Lorena Ochoa, the top-ranked woman golfer is the world, racked up her 25th LPGA career victory this past weekend as she won the Honda LPGA tournament in Thailand. Ochoa trailed third-place finisher Paula Creamer by three strokes going into the final round, but her six-under round of 66 was more than enough to secure her the trophy. Hee Young Park of South Korea finished second.

Said Ochoa to the Associated Press, “It has been a great week. My goal was to win the tournament. Here I am with the trophy and I am very pleased. I played especially well.”

The field at the Honda LPGA Thailand was the strongest group of women golfers ever assembled in Asia. The tour continues to Singapore this week for the HSBC Women’s Champions Tournament. Ochoa is the defending champion in that event.

(photo credit: Newscom)

Post from: Green Posse

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.”

^{(photo © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

The highlight of this weekend’s golf events is the Justin Timberlake Shriner’s Hospital for Children charity tournament. Televised events include the following:(all times are EDT).

Saturday, October 18
10am – 1pm – European Tour – Portugal Masters in Vilamovra, Portugal – Golf Channel
230pm – 5pm – Champions Tour – Administaff Small Business Classic in The Woodlands, Texas – Golf Channel
5pm – 8pm – PGA Tour – Justin Timberlake Shriner’s Hosptial for Children Tournament in Las Vegas – Golf Channel
830pm – 11pm – LPGA – Kapalua LPGA Classic in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii – Golf Channel

Sunday, October 19
10am – 1pm – European Tour – Portugal Masters in Vilamovra, Portugal – Golf Channel
230pm – 5pm – Champions Tour – Administaff Small Business Classic in The Woodlands, Texas – Golf Channel
5pm – 8pm – PGA Tour – Justin Timberlake Shriner’s Hosptial for Children Tournament in Las Vegas – Golf Channel
830pm – 11pm – LPGA – Kapalua LPGA Classic in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii – Golf Channel

The Nationwide Tour is in Chatanooga, Tennesse for the Chatanooga Classic. The event is not televised.

^{(photo © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

South Korea’s In Kyung Kim won her first LPGA tournament on Sunday when she bested Angela Stanford by three strokes to win the Longs Drug Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville, California. She broke into tears after sinking a 30-foot putt to win the event. “I was overwhelmed,” Kim told the Associated Press. “It was a happy cry.”

Kim, in her second season on the LPGA tour, has six top ten finishes this year, including a tie for third in the US Women’s Open last month.

Angela Stanford finished second and Yani Tseng finished third in the Long Drug Challenge.

^{(photo © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

Golf events this weekend include the PGA’s Turning Stone Resort Championship and the LPGA’s Samsung World Championship. Televised events include the following:(all times are EDT).

Saturday, October 11
9am – 12pm – European Tour – Madrid Masters in Madrid, Spain – Golf Channel
4pm – 6pm – Champions Tour – Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship in Timonium, Maryland – NBC
4pm – 7pm – PGA Tour – Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, Texas – Golf Channel
730pm – 10pm – LPGA – Longs Drugs Challenge in Danville, California – Golf Channel

Sunday, October 12
9am – 12pm – European Tour – Madrid Masters in Madrid, Spain – Golf Channel
4pm – 6pm – Champions Tour – Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship in Timonium, Maryland – NBC
4pm – 7pm – PGA Tour – Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, Texas – Golf Channel
730pm – 10pm – LPGA – Longs Drugs Challenge in Danville, California – Golf Channel

The Nationwide Tour is in Midland/Odessa, Texas for the WNB Golf Classic. The event is not televised.

^{(photo of Charl Schwartzel of South Africa at the Madrid Open © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

Golf events this weekend include the PGA’s Turning Stone Resort Championship and the LPGA’s Samsung World Championship. Televised events include the following:(all times are EDT).

Saturday, October 4
830am – 1230pm – European Tour – Alfred Dunhill Championship in Scotland – Golf Channel
1230pm – 230pm – LPGA – Samsung World Championship in Half Moon Bay, California – NBC
3pm – 6pm – PGA Tour – Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, New York – Golf Channel

Sunday, October 5
730am – 1230pm – European Tour – Alfred Dunhill Championship in Scotland – Golf Channel
3pm – 6pm – PGA Tour – Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, New York – Golf Channel
4pm – 6pm – LPGA – Samsung World Championship in Half Moon Bay, California – NBC

The Nationwide Tour and the Champions Tour are quiet this weekend.

