PGA.com

Tour News Quick Links


 

PGA Tour Notebook: Garcia and Lehman reach a common milestone

- AP

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Tom Lehman was 37 when he captured his first major in the 1996 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, and that's when he first met and took a liking to a 16-year-old from Spain.

Sergio Garcia played in his first British Open that year. Lehman handed him the claret jug and said to Garcia, "Someday, you'll win this."

It hasn't happened -- yet -- although a major is just a matter of time.

In the meantime, news from the PGA TOUR on Tuesday showed how far Garcia has come since then.

Lehman tied for sixth at The Players Championship and earned $307,563. Garcia won in a playoff and took home $1.71 million. The significance? Both crossed the $20 million mark in career earnings.

RYDER FEVER: A half-dozen players from the top 50 in the world ranking did not compete in The Players Championship, mainly because of injury (Tiger Woods), fatigue (Martin Kaymer) or illness (Trevor Immelman).

For Robert Karlsson, it was all about the Ryder Cup.

The Swede was the only player in the top 50 competing last week somewhere other than Sawgrass. Karlsson was at the Italian Open, where he contended on the weekend and eventually finished third behind Hennie Otto and Oliver Wilson.

But he picked up 9.6 world ranking points, the equivalent of finishing 12th at The Players.

CLARKE STAYS HOME: Darren Clarke also has the Ryder Cup on his mind, enough to skip U.S. Open qualifying in Europe.

Clarke, whose victory in the BMW Asian Open two weeks ago was his first since his wife died of breast cancer, withdrew Tuesday from U.S. Open qualifying to boost his chances of making the Ryder Cup team for the sixth straight time.

He instead will play the Wales Open at Celtic Manor, which coincidentally hosts the 2010 Ryder Cup.

"My win in China really put my career back on track and I want to do everything I possibly can to be part of Nick Faldo's side for Valhalla next September," Clarke said.

Clarke said he would have played the U.S. Open had he been exempt from qualifying. He still hopes to play his way into the British Open and PGA Championship, which offer high ranking points and count as official money on the European Tour.

He is playing the Irish Open this week.

SPIN OF THE WEEK: World ranking points are awarded to the Nationwide Tour in an effort to boost its credibility. U.S. Amateur champion Colt Knost won last week and received 14 points.

That's more than Brett Quigley, Tom Lehman, Ben Crane and Ernie Els received after they tied for sixth at The Players Championship.

DIVOTS: In its weekly newsletter, the PGA TOUR noted that Ben Curtis had gone 345 consecutive holes without a three-putt, dating to the Honda Classic. He promptly three-putted his 12th hole in the second round of The Players Championship, ending the streak at 374 ... Sergio Garcia is the first player to go from runner-up to winner in consecutive years at The Players Championship since Tiger Woods in 2000 and 2001. ... Alexis Thompson, the 12-year-old who qualified for the U.S. Women's Open last year, was at The Players Championship watching older brother Nicholas. She didn't look like the same girl at Pine Needles, though, because she has grown 5 inches.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Hal Sutton in 1983 is the only player to win The Players Championship and his first major in the same season.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

 
McGladrey Team Championship
Ryder Cup
 

Most Popular Stories

Kim leads AT&T National by 3 after course-record 62 at Congressional

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) -- Anthony Kim is regaining a lot of his strength an... continue reading

Woods doubles as host and star attraction as AT&T National starts

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) -- It's not often that a player is bold enough to ch... continue reading

Salvaging round slipping away, Woods moves into halfway lead at AT&T

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) -- The best of Tiger Woods came Friday when his game... continue reading

MAJORS
PGA OF AMERICA EVENTS
PGA OF AMERICA CHAMPIONSHIPS
PGA Professional National Championships

PGA Professional National Championship

Twin Warriors Golf Club
Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
June 28 - July 1, 2009

2009 PGA Championship

PGA Championship

Hazeltine National Golf Club
Chaska, MN
Aug. 10-16, 2009
2009 | 2010

2009 Grand Slam of Golf

PGA Grand Slam of Golf

Port Royal Golf Club
Southhampton, Bermuda
October 19-21, 2009

2010 Senior PGA Championship

Senior PGA Championship

Colorado Golf Club
Denver, CO
May 25-30, 2010
2009 | 2010

2010 Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup

The Celtic Manor Resort
Newport, Wales
October 1-3, 2010

Play Golf America

Helping To Grow The Game

One of the most important missions for the PGA of America is to promote and grow the game of golf.


About PGA.com | Advertising | Feedback | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
© 2003-2009 PGA / Turner Sports Interactive. All rights reserved.
PGA.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network