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If you haven’t already, it is time to start breaking down the odds for the 2009 Kentucky Derby.

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The Mexico Open was to be played at El Bosque Golf Club in Leon, located about 200 miles northwest of Mexico City.

"A significant number of lives have been lost in Mexico, which is tragic," Calfee said. "There are more important things for people to focus on at the moment."

The Mexico Open, first played in 1944, is jointly sanctioned by the Nationwide Tour and the Mexican Golf Federation.

Also, the Canadian Tour has postponed a golf tournament in Mexico because of the swine flu outbreak.

The San Luis Potosi Open, which was scheduled to begin Thursday, has been put off indefinitely.

On Tuesday, the Canadian Tour postponed the final two events of its Mexican swing because of health concerns. Both the Yucatan Country Club Classic and the Iberostar Riviera Maya Open are being rescheduled and will take place on consecutive weeks later on the 2009 schedule.

Tiger Woods is not — he repeats — not looking for a new swing coach to replace Hank Haney.
"That's complete speculation," Woods said Wednesday on the eve of the Quail Hollow Championship, his first tournament on the PGA Tour since finishing in a tie for sixth at The Masters.


ALL-STAR PAIRING: Tiger, Peyton Manning team up at Quail Hollow pro-am

It was at Augusta National following the third round when the world's No. 1 player and winner of four green jackets let fly with a verbal barrage about his swing, his putting stroke and his inability to finish off his first three rounds at The Masters. Directly within earshot was Haney, who has been Woods' coach since 2002, and caddie Stevie Williams.

The ensuing days brought rumors that Woods was looking to fire Haney and find a new coach, especially after Woods said he played pretty well considering he had a "Band-Aid" swing the entire tournament.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: PGA Tour | Tiger Woods | Steve Williams | Augusta National Golf Club | Henry VIII of England
"It has nothing to do with Henry (Haney)," Woods said. "I didn't hit the ball the way I wanted to and I didn't make any putts. I felt like that every day. It was 17 and 18 that hurt. I didn't finish off my rounds the last couple days, and it cost me a chance to win the golf tournament."

It won't cost him his relationship with Haney, Woods said. Instead of finding a new coach, Woods would like to find some time now and then to "vent" outside of the public eye after disappointing rounds.

"Usually, you just leave me alone, let me vent for a while, and then I'll be ready to focus on what I need to do to get ready for the next day," said Woods, who has three top-10 finishes including a win in his last three starts. "It's happened before, (Haney's) seen it before, Stevie has seen it. You've got to vent. We don't get a chance to do that because we come off the green, we do media right away.

"You're constantly on, and I just need to vent for just a little bit. Give me five minutes, 10 minutes, and once that's over, it's what do we need to do to get ready to win this golf tournament the next day."

Early in Wednesday's fourth round of the Big 12 Championships, the Colorado men's golf team pulled into the lead and threatened to end a four-decade title drought
But top-ranked Oklahoma State shut the door on CU's title hopes before the Buffs could make a serious run, as the Cowboys went on to take a 14-shot victory and leave CU in second place.

The finals will be May 26-30 in Toledo, Ohio.

Big 12 Championships

TEAM SCORES
1. Oklahoma St. 293-288-287-281--1149
2. Colorado 298-283-290-292--1163
3. Texas A&M 301-284-296-286--1167
4. Kansas St. 304-301-289-276--1170
5. Baylor 297-293-293-291--1174
6. Texas Tech 295-304-300-289--1188
7. Kansas 298-306-290-297--1191
8. Texas 303-305-306-280--1194
9. Missouri 310-307-290-297--1204
10. Oklahoma 310-301-306-288--1205
11. Nebraska 319-293-300-294--1206
12. Iowa St. 306-308-295-301--1210
TOP INDIVIDUALS
1 . Morgan Hoffman, Okla. St. 71-71-68-66--276
2 . Bill Allcorn, Baylor 68-71-70-70--279
3. Robert Streb, Kansas St. 69-75-67-69--281
4. Bron.Burgoon, Tex.A&M 72-68-72-70--282
5. Rickie Fowler, Oklahoma St. 74-71-70-75--286
CU INDIVIDUALS
6. Patrick Grady 71-71-70-75--287
7. Derek Tolan 71-68-74-75--288
T12. Kevin Kring 78-71-77-70--296
T34. Johnny Widmer 78-81-73-72--304
T43. Luke Symons 85-73-73-76--307

Peyton Manning glanced around as he stood on the 18th green at the Quail Hollow Club late Wednesday morning. People were everywhere — surrounding the sun-splashed green, lined tightly down the fairway and wedged into the bleachers.

