The Women’s British Open kicks off at the Old Course at St. Andrews this weekend. It is the first time that a women’s professional event will be held on the Old Course … “It is a big step for women’s golf,” Annika Sorenstam told the media. “For us to play a championship like that at St. Andrews … I remember when I played as an amateur, there was a sign out there that said, ‘No dogs or women allowed.’ Hopefully they’ll take that out for the week. For us to be able to go there now, I think it’s going to ...

A week after a strong performance at the British Open, Andres Romero earned his first PGA European Tour title at the Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship Sunday. The 26-year-old Argentine shot a final round 2-under-par 70 to finish the event at 269 … “I didn’t expect my first win to come this quick, but I played great in the Open last week,” Romero told the media. “Coming here I was thinking maybe it could be my time – a lot of things are going on inside.” At TravelGolf.com, Tim McDonald writes about the Jack Nicklaus-designed Britannia Golf Club on Grand Cayman.

Jim Furyk shot a 7-under-par 64 to successfully defend his Canadian Open title yesterday. He took the lead with a hole-in-one on the 209-yard fourth hole and defeated Vijay Singh by one stroke … Natalie Gulbis defeated South Korean Jang Jeong in a playoff at the Evian Masters yesterday. It is the 24-year-old American’s first LPGA Tour title. Gulbis shot a final round 70 … Meanwhile, Tom Watson won his third Senior British Open title in five years Sunday. Watson finished with a 73 for a one stroke victory … With new casinos trying to lure luxury vacationers, Palm Springs is becoming a ...

Hunter Mahan carded three eagles on route to an opening round 9-under-par 62 and the first round lead at the Canadian Open. Mahan is going for his second PGA Tour title, having won the Travelers Championship last month. Mahan finished tied for eighth in the AT&T National … Brittany Lincicome is in a three-way tie for lead with Pat Hurst and Eun-hee Ji at the Evian Masters. The trio shot 6-under 66s yesterday in Evian-les-Bains, France. Michelle Wie shot a 73 … Meanwhile, Nick Faldo carded a 3-under 68 yesterday for a piece of the lead at the Senior British Open. Making ...

Though it remains the Tiger Woods era of professional golf, fields are deeper today than ever before, ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel writes today. As evidence, Sobel points to Zach Johnson, Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington, all of whom won majors for the first time this season … Jeff Sluman will be Jack Nicklaus’ captain’s assistant on the United States Presidents Cup team. It will be Sluman’s third time as a captain’s assistant. The team will be announced Aug. 13, with the event played Sept. 28-30 at Royal Montreal Golf Club … The Wannamaker Course at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, ...

Michelle Wie has accepted a sponsor’s exemption to play in next month’s Safeway Classic. This will be the seventh LPGA Tour event of the year for Wie, who has struggled with a wrist injury this season. Wie said she is nevertheless excited to compete at Columbia-Edgewater Country Club … “It’s been a few years since I’ve played at the Safeway Classic, and I’m excited to be coming back,” Wie told the media. “Right now, I’m working on getting back to top form, and I’m hoping I will be all the way back by the time I come to Portland.” Seung Yul Noh ...

Joe Ogilvie shot a 67 Sunday to win the U.S. Bank Championship, his first PGA Tour title in 230 starts. He defeated Tim Clark with an eagle on the par-4 16th hole … Dick Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said Gary Player’s recent comments that some golfers take performance-enhancing drugs are legitimate. He also criticized the PGA Tour for not acknowledging the possibility of a problem … “It comes from one of the icons of golf who has no particular ax to grind out there now, other than to try to maintain the integrity of the sport,” Pound told BBC ...

Padraig Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff yesterday to win the British Open. Garcia had been leading all weekend at Carnoustie and looked poised to win his first major, but the 27 year old blew a three-shot lead in the final round. Instead, Harrington won his first major and became the first Irishman in 60 years to win the event … Seon Hwa Lee won the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship yesterday with a 2-and-1 victory over Ai Miyazato. Lee, last year’s rookie of the year, had defeated Mi Hyun Kim earlier that morning … “I feel really great. I ...

Sergio Garcia has a three-shot lead going into the final round of the British Open at Carnoustie. Steve Stricker is in second after shooting a course record 7-under-par 64 today. “It was just one of those rounds were everything kind of went right,” Stricker told reporters. “I gave myself a lot of opportunities. I made quite a few putts, something I haven’t been doing as of late. Today, they all seemed to go in.” Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is eight shots back.

Sergio Garcia held on to the lead at the British Open Friday, shooting an even-par 71 at Carnoustie. He is two shots ahead of K.J. Choi. “I was hoping for a little better than what I did,” Garcia told reporters. “But that was not a bad round. Every time you shoot on a difficult course … an under-par or even-par round, you know you’re not too far away.” Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is seven shots off the lead, and Phil Mickelson missed the cut for the second straight time in a major.

