Tiger Woods and wife Elin announced that they are expecting their first child, according to Mark Soltau at GolfDigest.com. It will be the first child for Woods, 30, and the former Elin Nordegren, who turns 27 on Jan. 1. The couple were engaged in Nov. 2003 and married on Oct. 4, 2004.

FedExCup or no, Tiger Woods has announced he will be skipping the PGA Tour’s opening tournament in 2007, as he will not play in the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Woods, who also skipped the Tour Championship, said he didn’t feel he had time to get his game into top shape after vacationing with his family … Arnold Palmer and Muhammad Ali have been named as honorary captains for the FedEx Orange Bowl on Jan. 2 in Miami, Fla., Orange Bowl officials announced. Palmer will serve as captain for Wake Forest, while Ali will serve as honorary captain for Louisville. … Host Dave Berner talked ...

The PGA Tour released yesterday a warm tribute to U.S. President and golfer Gerald Ford, who died Tuesday at 93 years old. Ford developed into something of an ambassador to the game of golf … “In addition to all his well-documented public accomplishments, President Ford made tremendous contributions to the game of golf,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in the statement. “His support included participation in many of our pro-ams and, in so doing, helped to generate awareness and significant dollars for our tournament charities.” In its annual “The Leap” column, a prediction of which golfers will jump to the next ...

Michelle Wie is aiming to give South Korea a boost in its bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Wie, whose parents are Korean, will be an honorary ambassador for the country’s bid to host the Games at the Pyeongchang ski resort. South Korea, which lost an earlier race to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, is competing against Salzburg, Austria, and Sochi, Russia.

LPGA Tour star Natalie Gulbis will be able to add parade grand marshal to her resume in a couple days. Gulbis, who had seven top-10 finishes this season, has been chosen as the grand marshal of the 36th Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade, held Dec. 30 in Phoenix. USA Today has named the parade one of the top six in the country … Three years – that’s the amount of time Ernie Els has given himself to get his game back on track and take on Tiger Woods. Els, who won the South African Open earlier this month, says he plans ...

U.S. President Gerald Ford died today at the age of 93. Aside from becoming President during a tumultuous time in U.S. history, Ford’s was both an ambassador for the nation, as well as for the game of golf. “Ford was a fantastic athlete who starred on the University of Michigan football team and was a 12-handicap on the golf course,” wrote William K. Wolfrum in January when Ford suffered a bout with pneumonia. Ford’s sense of humor about his golf game - which included hitting a spectator in the head once - was legendary and part of his charm. “I know I’m ...

Putting another feather in his cap after a brilliant 2006 campaign, Tiger Woods was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. Woods outdistanced San Diego Charger running back Ladanian Tomlinson for the honor … Despite taking time off following the death of his father, Woods was pure focus on the golf course, winning eight times, including six in a row, as well as two more majors … Meanwhile, Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa received the AP Female Athlete of the Year award. Ochoa, who won six times last year, received 220 points in voting from sports editors across the nation. This ...

English golfer David Howell recently announced he will play fewer events next season because of a hurt back. This means fewer appearances in Europe, something the European Tour can’t be too happy about. Howell got off to an impressive start in 2006, winning in Shanghai and then coming out on top at the BMW Championship in May, before his back became a problem … Nick Price has said he will play in the first three Champions Tour events of 2007. The 49-year-old World Golf Hall of Fame member will play in The ACE Group Classic at Quail West Golf & Country ...

Making good on one of her promises, 17-year-old Michelle Wie has been accepted to Stanford and said she would enroll in the Fall. “No one really believed me,” Wie told the Associated Press. “Now that I got into Stanford … it was one of my dreams, and I want to go through with it. I definitely want to go there and really try to graduate.” Tiger Woods was voted player of the year for a record eighth time by the Golf Writers Association of America. Lorena Ochoa was selected as the best female player, while Jay Haas was tabbed as the best ...