The size of the gallery probably won’t be much bigger late Sunday afternoon, when the Quail Hollow Championship wraps up.

This, however, was only the tournament’s pro-am. And Manning — the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback who’s accustomed to playing before sold-out football stadiums every week — was a little taken aback.

Shares of golf equipment maker Callaway Golf Co. jumped in trading Friday on hopes of a recovery after the company reported cost-cuts and promotions to boost its weak performance.

The Carlsbad, Calif.-based company reported after the market closed Thursday that its first-quarter profit dropped 83 percent, but its results matched Street expectations, as customer demand fell sharply during the recession. Its quarterly results also were inline with its previous forecast of earnings of 10 cents to 12 cents per share, with a 26-percent drop in revenue.

In April, Callaway Golf warned its first-quarter profit would come in well below the 61 cents per share it reported in the year-ago quarter, and would fall short of Wall Street's target of 43 cents per share. Following the announcement, analysts significantly lowered their profit and revenue targets.

Retailers have sharply scaled back orders for its product as fewer shoppers make discretionary purchases like golf clubs.

However, the company said it is cutting costs and has eliminated 10 percent of its worldwide positions to mitigate the impact of the recession and the stronger dollar, which also hurt its results.

And earlier this month it launched a special deal for shoppers, those who buy one of number of its high-priced drivers can receive a fairway club for a $1, which analysts think may stimulate sales.

Stifel Nicolaus & Company analyst Thomas Shaw said while Callaway's earnings outcomes have been erratic, he believes the worst may be behind the company. He said improved consumer buying behavior has been evident since March and the promotion has been well-received.

"Offering value in golf purchases appears to be the right approach this year," Shaw wrote in a research note Friday.

He noted it is still early in the golf season though and there is time for more aggressive action by competitors that could hinder its efforts.

Shares of Callaway rose 91 cents, or 11.9 percent, to $8.45 in early afternoon trading.

Lytham Trophies normally don’t produce surprise winners. This one did.

England’s James Robinson stunned the Royal Lytham galleries with a closing round of even-par 70 for a 7-over 287 total to take the title by a stroke over Ben Westgate of Wales.

Former Augusta State player Wallace Booth tied for third along with second-round leader Dale Whitnell, England’s Jack Senior and first-round pace setter Shane Lowry of Ireland.

The last five winners of this tournament – Matt Haines, Lloyd Saltman, Jamie Moul, Gary Lockerbie and James Heath – have all been players with high expectations attached to their names. Robinson’s name looks conspicuous in such company.

Robinson’s only claim to fame before this victory was making it to the semifinals of the English Amateur Championship two years ago where he lost to Danny Willett. Willett went on to make the Great Britain & Ireland Walker cup team that year while Robinson returned home to work on his game.

The 20-year-old is not even a member of the English Golf Union’s elite squad. He is currently a member of the A-squad, and hasn’t represented his country at full international level. Neither is he a member of the GB&I Walker Cup squad.

Robinson will be considered for both squads now.

“I’m over the moon,” Robinson said. “This is the biggest win of my career. My goal has always been to play in the Walker Cup so to win this tournament in a Walker Cup year is huge. It would be an honor to play in the Walker Cup.”

Robinson began the final two rounds four shots off Whitnell’s lead. However, while scores ballooned in the extremely windy conditions, Robinson got himself into contention with a third-round 73.

As a member of Southport & Ainsdale, a links layout, Robinson is used to seaside golf.

