LPGA unveils consolidated schedule for 2010

We all knew the 2010 LPGA schedule was going to be light — especially considering the number of tournament sponsors that were rumored to be dropping out prior to the schedule announcement.

After exhausting all potential financial avenues, the LPGA managed to come up with just 23 full-field events for the 2010 season. The current number — which is down from 27 last season — only adds to the general consensus that former tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens was one of the biggest factors in the new schedule.

Golf World’s Ron Sirak reported that “a mix of a bad economy and bad blood among tournament owners left over the Carolyn Bivens commissionership. Many of the tournaments acting commissioner Marty Evans was able to lure back returned at lower purses.”

Bivens’ polarizing personality left the tour between a rock and a hard place, forcing former acting tour commissioner Marty Evans to play fireman and put out the flames. In the end, I guess 23 tournaments isn’t such a bad thing. It just means players will be playing more golf this season — something that should be a big positive for tournament officials. However, if there’s one thing that’s going to hurt the tour this year, it’s the news regarding long layoff between the first event of the season and the first event on U.S. soil.

Fans of the LPGA based here in the States won’t get the chance to see the women play until the last week of March. That means there’s more than a full month between the Honda LPGA Championship in Thailand and the J Classic in La Costa, Calif.

Doug Barron files suit to overturn PGA Tour drug suspension

Doug Barron, the PGA Tour player who recently tested positive for an banned substance, isn’t taking his suspension lightly. Instead of issuing a formal apology and taking his lumps, Barron will instead fight the ruling, while also seeking damages from the tour for defamation of character.

Barron on Thursday filed suit in Memphis, Tenn., seeking to overturn the suspension. In addition, he is asking for monetary damages, claiming the PGA Tour has defamed him because of the news release that was incomplete and resulted in stories that “unfairly labeled him as a doper and cheater,” according to the complaint. A hearing is scheduled for Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Memphis.

The thrust of the complaint is that the medications for which Barron tested positive were prescribed by doctors, “for legitimate medical reasons,” including a beta-blocker, Propranol, that he had been taking for 22 years “for a condition known as mitral valve prolapse.” He also was taking testosterone shots to counter low testosterone levels. The suit alleges that Barron had sought a therapeutic-use exemption that the PGA Tour denied him. The suit said that the PGA Tour asked that he wean himself off the beta-blocker, which he was in the process of doing when he failed the test.

Honestly, do I really think Doug Barron cheated? Who knows for sure. The photos I’ve seen of him don’t give me the impression that he’s a muscle-bound roid freak. He really just looks like the average Joe golfer.

Tiger Woods’ new crib is getting ripped to shreds

See that house right there? That’s Tiger’s new pad in Florida. Nice, huh? Well it at least looks good to me. Other, however, aren’t feeling the new design.

Jose Lambiet, a celebrity columnist for the Palm Beach Post, got his hands on some photos of Woods’ new abode that’s currently being built on Jupiter Island. He quickly proceeded to rip the current design to shreds, calling it a “cross between a discount motel and beachside nursing home.”

Ouch.

But honestly, when did this clown ever get a degree in architecture? He’s a celebrity columnist critiquing a house that’s far from being completed. But like everyone in the celebrity biz, you’ve got have a strong opinion on everything — even if you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.

PGA Tour announces 2010 schedule

Like a lot of businesses out there, the PGA Tour unveiled a leaner and meaner tour schedule for 2010.

The major championships sites for the upcoming year have a very circa 2000 feel to them. With Pebble Beach hosting the U.S. Open and St. Andrews hosting the British Open, I think it’s safe to say the course complaints should be kept to a minimum. Whistling Straits rounds out the foursome, hosting the PGA Championship.

Four events will be held on new courses next year:

Sleep is a golfer’s best friend … or so I’m told

Admit it; you don’t get enough sleep. I recently asked a couple of guys I golf with to give me an average for the number of hours they sleep per night, and of course, they reeled pretty common numbers: four hours, five hours, six hours.

Yep, we definitely don’t get enough sleep these days. But if you’re considering the idea of lowering your handicap or improving your slice, you may want to pay attention to a study done by the American College of Chest Physicians (the college really does exist):

Sleep apnea treatment improved golfers’ handicap ratings by more than one stroke on average, according to research presented at the annual conference of the American College of Chest Physicians. After 20 rounds of golf, the group treated with a form of nightly nasal ventilation saw their handicap drop from 12.4 strokes to 11 strokes. Interestingly, the best golfers in the group improved their scores the most.

Tiger Woods captures PGA POTY Award

OK, it’s official: Tiger Woods is your 2009 PGA Player of the Year. Is anyone really surprised? I didn’t think so.

Woods captured the award for the 10th time in his career in a race that, to be honest, was never really close. Winning the Vardon Trophy, FedEx Cup, six tour events, and the Byron Nelson Award for the lowest scoring average on tour (68.05) made the choice a no-brainer. All this means is Woods is now a mortal lock to capture the PGA Tour POTY award.

