert/Chrysler Classic.  The committee which steers the Hope is occasionally criticized for being, shall we say, a bit behind the times, and their largely unexplained decision to axe two-year tournament host George Lopez (which gave them at least some entrée into the much-coveted younger demographic) might appear to back such assertions up.  Arnold Palmer will come aboard for a one-off hosting of next year’s 50th anniversary edition, but aside from giving the committee a nostalgia rush (and perhaps generating a bit more business for Palmer’s La Quinta restaurant), it’s hard to see how terminating the popular and committed Lopez in favor of this one-time visit from Palmer advances the cause.  And then there is the issue of the host golf course.  Several years back, the committee opted to build their own, a potentially foresighted move in that it figured to remove issues of site fees, capricious club memberships, year-round accessibility, etc. from an already complicated managerial equation.  Unfortunately, the resulting Classic Club failed on two important counts.  First, it is a generic, overbuilt golf course – a track which gets neither players nor fans particularly interested.  And second, it is situated on the north side of the Interstate 10 which, as any trucker heading for Arizona can testify, is one of the American Southwest’s great wind tunnels.  How windy?  Tom Doak once wrote of the nearby Desert Dunes Golf Club that the wind “blew the door off the superintendent’s pickup truck one day while he was shutting off the irrigation.”  The Classic Club isn’t quite that bad, but you get the idea.  Combine all this with a five-day pro-am format that most of the pros dislike, and what are we left with?  But it’s the George Lopez thing that really makes you wonder.  I mean, if Lopez, a legitimate star, a loyal Southern California native and a dedicated golfer, wasn’t good enough for the committee, who will be?  Pat Boone?

Saturday's Round of the Day

Four years ago, former amateur superstar Grace Park won the Kraft Nabisco, finished 2nd in LPGA earnings, and looked every bit an elite player for years to come.  Back and neck injuries slowed her progress dramatically, however, her game slipping to the point where she'd only made one cut (a T50 at the Women's British Open) since last June.  But on Saturday, following opening rounds of 73-71, Park re-entered the spotlight by racking up seven birdies en route to shooting a flawless seven-under-par 65.  Still trailing by nine, she's not going to win this weekend...but perhaps with a strong finish, this might just be the start of something.

- An Uphill Battle:  Many years ago, I met a New England golf pro who’d spent the better part of one season playing the PGA Tour.  Being rather less knowledgeable about such things in those days, I asked what made him give up the competitive life for a club job, and he obligingly explained.  It seems that in some long-forgotten mini-tour event, he’d played the two best competitive rounds of his life – something like 66-65 – and led five players by a single shot.  Right then, he stated emphatically, he knew that his future did not lie on the PGA Tour.  I relate this story because it came immediately to mind last night when I checked the leaderboard at the LPGA’s Safeway International and found that Angela Stanford had followed her stunning Thursday 62 with a 69, for an impressive 131 halfway total.  Now Stanford, who won the 2003 ShopRite Classic (and obviously brings her best golf when supermarkets are involved) has certainly enjoyed a vastly better playing career than my old New England friend, but I wonder: how must it feel to shoot a career round, stand 13 under par through 36 holes...and only lead Lorena Ochoa by a single shot?

- Quotable:  “If a lad of 21 finishes second in his very first outing, he can play like a twit for the rest of his life and when he's 60 he'll have a pension fund worth $28 million” – Sandy Lyle on the advantages of playing in America.

- Reversal of Fortune:  A careful re-read shows that with the exception of Lee Westwood, I did not predict great things for Thursday’s “interesting” leaderboard at the E Tour’s Open de Andalucia, I merely noted its eclectic mix of players.  I offer this defense because glancing at the Friday night board, I notice that virtually every one of those “interesting” players crashed and burned today – well, all except Oz’s Matthew Millar (who I still haven’t heard of) who shot 69 and is tied for the lead.  Not one of the other eight even broke 70, least of all Westwood, whose 73 dropped him to a tie for 6th.  Amateur Danny Willett stumbled to a 75 (though we might be inclined to forgive him as it’s his first time competing at this level) while 18-year-old Rory McIlroy added a 73.  I think I’ll refrain from making any predictions for the weekend as well...

- A Not-So-Brave New World:  For the countless fans who have been searching vainly for results from the Chainama/Chinama Hills Zambia Open, I must break the bad news that the technology necessary to produce a live scoring feed apparently hasn’t reached Zambia just yet.  This also means that the Sunshine Tour website is unable to produce their usual hole-by-hole results and statistics package, something I can live without for at least this week because our friend PowerHouse McIntire – whose trademark mix of birdies, eagles, triples and quads generally produce a hugely colorful line score – is not in the field.  Besides, a week without viewing it all with the click of a mouse serves as a nice reminder to those not-so-long ago days when daily results for the Zambia Open would be impossible to find in America, and might appear in the Times of London under a cryptic, microscopic listing like: “AFRICA – Etsebeth 65, Charamba, Cairns, Hugo, Odah 66.”

