The anticipated renewal of the duel between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods was not to be, as Mickelson withdrew from the Memorial Tournament after just 11 holes with an injured left wrist. “I don’t think it’s anything serious but it just got worse. I couldn’t grab the club and I couldn’t swing,” Mickelson told the Associated Press. “I hit a wedge on two and it got really aggravated.” Mickelson was 2-over when he withdrew. It was unclear where Mickelson got the injury, but it is believed it could have occurred recently when Lefty was playing a practice round at Oakmont, home of ...

Michelle Wie’s return from a wrist injury ended early, as the teen withdrew from the Ginn Tribute after shooting +14 through 16 holes. Wie triple bogeyed No. 14, a par 3 and was seven over par after her first five holes. Annika Sorenstam was at +1 after nine holes. Angela Park was leading early at -5 through 11 holes, while Paula Creamer, Laura Davies and Lorena Ochoa all were under par.

The PGA Tour stars tee it up today at Muirfield Village Golf Club for the Memorial Tournament. Phil Mickelson is competing for the first time since winning The Players Championship. Tiger Woods will be going for his fourth Memorial victory … Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour is in Mount Pleasant, S.C., this weekend for the inaugural Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika. Namesake Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie, who have both been sidelined with injuries, will make their return to professional competition … In other news related to the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika, MacKinzie Kline, the 15-year-old junior golfer with a congenital heart ...

Michelle Wie will return to the LPGA Tour at this week’s Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Wie has been sidelined with a wrist injury and hasn’t played since missing the cut at the PGA Tour Sony Open in January … Anders Hansen’s victory at last weekend’s European Tour BMW Championship pushed him to No. 49 in the world rankings, which means he automatically qualifies for the U.S. Open. Hansen was one of 14 players to become exempt from U.S. Open qualifying by being in the top 50 or the top 10 on the current PGA Tour money ...

The European PGA Tour - along with other international tours - plans on drawing up an anti-doping policy for its members that could go into effect as early as next year. “There will be testing at some stage but we don’t know when yet because there is an ongoing debate about what list of banned substances should be used,” David Garland, the European Tour’s director of operations, told Reuters. In recent years there has been a growing call from golf’s governing bodies for such a policy to be in place. The LPGA Tour plans to start drug testing next year. ...

Rory Sabbatini showed that he can back up his mouth with his game, as he held off Jim Furyk and Bernhard Langer in a playoff to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational. Third-round leader Scott Verplank finished with a 71 to finish tied for seventh. The victory is Sabbatini’s first after golf fans were shocked when he said he was hoping to get a chance to play with Tiger Woods in the final round of The Players Championship, where Sabbatini said Woods looked more “beatable than ever.” It is the fourth career victory for Sabbatini. … Anders Hansen, a longtime pro trying ...

Tim Clark used a second-round, bogey-free 6-under 64 to vault to the top of the leaderboard heading to the weekend at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. Arron Oberholser is a shot back at 10-under for the tounament. Jim Furyk leads a group two shots off the pace, while first-round leader Anthony Kim is three shots off the pace. There were 27 players still on the course when play was suspended Friday because of darkness, after many players failed to finish their rounds on Thursday due to inclement weather. … Justin Rose finished strong, scoring birdies on his final three holes to climb ...

Local favorites Justin Rose and Paul Broadhurst are the first round leaders at the European PGA Tour’s BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, both posting six-under-par 66s. Another Brit, Simon Khan, is one shot back, as is world No. 5 Ernie Els at 3-under. Other notables in contention are Padraig Harrington, winner of last week’s Irish Open, who is at 3-under and Jose Marie Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie, both at 2-under-par. … PGA Tour rookie Anthony Kim is the early leader at the Crowne Plaza Invitational in Forth Worth, Texas. Kim fired a 7-under-par 63 that included ...

The PGA Tour stops today in Fort Worth, Texas, for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at the Colonial. Sigh. This used to be a real draw of a tournament. Apparently, no longer. This year, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and many other top golfers are sitting it out. In fact, there’s only one top-10 golfer in the field: Jim Furyk. And speaking of Furyk, he enters the event having just dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 in the world rankings, swapping places with Mickelson after Lefty’s win a few weeks ago at the Players Championship. But he’s not phased. “I wish ...

