This week's top golf events
Associated Press
Eastern times
LPGA
$2 million Dinah Shore Tournament
Site: Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Mission Hills Country Club, Dinah Shore Tournament Course (6,702 yards, par 72).
Purse: $2 million. Winner's share: $300,000.
Television: ESPN2 (Thursday-Friday, 5-7 p.m.; Saturday, 6-8 p.m.) and CBS (Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Last year: Brittany Lincicome won her first major title, hitting a hybrid from 210 yards to 4 feet to set up a winning eagle on the par-5 18th. Lincicome finished with a 69 for a one-stroke victory over Cristie Kerr and Kristy McPherson.
Last week: South Korea's Hee Kyung Seo won the inaugural Kia Classic at La Costa for her first LPGA Tour title, beating Inbee Park by six strokes.
Notes: Michelle Wie tied for fifth last week at La Costa. She was penalized two strokes in the final round for grounding her club in a hazard after hitting out of the water near the 11th green. ... Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa won the 2008 tournament. ... Morgan Pressel won in 2007 to become the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days. ... In 2006, Karrie Webb holed a 116-yard shot for eagle on the 18th, then beat Ochoa in a playoff with birdie on the same hole. Webb won in 2000 by record 10 strokes. ... The event, first played in 1972 as the Colgate Dinah Shore, became a major championship in 1983. ... Japan's Ai Miyazato tied for 39th last week after winning the season-opening events in Thailand and Singapore. ... The tour is off next week. Play will resume April 15-16 with the Mojo 6 in Jamaica.
On the Net: http://www.lpga.com
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PGA TOUR
Houston Open
Site: Humble, Texas.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Redstone Golf Club, Tournament Course (7,457 yards, par 72).
Purse: $5.8 million. Winner's share: $1,044,000.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday, 4-7 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.; Friday, midnight-3 a.m., 4-7 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.; Saturday, midnight-3 a.m.) and NBC (Saturday, 1-5 p.m.; Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Last year: England's Paul Casey won his first PGA Tour title, beating J.B. Holmes with a bogey on the first hole of a playoff.
Last week: Ernie Els won the rain-delayed Arnold Palmer Invitational in a Monday finish at Bay Hill for his second straight victory and 18th PGA Tour title. Kevin Na and Edoardo Molinari tied for second, two strokes back.
Notes: The Masters is next week. The winner, if not already exempt, will earn a spot at Augusta National. ... Els, Casey and Phil Mickelson are in the field along with Fred Couples, Masters champion Angel Cabrera, Padraig Harrington, Geoff Ogilvy, Lee Westwood, Lucas Glover, Rory McIlroy and three-time winner Vijay Singh. ... Couples, the 2003 winner on the adjacent Members Course, is making his third PGA Tour of the season. Last week in the Dominican Republic, the 50-year-old former University of Houston star won his third straight Champions Tour title. He closed with a course-record 10-under 62. ... Mickelson is winless in six starts this season.
On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com
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CHAMPIONS TOUR
Next event: Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, April 16-18, TPC Tampa Bay, Lutz, Fla.
Last week: Fred Couples won his third straight Champions Tour start, closing with a course-record 10-under 62 for a two-stroke victory over Corey Pavin in the Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic. Couples is the first player in Champions Tour history to win three of his first four career tournaments.
On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com
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PGA EUROPEAN TOUR
Next event: Masters, April 8-11, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga.
Last week: South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen earned his second straight trip to the Masters, winning the Andalucia Open for his first European tour title. Oosthuizen finished at 17 under for a three-stroke victory.
On the Net: http://www.europeantour.com
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NATIONWIDE TOUR
Next event: Fresh Express Classic, April 15-18, TPC San Francisco Bay at Stonebrae, Hayward, Calif.
Last week: Argentina's Fabian Gomez won the Louisiana Open for first Nationwide Tour title, closing with a 7-under 64 in windy conditions for a tournament-record six-stroke victory over three players.
On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com
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OTHER TOURNAMENTS
Men
NGA HOOTERS TOUR: Georgia Sports Orthopedic Specialists Classic, Thursday-Sunday, Chattahoochee Golf Club, Gainesville, Ga. On the Net: http://www.ngahooterstour.com
ASIAN TOUR: SAIL Open, Tuesday-Friday, Delhi Golf Club, New Delhi. On the Net: http://www.asiantour.com
Women
JAPAN LPGA TOUR: Yamaha Ladies Open, Friday-Sunday, Katsuragi Golf Club, Shizuoka, Japan. On the Net: http://www.lpga.or.jp