Tiger Woods went into the final round of the Target World Challenge yesterday one stroke behind U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, but the world’s No. 1 golfer shot a 6-under-par 66 to defeat Ogilvy by four shots in the end. The win tops off a tremendous year for Woods, who won eight PGA Tour events and two majors … Ernie Els surged to a three stoke win at the South African Open yesterday, shooting a final round 7-under 65. He beat Trevor Immelman, who started the round three strokes ahead. The win is Els’ first of the year … Michelle Wie recently ...

Geoff Ogilvy shot a 67 to take a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Target World Championship. The U.S. Open champ has a one-shot lead over second-round leader Tiger Woods, after the shot a 70, along with Chris DiMarco (68). … On the European Tour, Tim Immelman shot a course-record 63 to take the lead heading into the final round of the South African Open. Immelman has a three-shot lead over Ernie Els, with second-round leader Patrik Sjoland sitting in third place. … Team Asia was able to hold off Team International for a 12.5 to 11.5 victory at ...

Tiger Woods has a one-shot lead after shooting his second consecutive round of 68 at the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Woods, the host of the event, used two long birdie putts to hold the lead over first-rund leader Henrik Stenson. U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy and Chris DiMarco were tied for third. … Sweden’s Patrik Sjoland of Sweden shot a course-record 8-under-par 64, to hold a one-shot lead at the halfway point of the South African Open. Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman started the weekend tied for second, while Retief Goosen, still smarting from ...

Henrik Stenson jumped out to an early lead at the Target World Challenge yesterday, shooting a 6-under-par 66. Tiger Woods and U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy shot a 68, followed by John Daly with a 69 … Ernie Els is in a four-way tie for the lead at the South African Open, shooting a 5-under 67 yesterday. He is joined by Carl Suneson, Trevor Immelman and Andrew Raitt … Ireland’s Killeen Castle, a Jack Nicklaus design, will host the 2001 Solheim Cup, an event featuring 12-player teams of women golfers from the U.S. and Europe. Yesterday’s announcement comes only a few months ...

World No. 1 Tiger Woods hosts the Target World Challenge this week. The 16-player field at the event, the final tournament of the year in the U.S., primarily comprises players from outside the U.S., showing the strength of international golf … Authorities in Scottsdale, Arizona, took approximately 6,000 stolen golf clubs from a home in Phoenix yesterday, suspecting the residents were selling them on eBay. The clubs, most of them brand name, were reportedly worth around $600,000 … While it isn’t the best ever, Tiger Woods’ 2006 season is one of the most impressive in the history of golf, columnist Jason Sobel ...

Tiger Woods won his eighth PGA Tour player of the year award yesterday. Woods, who took a two-month break from the tour this season to mourn the death of his father, won eight events. No other player has won the PGA Tour player of the year award, created in 1990 and also known as the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, more than twice … In other Tiger Woods news, the golfer reportedly signed a third multi-year endorsement deal with Nike. Neither side has released details of the deal, news of which ESPN first reported. Woods’ original Nike contract in 1996 was reportedly worth ...

The United States Open at Winged Foot was the best golf tournament of 2006, according to Inside Golf’s Gary Van Sickle. It had all the elements of great drama, including a past champion returning to competition after a layoff only to fumble (Tiger Woods) and the PGA Tour man of the moment self destructing on route to what could have been a third straight major victory (Phil Mickelson). The British Open at Royal Liverpool ranked second, followed by the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills … The Travelers Championship, a PGA Tour stop in Connecticut, is looking to attract some big ...

Germany took home its first World Cup since 1990 yesterday, with the team of Bernhard Langer and Marcel Siem coming back from five shots behind to win the event for their country. The pair shot a 5-under 66 to force Scotland into a playoff, which the Germans won on the first hole … Alvaro Quiros won the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa yesterday, firing a final round 5-under 67 for his first win on the European Tour. He defeated Charl Schwartzel by one stroke … Aussie Nick O’Hern defeated Peter Lonard in a sudden-death playoff to win the Australian PGA Championship ...