“I’m used to these conditions. My goal today was just to play solid and not make too many mistakes. I managed to do that pretty well.”

The plus four handicapper was one of only four players to shoot level-par 70 in the final round. In fact, those were the only level-par scores of the final two rounds.

Robinson birdied the 13th and 16th holes to offset bogeys at 15 and 17. He then made a clutch up and down at 18. He missed the green left, but holed a seven-foot par putt that proved to be the winning stroke.

Whitnell was even with Robinson at 7-over-par with three holes to play, but bogeyed two of the last three holes. He found a greenside bunker at 16 and failed to get up and down, and then drove into a fairway bunker at 18.

Welshman Westgate did his best to honor the memory of countryman Ben Enoch, who died in a car accident on the eve of the tournament. No Welsh player has ever won the Lytham Trophy. This would have been a fitting year to eradicate that record.

Robinson had other ideas. Now he has even bigger plans, such as a trip to Merion as one of the 10 GB&I players to take on Buddy Marucci’s U.S. Walker Cup side.

He’ll certainly make the trip if he has more performances like the display he showed at Lytham this week.

When Tiger Woods shot a 30 on the front nine in a seven-under 65 in the opening round of the Quail Hollow Championship, he appeared poised to dominate on a tough course with a major-like feel.

But Woods was still working out the kinks in his fifth tournament back from knee surgery. Entering Sunday two shots out of the lead, Woods wasted several birdie chances and one eagle opportunity, closing with 10 consecutive pars for a 72.

He finished at 9-under 279, good for fourth place, two shots behind winner and buddy Sean O’Hair.

“I’ve been very pleased with some of my progress. I’m also not so pleased with some of it,” Woods said. “It’s been spotty, streaky. I just need to get a little more consistent.”

In an event he won in 2007, Woods could have tied for the lead with an eagle when he drove the green on the par-4 14th. He ended up nearly four-putting.

“It was baked out. I knew that,” Woods said of the tricky, fast green, the signature element of this event. “It was downwind and I saw George (McNeill’s) putt roll out. I kept telling myself, ‘This putt is faster than it looks. It’s faster than it looks.’ And I didn’t heed my own warning.

“The next one I blocked again. And I made a wonderful 6-footer for my three-putt.”

Still, Woods believes his short game is ahead of the rest. He hit only 25 of 56 fairways.

“That’s all I did for months is chip and putt,” Woods said of his limitations during rehab. “I just need to get more crisp with my driving and my long irons. The longer stuff is not where I want it.”

He’s hardly been bad, with one win and four consecutive top-10 finishes. The next step is playing consecutive weeks for the first time at The Players Championship.

“I haven’t done it yet and this will be a nice little test,” Woods said. “Obviously toward the end of the year we play a lot. You’ve just go to keep building toward that throughout the year and have no setbacks. That’s the whole key.”

Sean O’Hair yesterday avenged his painful loss in March to world No. 1 Tiger Woods by claiming the PGA Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.

O’Hair, 27, led in the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March with a five-shot advantage over Woods. O’Hair committed three bogeys, however, as Woods rallied for his first win since returning from knee surgery.


Five weeks later, O’Hair again faced Woods at the Quail Hollow Championship. O’Hair was three shots off the lead at fifth and bogeyed the 17th and 18th holes, but finished the final round at three under-69 for a winning overall score of 11 under-277.


Lucas Glover and Bubba Watson of the U.S. tied for second at 10 under. Woods finished fourth at nine under.


O’Hair posted his third career PGA win and earned 1.17 million U.S. dollars. As one of three players with three PGA wins under his belt, he has had to overcome estrangement from his overly ambitious father, whose relentless pressure drove O’Hair to stop speaking to him from 2002.


O’Hair won his first tournament in 2005 a year after his father-in-law began serving as his caddy.


Among ethnic Korean players, Y.E. Yang ranked 11th (seven under), and last year’s champion Anthony Kim ended 47th (even). Korean New Zealander Danny Lee, who made the cut for the first time as a professional, finished 38th (two under) but still earned 27,300 dollars for the first purse of his PGA career.

