Notebook: Heart transplant recipient Compton to return at Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) -- Erik Compton, who has undergone two heart transplants, has received another exemption into the Children's Miracle Network Classic at Disney World next week.

Compton also received an exemption last year and tied for 60th. He was allowed to ride in a cart, just five months after his second transplant. Tournament Chairman Kevin Weickel says Compton will be walking this year.

Compton received the exemption on Tuesday, a week after he was a medalist by seven shots in the first stage of Q-School.

The tournament is from Nov. 12-15, the final event on the 2009 PGA Tour schedule.

LOCAL CADDIE: Jerry Kelly didn't need to see the sand painted red in the bunkers to feel like the HSBC Champions was a new experience. He has broken out a new set of Cleveland irons this week, and he has someone new on the bag.

"Got my new sticks, and my caddie in red," he said.

Turning over his shoulder, he motioned to the local caddie he has hired for the week -- Anna Zhu, who stands about 5-foot-1, and works at the Sheshan International Golf Club, where caddies wear red coveralls.

Kelly's regular caddie, Eric Meller, is recovering from knee surgery.

"Been a while since I did my own (yardage) numbers," Kelly said.

RYDER CUP UPDATE: U.S. players only earned Ryder Cup points this year at the majors, which is why the standings going into 2010 look so peculiar. Lucas Glover tops the standings, followed by Stewart Cink, Tiger Wood, Phil Mickelson and Kenny Perry.

That's no typo at No. 6 -- Tom Watson, who lost in a playoff at Turnberry. The last time Watson was involved in the Ryder Cup was in 1993, when he was the U.S. captain and caused a stir by having his players decline to sign dinner menus.

Tied for eighth is Ricky Barnes and David Duval -- they tied for second at the U.S. Open and both are in jeopardy of losing their PGA Tour cards next year.

That all is most likely to change next year.

MOSEYING TO MISSISSIPPI: The Champions Tour has added a new event to its 2010 schedule, tour officials have announced. The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic is set for April 26-May 2.

The tournament will be played at Fallen Oak, a Tom Fazio design at the Beau Rivage Golf Resort that features streams and marshland as well as pecan and magnolia groves. The course features dramatic elevation changes and more than 4,000 stately oaks, magnolias, pines and other hardwood trees.

In less than three years, Fallen Oak has been recognized as one of the best new courses in the country, garnering 12 national honors.

DIVOTS: Mark O'Meara and Ben Curtis will play next week in the Hong Kong Open, which already has a strong field with so many top players from Europe in the final event before the Dubai World Championship. Curtis currently is No. 75 in the Race to Dubai standings, and needs to get into the top 60 to qualify for the final event in Dubai. ... The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am has received approval to lower its field from 180 players to 156 players in February. ... Jiyai Shin has won the Louise Suggs Award as the LPGA Tour's rookie of the year. Shin also is leading in points for player of the year as she tries to become the first player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win both awards in the same season.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Stuart Appleby did not qualify for the HSBC Champions, the first time he has not competed in a World Golf Championship since the series began in 1999.

FINAL WORD: "There's no such thing as a performance-enhancing drug. It might make you strong, but I'm not sure it makes you a better golfer. If there's a drug out there that helps you make a 3-footer, I'd like to know what it is." -- Paul Goydos.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.