Teammates Stewart Cink and J.J. Henry rallied to get back into contention at the World Cup in Barbados yesterday, finishing with a 5-under-par 66 to get within two shots of the three leaders, Argentina, South Africa and Sweden. Germany and Wales, which won the event last year, are one shot behind … Peter Lonard sits atop the field after the second round of the Australian PGA Championship, shooting a 7-under 65 today for a one-stroke lead. Nathan Green, Rod Pampling, Wade Ormsby and Paul Gow are tied for second … Five players share the lead after one round of play at the ...

Organizers of the 2007 FBR Open, played next year at the TPC of Scottsdale, granted John Daly the first of five sponsor’s exemptions yesterday. Daly, a five-time tour winner, ranked 193rd on the PGA Tour money list this year … The PGA Grand Slam of Golf, held this year at Hawaii’s Poipu Bay Golf Course and Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, is moving to Bermuda next year. The Mid Ocean Club will host the event, which features the winners of the year’s four major events in a 36-hole showdown, in mid-October … James Nitties leads the field at the Australian PGA ...

Luke Donald will partner with David Howell this week at the World Cup in Barbados, the last event of the World Golf Championships season. Donald has an exceptional record in team golf, going 5-1-1 in his two Ryder Cup appearances. He has also had success with Howell, the pair finishing tied for second at last year’s World Cup … Ken Venturi, a former U.S. Open champion, is currently recovering from heart surgery. Venturi, 76, underwent surgery on Friday after complaining of chest pains a day earlier. He is expected to have a full recovery … Ron Sirak, executive editor of Golf World, ...

George McNeil ran away with the victory at the PGA Tour qualifying tournament, joining 39 other players who earned their PGA Tour cards for next year. On a day full of drama at PGA West’s Stadium Course in La Quinta, Calif., Rich Barcelo, Alex Cejka, Paul Stankowski, Glen Day, Paul Gow and Michael Bradley were some of the players who made it through the stressful, six-round Q-School to earn a right to play on Tour next season. The top 30 and ties earned cards, with 12 players tied for 29th at 8-under … Seve Ballesteros is planning to return to competitive golf ...

The Santa Ana winds continue to fuel the Shekell Fire in Southern California on Monday, as hundreds of homes were in danger in the Los Angeles suburb of Moorpark, according to the Associated Press. Blogger and WorldGolf.com contributor Kristen Williams has reported on her blog - The Golfchick - that Moorpark Country Club appears to have avoided any major damage at the present time. Nearby Rustic Canyon Golf Course is currently closed due to the fire with no reports of damage. For more information on the blaze, check out Williams’ blog, which she has been updating with golf course and area ...

Former club pro George McNeill has a two-stroke lead at the final of the PGA Tour Q-School. In a bogey-free round, McNeill shot a 5-under 67 at the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West in California yesterday. Meanwhile, Lee Janzen, a two-time U.S. Open champion, is tied for 97th place … Jim Furyk shot a 2-over-par 74 yesterday to win the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City, South Africa. Henrik Stenson finished two strokes back for second place, followed by Padraig Harrington in third … Tiger Woods said yesterday he will build his first golf course in Dubai. Woods, who recently announced ...

After the second round of play at the PGA Tour Q-School, Rich Barcelo sits atop the field. Barcelo shot an 8-under 64 yesterday for a three-stroke lead over Paul Gow of Australia. Lee Janzen, a two-time U.S. Open champion, is tied for 44th place … Henrik Stenson has a one-stroke lead over Jim Furyk at the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City, South Africa. He went 5-under-par for a 68 yesterday. Padraig Harrington and David Howell are tied for third place … Michelle Wie made the stunning announcement this week that she plans to play in an LPGA Tour event at the beginning ...