The University of Texas men’s golf team is a No. 4 seed in its host regional May 14 through 16 at its home course, the University of Texas Golf Club.

The Austin regional is one of six that will determine which teams play in the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships. The other regionals are in Galloway, N.J.; Daly City, Calif.; Sorrento, Fla.; Bowling Green, Ky.; and Stillwater, Okla. The Austin regional includes 12 other teams and 10 individuals competing for a berth in the national championship of college golf. Admission to the competition is free.

Stanford is the top seed in the Austin regional, followed by Florida, Texas Tech, Texas, UNLV, California, Lamar, Michigan, UT-Arlington, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, New Mexico State and Jackson State.

The top five teams and one individual not on a qualifying team will advance to the championships later this month in Toledo, Ohio.

Here’s what Texas head coach John Fields had to say about having the first men’s NCAA regional at UTGC:

“The dream to have our own golf course at The University of Texas was presented to me when I first assumed my position here. We knew we wanted a great course capable of hosting championship events. The truth about The University of Texas Golf Club is it is absolutely a great course. People are appreciating the course’s strength and character. We have one of the best golf courses in the nation now, and we’re very fortunate to host this NCAA men’s golf regional here in Austin. I think the NCAA did a nice job of spreading out the six regionals with excellent teams at each site. We are looking forward to hosting everyone here at the UT Golf Club.”

Sean O'Hair's track record at Quail Hollow wasn't too sporty heading into this year's tournament — a withdrawal in 2007, a missed cut in 2006 and a tie for 64th in 2005. In fact, he joked that one of the biggest reasons he even played in the past was because of the Mercedes-Benz courtesy cars.
Now he can buy a fleet if he wants.

Cowboys will serve as the top seed on their home course.

Oklahoma State's men's golf team will be one of 13 teams in action at the NCAA Men's Golf Regional May 14-16 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater it was announced today by the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee.

The Cowboys will serve as the top seed on their home course and will be one of five conference champions in the field. OSU is coming off its third consecutive Big 12 title and has won three of its last four starts.

The regional will be the fifth men's collegiate tournament the Tom Fazio design has hosted and will be its first regional since hosting the NCAA Central Regional in 2001. The par-72, 7,407-yard layout last hosted an NCAA event when it served as the site of the 2003 NCAA Championship.

The Stillwater Regional is one of six 54-hole regional tournaments, which will all be conducted May 14-16. Thirteen teams and ten individuals not on those teams will compete at each of three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams will advance to the finals. The championship final will be held May 26-30 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

The most important golf tournament of the year for the eight-ranked LSU women’s golf team begins here Thursday and LSU doesn’t have to win the tournament to be successful.

The NCAA West Regional Women’s Golf tournament opens three days of play at the ASU Karsten Golf Course on the Arizona State University campus and as long as LSU can finish in the top eight spots on Saturday afternoon at the end of 54 holes, the Lady Tigers will be going to the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship for the second straight year and the third time in the last four years.

This year’s championship is slated for Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md.

The West regional is one of three regional events being played over the next three days (the East in Gainesville, Fla., the Central in Columbus, Ohio) with 21 teams in each. Eight teams from each regional qualify for the Championships along with the top two individuals who are not a part of the eight teams selected.

For LSU, the regional is a familiar part of the season schedule having hosted the first East regional in 1993 at Baton Rouge’s Santa Maria Golf Course. In all, LSU has advanced to regional play 15 of the last 17 years and will be looking to go to the Championships for the 10th time in the 30 years of the program. But this is the first time the Tigers have been assigned to the West Regional.

The No. 8 Lady Tigers are the third-seed in the team field, behind only No. 2 (Golfstat, No. 1 NGCA poll) host Arizona State and No. 4 Southern California. Following LSU in the top 10 seeds with their Golfstat performance ranking are: Pepperdine (13), Arkansas (16), San Jose State (21), Arizona (22), California (20); UC Irvine (25) and San Francisco (27).

The remainder of the field starting with No. 11 seed UNLV joined by TCU, Texas A&M, Oregon, Long Beach State, Colorado, Texas, Baylor, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Northern Arizona and Oral Roberts.

