I came across a terrific story that Lauren Deason of PGATOUR.COM did on veteran Brad Faxon.

A lot of golfers -- and non-golfers -- are well aware of Faxon's notable 23 years on the tour, including a playoff victory in the 2005 Buick (now Travelers) Championship in Cromwell, and his extensive charity work, especially with longtime buddy and fellow Rhode Islander Billy Andrade, who have helped raise nearly $12 million for charity in their hometown region.

Faxon and Andrade also have been longtime supporters of the PGA Tour stop in Connecticut, whether it was played at Wethersfield Country Club or the Tournament Players Club in Cromwell. Faxon was even part of the design team that built the four-hole course north of the TPC that's the home of the First Tee of Connecticut, and his wife, Dory, head the PGA Tour Wives Association, Inc., an organization that gives back to many of the golf communities that the tour visits.

Here's Deason's look at Faxon not long after he won the 2005 Payne Stewart Award for his playing skills and, more importantly, his efforts off the golf course.

By Lauren Deason, PGATOUR.COM Staff

The individual accolades that golfers earn too often define their place in this solo sport.

Major winner. Defending champion. Player of the Year. Tournament title holder.

Then there are the PGA TOUR players who fit into a small and exclusive category: Payne Stewart Award winner. Unlike the others, this group is recognized not just for their individual accomplishments but for how they relate to fans, colleagues and those in need.

Brad Faxon is the epitome of such a relationship-builder, one who works well with and for other people. That's not to say that he hasn't had his share of accomplishments-he has amassed eight victories on the PGA TOUR over his 23-year career--but when taking a look at his impact, it is the relationships that Faxon has formed in a highly individualistic sport that really make him stand out.

Greenwood/Getty Images

Brad Faxon received the Payne Stewart Award in 2005.

Take a look at what he has been able to accomplish with help from a friend. Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the U.S., but it sure houses two pros with big hearts. Good buddies and TOUR golfers Faxon and Billy Andrade paired up in 1991 to form Billy Andrade/Brad Faxon Charities for Children, which has given close to $5 million to kids in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.

Faxon and Andrade serve as co-hosts of the CVS Charity Classic, which has donated $6.5 million to all different kinds of people in need in Rhode Island. The two are also co-chairs of Button Hole, a short course that serves as a teaching and learning center for kids.

As if that weren't enough, Faxon created a junior golf foundation that introduces kids to the game. He puts on a junior golf day and does a clinic for about 300 kids. Additionally, a scholarship was created in his name for kids that go to college who are in some way involved with golf.

Then there's his relationship with his wife Dory, who heads the PGA TOUR Wives Association, Inc., an organization that gives back to many of the golf communities the TOUR visits. Through Dory, Brad has been exposed to even more charitable efforts.

"I've kind of dragged him in on the TOUR side and made him come to things with me," she said with a smile. "We've been involved on the advisory board of an organization called Christina's Smile, which is an 18-wheeler mobile dental clinic that goes to a lot of the TOUR stops. We have become very friendly with the founder and president of that, Richard Garza. We show up and show our support and it's a great thing. They actually come to Rhode Island now because of our connection to them."

For all of these efforts, both alone and with his friend Andrade and wife Dory, as well as his friendly attitude and on-course demeanor, Faxon was named the 2005 Payne Stewart Award recipient.

"Certainly his career accomplishments speak for themselves, but Brad Faxon's lasting impact has come through his charitable work. Brad has taken the TOUR's philosophy of Giving Back and expanded it to a level that has become well known throughout the golf community and beyond," said PGA TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem in November of 2005. "As a family man, a golfer and through his work with the CVS Charity Classic, Brad Faxon embodies everything the Payne Stewart Award represents."

It was Finchem who called to tell him the good news and Faxon was extremely moved by the recognition.

"I was really choked up," Faxon said shortly after winning. "The award is voted on by the past recipients, guys I worshipped and idolized -- and still do -- so it was like a dream."

Even a year later, Faxon is still touched by the honor.

"I lived in Orlando when [Payne] was alive and we played a lot of golf together and our kids were the same age. He was an unbelievably great guy who changed for the better as his life went on and then, boom, he was gone. It was sad, the saddest thing in the world. I think it is an award you don't think about winning but then you think, if everyone tried to win this award, we would all be better off."

"The PGA TOUR created the Payne Stewart Award for more than just giving back. That's a big part of the award but it's also how you conduct yourself, all the stuff that I don't like to talk about but it's important. Yourself as a role model to others, how you carry yourself, how you dress."

Former recipients of the award include 2000 co-honorees Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, Nick Price in 2002, Tom Watson in 2003 and 2004 winner Jay Haas. Faxon was touched to be among such talented company, but also took time to reflect on life-long memories of the man for whom the award was named.

