Scott Verplank realized his dream yesterday of winning the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, which was absent its namesake this year following Nelson’s passing in September. Verplank, who got to know Nelson as a teenager growing up in Dallas, shot a final-round 4-under-par 66 to defeat Luke Donald by a stroke. It is his fifth PGA Tour victory … “There’s no question in my mind that the stars lined up, and I got a little help from upstairs,” Verplank said. “I just haven’t been playing that good. I think Byron had a hand in this week.” Silvia Cavalleri became the first Italian to ...

After a slow start in a tournament near her hometown of Guadalajara, Lorena Ochoa bounced back in a big way, shooting a 9-under 64 to work herself into a tie for the lead with Julieta Granada and Silvia Cavalleri for the third-round lead at the Corona Morelia Championship. The tournament is the first for the 25-year-old Ochoa since she vaulted to the No. 1 position in the Rolex Rankings of the world’s best female golfers, a move that earned Ochoa a call of congratulations from Mexican President Felipe Calderon. … Luke Donald held off a charge by Scott Verplank to ...

Angela Park, Yu Ping Lin, and Silvia Cavalleri have the lead after the second round of the Corona Morelia Championship in Morelia, Mexico. In her first tournament as the new No. 1 female player in the world and in her home nation, Lorena Ochoa has struggled, shooting a 74 on Friday and sitting five shots back. Michelle Wie will not be attempting to qualify for the 2007 U.S. Open, as she wasn’t among the 8,544 golfers to submit qualifying applications for this year’s event, the USGA said. Luke Donald shot his 10th consecutive round in the 60s at the EDS Byron ...

Local favorite Sean O’Hair is the first round leader of the PGA Tour’s 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Tex.. The native of Lubbock fired a 5-under-par 65 at the Cottonwood Valley course to take a one stroke lead over Anders Hansen and Brett Wetterich, the defending champion. Phil Mickelson, who entered the championship despite missing its preceding pro am, got off to a hot start, with four birdies. But his putter let him down on the home stretch. Mickelson bogeyed three of the last four holes to finish at 1-under… Over on the LPGA Tour, Stacy Prammanasudh posted a ...

Officials at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship are allowing Phil Mickelson to compete in the tournament even though he missed Wednesday’s pro-am event. Mickelson got stuck in Arkansas Tuesday night after his flight to Dallas was cancelled … CBS has said it will not broadcast a commercial for Maxfli golf balls that appears to show John Daly picking up a beer while driving a cart at a golf course. The advertisement also shows Daly, who has struggled with alcohol abuse throughout his career, singing in a bar … “It did not meet the standards of the CBS network,” spokeswoman LeslieAnn Wade said ...

Tom Lehman and others shared memories of Byron Nelson yesterday at the opening ceremony of the tournament named after him, the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Nelson, who passed away last year at 94, was the first player to have a PGA Tour event named after him. Known as Lord Byron, Nelson was defined by his integrity and character … “His legacy is so powerful, which is why this tournament will continue on for a long time, by the strength of his legacy,” Lehman said yesterday. PGA Tour events in the Fall Series are concerned about Augusta National’s announcement that only tour ...

Phil Mickelson is splitting with long-time coach Rick Smith and bringing on Butch Harmon in hopes of improving his long game, driving in particular. Harmon worked with Tiger Woods for 10 years, and he was Greg Norman’s coach when the golfer was No. 1 in the world … “Butch is one of the very best teachers in the world,” Mickelson said in a statement. “He’s helped two players rise to No. 1 in the game, and I’m fortunate that he has agreed to spend time working with me on my game, particularly my driving.” Lorena Ochoa overtook Annika Sorenstam as the No. ...

Michelle Wie will be returning to competitive golf next month. According to ESPN, the teen, who has been out of action due to an injury to her left wrist, will be in the field of the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika. The Mount Pleasant, S.C., tournament will begin on May 31 and will be the 17 year old’s first LPGA event of 2006. Wie also announced she will not play in the Michelob Open in Virginia, also in May.

Twenty-five-year-old Nick Watney won his first PGA Tour title yesterday at the Zurich Classic, having shot a 3-under-par 69 to beat Ken Duke by three strokes at TPC Louisiana … “I’m living a dream right now,” Watney, who’s in his third year on tour, told reporters. “I’ve played in close to the last group sometimes, and I’ve seen guys go through it. But it’s definitely more fun to actually do it. I’m trying to soak it all in.” Jay Haas shot a final-round 2-under-par 70 yesterday to win the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, his second Champions Tour victory this year. He ...