The Kartsen course plays to a par of 72 off nines of 35-37 and measure at 6,286 yards. The temperature is expected to top 100 each of the three days of the tournament, but LSU will tee off early in the first round, at 10 a.m. CDT (8 a.m. MST).

“We like the golf course a lot,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen at mid-afternoon Wednesday after her team completed their practice round. “The greens are perfect and are rolling very true. This course sets up well for our girls. You’ve just got to pick out a good target and trust your shot. The course isn’t excessively long so that means there should be some low scores if they hit well. We play with Arizona State and Southern Cal the first two days and we are glad to be playing with them. The team is ready and I think they are anxious to get out there and begin.”

Last year, the Tigers proved eighth is just as good as first, winning a playoff over Florida State for the final regional qualifying position in the Central Regional in Austin, Texas. That day, former Lady Tiger Alexis Rather (now an assistant coach with Ole Miss) chipped in from off the green for the birdie that was the difference in the team playoff.

LSU will go with its lineup that has played together most of the spring season with senior Caroline Martens, sophomores Megan McChrystal and Amalie Valle and freshman Tessa Teachman and Jacqueline Hedwall.

Martens, who helped propel LSU to its 2006 NCAA bid with a fifth place finish in the NCAA East Regional, could become just the fifth LSU women’s golfer to make three NCAA Division I National Championships if the Lady Tigers qualify this year.

McChrystal earned first-team All-SEC honors and is still on pace to because the all-time single season leader in stroke average at 72.5 strokes per round. The mark that she is chasing is the 73.12 average of Meredith Duncan in the 2001-02 season. McChrystal, like the Lady Tigers, has two victories this season and is ranked 13th in the country in the Golfstat rankings. LSU’s other sophomore, Valle, is third on the team in stroke average at 74.8 strokes per round.

LSU’s two freshman starters have made a good name for themselves in their opening year in college golf. Teachman, from Baton Rouge, has been posting some of the better scores for LSU in recent tournaments and has four top 20 finishes in averaging 75.0. Hedwall is reminding everyone that she can compete just as well as her twin sister, posting two top 10s and five top 20s in recording the second lowest stroke average on the team of 74.5

As a team, LSU is averaging 294.4 and scores in that vicinity should be plenty to get LSU inside the top eight by the end of play on Saturday.

The teams are not repaired until Saturday’s final round of the 54-hole event with the top 12 teams going off early in the morning to make sure an official round can be declared in case of bad weather.

Hi,

I found another joke today and hope it is not a very old joke. Enjoy !

Fred, playing as a single at St Andrews was teamed with a twosome. After a few holes, the twosome finally asked why he was playing such a beautiful course by himself.

He replied that he & his wife had played the course every year - for over 20 years - but this year she had passed away and he kept the tee time in her memory.

The twosome commented that they thought certainly someone would have been willing to take her spot.

"So did I" he said - "but they all wanted to go to the funeral."
Please note, although no boardcode and smiley buttons are shown, they are still useable

Not so bad :helpme

Less than 24 hours after a bill to authorize sports betting in Delaware died in the state House, a Senate Democrat presented a new plan to move forward with the gambling initiative.

Sen. Robert I. Marshall, D-Wilmington, introduced two bills on Wednesday that would authorize not only sports betting, but table games and off-track betting as well. One of the bills would expand gaming in the state to two additional video lottery venues in New Castle and Sussex counties.

The sports betting portion of Marshall’s proposal would incorporate a plan put forward by Gov. Jack Markell to allow wagering at up to 10 other venues in addition to the casinos. That element of the governor’s plan was removed from the bill that the House defeated May 5.

:dirol

Former Washington Redskin Brian Mitchell will serve as the host of this year's Melwood Prince George's County Open golf tournament at the Woodmore Country Club June 1-7.

Mitchell will participate in all of the activities, which include the Pro Celebrity Shootout, the Half-Day Pro-Am, the Pro-Am Pairings Party and the Community Leader Awards/Pro-Am Awards Dinner on June 3.