Sergio Garcia shot a 6-under-par 65 yesterday to take the first round lead at the British Open. The 27-year-old golfer is two strokes ahead of Paul McGinley. Tiger Woods, pursuing his third consecutive British Open title, finished the day with a 69 … Annika Sorenstam defeated Katherine Hull yesterday in the first round of the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship, being held this year at Wykagyl Country Club. Lorena Ochoa breezed through her opponent, Ashleigh Simon, while Cristie Kerr and 2006 winner Brittany Lincicome were eliminated … Riverboat gambling is the biggest tourist draw in the “Quad Cities” these days, but ...

Tiger Woods started pursuit of his third consecutive British Open title today. Woods and others in the field teed it up at Scotland’s Carnoustie Golf Club early this morning … Michelle Wie will reportedly play in next week’s Evian Masters in France and the Ricoh Women’s British Open the following week. Both events have extended the teenage golfer sponsor’s exemptions, and tournament officials have said they expect Wie to play. Wie last competed at the U.S. Women’s Open, where she withdrew because of weakness in her left wrist … At GolfCalifornia.com, Kiel Christianson writes about the Temecula Creek Inn, home to 27 ...

Golf legend Gary Player has come out and said what so many before have denied - he knows at least one golfer who has used steroids, or performance-enhancing drugs, in the past. From the Associated Press: Gary Player said Wednesday he knows of at least one golfer who has used steroids, and he urged golf organizations to move quickly toward a random drug-testing plan. “We’re dreaming if we think it’s not going to come into golf,” Player said. Player estimated 10 players from tours around the world were taking some type of performance-enhancing drug. Asked how he knew for a fact that golfers were ...

Jose Maria Olazabal pulled out of the British Open yesterday with an injury, the details of which are unknown. American Tom Pernice Jr. is taking Olazabal’s place in the field … Teenage golfer Ashleigh Simon will have her hands full in the first round of the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship, as she will face off with world No. 1 women’s golfer Lorena Ochoa. Defending champion Brittany Lincicome is paired with Carin Koch in the first round … Donald Trump has bought Running Horse Golf and Country Club in Fresno, Calif., for $30 million. The course is currently bankrupt, having run ...

Shingo Katayama of Japan pulled out of this week’s British Open at Carnoustie with an injury. American Lucas Glover is taking his place. Katayama is the leading money winner on the Asian Tour … R.W. Eaks won his first Champions Tour event Sunday at the inaugural Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. He shot a closing 6-under-par 66 to defeat Bruce Vaughan by three shots. Eaks finished second on the Champions Tour five times in the past two years … In the TravelGolf.com This Week podcast, host Dave Berner talks to TravelGolf.com’s Bill Wolfrum about Alice Cooper’s new book, Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A ...

Seve Ballesteros officially retired from competitive golf, ending a career that included five majors and 50 victories on the European Tour, along with Ryder Cup success. Ballesteros turned 50 in April, and had made an effort to play again on the Champions Tour, as well as an ill-fated two rounds at the 2007 Masters. “I don’t have the desire,” Ballesteros said at Carnoustie, where he made his British Open debut in 1975.

Frenchman Gregory Havret defeated Phil Mickelson in a playoff at the Scottish Open yesterday. Mickelson bogeyed three of the last five holes at Loch Lomond, host course for the warm-up event to this week’s British Open at Carnoustie … Se Ri Pak won her fifth Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic yesterday. She shot a closing 67 to finish the tournament at 17-under 267. Pak has 24 career wins and has already qualified for induction to the Hall of Fame … Meanwhile, Jonathan Byrd shot a 5-under-par 66 yesterday to beat the field at the John Deere Classic. The victory, Byrd’s third on ...

Pre-teen Alexis Thompson, 12, who qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open, shot a 65 Friday to tie reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Kimberly Kim at the Junior PGA Championship with one round remaining. … Heading to the third round of the Scottish Open, Phil Mickelson is hovering near the top, one shot behind Gregory Havret and Jose Manuel Lara. Coming off a win at the European Open, Colin Montgomerie missed the cut. … Nathan Green holds a one shot lead over Carl Pettersson and Jason Dufner as they head to the weekend at the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic. … Se Ri ...

Phil Mickelson shares the lead after the first round of the Scottish Open, having shot a 6-under-par 65 yesterday. Mickelson had five birdies in the British Open warm-up at Loch Lomond … “We all had a great day to score low,” Mickelson told the media. “There wasn’t much wind, and the greens were putting very well. It’s a good test of golf and it was fun to play well the first day.” Neal Lancaster shot a 7-under 64 yesterday for the early lead at the John Deere Classic. Local favorite Zach Johnson, playing just an hour away from his hometown, carded a ...

