Ryder Cup team member, Anthony Kim is the latest PGA player to commit to playing on the European Tour in 2009. Kim, 23, won two PGA tournaments in 2008 and is currently ranked #8 in the world. Camilo Villegas and Geoff Ogilvy have previously announced that they will compete on both tours. Phil Mickelson is expected to join them.

European members must play 12 times, including six tournaments in America–three majors and three World Golf Championships.

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Footjoy has launched a new sweepstakes with prizes including a pair of SYNR-G golf shoes and a top-of-the-line SkyCaddie SG5 Range Finder. To enter, simply visit the Footjoy Web site. The contest is open to residents of the 50 United States age 18 and older. You may enter once each week until November 18 (2008).

Golf season is starting to wind down, but there are still a few events to watch. Televised events include the following:(all times are EDT).

Saturday, November 1
9am – noon – European Tour – Volvo Masters in Cadiz, Spain – Golf Channel
130pm – 430pm – PGA Tour – Ginn Sur Mer Classic in Port St. Lucie, Florida – Golf Channel
430pm – 7pm- Champions Tour – Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, California – Golf Channel

Sunday, November 2
8am – 11am – European Tour – Volvo Masters in Cadiz, Spain – Golf Channel
130pm – 430pm – PGA Tour – Ginn Sur Mer Classic in Port St. Lucie, Florida – Golf Channel
430pm – 7pm- Champions Tour – Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, California – Golf Channel

The LPGA Tour is in South Korea for the Hana Bank*KOLON Championship. The event is not televised. The Nationwide Tour is quiet this weekend.

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In the video below, golf pro Fred Spinelli of Utah’s Remuda Golf Club talks about golf basics, including posture, grip, and striking the ball.

LPGA “hottie,” Natalie Gulbis is busy taping episodes of the next season of Donald Trump’s reality show, “Celebrity Apprentice.” The 25-year-old crowd favorite is joining Dennis Rodman, reality show veteran Khloe Kardashian, and comedian Joan Rivers and her daughter Melissa. The show is scheduled to air in January 2009.

Gulbis is no stranger to reality TV. She is featured in the Golf Channel’s “Natalie Gulbis Show.”

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John Daly was in the news yet again this week…and not for a good reason. The 42-year-old former British Open winner was arrested in Winston-Salem, North Carolina after being found drunk and unconscious at a Hooter’s Restaurant there. Daly was detained for 24 hours until he sobered up.

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The 2008 golf season is starting to wind down, but there are still several interesting tournaments to look forward to this coming weekend. The schedule includes:

• PGA Tour – Ginn sur Mer Classic at the Tesaro Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida (pictured above)
• Champions Tour – Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Sonoma, California
• LPGA – Hana Bank-KOLON Championship 2008 in Incheon, Korea
• European Tour – Volvo Masters in Cadiz, Spain

The Nationwide Tour is quiet next weekend.

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Sergio Garcia won his first European tournament in more than three years with his victory in Spain’s Castello Masters this weekend. The win was especially poignant for Garcia as he had dedicated the final round to his ailing countryman, Seve Ballesteros, who is recovering from brain surgery.

Garcia, 28, shot a four-under 67 to best Sweden’s Peter Hedblum by one stroke. Garcia has 18 professional wins, but no majors. He has finished second once in the British Open and twice in the PGA Championship.

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Champions Tour pro and eight-time major champion, Tom Watson underwent hip replacement surgery on October 2 in order to improve his quality of life and to remain competitive on the golf course, a spokesman told the Associated Press yesterday. Watson won twice on the Champions Tour this year in only ten starts and is 12th on the tour’s money list. During his PGA career, Watson won the US Open once, the Masters twice, and the British open five times. He says that he expects to play in the Champions Tour skins game in January.

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It’s been a tough couple of weeks for former PGA pro, Seve Ballesteros. First, he collapsed and was hospitalized. Then, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Next, the tumor was found to be malignant and he underwent two surgeries to remove it. He is now recovering from a third surgery and is listed in stable, but serious condition.

Ballesteros, 51, won the British Open three times and the Masters twice. He also holds the record of most wins on the European Tour. Ballesteros retired from professional golf in 2007.

We wish him a speedy recovery.