Annika Sorenstam, who has been off the LPGA Tour with a back injury since April 1, will return to competition at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika, held May 31-June 3 at RiverTowne Country Club in Charleston, S.C. … Sorenstam’s agent, Mark Steinberg, said in a statement: “Annika’s rehabilitation has progressed well, and she looks forward to resuming competitive play next week in the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika.” European skipper Nick Faldo selected Jose Maria Olazabal and Paul McGinley as his assistants yesterday for the 2008 Ryder Cup Matches. If either ends up making the team as players, Faldo can change ...

Teen golfer Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor’s exemption to play in the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic on July 12-15 at TPC Deere Run. Coach David Leadbetter had recently come out and said that Wie would no longer play in mens’ events, but it appears Team Wie has other ideas. A year ago at the John Deere Classic, she opened with a 77 and withdrew in the middle of the second round due to heat exhaustion. Two years ago at the John Deere Classic, a double bogey on the 15th hole and a bogey on No. 16 caused her to ...

Women’s tennis star Maria Sharapova has the ‘hots’ for Australian golfer Adam Scott. On her Web site, Maxim’s “Hottest Female Athlete” of the last four years listed Scott at No. 6 on her list of “Top Ten Dream Mixed-Doubles Partners” … Nick Flanagan of Australia shot a final round 7-under-par 65 Sunday to win the Nationwide Tour BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs. The 22-year-old Flanagan, winner of the 2003 U.S. Amateur event, defeated Nicholas Thompson by one stroke … In the TravelGolf.com This Week podcast, host Dave Berner talks to Senior Staff Writer Chris Baldwin about good golf in El Paso, ...

Masters champion Zach Johnson shot a final round 5-under-par 67 yesterday to win the AT&T Classic at the TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga. He defeated Ryuji Imada on the first playoff hole for his third PGA Tour victory, all of which have come in Georgia … “Yeah, I’m not sure what it is,” Johnson told the media. “You know, for whatever reason, I’ve had success here.” Lorena Ochoa defended her title at the Sybase Classic this weekend and got her first LPGA Tour win as the No. 1 women’s golfer in the world. Ochoa shot a 4-under-par 68 to defeat Sarah Lee ...

Troy Matteson and Ryuji Imada continue to share the lead heading to the weekend at the AT&T Classic at YPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga. Matteson and Imada, who both attended college in Georgia, are each at 13-under after shooting rounds of 69. Camillo Villegas was two shots off the pace 11 under after a 68, and Masters champion Zach Johnson led a group at 10-under, three off the lead. … Still in seach of her breakthrough win, Sarah Lee continued her hot play at the Sybase Classic. At 16-under, Lee has a two-shot lead on Lorena Ochoa, as the two golfers ...

Troy Matteson and Ryuji Imada - who both attended college in Georgia - share the lead heading to the weekend at the AT&T Classic. The two head to the third round at 10-under on the Greg Norman designed TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga. D.J. Brigman is one shot back in third place, while first-round leader Kevin Sutherland is two back after shooting a 71. Masters champ Zach Johnson was three off the pace after shooting a 66 on Friday … Lorena Ochoa birdied five of her final eight holes to pull even with Sarah Lee for the lead at the ...

Kevin Sutherland leads after the first round of the AT&T Classic, having shot a 7-under-par 65 yesterday. He is two strokes ahead of Ryuji Imada, who eagled his final hole at TPC Sugarloaf, and four others … Sarah Lee is ahead of the field at the LPGA Tour Sybase Classic. She shot a 6-under 66 yesterday to go two up on world No. 1 women’s golfer Lorena Ochoa and four others … “I’ve been close in the last few weeks, and this will be a nice week,” Ochoa told reporters. “It’s important to be in a good position and to give myself ...

This fall Michelle Wie will celebrate her 18th birthday by playing in the Samsung World Championship, where she made her professional debut in 2005. Wie hasn’t played since January with an injured wrist. She’s expected to make her comeback at the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika at the end of May … Greg Norman has pulled out of the Senior PGA Championship, held May 24-27 at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C., for personal reasons. He was reportedly scheduled to be in a field that includes Jay Haas, Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros … Phil Mickelson will not defend his ...