^{(photo of Na Yeon Choi at the Samsung World Championship © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

Golf events this weekend include the British Masters and the PGA Tour Championship. Televised events include the following:(all times are EDT).

Saturday, September 27
Noon – 330pm – PGA – Tour Championship in Atlanta – NBC
130pm – 330pm – Champions Tour – SAS Championship in Cary, North Carolina – Golf Channel
4pm – 6pm – European Tour – British Masters in West Midlands, England – Golf Channel
630pm – 9pm – LPGA – Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville, Alabama – Golf Channel

Sunday, September 28
130pm – 6pm – PGA – Tour Championship in Atlanta – NBC
130pm – 330pm – Champions Tour – SAS Championship in Cary, North Carolina – Golf Channel
330pm – 6pm – European Tour – British Masters in West Midlands, England – Golf Channel
630pm – 9pm – LPGA – Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville, Alabama – Golf Channel

The Nationwide Tour is quiet this weekend.

^{(photo of Lee Westwood at the British Masters © Newscom)}

Post from: Green Posse

I wasn’t sure we’d see this, but 18-year-old golfer, Michelle Wie has swallowed her pride and entered the LPGA’s Qualifying School to earn her 2009 LPGA Tour Card. She will compete in the qualifier this month at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California–the same course where she finished fourth at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2004 at the age of 13 and rose to national attention.

The top 20 finishers at Mission Hills will advance to a December qualifier in Daytona Beach, where the top 20 will earn an LPGA Tour card. If Wie is unsuccessful at Mission Hills, there is also a qualifier in Florida next month.

Wie, now a student at Stanford University, hasn’t won a tournament since she won the US Women’s Amateur Tournament in 2003. She has been in the spotlight, however, with her repeated attempts to make the cut in a PGA Tour event.

For more about Michelle Wie, see:

• Wie to Play in the Legends Reno Tahoe Open
• Wie Fails to Make PGA Cut
• Is Wie Headed to Q-School?

Post from: Green Posse

The Ryder Cup is approaching, but there’s still golf on television this weekend. Televised events include the following:(all times are EDT).

Saturday, September 13
8am – 1130am – European Tour – Mercedes Benz Championship in Cologne, Germany – Golf Channel
1pm – 330pm – Champions Tour – Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn in Conover, North Carolina – Golf Channel
330pm – 6pm – LPGA – Bell Micro Classic in Mobile, Alabama – Golf Channel
630pm – 9pm – Nationwide Tour – Albertsons Boise Open in Boise, Idaho – Golf Channel

Sunday, September 14
8am – 1130am – European Tour – Mercedes Benz Championship in Cologne, Germany – Golf Channel
1pm – 330pm – Champions Tour – Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn in Conover, North Carolina – Golf Channel
330pm – 6pm – LPGA – Bell Micro Classic in Mobile, Alabama – Golf Channel
630pm – 9pm – Nationwide Tour – Albertsons Boise Open in Boise, Idaho – Golf Channel

The PGA Tour is quiet this weekend.

Post from: Green Posse

The LPGA announced on Friday that it had reconsidered a portion of its proposed requirement that two members demonstrate English proficiency within two years of joining the tour or face suspension. The meat of the proposal hasn’t really changed, but the tour vows to find other ways to communicate with its members without the threat of suspension. Said LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens in a statement on Friday:

“The LPGA has received valuable feedback from a variety of constituents regarding the recently announced penalties attached to our effective communications policy. We have decided to rescind those penalty provisions.

After hearing the concerns, we believe there are other ways to achieve our shared objective of supporting and enhancing the business opportunities for every Tour player. In that spirit, we will continue communicating with our diverse Tour players to develop a better alternative. The LPGA will announce a revised approach, absent playing penalties, by the end of 2008.

During that time we will continue to provide support under the three-year-old Kolon-LPGA Cross Cultural Program. This popular program provides all LPGA members with the best cross-cultural training in the form of tutors, translators, Rosetta Stone, the official language-learning system of the LPGA, as well as assistance from LPGA staff and consultants.”

The LPGA Tour includes members from more than 120 nations and many of the Tour’s top players are not native English-speakers, including Lorena Ochoa of Mexico and South Korea’s Se Ri Pak. The proposed suspensions drew criticism from LPGA Tour members, including Ochoa, as well as players on the PGA Tour.

Post from: Green Posse