Kyle Reifers has a two-shot lead after the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, having shot a course-record 8-under-par 64 yesterday at TPC Louisiana in only his eighth PGA Tour start. Mark Calcavecchia is in second after shooting a 66 … Raphael Jacquelin of France leads the Asian Open in Shanghai, China, after shooting a 6-under-par 66 yesterday. He has a one-stroke lead over Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen. Ernie Els, fresh off a second-place finish at the Verizon Heritage Monday, is five shots back … Meanwhile, Martin Laird shot a 6-under-par 66 yesterday to go one up on the field ...

Curtis Strange and Hubert Green were selected for the World Golf Hall of Fame yesterday. Strange is most remembered for his back-to-back U.S. Open victories in 1988 and 1989. Green had 19 career victories, including two majors … The PGA Tour is in Louisiana this week for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The tour stars will be playing a newly polished TPC Louisiana, which underwent $2 million of repairs for damages sustained during Hurricane Katrina … “Obviously there was some devastation here and there was a lot of money spent to get this golf course up to speed,” David Toms, a ...

A back injury that put Annika Sorenstam out of the Ginn Open has forced the world No. 1 golfer to make changes to her 2007 schedule. Sorenstam told Swedish broadcaster SVT yesterday that she will play fewer tournaments and focus on the majors because of the ruptured and herniated disk in her back, which will keep her off the golf course for at least a month … George O’Grady, European Tour chief, said yesterday that the Ryder Cup Matches will stay with a three-day format, a response to speculation that the event might add an extra day of play … “We ...

Boo Weekley earned his first PGA Tour victory yesterday, shooting a final-round 68 to win the Verizon Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Ernie Els finished second, and Masters champion Zach Johnson was sixth. Weekley, who was a putt away from winning the Honda Classic last month, made a 36-foot putt on Harbour Town’s No. 18 for the victory … “Unreal,” he said. “This is unreal.” Annika Sorenstam’s first “Annika Academy” golf school opened at Ginn Reunion Resort in Florida yesterday. Sorenstam gave instruction to children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Hootie and the Blowfish front man ...

Brittany Lincicome shot an even-par 72 yesterday to win the Ginn Open, her second LPGA Tour victory. She defeated Lorena Ochoa, who was an abysmal 6 over on the last six holes, by one stroke. Laura Davies finished third … Final-round play at the Verizon Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, S.C., was pushed back to today due to high winds Sunday. Jerry Kelly leads, one stroke ahead of Ernie Els and Kevin Na … Markus Brier of Austria shot a final-round 4-under-par 67 yesterday to win the China Open and a $333,390 paycheck. Graeme McDowell, Andrew McLardy ...

Jerry Kelly shot an opening-round 8-under-par 63 at Harbour Town Golf Links yesterday to take the lead at the Verizon Heritage. Ernie Els is in second place, and Masters champion Zach Johnson is seven shots back … Annika Sorenstam withdrew from the LPGA Tour Ginn Open yesterday with a ruptured disc in her back. This is Sorenstam’s first major injury in her career, and it will reportedly sideline her for at least a month … Meanwhile, Lorena Ochoa is tied with Laura Davies for the lead at the Ginn Open, having shot a 6-under-par 66 yesterday. Ochoa will overtake Annika Sorenstam as ...

This week’s LPGA Tour event, the Ginn Open, has a star-studded field. Teen golfing sensation Morgan Pressel is competing fresh off her first win at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the season. Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez is starting her comeback, and Lorena Ochoa will continue to challenge Annika Sorenstam for a place atop the women’s world rankings … Electronic Arts has said its Tiburon studio in Orlando, Fla., will take over development of future games in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise. The studio is the team responsible for numerous hit video games, including Madden NFL Football ...

The PGA Tour pros are in Hilton Head, S.C., this week for the 2007 Verizon Heritage at the famed Harbour Town Golf Links. Despite having a hectic schedule since winning The Masters Sunday, Zach Johnson is among the field at the Verizon Heritage … Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne’s strategy to increase coverage of The Masters through new media seems to be working. Augusta National said its Web site got 35 percent more hits this year than last for a total of 106 million. The Web site again featured extra coverage called “Amen Corner Live,” and this year introduced an additional ...