"I remember playing with Payne my first year on TOUR in the last group at Disney. I was the slowest player in the world back then, and he wasn't having a very good round. I finished third that day. I remember he came over and congratulated me on what a great round I'd had," said Faxon, as he recalled just one of many memories of Stewart, who was killed when his LearJet flew uncontrolled until it ran out of gas and crashed into a field on the way to THE TOUR Championship in 1999.

"But he also told me I needed to learn to play faster," added Faxon. "He was giving me that advice to help me, and I'll always remember that. I'll also remember him chomping on that gum and his laugh, his cackle -- and of course, that putt at Pinehurst."

Faxon is proud to follow in 11-time TOUR winner Stewart's footsteps by helping those who are less fortunate.

"We're lucky being in a position where we can give back. The TOUR is set up in the right way, where people can earn money and give it back."

The congratulations just keep on coming for Fran Marrello.

The Canaan Country Club pro won another Senior Connecticut PGA Championship Tuesday at Stonington Country Club, shooting 1-under-par 71 for a 36-hole total of 143 and a one-stroke victory on Ted Perez.

Marrello won the Raymond Harper Trophy, $1,000 and one of three section spots in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship on Oct. 7-10 at Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells, Calif., and Rancho La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, Calif. Perez (East Mountain GC-Westfield, Mass.) and John Paesani (Norwich GC) earned the other two berths in the national championship.

Marrello started the final round tied for the lead with Perez and held off a charge by a number of competitiors. Perez shot a second 72 for 144, one less than Paesani (72), Mike Carney (Watertown GC, 72) and Craig Kealey (Farmingbury Hills CC-Wolcott, 71).

In 2009, Marrello became the first player to win the player of the year and senior player of the year in the same year. He still has a shot to repeat that feat this year, but he's well behind player of the year leader Kevin Giancola with only three events remaining.

On Monday, Ray Mahon (Oak Lane CC-Woodbridge) shot 4-over 76 to win the 18-hole Legends division.

Senior Division scores and winnings

1   Fran Marrello      Canaan Country Club             72-71--143 -1
$1,000.00
2   Ted Perez          East Mountain Country Club      72-72--144 E 
$750.00
T3  Craig Kealey       Farmingbury Hills Country Club  74-71--145 +1
$491.67
T3  John Paesani       Norwich GC                      73-72--145 +1
$491.67
T3  Mike Carney        Watertown Golf Club             73-72--145 +1
$491.67
T6  Jack McConachie    Pine Valley Golf Course         74-72--146 +2
$287.50
T6  Tony Kelley        Wyckoff Country Club            73-73--146 +2
$287.50
T8  Tom Gleeton        Country Club of Waterbury       75-75--150 +6 
T8  Paul Ryiz          Brownson Country Club           75-75--150 +6 
T8  Bob Kay            Tumble Brook Country Club       74-76--150 +6 
11  Paul Brown         Southington Country Club        75-76--151 +7 
T12 Dave Cook          Pomperaug Golf Course           79-73--152 +8 
T12 Mickey Hawkes      Hawkes Golf Vehicles, LLC       78-74--152 +8 
14  Bobby Powell       The First Tee of Connecticut    79-74--153 +9 
15  Michael Myszkowski Stonington Country Club         76-78--154 +10
16  Lloyd Matey        The GC at Oxford Greens         75-80--155 +11
17  David Rhinehart    New London Country Club         80-76--156 +12
18  Ralph DeNicolo     Manchester Country Club         79-78--157 +13
19  Mike Gramelis      Golf Galaxy-Milford           81-82--163 +19
20  Larry Graham       Westwoods Golf Course           79-85--164 +20
T21 John Nowobilski    Tallwood Country Club           90-77--167 +23
T21 Tim Gavronski      Shuttle Meadow Country Club     77-90--167 +23

DID NOT FINISH

WD  Tom DiRico         Chicopee Country Club           77-WD

Just can't stop Kenny Green's frankness and good humor when dealing with most any subject.

Today it's European captain Colin Montgomerie's three picks to fill his his 12-man Ryder Cup team that will play the United States Oct. 1-3 at Celtic Manor in Wales.

As usual, Kenny has an opinion --- a really strong one, as usual --- and isn't afraid to say it publicly. 

Here's his latest thoughts on his blog:

Mount this,

I have no choice but to open up my mouth again. How on earth does Mountdopey leave off Justin Rose and Paul Casey from the Euro side? Rose has only won twice this year over here (Memorial and AT&T Classic and probably should have won the Travelers Championship). Their qualifying system is obviously flawed. Casey is also much better than the other Euros. Monty has never won over here, which is stunning in its own right. So it will be justice if they lose and you can clearly blame him and their system for their potential failure.

More important is the disgrace of leaving that young man off the team. It has to be personal with not taking either one. Nothing against the Italian (Edoardo Molinaro), but it's very possible a PR stun to help European golf -- brothers is a story (Fernando Molinaro is also on the team). Clearly, you might be able to tell I'm not a Mountdopey fan. He has been an ass for as long as he has been around. I will wager that he will someday be elected into the Hall of Fame and never have won in the United States.

Now, for some even more stunning news. My leg has come back firing and has been stupid ugly. We believe it might be connected with the "sympathetic nervous system." There is no doubt in my mind that the recent news has affected my system. The emotional stress I have put on myself is waking up the pain gods I guess. We are going to do another block tomorrow, and if that does not work, we will be putting in a spinal implant that will hopefully help me cut off the pain.

Very glad for Matt Kuchar (won The Barclays on Sunday). He is a good kid and has fought his way back from the bottom.

Be good, my friends. Also, someone invited me to play in Nashville, but I have lost his email. Thank you and think of me next year, but I will be in CT playing a member guest with one of my dearest friends on those dates. I may be a regular on that circuit -- MG, I mean.

Ken

What did I tell you? Kenny has always had the streak of Cosell in him, telling it like it is. That's what I always have loved about him, but it's also why I've told him he never knows when to shut off the faucet. But better too much than too little, like most of the pros these days.

Major kudos to officials of the Deutsche Bank Championship, which begins Friday at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass.

Executives and guests from Deutsche Bank and members of the United States Armed Forces will visit the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday to launch the bank's U.S. veterans outreach program, a broad recruitment and support effort for former military personnel.

As part of the event, Deutsche Bank will announce several new initiatives, including a new employee network group, which will promote career development and support for the veteran community inside the bank and throughout the financial services industry.

In honor of the special occasion, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Dennis McCarthy, will join Deutsche Bank Americas CEO Seth Waugh on the podium to ring the opening bell at 9:30 a.m. Also attending will be the Commanding General of the United States Army Reserve, Lieutenant General Jack Stultz; Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard, Major General Joseph Carter; Adjutant General of the New York National Guard, Brigadier General Patrick Murphy; and Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Command Sergeant Major John Gipe.

Defending champion Steve Stricker, No. 2 in the FedEx Cup points standings, will also be present to help mark the start of the eighth Deutsche Bank Championship, which will feature an expanded program for members of the military that will include an opening ceremony to kick off the Championship and Red Sox Pro-Am as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a new Military Patriot Outpost on-site. The DBC also will provide complimentary admission to all active, reserve and retired military service members and their dependents throughout the week.

A live webcast of the opening bell (9:29 a.m.) and closing bell (3:59 p.m.) will be available on the homepage of nyse.com.

Nice going, DBC. We can't do enough to recognize those who put their lives on the line every day to allow us to live in freedom. Whenever you see a member of the armed forces, take a moment to extend your hand and say thanks. You'll feel much better.

The PGA Tour made a good first move Tuesday, and it had nothing to do with a takeaway on a swing.

Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced the suspension of the rule that resulted in Jim Furyk's disqualification last week from The Barclays for being late to his pro-am starting time. This part of the regulation will be suspended for the duration of the 2010 season.

What made Furyk's inadvertent tardiness because his cell phone alarm didn't go off because of a dead battery was the fact he arrived at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., just minutes after his scheduled tee time. His amateur playing partners could have played one hole without him, then enjoyed his company and game for the remaining 17 holes. It wasn't like Jim, ranked No. 3 in the FedEx Cup points standings entering the first playoff event of the year, was blowing off his obligation with some lame excuse.

Now, if a player is late, the situation will be handled as a matter of unbecoming conduct. The player will participate in the rest of the pro-am round and might be required to perform additional sponsor activity. A player who missed his entire pro-am obligation will still be ruled ineligible for the tournament unless he has been excused in accordance with the provisions of the regulations.

Well, that sure makes sense to me and is exactly what should have happened to Furyk.

Finchem has asked the Player Advisory Council and player directors to evaluate the current pro-am regulations to determine if alternative measures can effectively ensure players honor their pro-am obligations without placing them at risk of disqualification. The matter will be discussed at the policy board meeting in November.

Hopefully the board and players will agree on what is being done for the rest of the year. It won't help Furyk, but it's the right thing to do. And Jim should again be commended for his classy behavior. I'm sure he wasn't happy sitting home last week, but now he should receive even greater support after the way he handled the matter. Jim, good luck this weekend at the Deutsche Bank Championship and throughout the playoffs. It would be poetic justice if you won the FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus.

New England apparently will continue to have two stops on the PGA Tour, but the one in Massachusetts could have a new title sponsor.

According to longtime golf writer Tom Gorman, EMC Corporation, a Hopkington, Mass-based company listed on the New York Stock Exchange with $16 billion in annual revenue that specializes in information infrastructure solutions, will take over title sponsorship, effective Labor Day.

EMC will replace Deutsche Bank, which has been the title sponsor since 2003, the last three years as the second event of the FedEx Cup playoffs. The story makes sense considering that on the Deutsche Bank Championship media day on Aug. 2, Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, said, "If it comes down to jobs at the bank or us sponsoring the golf tournament, it's not a fair fight."

The fight wouldn't be fair because Deutsche Bank has been losing money in a recessionary international economy for years, and the bank's European PGA Tour commitment ended in 2009.

The new face of what will be the EMC Championship is expected to be Bill Scannell, executive vice president of sales of the Americas & Global Sales Program, who joined EMC in 1986. Adding to the credence of Gorman's story is that Scannell, Waugh and Tiger Woods are scheduled to play in the tournament pro-am on Thursday, when a press conference is scheduled. The Tiger Woods Foundation is the chief beneficiary of the tournament.

Ted Meyer, director of communications for Deutsch Bank Americas, refuted Gorman's story in an email to him.

"Any report that Deutsche Bank has stepped aside as title sponsor of the Deutsche Bank Championship is false," Meyer said. "As announced during media day, Deutsche Bank is in discussions to exercise its two-year extension option for the title sponsorship. Talks are ongoing, but we are optimistic we will reach an agreement and expect to make an announcement this week.

"We deeply appreciate the tremendous support from our Founders Cup partners, the players and most of all, the fans of New England making the Deutsche Bank Championship a New England Labor Day tradition. We look forward to another fantastic event his week and in years to come."

Officials of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell had said they had been considering moving into the Deutsche Bank Championship slot if Deutsche Bank didn't pick up its option for 2011 and 2012. That apparently won't happen, but golf fans throughout New England still have two PGA Tour events to watch each year.

Here's Tom Gorman's story in its entirety:

Deutsche Bank Championship EMC expected to take over PGA Tour title sponsor

NORTON - Excuse the pun, but you can take this information to the bank!

   My sources from the inner sanctums of Corporate America, where the rich-get-richer and have at their disposal limousines, Lear jets, and credit card allowances with lots of zeros, has confirmed that after a seven-year run Deutsche Bank is stepping aside as title sponsor of the Bay State's only PGA Tour event.

   That's the bad news for Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, who said on August 2, "If it comes down to jobs at the bank or us sponsoring the golf tournament, it's not a fair fight." The Labor Day tradition since 2003 ma be over for Deutsche Bank, which has been hemorrhaging investor's money in the international economy for the past six years. A serious worldwide recession has taken its toll and discretionary spending directed to the wallets of the world's best professional golfers is ending in a few days. The banks' European PGA Tour commitment terminated last year.

   The good news for New England golf fans: EMC Corporation, a Hopkington, Mass-based company listed on the NYSE with $16 billion in annual revenue, and that specializes in information infrastructure solutions, is rumored to taking over the title sponsorship, effective Labor Day.

   The new face of the soon-to-be named EMC Championship is expected to be Bill Scannell, executive vice president of sales of the Americas & Global Sales Program. Scannell joined EMC in 1986 and has held a variety of both domestic and international sales management positions within the company.  According to the company web site, they experienced a record second quarter consolidated revenue, up 24% in one year, and stock is selling at about $18 share. Scannell is an avid golfer, and long-time member at Charles River CC maintaining a 6 handicap. 

  A spokesperson from Scannell's office indicated he was vacationing in Nantucket for the past two weeks, but will be prominent at TPC next week entertaining clients. EMC has been a Founding Partner of the tournament for many years and has an extensive corporate tent/presence overlooking the 16^th hole at TPC Norton. Several years ago the company partnered with the PGA Tour in an annual made-for-TV exhibition called the EMC Skills Challenge.

   "This makes sense for EMC," said Nick Ingala, president of Publicity Inc, and media liaison for 25 years with the Champions Tour and former Bank of America Championship. "EMC's corporate office is local and the company is doing very well in a tough economy. What we are seeing from the Deutsche Bank is pretty much what happened when Bank of America pulled out of the Champions Tour. It's good news that the tournament will survive."   

  When 5 o'clock shadows from the towering pines at TPC hover over the 18^th green on Labor Day, Seth Waugh will present an oversized fake check of $1.35 million to the winner of the seventh and final Deutsche Bank Championship. The purse this year of $7.5 million is proving to be a deal-breaker, one of many to be announced by Commissioner Finchem's office in the next few weeks, as the PGA Tour unveils its 2011 schedule. The calendar will surely include fewer tournaments & smaller purses.

   The list of Deutsche Bank winners is impressive: Steve Stricker (2009), Vijay Singh (twice), Tiger Woods, Phil Michelson, Adam Scott and Olin Brown.

  Sources told NEGM that on Thursday Sept 2 the pro-am pairing  shows Tiger Woods teamed up with Seth Waugh and Bill Scannell. That pairing is not by coincidence and it is expected that an official announcement will be made by Mr. Waugh.

 It appears that he will pass the checkbook from Deutsche Bank to EMC.

Congratulations to Peter Uihlein, the son of Acushnet Company CEO Wally Uihlein who learned to play golf in New Bedford, Mass., and gave himself the best possible 21st birthday present on Sunday. On a day Uihlein became legally eligible to enjoy his favorite alcoholic libation, Uihlein beat David Chung of Fayetteville, N.C., 4 and 2 in the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship final at Chambers Bay in University Park, Wash.

"It's definitely the best birthday present I've ever had in my life," said Uihlein, who lives in Orlando, Fla. "It's pretty sweet. To add my name to that list on the (Havemeyer Trophy) is pretty special. I'm looking forward to going back home and seeing the boys and having a good time."

Uihlein, a member of the winning 2009 U.S. Walker Cup Team, was 8 under par with the usual match-play concessions through the match's 34 holes. Chung was 2 under. "I got off to a good start," said Uihlein, a junior at Oklahoma State University. "But even when I was a couple up early, I knew there was a lot of golf left. I knew he was going to make a run eventually."

There were major winners galore Sunday at Fox Hopyard Golf Club in East Haddam.

Andy Mai of Suffield and Kelly Whaley of Farmington captured their divisions in the Jack Kelly PGA Junior Tournament of Champions, the Connecticut Section PGA Junior Golf Tour Championship.

Mai shot a bogey-free, 5-under-par 66 for a five-stroke victory over Jeffrey Realejo of Portland and Anthony Vecchiarelli of Agawam, Mass. John Flaherty of Glastonbury shot 72 to finish fourth and win the boys player of the year award.

Whaley had one birdie, two bogeys and two double bogeys in a 5-over 76 and a four-stroke victory over Nathalie Filler of Bloomfield and player of the year Elizabeth DiVincentis of Durham, who won a staggering 11 times.

Mike Steinberg of West Hartford and Stephanie Winslow of Farmington received the Connecticut Section PGA's Jack Kelly Junior Golf Sportsmanship Award, annually presented to the boy and girl JGA members who best exemplify fair play, sportsmanship, and character. Steinberg and Winslow will receive their awards at the Connecticut Section PGA's annual Special Awards Banquet on Nov. 21 at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Tournament of Champions Results

Boys Division

 1   Andy Mai             Suffield, CT           34-32--66 -5  
T2  Anthony Vecchiarelli Agawam, MA             33-38--71 E   
T2  Jeffrey Realejo      Portland, CT           36-35--71 E   
4   John Flaherty        Glastonbury, CT        37-35--72 +1  
5   John Jackopsic       West Hartford, CT      39-34--73 +2  
T6  Nick Hedden          Waterford, CT          37-37--74 +3  
T6  Monte Mullen         Farmington, CT         38-36--74 +3  
8   Jeff Hogan           Watertown, CT          38-37--75 +4  
T9  Billy Walthouse      Longmeadow, MA         38-39--77 +6  
T9  Ryan Karbowicz       Avon, CT               40-37--77 +6  
T9  Brian Quilter        Wolcott, CT            38-39--77 +6  
T12 Jacob Henny          Norwalk, CT            39-39--78 +7  
T12 Kyle Buschmann       East Haddam, CT        39-39--78 +7  
T14 Conner Beakey        Avon, CT               42-37--79 +8  
T14 Ryan Strid           Avon, CT               40-39--79 +8  
T14 Brandon Bete         Greenfield, MA         41-38--79 +8  
T14 Joseph Kucienski     Southwick, MA          41-38--79 +8  
T14 Richard Dowling      Shelton, CT            41-38--79 +8  
T14 Alexander Marieb     Orange                 38-41--79 +8  
T14 Josh Suzio           Meriden, CT            41-38--79 +8  
T21 Daniel Mendes        Hamden, CT             37-43--80 +9  
T21 Zachary Kennedy      Florence, MA           40-40--80 +9  
T21 Bradley White        Ellington, CT          43-37--80 +9  
T24 Kyle Simard          Thorndike, MA          41-40--81 +10 
T24 Michael Johnson      South Glastonbury, CT  42-39--81 +10 
T26 Patrick Bostrom      Kensington, CT         45-37--82 +11 
T26 Francis Shields      East Lyme, CT          41-41--82 +11 
T26 Mike Steinberg       West Hartford          38-44--82 +11 
T26 Gill Lassen          Cheshire, CT           44-38--82 +11 
T30 Justin Fischler      Avon, CT               40-43--83 +12 
T30 John-Paul Avenoso    Newington, CT          37-46--83 +12

T30 Timothy Swensen      New Haven, CT          42-41--83 +12 
T30 Clark Robinson       South Windsor          40-43--83 +12 
T30 Brent Marieb         Orange, CT             41-42--83 +12 
T35 Kyle Barone                                 45-39--84 +13 
T35 Tyler Figgis         Stratford              39-45--84 +13 
T35 Nathan Prague Doyle  Columbia, CT           44-40--84 +13 
T38 Taylor Stone         Unionville, CT         45-40--85 +14 
T38 Mark Eells           Hebron, CT             45-40--85 +14 
T40 Edward Hobaica       Stonington, CT         41-45--86 +15 
T40 Evan Grenus          Glastonbury, CT        44-42--86 +15 
42  Joey Barile          Griswold. CT           45-42--87 +16 
43  Henry Gargano        Wolcott, CT            47-42--89 +18 
44  Scott Caggainello    Wilton, CT             51-47--98 +27 
45  Tyler Ceste          Wallingford, CT        48-51--99 +28 
T46 Chris Greatorex      Hawrinton Rd., CT      48-52--100 +29
T46 Sean Oleasz          West Simsbury, CT      47-53--100 +29

DID NOT FINISH

DQ  Jack Rubino          Farmington, CT                       
DQ  Matt Renison         S.Glastonbury, CT                    

Girls Division

 1   Kelly Whaley          Farmington, CT    38-38--76 +5  
T2  Elizabeth DiVincentis Durham, CT        41-39--80 +9  
T2  Nathalie Filler       Bloomfield, CT    41-39--80 +9  
4   Albriana Farnum       Mystic, CT        43-39--82 +11 
T5  Andra Frappier        Cheshire, CT      43-40--83 +12 
T5  Nicole Yatsenick      Middlebury, CT    41-42--83 +12 
7   Claire Crouch         East Hampton, CT  41-45--86 +15 
8   Alyssa Scheyd         Kensington, CT    44-43--87 +16 
9   Alexandria Lee        Windsor, CT       48-44--92 +21 
10  Alyssa Lyon           Easton, CT        53-40--93 +22 
11  Lisa Calcasola        Longmeadow, MA    48-46--94 +23 
12  Mikayla Sheary        Simsbury, CT      49-46--95 +24 
13  Nikki Liucci          Canton, CT        47-50--97 +26 
14  Gabrielle Martin      Madison, CT       53-45--98 +27 
15  Courtney Jones        Southbury, CT     47-53--100 +29
16  Marissa Grillo        Avon, CT          54-47--101 +30
17  Shelby Vertula        Newtown, CT       62-59--121 +50

Michelle Wie salvaged an otherwise forgettable year Sunday on the back nine at St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The 20-year-old Stanford student from Hawaii birdied the 13th, 14th and 15th holes to break from a logjam of challengers and notch her second LPGA victory in the CN Canadian Women's Open.

The capper in the decisive run was a chip-in at No. 15, then Wie clinched the wire-to-wire victory when she holed out a bunker shot two holes later.

"The lie was actually quite horrible," Wie told reporters afterwards. "I was right up against the fringe. I never thought that 7-iron would go past, I guess the adrenaline and everything. It flew about 20 yards from what I usually carry it.

"I kind of had the same mentality on 17 when I was in the bunker and felt like it was going to go in. Just made sure I made good contact on it, landed right there and it went in, so it was awesome."

Wie began the day tied for the lead with Jiyah Shin, ranked second in the Rolex Women's World Rankings. They remained close until midway through the back nine when Wie pulled away to shoot a 2-under-par 70 for a 72-hole total of 12-under 276 and a three-stroke victory over four players.

"It feels awesome, absolutely fantastic," said Wie, who was showered with champagne by close friend Christia Kim after he final putt dropped. "It's been a long time since November (her first win in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational), and it feels great. I just feel like I haven't been playing as well as I wanted to the last couple of months, and it really makes me more motivated for the rest of the season."

Wie said she'll head back to Stanford after the LPGA's next event, the P&G NW Arkansas Championship, which starts Sept. 10.

Wie finished three ahead of Shin (73), defending champion and No. 3 Suzann Petterssen (bogey-free 69), Kristy McPherson (bogey-free 66) and Jee Young Lee (69). Petterssen is winless this year but has six runner-up finishes, including in two majors, the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the U.S. Women's Open, and the Evian Masters.

Ai Miyazato, a four-time winner this year, tied for 15th at 284 and regained the No. 1 spot in the rankings.

Hometown heroine Lorie Kane and Australian Rachel Hetherington retired from the LPGA after the tournament.

Kane, who barely made the 4-over cut, went out in style with a 67 to finish tied for 11th at 5-under 283. The entire country of Canada was behind her the entire week, and local fans came out to support her in swarms.

"It doesn't matter, win, lose or draw I had the support of the Canadian fans, and that means a lot to me," Kane said.

The 38-year-old Hetherington, an eight-time winner on the tour, earned more than $5.7 million in 14 years on the LPGA.

"I'm very happy," she said. "I was very fortunate to play golf, traveled to a lot of countries, made a lot of friends, learned a lot.  The reality is that I just don't want to work as hard as I need to.  I'll enjoy doing other things."

Even Colin Montgomerie's most ardent critics could empathize with the European Ryder Cup captain on Sunday.

Montgomerie had three captain's picks to announce and five legitimate contenders for the 12-man team that will face the United States on Oct. 1-3 at Celtic Manor in Wales.

When push came to shove, Montgomerie chose three-time major winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Englishman Luke Donald, who were playing in The Barclays in Paramus, N.J., and Italy's Edoardo Molinari, who birdied the last three holes to win the Johnnie Walker Championship in Gleneagles, Scotland. Europe's side also includes Molinari's younger brother, Fernando, one of nine qualifiers.

So Montgomerie passed over Paul Casey, a strong match-play competitor who is No. 9 in the world and played on the last three Ryder Cup teams, and Justin Rose, who won his first two PGA Tour events this year (Memorial and AT&T National) and led the Travelers Championship for 54 holes at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

Montgomerie suggested he made up his mind about Molinari before his stirring victory.

"It made our job easier that he did win," Montgomerie said. "What he achieved in three rounds was enough to tell us that this player was capable of handling the most incredible pressure so well."

Montgomerie said Molinari is "the type of player we need to regain this Ryder Cup."

"In my 24 years on the European Tour I have not seen a finish of that quality by anyone in such a pressure situation," Montgomerie said. "Having to come here and having to win what he did today was incredible. And to birdie the last three holes in the way that he did - the job in selecting the wild cards (was) very, very easy for us."

The Molinaris are the first brothers to play for Europe. English brothers Bernard and Geoffrey Hunt played against the Americans in 1967 when it was the Great Britain and Ireland team.

"It's a delight that we have two thrilling players coming from an emerging country like Italy and it's no secret as to who will be partnering each other at Celtic Manor," Montgomerie said.

The Molinari brothers won the 2009 World Cup in China and will make their Ryder Cup debuts.

Harrington and Donald learned of their selections while playing in the final round of The Barclays. Donald had birdied the first six holes, shot 28 on the front nine, was 7 under for 10 holes and 10 under for the tournament when he learned of his selection from his caddie. But with a chance to win as Molinari did earlier in the day, Donald closed with one birdie and five bogeys, including at the last two holes, to shoot 68-278 and tie for 15th with Rose (72).

"(Being selected) was a lot of relief," Donald told CBS announcer Jim Nantz after his round. "The way the Ryder Cup has gone, there were a lot of guys who were in the hunt. In other years, it's pretty clear-cut, but not this year. There were some anxious moments the last few weeks."

Casey played the final round of The Barclays with Harrington and knew he had been snubbed when Harrington's wife, Caroline, gave her husband's caddie a thumbs-up on the seventh hole but not Casey.

"Caroline's a great friend," Casey said. "She would have said something to me if I had been picked. So at that point, I knew that I hadn't. I was trying to keep my composure and put in a solid performance. It was an awkward situation."

Casey did well to keep his composure after he had finished off a 69 to tie for 12th at 277. When asked if it was awkward to play the last 11 holes with Harrington, Casey smiled and said, "It was difficult. Can I go now?"

Even some U.S. players were stunned Casey wasn' selected considering he's ranked ninth despite coming off a rib injury that cost him the second half of the 2009 season, tied for third at the British Open, has played in the last three Ryder Cups, won the World Match Play Championship in England and twice has been a finalist in the Match Play Championship in Arizona.

Montgomerie tried to explain picking Harrington and Donald over Casey and Rose.

