Editor's Weekly Word

The PGA Championship this week is not only the final major on the PGA Tour and European Tour calendars but is the final event in the race for USA Ryder Cup Team qualification. By Sunday night we will know the ten automatic qualifiers and on Monday Hal Sutton will name his two Captain's picks. The European Team will not be decided until two weeks later.

Most of the speculation in the press lately has been about Sutton's two picks but there are plenty of points up for grabs this week and apart from the top four, namely Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III and Jim Furyk, nobody's place is absolutely secure. The PGA Championship has a history of producing first time major winners and, of U.S. players in the running for the Ryder Cup that would also extend this statistic if they won, Stewart Cink is my favorite. Not only is he playing well at the moment but he did well on the 2002 team with 1 win, 2 all square and no losses in his three matches. Of the other players whose place on the team depends on their performance this week I would expect to see determined performances from John Daly, Jerry Kelly and Chris DiMarco. Scott Verplank also has a good claim to a place but he seems to put too much pressure on himself and often just misses out on the top ten places where the points are to be had.

Of the international players, the one who appears most due for his first major title is Sergio Garcia but it could go either way at Whistling Straits. If he doesn't finish in the top ten it will most likely be as a result of missing the cut. No middle ground with this one.

And then there are the guys who already have a major or several to their name. The last time Tiger Woods had a major drought, 0 for 10 in 1999, he ended it at the PGA Championship and I wouldn't bet against him doing it again now to end his current 0 for 9 majors drought. But the man who seems most determined to win a major tournament in 2004 has got to be Ernie Els. Three top tens in the first three majors this year including two runner up finishes makes him the one they all have to beat in my book. He has won three tournaments worldwide this year and victory this week would take him into the world number one spot and delay Tiger Woods' inevitable record-breaking 332nd week at the top of the rankings.

If my predictions are as accurate (=inacurate) as they have been for the other majors this season I wouldn't recommend speculating any hard-earned cash on any of the players mentioned above but I'm looking forward to a great tournament whatever the outcome.

Have a good week.

Regards

Andy Smith
Founder/Editor
www.golfing-weekly.com

The International - Tournament Report

Rod Pampling of Australia became the sixth debut winner on the PGA Tour this year when he clinched a two point victory, under the modified Stableford scoring system, over Germany's Alex Cejka at the International in Colorado on Sunday. On a day when the scoring average was two over par and the best score was Duffy Waldorf's 8 points which gave him fourth place, overnight co-leader Pampling only needed to score 2 points in the end to secure his first Tour victory.

With two holes to play, Pampling was -3 points for his round and trailed Cejka but a long drive on the 17th followed by a 7-iron approach and 21 foot curling putt gave him a 5 point eagle and a two point cushion on the final hole. Cejka has eleven international victories to his name but his runner-up finish here is his best result on the PGA Tour. His winnings take him over the $1million mark for the second consecutive season.

Tom Pernice Jnr., who won this event in 2001, picked up one point in the final round to claim third place. Jay Haas in fifth and Stewart Cink in tied sixth both picked up valuable points in their bid to be included in the USA Ryder Cup Team. The team will be finalized after the U.S. PGA Championship this weekend.

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The International - Results

Points system - Albatross +8, Eagle +5, Birdie +2, Par 0, Bogey -1, Worse -3

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PGA Tour Money List

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KLM Open - Tournament Report

England's David Lynn clinched his first victory on the European Tour on Sunday when he came from behind to win the KLM Open by three strokes from Paul McGinley and overnight leader Richard Green.

Green held a three shot lead after 36 and 54 holes but had to settle for his third runner-up finish in his last six starts. He extended his overnight lead with a birdie on the first hole but by the turn Lynn had drawn level. Lynn birdied 14 to take the lead then Green dropped a shot on the 16th to drop back into a share of second place with McGinley who was already in the clubhouse on minus 13. A final birdie from Lynn on the last gave him his 3 stroke winning margin.

McGinley, who is making a late challenge to qualify for the European Ryder Cup Team, moved up to 15th in the standings but more importantly closed the gap between himself and the final qualifying place to just over 100,000 points (1 euro = 1 point) with his runner-up winnings of €104,225. Ian Poulter's tied tenth place keeps him firmly in the running for automatic selection to the team with just three weeks left in the race.

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KLM Open - Results

Par 70  - 6,660 yards

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Volvo Order Of Merit

Earnings on the European Tour are paid in Euros. The equivalent value in US$ is for information purposes only and was calculated at the rate which was current at time of publishing. Earnings from the majors are included in both the European & PGA Tour Money Lists.

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Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic - Tournament Report

England's Karen Stupples, winner of the Weetabix Women's British Open the previous week, held a three shot lead going into the final round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic and looked like she would emulate the achievement of Meg Mallon who followed up her U.S. Women's Open victory with the Canadian equivalent the week after. But in the end it was Mallon herself who came from behind with a 3 under par round of 68 on the final day to take the title, her third of the season.

Se Ri Pak shared the runner-up spot with Stupples having failed by one shot in her bid to win the tournament for a fifth time. The feat has only been achieved once in LPGA history, by Mickey Wright who won the Sea Island Open five times between 1957 and 1963.

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Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic - Results

Par 71 - 6,365 yards

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ADT Money List

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3M Championship - Tournament Report

Tom Kite overcame the disappointments of losing out on the previous two Sundays when he sank his birdie putt on the 18th to claim a one shot victory over Craig Stadler at the TPC of the Twin Cities. This was his seventh win on the Champions Tour but his first in almost two years. He started the day two strokes behind Tom Purtzer, who shot a 74 and finished in a tie for third place with Larry Nelson and Vicente Fernandez.

Kite's $265,000 winner's check took him into fourth place on the money list and past the $1million dollar mark for the fifth consecutive season..

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3M Championship - Results

Par 72 - 6,909 yards

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Champions Tour Money List

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"Off the Cart Path" - weekly cartoon strip by Roy Doty

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Ryder Cup Points

Current standings based on latest information available.

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Official World Golf Rankings

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