There were many out there questioning Tiger’s credentials for the award after he lost in dramatic fashion to Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship. But his victory at the FedEx Cup all but ended those debates. Not only that, but Woods had twice as many wins as anyone else on tour; plus, he had the task of coming back from knee surgery this year.

I don’t think anyone, Tiger included, thought he’d win six times out in his first full season after the injury. While he didn’t win a major championship, Woods did finish in the top-6 in three of the four major championship. And to think so many of us were being overly-critical of his season because he went oh-fer in the four majors.

McIlroy set to snub PGA Tour

Speculation from a number of sources yesterday had 20-year-old phenom Rory McIlroy playing full-time on the PGA Tour next year. It now appears if those rumours were premature. The youngster from Northern Ireland confirmed to Sky Sports after the second round of the Portugal Masters that he’ll most likely stay on the European Tour for another season.

Rory McIlroy has revealed that he is likely to remained based on the European Tour next season.

There has been speculation that the 20-year-old, who currently leads the Race to Dubai standings, had planned to join America’s PGA Tour next year.

However, McIlroy admitted after his second round at this week’s Portugal Masters in Vilamoura that he is “leaning towards” remaining a European Tour member for at least one more season.

In all honesty, I don’t think this is the right move. You’ve got to beat the best to be the best. However, McIlroy is still young, and from the looks of it he’s still got a long career ahead. Who knows, maybe another year in the friendly confines of Europe will do him good.

Road Hole at St. Andrews gets longer

The 17th hole at the Old Course at St. Andrews will be undergoing some major changes later this year in an effort to get the hole ready for the 2010 British Open. The Royal and Ancient announced earlier today that the course will be adding an additional 35 yards to the hole, stretching it to a beefy 490 yards.

“The 17th was played at the same yardage in 1900 as it was in 2005 and this fueled our belief that the formidable challenge of this iconic hole should be returned for the Open Championship,” Dawson told the BBC. “Over the years, we have seen the threat from the road behind the green, and to a lesser extent the Road Bunker, diminished as players have been hitting shorter irons for their approach shots, allowing them to avoid these hazards more easily. This change will ensure that the hole plays as it was originally intended.”

It’s been more than 100 years since the hole has been lengthened, according to Peter Dawson, chief executive of the R&A.

It’s time to axe the Fall Finish from the PGA Tour schedule

It’s been a while — 2006, to be exact — since we last saw a PGA Tour season that ended in a month that didn’t start with a “D” and end in “ecember.” With the implementation of the Fall Finish to the PGA Tour schedule, there are now only two weeks out of the year (the last week in December and the first in January) where professional golf isn’t played.

Golf has officially become a year-round sport.

With a group of glorified private contractors walking the lush fairways each week, tournaments have to fight tooth-and-nail to land a Woods or a Mickelson in their field. Without one of the other, a tournament becomes a total success or an utter failure in the span of four days.

Have a tournament in the Fall Finish? Good luck getting a player ranked in the top 30 in the World Golf Rankings, let alone Tiger or Phil to play in your event. Last week’s event at Turning Stone Resort didn’t event draw a single player from the top 30.

This week’s Justin Timberlake event at the TPC at Summerlin is probably the only exception to the Fall Finish’s current MO. The event boasts four of the top 30 in the world, including Anthony Kim, who currently ranks eighth. But I think we all know the event draws a great field due to Timberlake’s persona and his ability to get guys to his event. He’s a younger version of Bing Crosby, and that really works to his advantage.

PGA Tour says so long to Milwaukee…for now

Hello world. Those were the two words that came out of Tiger Woods’ mouth back in 1996 at the Great Milwaukee Open, officially signaling the start of his professional career. Since that very day, Woods has gone on to have an illustrious career, one that, based on his current form, could have him sitting at the top of the the golf pyramid when it’s all said and done.

Woods has improved by leaps and bounds since that fateful summer day back in August of 1996. The U.S. Bank Championship (known as the Great Milwaukee Open before 2004), however, hasn’t fared so well.

Earlier today, the event announced what many were expecting: it was no longer going to be an event on the tour schedule after this year. The economy turned the event into another tour casualty.

“Upon receiving notification from U.S. Bank earlier this year of its decision not to continue title sponsorship of Milwaukee’s PGA Tour event after 2009, the Tour and Milwaukee Golf Charities initiated a search for a new title sponsor. Unfortunately, their efforts to this point have not been successful,” the statement read.

“The Tour remains interested in having a tournament presence in Wisconsin and will continue to explore opportunities in the future.”

While Milwaukee may shed a tear for the event, they shouldn’t give up hope of the event ever returning to the area. Tour players Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly, both of whom are from Wisconsin, are rumored to be in the midst of sealing a deal with a sponsor for the future.