LPGA Notebook: Wie to play Ladies European Tour finale in Dubai

DUBAI -- Michelle Wie will end her season in Dubai at the final Ladies European Tour event of the year.

Tour officials have announced that Wie will be part of the field at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters from Dec. 9-12.

The 20-year-old from Hawaii played this year as an LPGA Tour member for the first time and is No. 17 on the money list. She did not win a tournament, although she helped lead the United States to victory in the Solheim Cup.

HSBC RETURNS TO LPGA: The HSBC Women's Champions will remain part of the LPGA Tour schedule for the next three years after the title sponsor announced a three-year contract renewal.

The 2010 HSBC Women's Champions will be played Feb. 25-28 in Singapore with a $1.3 million purse.

Saturday's announcement was a boost for the LPGA Tour, which goes into 2010 trying to keep as many title sponsors as possible.

The HSBC Women's Champions will have a 63-player field determined largely by LPGA Tour winners and top players from the women's world ranking. Jiyai Shin, who is leading the LPGA Tour money list, won the tournament this year.

THEIR FUTURE IS SET: Former UCLA star Tiffany Joh has won the Duramed Futures Tour's qualifying tournament in the Orlando area, closing with a 1-over 73 for a one-stroke victory over Canadian Danielle Mills.

The 22-year-old Joh, a two-time U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion, had a 12-under 348 total in the 90-hole event. Mills, also 22, finished with a 74 on the Lake Region Yacht and Country Club course. Ridgewood Lakes, Huntington Hills and The Golf Club at Bridgewater also were used during the first four rounds.

Exempt and non-exempt status will be determined following the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament in December. Players who have earned Category 11 LPGA Tour membership are not eligible to play the Futures Tour in 2010.

The wind made club selection difficult on the lakeside course.

"It was like being a bomb technician out there," said Joh, who also will play in the LPGA Tour qualifying tournament. "Sometimes it was like, 'Red wire or blue wire?' That's what it felt like picking a club today, but you just had to make a choice and commit to hitting that club. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't."

Mills, from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, graduated from Elon University in North Carolian this year. She's a two-time Quebec Provincial Match-Play champion.

"I'm very happy with my week and it's been a big surprise because I've never put together five solid rounds before, with four rounds under par," Mills said. "This week just confirmed that I'm ready to play out here. This is a great place to prepare for the big league."

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