Tiger Woods said this week that he had Lasik eye surgery for the second time following the Masters. Woods was once so nearsighted he said he would be considered legally blind without glasses or contacts … “My vision started slipping,” Woods told the media after The Players Championship. “I was getting headaches from squinting all the time.” Seve Ballesteros will play his first Champions Tour event this week at the Regions Charity Classic in Birmingham. Ballesteros’ illustrious career saw him win five major championships, but he has fallen off the golf map in the last decade … Madison Pressel, the teenage sister of ...

Fourteen-year-old Dakoda Dowd, who got national attention last year for receiving a sponsor’s exemption to the Ginn Open, did not make it to the second round of qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open yesterday. Dowd said she had other things on her mind, namely her mother, who has breast cancer … “I had a good time,” Dowd told the media. “It wasn’t the best round. I think I need to get my head better. I have a lot going around right now. I just need to focus my head on golf instead of all of these things that are going around ...

Three weeks after starting with a new coach, Phil Mickelson has a new title to his name. Mickelson shot a 3-under-par 69 at TPC Sawgrass yesterday for a commanding victory at The Players Championship. Sergio Garcia was second, while Tiger Woods finished out of the top 10 … In her 82nd LPGA Tour start, Suzann Pettersen won the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill yesterday to become the first Norwegian to get a tour victory. Jee Young Lee finished second. The Michelob Ultra Open is one of the tour’s 10 Winner events, which means Pettersen gets an automatic spot in the ADT ...

Sean O’Hair shot a sizzling 66 to vault to the top of the leaderboard at The Players Championship at the TPC at Sawgrass, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. O’Hair is one shot up on Phil Mickelson, who shot 69 to move to 8-under for the tournament. Jeff Quinney, who shot rounds of 83-80 last week at the Wachovia Championship, blasted into contention with a 64, giving him a share of third place along with Australian Peter Lonard, two shots off the lead. … Lee Westwood takes a one-shot lead over Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano into the final round of the are Valle ...

Phil Mickelson saved par on his final two holes to take a on-shot lead into the weekend of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Mickelson shot a 72 to hold the lead over Australian Nathan Green, who is four-under after shooting a 69. Tiger Woods flirted with missing the cut but stayed in contention at 4-over par, while early leader Rory Sabbatini floundered in the second round, shooting a 79 to leave him two-over heading to the weekend. … Michelle Wie may not have ruled out playing against the men as previously reported, according to a story by Golf Digestoes on ...

Rory Sabbatini shot a 67 yesterday at TPC Sawgrass for a piece of the lead at The Players Championship and then took aim at Tiger Woods, who he was paired with in the final round of last week’s Wachovia Championship … “The funny thing is after watching [Woods] play on Sunday, I think he’s more beatable than ever,” Sabbatini said yesterday of the last round of Wachovia. “I think there’s a few fortuitous occasions out there that really changed the round for him. And realizing that gives me even more confidence to go in and play with him on Sunday again.” Sarah ...

The PGA Tour stars tee it up today in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., at The Players Championship. The event is one of the hardest on tour to forecast because its host course, TPC Sawgrass, doesn’t favor one kind of player, but ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel says Retief Goosen will be the man to beat … Australia’s Karrie Webb will try to defend her title at this week’s Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill, which begins today at Kingsmill Resort & Spa’s River Course in Williamsburg, Va. A win this week would put Webb over $13 million in career earnings since joining the LPGA ...

Tiger Woods called the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, the signature hole on the Players Championship-host course, “gimmicky” at a press conference yesterday, while Phil Mickelson disagreed. Of arguably one of the most famous holes in golf, Mickelson said, “I think it adds to the most exciting finish in golf combined with 16 and 18″… The PGA Tour is considering changing its policy that the top 70 players and ties make the cut in tour events. The Player Advisory council discussed several alternatives last week, including limiting the cut to the top 60 players and ties, and the issue will probably ...

Jay Williamson carded a 7-under-par 63 Sunday to win the Fort Smith Classic, his first Nationwide Tour victory. Williamson, somewhat of a journeyman in professional golf, defeated Justin Bolli and Garrett Willis by a stroke at Hardscrabble Country Club … “This means a ton,” Williamson told reporters. “Seeing your name on top of the leader board is always a nice thing. I just turned 40, and this really isn’t a tour for 40-year-olds. Obviously winning is a tremendous boost to my career.” The PGA Tour stars will get the chance to play a freshly buffed TPC Sawgrass at The Players Championship, held ...