He started the Brian Mitchell Foundation in 2001 to serve disadvantaged youths and supports other charities. He hosted the American Heart Association Celebrity Golf Tournament last month. Mitchell co-hosts "The John Thompson Show" on WTEM (980 AM), known as ESPN 980.

Ben Crane plays his best golf when he keeps it simple.

His day began with a drive down PGA Tour Boulevard on the back of his caddie's moped because his wife had the car. Once he got on the TPC Sawgrass, he kept the ball on land — not easy to do on a course where 89 balls found the water — and then got it into the hole so quickly he needed only 22 putts.

He left the thrills, and the spills, to everyone else Thursday at The Players Championship.

"A lot of people say 'horses for courses,'" Crane said after a 7-under 65 for a one-shot lead. "But for me, it's just a matter of am I able to keep it simple and just play golf and not worry about too much about other things."

Tiger Woods worried about his putting. He didn't make one longer than 4 feet on his way to a 1-under 71.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia also had a 71, but there is nothing simple about his game right now. Even with a respectable score, he said he was playing so badly it "makes me want to puke."

Phil Mickelson fired off three straight birdies, then hit only four greens in regulation the rest of the way for a 73, the first time he failed to break par in the opening round on the TPC Sawgrass in eight years.

"Looked like it was going to be a great round," Mickelson said. "And then it just kind of went away."

Crane couldn't relate.

He dropped only two shots — from a bunker on No. 8 and the rough-covered mounds right of the 14th fairway — and made four birdie putts longer than 20 feet.

"It's one of those rounds that you just live for when you're a golfer," he said. "And I had one today at one of my favorite courses and tournaments of all time."

He had a one-shot lead over John Mallinger, Alex Cejka and Richard S. Johnson, with a large group at 67 that included Retief Goosen, David Toms, Camilo Villegas and Scott Verplank, who had two eagles — one of them from 150 yards out on the 15th fairway, another with a putt that seemed about that long on the par-5 second.

That can happen on one of the most exciting courses in golf, where small mistakes can turn into big numbers.

Brian Gay made a small error by trying to reach the fourth green from the left rough, coming up short and into the water. He took a drop, dumped it in the water again, finally got on land and three-putted for a quintuple-bogey 9 on his way to an 80, one of five players who failed to break 80.

Or take the group of Steve Lowery, Daniel Chopra and Paul Goydos. They played the par-3 17th in a combined 18 shots, with four balls in the water — and Goydos made a par. Lowery put two in the drink and three-putted for an 8, while Chopra rinsed two and made 7.

But there were times that Sawgrass was forgiving.

Villegas was cruising along at 3 under early in his round when he punched a 6-iron from under the trees to just short of the green, then chipped too hard and watched it roll off the green and into the water. He dropped on the edge of the putting surface and holed a 35-foot putt to walk off with a par.

"It's funny how people talk, 'Oh, this golf course is perfect for this guy or for that guy,' and trust me," Villegas said, "players don't think that way. We just get a target and swing at it. I'll be out there focusing on every target, every swing, every shot, and hopefully, keep it going."

Crane opened with consecutive birdies starting at No. 10, made the turn in 33, then ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch along his back nine. The hole looked the same size, but it seemed like a magnet for his ball.

"How often ... from 30 feet do you actually start it there and then the read is correct? And that happened a number of times today," he said. "You just smile. You're like, 'Yeah, this is why I play golf right here.'"

Johnson, who won in Milwaukee last year, had to battle to be low man in his group. He played with Verplank and Johnson Wagner, and they combined for 17 birdies, two eagles and were a collective 14 under.

Woods only felt as if he should be there on his own, especially after missing seven birdie putts inside 12 feet.

Brazil is the confirmed host for 2014. Many countries are vying to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA world cup. I know that Japan and South Korea are in the fray for co-hosting the event with the help of neighbouring countries. Do these counties have the infrastructure and backup to support a massive event like the FIFA World Cup?

This is the country that has given to the world the best football and the best footballers, and they are five times world champions.

Brazil :thumbsup