Zach Johnson’s win at The Masters Sunday pushed him to 15th in the world rankings, a jump of 41 places. He is the first player ranked higher than 50 to win The Masters since the rankings started more than two decades ago … In other Zach Johnson news, the 31-year-old golfer from Iowa has said he will play in the Travelers Championship, which has a new $6 million purse, in June … “Zach’s win at The Masters was phenomenal,” said tournament director Nathan Grube yesterday. “It was the kind of win that keeps spectators holding their breath and keeps golf fans talking ...

Zach Johnson shot a final round 3-under-par 69 yesterday to win the 71st Masters by two strokes. He defeated Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Woods, who had the lead early Sunday but was simply outperformed by Johnson down the stretch. Before yesterday, Woods had never lost a major when holding the lead on a Sunday … “They say giants got to fall at some point,” Johnson said, “and maybe that’s the case. You know, it’s still very surreal in that respect.” For the 31-year-old golfer from Iowa who didn’t make the cut in the last three majors of 2006, yesterday’s win ...

The first round of the 2007 Masters saw Augusta come out the winner, with only nine players breaking par and many favorites notched big scores, as Justin Rose and Brett Wetterich went into the clubhouse with the lead after shooting 3-under 69s. Defending champion Phil Mickelson shot a 4-over 76 after starting his day horribly, while Tiger Woods is four shots off the lead after shooting a 73. David Howell, David Toms, Tim Clark, Vaughn Taylor, Rich Beem and J.J. Henry were the other players in the field to break par. Davis Love III finished at even par, while Vijay Singh ...

The Masters begins this morning, with Phil Mickelson teeing off at Augusta National at 10:56 a.m. and Tiger Woods following him three hours later. The two golfers have together won six of the past 10 Masters … Meanwhile, John Daly, who is playing on sponsor exemptions this season, will not be competing at the Masters. But fans still have a shot at getting his autograph. Daly will be signing autographs at the Hooters restaurant near Augusta National. David Duval, Tom Lehman and Nick Faldo are a few other big names missing from the field … In other Masters news, Brett Quigley returned ...

Four-time Masters champion Arnold Palmer will be the honorary starter of this year’s event, hitting the first tee shot Thursday. Palmer has played The Masters 50 times in his illustrious career … “The time has come,” he said yesterday. “I think all of you know what Augusta means to me.” Phil Mickelson will play in this summer’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut. Mickelson, the defending Masters champion, has skipped the June event for the past three years because of scheduling conflicts … Brett Quigley left Augusta National during a practice round yesterday to be with his wife, Amy, for the birth of their first ...

Melbourne, Australia, will host The Presidents Cup for the second time in 2011. The tour hasn’t decided where the event will be played, but a selection is expected by year’s end. Royal Melbourne hosted the event in 1998, when the International team won … Keith Fergus took the Ginn Championship by a stroke Sunday, becoming the second golfer to win on the PGA, Nationwide and Champions tours. Fergus defeated Mark O’Meara and Hale Irwin for a $375,000 paycheck … Omar Uresti shot a final-round 4-over-par 76 Sunday to win the Nationwide Tour’s Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship by two strokes. It was ...

Morgan Pressel fired a 3-under Sunday round of 69 to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship by one stroke over Catriona Matthew, Brittany Lincicome and Suzann Pettersen. Pressel went bogey-free in the final 24 holes of the tournament. But that performance in itself was not good enough to win; she walked off the 18th still three shots out of it. But several players, including Pettersen, collapsed (Pettersen blew a four-shot lead with four holes to play). Pressel, a senior in high school, is the youngest woman to ever win a major on the LPGA Tour. … Despite WorldGolf.com’s own PGA Punter’s recent ...

Se Ri Pak and Suzann Pettersen head to the final found of the Kraft Nabisco Championship tied for the lead at 4-under. Meaghan Francella and Paula Creamer are one shot off the lead. Early leader Lorena Ochoa suffered a quadruple-bogey on the 17th hole, dropping her to five shots off the lead. For Pak, a victory would giver her a career Grand Slam of LPGA majors. … Bubba Watson finished his rain-shorted third round on Sunday morning, carding a course-record 64 to give him a three-stroke lead heading to the final round of the Houston Open. Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby ...