Here are a few facts about Brian Gay:

* Gay turned pro in 1994

* He has one PGA win, at the 2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic in Cancun

* Gay was born in Ft. Worth, Texas

* He attended the University of Florida

* His father was a scratch golfer and played for the All-Army team

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The b5media Sports Channel is talking about their favorite players and teams this week, so it’s a good time to tell you about my favorite golfer. I grew up on Columbus during a time when the city’s favorite sons including that generation’s version of Tiger Woods–Jack Nicklaus. There’s no denying the “Golden Bear” was a super star and an exciting golf to watch, but Columbus and Ohio State yielded another stellar golfer in the 1960s and 1970s–Tom Weiskopf.

Weiskopf, a native of Massillion Ohio, turned pro in 1964 and went on to win 28 tournaments. The most notable was the British Open in 1973. He also finished second in the Masters four times. Weiskopf continued on to play in the Senior PGA Tour, winning the 1995 US Senior Open.

Weiskopf, now 65, is retired from competition, but has a thriving golf course design business. To date, he has designed 40 courses, including Loch Lomond, the home of the Scottish Open.

^{(photo © Newscom)}

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Michelle Wie may be having trouble over at the LPGA Tour. She was disqualified in last week’s State Farm Classic and without a top-three finish in August’s CN Canadian Women’s Open, she is likely heading back to qualifying school. However, none of that is stopping the 18-year-old from testing her skills against the gentlemen of the PGA Tour–again.

Wie has secured a sponsor’s exemption to for the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open in Reno, beginning July 31. That’s the same week as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, where most of the top players will be competing. This is the 8th time that Wie has competed against in a PGA event. She has yet to make the cut.

^{(photo © Newcom)}

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Image details: U.S. Open Championship – First Round served by picapp.com

Today, July 14, is Bastille Day, the French Independence Day. In honor of this occasion, here’s a look at the top French golfers:

Thomas Levet. The top-ranked French golfer (pictured above) is #107 in the world rankings. A native of Paris, Levet became the first Frenchman to play the PGA Tour when he earned a spot in 1994. A 10-year pro, he was on the 2004 Ryder Cup team and won the 1998 Cannes Open as well as the 2008 Open de Andulasia.

Gregory Bourdy. Ranked #117 in the world, Bourdy is a 5-year professional and hails from Bordeaux. He has won the 2007 Majorca Classic and the 2008 Estoril Open de Portugal.

Raphael Jacquelin. Jacquelin, a native of Lyon, turned pro in 1995. He’s won the 2005 Open de Madrid and the 2007 BMW Asian Open.

Gregory Havret. Havret went head-to-head with Phil Mickelson to win the 2007 Barclay’s Scottish Open. He also won the 2001 Italian Open. Havret is ranked #151 in the world.

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Image details: U.S. Women’s Open – Final Round served by picapp.com

It’s the kind of “Cinderella” story that golfing fans love. Inbee Park, a native of South Korea, took up the game of golf when she saw her fellow Korean, Se Ri Pak win the US Women’s Open in 1998. Ten years later, Park wins the same tournament, making her (at 19) the youngest player to ever win the US Women’s Open. What’s more: it’s her first professional win. Her best finish previously was 9th in the 2008 Kraft Nabisco Classic.

Inbee Park now resides in Las Vegas. She attended both Kwangwoon University in Korea and UNLV. She dropped out of college in 1997 to join the LPGA tour.

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If you’re like me, you’ve been vaguely aware of Rocco Mediate for years, but never really knew much about him…until this week. Now that he’s in a playoff for the 2008 US Open Championship with Tiger Woods, all eyes are on him. But who is this veteran player that’s challenging the best in the world? Here are a few facts about Rocco:

• He’s 45 years old. (If he wins the US Open, he will be the oldest player to have ever won the tournament.)

• Prior to this week, his best finish in the US Open was fourth in 2001.
• He was nine prior professional wins, the most recent of which was the CVS Charity Classic in 2003.

• He was ranked 158 in the world, coming into Monday.

• He resides in Naples, Florida.
• He’s a Sagitarrius (born 12-17-1962).

• He went to college at Florida Southern College.

• He turned pro in 1985.

• He was born in Greensburg, PA, not far from Arnold Palmer’s home town of Latrobe.

• He was 54th in career earnings on the PGA Tour, at the start of the US Open.

^{(photo © Newscom)}

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Kultida Woods (mother of Tiger Woods)

Marcella Ochoa (mother of Lorena Ochoa)

Mary Mickelson (mother of Phil Mickelson)

Bo Wie (mother of Michelle Wie)

Happy Mother’s Day to all “Green Posse” readers.

^{(all photos © newscom)}

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Image details: John Daly of the USA served by picapp.com

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Image details: EDS Byron Nelson Championship – Final Round served by picapp.com

The PGA golfers are in Irving, Texas this weekend competing in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, a part of the PGA circuit since 1944. But who is Byron Nelson, for whom the tournament is named? Simply, the best golfer of his era.

Bryon Nelson played the PGA Tour from 1935 to 1946, before retiring from the game to be a rancher and part time golf announcer. In his relatively short career, he won had 52 PGA wins and five wins in major championships–two at the Masters, one at the US Open, and two at the PGA Championship.

Byron was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and is ranked as the #5 golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine. Byron died in 2006 at the age of 94.

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Post from: Green Posse