- And...:  Not to beat a dead horse, but this Chainama/Chinama thing is really becoming quite amusing.  As I write this, with one round complete, the Sunshine Tour website’s daily scoreboard has a masthead shouting out “Chinama Hills 2008 Zambia Open” and, immediately beneath it, a subheading reading “Chinama Hills GC.”  And lest one think that there might be some convoluted logic to this that I’m missing, check out the site’s front page, where it appears both ways in various sections, within inches of one another.  I’m happy, though; I went with "Chainama" in the Week Ahead preview, which seems to be winning the competition roughly two to one.

Friday's Round of the Day

Johan Etsebeth's opening 65 in Zambia.  I don't know anything about it (see above) but I figure it deserves some sort of mention outside the confines of Zambia.

- Tiger May Have A Temper, But…:  …He’s entirely correct when it comes to photographers taking pictures during his swing.  Granted, he’d probably serve himself (not to mention the PGA Tour) better if he didn’t audibly threaten the offending parties with bodily harm, but the guidelines are clear for working press, and snapping pictures prior to a player reaching the point of impact is strictly verboten.  The photographers all know this, yet the problem (occasionally) persists.  Itchy trigger fingers?  No good.  If a player isn’t good enough at doing his job, he loses his playing privileges – so it’s entirely reasonable to hold photographers to a comparable standard.  The players, after all, are competing under the highest levels of pressure, for massive amounts of money.  Their task is difficult enough without having it complicated by anyone too arrogant or incompetent to avoid getting in the way.

- It Takes All Kinds:  It is certainly an interesting leaderboard after one round of the E Tour’s Open de Andalucia, where the name at the top – world number 20 Lee Westwood – is familiar enough, but then things become a bit more...eclectic.  Two of the next three are players who I’ve actually never heard of: Norway’s Jan-Are Larsen (ranked 487th in the world) and Australia’s Matthew Millar (ranked an eerily similar 488th), while in between them lies the world’s number one-ranked amateur (according to the R&A), 20-year-old Danny Willett of England.  In joint 5th place we find 5’2” Emanuele Canonica of Italy (pound for pound, likely the longest hitter in the history of the game) plus three solid journeyman, Christian Cevaer of France, Maarten Lafeber of the Netherlands and Damien McGrane of Ireland.  And just for good measure, also part of that 5th-place logjam is Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland’s 18-year-old phenom and the only player in the field younger than Willetts.  Considering that Westwood continues in good form (not to mention that he’s won 18 E Tour events, compared to three by the other seven men combined), you’d have to like his chances this week...but it’s still very early.

- A Language Problem?:  As alluded to in Tuesday’s Week Ahead preview, there seems a bit of confusion regarding the name of the host club for this week’s Zambian Open – sort of embarrassing given that the club is actually a title sponsor.  I went with “Chainama Hills Zambia Open,” and I’m pretty certain that’s right – but even as we speak, both “Chainama” and “Chinama” appear on the front page of the Sunshine Tour’s website.  Geez, you’d think that if they can correctly spell names like Ignatius Mketekete and Lindani Ndwandhe on a regular basis, Chainama (Chinama?) would be a snap.

- Quotable: ""The greatest God-given talent in history. If everyone in the world was playing their best, Sandy would win and I'd come second." - Seve Ballesteros on Sandy Lyle.

- Mr. Gone:  I keep rooting for David Duval, keep tracking his performances, keep hoping that he will somehow re-engage the game with the sort of focus necessary to mount a return to the realm of relevance...but it’s getting tougher to keep the faith.  The puzzling thing is that I don’t believe his struggles are rooted in anything physical.  I back this statement up by noting that I followed him for nine holes at Riviera in 2006 (when he was much closer to his nadir than he is today) and was still highly impressed with his ball-striking.  Indeed, watching him crush a 3 iron through the back of the fourth green – that’s nearly 250 yards, into a steady afternoon breeze, with Ernie Els having barely reached the front edge with a 3 iron of his own – left my mouth agape.  I can only conclude, then, that Duval is simply too happy at home with his wife and kids (and perhaps his snowboard) to ratchet up his mental game to the standard necessary to seriously compete out there – and while it may go against the grain of our modern societal ethic, if that’s truly the case, then god bless him.  But if you saw that 3 iron at Riviera, you’d still be checking his scores daily, half-expecting a re-awakening too.  The talent, I am certain, still resides there.

Thursday’s Co-Rounds of the Day

Duval’s opening 77 at New Orleans would make for a nice segue here, but more impressive must be the six-under-par 66 carded in Spain by 20-year-old amateur Danny Willetts.  Playing for the first time on the E Tour, Willetts carded four birdies, two eagles and two bogeys during his stroll around the Aloha Golf Club, and it will be interesting indeed to see what he can do for an encore.  Equally impressive (at least) was the 10-under-par, bogey-free 62 turned in by Angela Stanford at the Safeway International in Arizona, a sensational round which saw Stanford go out in 30, then birdie four of her final six coming home.  All that and she only leads Lorena Ochoa by three...