Seve Ballesteros, three-time Masters British Open champion and two-time Masters champion, is staying strong through his second round of chemotherapy to treat a brain tumor. The 51-year-old Spaniard underwent three surgeries in the fall after fainting at Madrid’s Barajas International Airport on October 6. He is scheduled to begin a third regiment of chemotherapy next week.
Said Ballesteros to the Associated Press, “The results of the checkup were really positive. Better even than the first ones. I will start my third chemotherapy round shortly and hope it will be in the same line as the previous ones.”
(photo credit: Newscom)

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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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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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.

Imagine having Tiger Woods accompany you around the links at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Now imagine that he’s carrying your clubs and holding the pin for you. That’s right. The lucky winner of Buick’s “Tee Off with Tiger” contest, 59-year-old John Abel, got to have Woods as his caddy this week.
According to news reports, Tiger walked without a limp and showed no sign of the reconstructive knee surgery he had earlier in the year. As for Mr. Abels, he said that Woods was a friendly, “down to earth” guy. After the round, Tiger treated Abels …read more

Padraig Harrington, pictured above after winning the PGA Championship this year, was named the PGA Player of the year for 2008. The 37-year-old Irishman won the British Open (for the second straight year) and the PGA Championship this past year. He is just the second European player to receive the honor. (Nick Faldo won the award in 1990.) The award, first presented to Ben Hogan in 1948, is based on a formula that weighs tournament wins, official money standing, and scoring average. Although there are four more PGA tournaments this year, Harrington’s 116 points are out of range of any …read more

The Golf Channel’s popular reality show, “The Big Break” will debut its tenth season on Tuesday at 10pm. This time the contestants are couples…all sorts of couples. The eight men and eight women on the show include a married couple, rival college golf coaches, and a boyfriend/girlfriend combination. Among them is PGA pro, Brandt Snedeker’s brother, Haymes. The group will compete for an exemption for the LPGA or PGA tour as well as other prizes.

Five-time major winner, Seve Ballesteros announced on Sunday that he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The 51-year-old Spaniard was hospitalized in Madrid last week after a fainting spell. Further tests are necessary to tell whether the tumor is malignant or benign and to set a course of treatment.
Ballesteros won the Masters twice (1980 and 1983) and the British Open three times (1979, 1984, 1988). He also played on eight Ryder Cup teams before retiring from professional golf in 2007.
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