PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- With his victory in the Northern Trust Open on Sunday, Phil Mickelson moved to the top of the 2008 PGA TOUR season money list with $1,944,700 in four starts. J.B. Holmes is in second place, with $1,375,975.

Mickelson also has surpassed the $47 million mark in career PGA TOUR earnings with $47,278,726. He is third on the all-time PGA TOUR money list, trailing only Tiger Woods ($77,515,376) and Vijay Singh ($54,974,035). Jim Furyk ($35,741,404) and Davis Love III ($35,674,713) round out the top five.

TORNADO RELIEF: 2003 PGA Championship winner Shaun Micheel and his wife Stephanie have created a relief fund benefiting Union University in Jackson, Tenn. The school suffered severe damage during a recent spate of tornadoes, which school officials say caused $40 million in damages as they devastated 40 percent of the dorms and severely damaged three academic buildings.

Micheel pledged a donation of $500 for every birdie he made during last week's Northern Trust Open. He made four birdies in shooting 75-76 and missing the cut.

Those who wish to contribute to the relief fund can make a donation in person at any Wachovia bank branch or by mailing a check made payable to the Shaun and Stephanie Micheel Union University Disaster Relief Fund to Wachovia Germantown East Financial Center; 9301 Poplar Avenue; Germantown, Tenn., 38138.

HOWELL CATCHES A RIDE: Two-time PGA TOUR winner Charles Howell III has signed an endorsement agreement with Lexus, company officials have announced. As part of the deal, Howell will display a Lexus logo on his apparel and make appearances at Lexus events as a brand ambassador.

After capturing the NCAA Championship at Oklahoma State University in 2000, Howell earned PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors in 2001. He captured his first PGA TOUR victory in 2002 at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill and won his second PGA TOUR title in 2007 at the Nissan Open.

SIGNING WITH SANDLER: PGA TOUR veterans Woody Austin, John Rollins, Brian Bateman and Omar Uresti have signed endorsement agreements with Sandler Training, company officials have announced. The players will sport the Sandler logo on their golf hats and apparel during the 2008 PGA TOUR season.

Ranked as the world's largest sales and management training company, Sandler has approximately 225 licensed franchises in the United States and internationally. The company provides a full range of sales and management training programs, with powerful coordination and customization benefits through its extensive franchise network.

The four golfers are all coming off of strong 2007 performances: Austin experienced his best season in 2007, with earnings of more than $3.1 million. In December, he won the Merrill Lynch Shootout by a stroke with teammate Mark Calcavecchia by holing a 35-foot birdie putt on the final hole. He also won the Stanford St. Jude Championship and was a runner-up in the PGA Championship and the Buick Open.

Rollins also enjoyed his best year in terms of earnings in 2007 with more than $2.4 million. He placed second twice, the first in a playoff at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the other at the FBR Open.

Bateman will always remember 2007 as the year he won his first PGA TOUR event. He opened the Buick Open with a 65 and never looked back. Bateman rolled in a 12-foot putt on the 72nd hole to claim victory. He also converted up-and-down pars on Nos. 16 and 17 to preserve the victory.

Uresti was a member of the PGA TOUR in 1995-2000 and 2004-06. He dominated the Nationwide Tour in 2007 with a victory at the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship. He finished with six top-10 finishes and earned his PGA TOUR card for 2008 by placing in the top 25 on the Nationwide Tour money list.

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