Tiger Woods shot a 3-under-par 69 at Quail Hollow Club yesterday to win the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, N.C. Woods defeated Steve Stricker by two strokes for his third PGA Tour victory this year and his ninth win in 12 starts. The Wachovia Championship has become one of the most competitive tour events … “Over the course of my career, I’ve won a few tournaments here and there, and it’s been nice,” Woods said yesterday. “This one, considering the field and the golf course and the conditions, ecstatic to have won here.” Mi Hyun Kim won the SemGroup Championship in a playoff ...

Rory Sabbatini used a first-hole eagle to shoot a third-round 64 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Wachovia Championship. Tiger Woods is one shot off the pace, with Vijay Singh two shots back and Phil Mickelson in seventh place, four shots off the lead at 7-under. … Reilley Rankin, Stephanie Louden, Karin Sjodin and Nicole Castrale are all tied for the lead heading to the final round of the LPGA’s SemGroup Championship. At one-under, Lorena Ochoa is three shots off the lead. … Aiming for his first Champions Tour victory, Scott Hoch shot a 66 to ...

Tiger Woods shot a second round 68 to take a share of the lead into the weekend at the Wachovia Championship. Woods is at 6-under par along with Vijay Singh and Arron Oberholser, who also emerged from obscurity quickly with birdies on his last three holes Ted Purdy and Jason Bohn are a shot off the pace. First-round leader Padraig Harrington is three shots off the pace after shooting a second-round 75. … Leonard Thompson shot a 64 on Friday at the FedEx Kinko’s Classic. Thompson, 60, is the oldest first-round leader this year on the Champions Tour. Loren Roberts and ...

Padraig Harrington shot a bogey-free round at Quail Hollow Club yesterday to take the first round lead at the Wachovia Championship. Following a three-week break, the longest of his career, Harrington carded a 6-under-par 66 to go one up on Vijay Singh and Jason Bohn. Tiger Woods shot 70 … Joakim Backstrom of Sweden is ahead after the first round of the Italian Open, having shot a course-record 10-under 62 at Castello di Tolcinasco yesterday. He has a one-stroke lead over Markus Brier after carding a score that comes within one stroke of matching the lowest round of the 2007 European ...

It seems that Michelle Wie is, for now, giving up on competing against men and instead focusing on the LPGA Tour - and her parents are fine with that decision. Let’s face it, this is a good decision: Wie, 17, who says she intends to one day play the Masters, has had a terrible record in the PGA Tour events she has entered, missing the cut 11 out of 12 times. In her last three men’s events, she has come in near last each time. Maybe she is listening to Stuart Appleby? Her coach, David Leadbetter, is putting a good spin ...

The PGA Tour Wachovia Championship starts today at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. The field includes 27 of the top 30 golfers in the world rankings, including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson. For Woods, the start date comes a year to the day since his father, Earl Woods, died of cancer … “This time last year was not a fun period in my life,” Woods told reporters. “But now a year later, here I am, looking forward to becoming a father. Times have changed.” In other Wachovia Championship news, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan played together for the first ...

Michelle Wie will play in the Canadian Women’s Open on a sponsor’s exemption. The event will be held Aug. 16-19 at Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton. Wie, who will be playing for the first time in Canada, has been out of competition for several months with an injured wrist … The PGA Tour released yesterday the eligibility requirements for the AT&T National, Tiger Woods’ new tournament in Washington, D.C. An invitational, the tournament will draw most of its field from the top 125 players on the 2006 PGA Tour money list. Also eligible are winners of the four major ...

Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan will play together in an organized event for the first time tomorrow at the Wachovia Championship pro-am in Charlotte, N.C. Woods and Jordan will hit the links at Quail Hollow Club at 7:30 a.m. … “These two gentleman are two of the most well-known athletes in the world, and to have them both here for one day playing in the same group is a special treat,” said Kym Hougham, the tournament’s director. Michelle Wie did not submit a qualifying application for this year’s U.S. Open, according to the U.S. Golf Association. Wie, who didn’t qualify for the ...