Tadd Fujikawa has announced he is turning professional, eschewing a college golf career to play in pro events, following in the footsteps of fellow Hawaiian Michelle Wie. Fujikawa, 16, gained attention by becoming the youngest golfer to make a PGA Tour cut, as well as qualify for the U.S. Open. Fujikawa will make his pro debut in three weeks at the Reno-Tahoe Open. “I will work hard to achieve my dreams as a professional golfer and to be a good representative for Hawaii,” Fujikawa said. Kevin Bell who will be Fujikawa’s agent, said Fujikawa will try to obtain sponsor’s exemptions for events on ...

The John Deere Classic kicks off today at the TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. Masters champion Zach Johnson will be playing less than an hour away from his hometown in Iowa … Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour stars are in Sylvania, Ohio, for the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic this weekend. Mi Hyun Kim will try to defend her 2006 title, when she defeated Natalie Gulbis in a three-hole sudden death playoff … Glendale, Ariz., is an antique-loving golfer’s dream, boasting excellent antique shops and golf courses such as Verrado, Chris Baldwin writes at TravelGolf.com.

Daniel Woltman leads after the second round of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, having shot a 1-under-par 71 yesterday on Cantigny Golf course. Robert Rohanna is in second place, two strokes behind Woltman … In the TravelGolf.com This Week podcast, host Dave Berner talks to Kiel Christianson about playing TPC Deere Run, host course for the PGA Tour John Deere Classic.

Mark Harrell and Clayton Rask lead after the first round of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, both having shot 3-under-par 69s yesterday. Harrell missed the cut at last month’s U.S. Open by a stroke … At 19 years old, Jason Day became the youngest golfer to win a Nationwide Tour event with his victory Sunday at the Legend Financial Group Classic. Day closed with a 4-under-par 67 for an overall 268 at Stonewater Golf Club … “I’ve worked so hard for this, so it’s great to come out with the win,” Day told the media. “It was a goal of mine ...

K.J. Choi won the AT&T National by three strokes Sunday for his second PGA Tour title of 2007. He won the Memorial tournament in late May. Host Tiger Woods was the main attraction all weekend, with crowds following him around the course, but he finished tied for sixth. “I didn’t get a ‘W,’ so that was frustrating in that sense,” Woods told the media. “But this tournament in general has been a bigger success than anyone could have imagined.” Colin Montgomerie won the European Open yesterday with a final round 5-under-par 65. Montgomerie defeated Niclas Fasth by a stroke for his first ...

At one under par, Jim Furyk and four others lead after the first round of the inaugural AT&T National. Host Tiger Woods shot seven bogies yesterday for a 3-over 73. He is in 77th place … “It’s one of the worst putting rounds I’ve had in years,” Woods told the media. Meanwhile, Eduardo Romero, a protégé of U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera, shot a 6-under 66 yesterday to go ahead of the field at the U.S. Senior Open at Whistling Straits. Romero’s 66 ties him for the fourth-best opening round score in U.S. Senior Open history …. At LasVegasGolf.com, Brandon Tucker writes about ...

Tiger Woods’ new tournament, the AT&T National, kicks off today at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. More than 30,000 people are expected to attend the event each day. The field includes Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh, among others … Meanwhile, Mickelson has given Woods a miniature ping-pong table for his newborn daughter, Sam Alexis Woods. Mickelson and Woods are known for facing off against each other on the ping-pong table during the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. Mickelson has three children … Allen Doyle will be going for his third consecutive U.S. Senior Open title this weekend at Whistling Straits. ...

In a press conference prior to his new tournament, the AT&T National, Tiger Woods told reporters that his wife Elin was forced to spend time in the hospital with complications during the weekend of the U.S. Open, prior to giving birth to the couple’s first child, Sam Alexis. “It wasn’t life-threatening or anything, but she just had a few problems and had to be admitted. It wasn’t easy. It was not easy, because I wanted to be there. And the doctor and Elin said, ‘There’s nothing you can do. So go out there and just get a “W.’ “Well, came close. But ...

ESPN.com today published an excerpt from the August issue of Men’s Fitness detailing the workout regimen that has helped Tiger Woods gain nearly 30 pounds of muscle since he joined the PGA Tour in 1996. Woods works out five or six days a week, with each session lasting between two to three hours. Each workout includes extensive stretching and high-repetition weight training … Lonnie Nielsen got his first Champions Tour win last weekend at the Commerce Bank Championship. He defeated Loren Roberts by two strokes in his 92nd start on the tour … “One-for-92, huh?” he told reporters. “That’s better than 0-for-92.” In ...

Cristie Kerr shot a final-round 70 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club yesterday to defeat Lorena Ochoa and Angela Park at the U.S. Women’s Open. Kerr’s first major championship title, the U.S. Women’s Open victory comes after more than 10 years on the LPGA Tour … “This is a long time coming,” Natalie Gulbis told reporters. “She’s been arguably the top American player for many years. To win the U.S. Open and be an American … it’s the biggest thing you can do as a professional female golfer. And how fitting that she was in red, white and blue.” Brian Bateman ...