US PGA TOUR
John Deere Classic
Site: Silvis, Illinois.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: TPC Deere Run (7,268 yards, 6,646 meters, par 71).
Purse: $4.3 million. Winner's share: $774,000.
Last year: Kenny Perry won for the third time in a five events, beating Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson with a par on the first playoff hole.
Last week: Tiger Woods won his own AT&T National for his third victory of the year and 68th overall, making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to overtake hard-charging Hunter Mahan for a one-shot victory at Congressional. Mahan matched the course record with a 62, making six birdies on the back nine.
Notes: The British Open is next week at Turnberry, opposite the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. The leading player, not otherwise exempt for the British Open, among the top five and ties will earn a spot at Turnberry. ... Perry, coming off a victory two weeks ago in Hartford, tops the field along with U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, Steve Stricker, the resurgent David Duval and Zach Johnson, from nearby Iowa. Glover tied for fifth at Congressional. ... Danny Lee tied for seventh last week to earn a spot in the field. The 19-year-old from New Zealand won the U.S. Amateur last year. ... Three-time winner D.A. Weibring teamed with Chris Gray to design Deere Run. ... J.P. Hayes won in 2002, shooting a course-record 61 in the second round and finishing at 22-under 262 - the lowest score in relation to par in tournament history.
On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com
---
PGA EUROPEAN TOUR
Scottish Open
Site: Luss, Scotland.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Loch Lomond Golf Club (7,149 yards, 6,537 meters, par 71).
Purse: $4.9 million. Winner's share: $809,475.
Last year: Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell won the second of his two 2008 titles, holding off South Africa's James Kingston by two strokes.
Last week: Germany's Martin Kaymer won the French Open, beating England's Lee Westwood with an 18-foot par putt on the first hole of a playoff. The 24-year-old Kaymer has three career European Tour victories.
Notes: The British Open is next week at Turnberry. ... Ernie Els, the 2000 and 2003 winner, is in the field along with Masters champion Angel Cabrera, Geoff Ogilvy, Retief Goosen, Brian Gay, Camilo Villegas, Boo Weekley, John Daly, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter and Nick Faldo. ... Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish designed the Loch Lomond course. ... The leading player, not otherwise exempt for the British Open, among the top five and ties will earn a spot at Turnberry.
On the Net: http://www.europeantour.com
---
U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION
U.S. Women's Open
Site: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Saucon Valley Country Club, Old Course (6,740 yards, 6,163 meters, par 71).
Purse: $3.25 million. Winner's share: $585,000.
Last year: South Korea's Inbee Park became the youngest champion in tournament history, winning at 19 years, 11 months, 18 days. She closed with a 2-under 71 for a 9-under 283 total and four-stroke victory at Interlachen in Minnesota.
Last week: South Korea's Eunjung Yi won the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in Ohio for her first US LPGA Tour title, beating Morgan Pressel with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Yi shot a 61 in the third round and closed with a 71.
Notes: A meeting last week of more than a dozen players has resulted in a letter to the US LPGA Tour's board urging that commissioner Carolyn Bivens resign, Golfweek Magazine reported on Monday. Golfweek said key players wrote that the tour's woes cannot be blamed on a poor economy, and that it should find a new leader to rebuild relationships with longtime sponsors. Among those at the meeting, were top-ranked Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Natalie Gulbis and Pressel. Golfweek said players in favor of Bivens' resignation attached their names, although it didn't say how many signed it. ... Ochoa is coming off an eighth-place tie last week in Ohio. In the first two majors of the season, she tied for 12th at Kraft Nabisco and tied for 23rd in the US LPGA Championship. She has two victories this year. ... Brittany Lincicome won the Kraft Nabisco, and Anna Nordqvist took the US LPGA Championship. ... If tied after 72 holes, a three-hole playoff will take place immediately following the fourth round. If still tied after three holes, the players will go to sudden death. ... Michelle Wie failed to qualify. ... The 2010 tournament will be played at Oakmont in suburban Pittsburgh and the 2011 event is set for The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
On the Net: http://www.uswomensopen.com
US LPGA Tour site: http://www.lpga.com
---
CHAMPIONS TOUR
3M Championship
Site: Blaine, Minnesota.
Schedule: Friday-Sunday.
Course: TPC Twin Cities (7,100 yards, 6,492 meters, par 72).
Purse: $1.75 million. Winner's share: $262,500.
Last year: R.W. Eaks shot 65-63-65 for a tournament-record 23-under 193 total. Bernhard Langer and Gary Hallberg tied for second, six strokes back.
Last event: Lonnie Nielson won the Dick's Sporting Goods Open on June 28 in Endicott, New York, for his second Champions Tour title. The 56-year-old Nielson finished with a 9-under 63 for a three-stroke victory over Fred Funk and Ronnie Black.
Notes: Minnesotan Tom Lehman is skipping the tournament to play in the US PGA Tour's John Deere Classic. He teamed with Arnold Palmer to design the TPC Twin Cities. ... Wayne Levi, the 2003 winner, is making his second start since double-bypass surgery in early April. He tied for 33rd two weeks ago in the Dick's Sporting Goods Open. ... Langer won the Triton Financial Classic on June 7 in his last event on the 50-and-over tour. ... Funk, Nick Price, Mark O'Meara and Hal Sutton are making their first appearances at TPC Twin Cities. ... The tour is off next week. Play will resume July 23-26 with the Senior British Open at Sunningdale.
On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com
---
OTHER TOURNAMENTS
Men
NATIONWIDE TOUR: Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic, Thursday-Sunday, The Georgian Bay Club and The Raven Golf Club at Lora Bay, Clarksburg, Ontario. On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com
CANADIAN TOUR: Saskatchewan Open, Thursday-Sunday, Dakota Dunes Golf Links, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. On the Net: http://www.cantour.com
PGA EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR: ALLIANZ EurOpen de Lyon, Thursday-Sunday, Golf du Gouverneur, Monthieux, France. On the Net: http://www.europeantour.com
Women
JAPAN LPGA TOUR: Meiji Chocolate Cup, Friday-Sunday, Sapporo International Country Club, Island Pine Course, Hokkaido, Japan. On the Net: http://www.lpga.or.jp