"Padraig has won three majors in the past two years, he has great stature in the game and when his back is up against the wall, he comes out and gives tremendous performances," Montgomerie said. "He is a great competitor."

"Monty certainly had a tough job," said Harrington, who shot 75-283 to tie for 47th in The Barclays.

Montgomerie said Rose would replace Lee Westwood if the fellow Englishman didn't recover from a calf injury in time to play. Montgomerie also announced Europe will have a fourth vice captain as Sergio Garcia agreed to join his staff.

The nine European players who qualified for the team were Westwood, U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, PGA Championship winner Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher, Francesco Molinari, Peter Hanson, Rory McIlroy and Miguel Angel Jimenez. Besides the Molinari brothers, the other European rookies are McIlroy, Hanson, Kaymer and Fisher.

U.S. captain Corey Pavin will announce his four picks in New York on Sept. 7, the day after the completion of the second FedEx Cup event, the Deutsche Bank Championship, which begins Friday at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. The most notable possibility is No. 1-ranked Tiger Woods, who failed to qualify for the team for the first time since he turned pro in 1996. He shot a 67 Sunday to finish tied for 12th in The Barclays.

You could almost hear Deutsche Bank Championship officials cheering early Sunday afternoon.

The chief beneficiary of the second event in the FedEx Cup playoffs is the Tiger Woods Foundation, but their main man wasn't certain of qualifying heading into the final round of The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

But the world's No. 1-ranked player birdied the first hole after a triple-bogey 7 there on Saturday and then added three more birdies to more than offset a lone bogey for a 4-under-par 67, 72-hole total of 7-under 277 and a tie for 12th.

Woods, playing for the first time since his divorce from wife Elin was official on Monday, started the week at 112^th before an opening 64 gave him a share of the lead. He'll be No. 65 among the top 100 in the FedEx Cup points list that qualified for the Deutsche Bank Championship, which starts Friday at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. The top 70 after next week advance to the third round, the BMW Championships at Cog Hill in suburban Chicago.

"If I would have putted like I did today in the middle two rounds, I would be up there," Woods told reporters after his round. "Ironically, I hit it better yesterday than I did today."

It put Woods in a good mood heading possibly to three straight venues where he has won _ TPC Boston, Cog Hill and The Tour Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club, assuming he's among the 30 to qualify for the playoff finale.

But Woods' immediate future was returning to his home in Orlando, Fla., to continue to work on some things with new coach Sean Foley.

"Just keep progressing what I'm doing," he said. "I'm very pleased (so far). I found something in my stroke today when I was warming up, and I went with it. It hit a lot of good putts today."

Putting has been Tiger's biggest bugaboo since he returned to golf in April after a five-month hiatus following a car accident in November that led to revelations of serial infidelity and his eventual divorce.

"I haven't won all year, but this is a week I was very close," Woods said. "If I would have put it together on the greens for all four days, I would have been right there. Looking forward to next week."

Woods finished five strokes behind Matt Kuchar and Martin Laird, who began the day with a three-shot lead but had a wild start of birdie-birdie-double bogey-bogey-par-birdie. After making a clutch 8-foot comeback putt for birdie at No. 17, Laird three-putted the 18th from 25 feet to finish with a 71 for 276.

Kuchar, who birdied Nos. 16 and 17 and parred the 18th for a bogey-free 65, then hit the shot of the tournament on the first playoff hole (No. 18), a 182-yard 7-iron from the left rough that rolled to the back of the green and then caught a slope and stopped 21/2 feet from the cup. After Laird missed a 40-foot birdie try and then holed a 5-footer for par, Kuchar made his 30-inch putt for his his third tour victory after nine top-10 finishes earlier in the year.

Kuchar, who will play in his first Ryder Cup on Oct. 1-3 in Wales, earned 2,500 FedEx Cup points to move from No. 9 to No. 1 in the standings and guaranteed the former Georgia Tech All-American a spot in the final three playoff events, including The Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga., where the overall winner will receive a $10 million bonus.

"Obviously, not the finish I was looking for," Laird said. "But I'm very proud of the way I played today. I was kind of battling all day, and probably holed two or three of the biggest putts I've ever holed just to be where I was."

Laird's consolation prize was being safe for the playoffs through next month. He started the week 95th, and his runner-up finish put him at No. 3 and virtually guarantees he'll qualify for The Tour Championship.Local favorite Kevin Streelman, who tied for seventh at Ridgewood two years ago, closed with 68 for 274 and a tie for third with Steve Stricker (66), who moved to second in the FedEx Cup standings. Streelman, who parents gerw up in this neighborhood and whose grandparents are buried in a cemetery next to the seventh hole, vaulted from 102nd to 18th in the points race to become one of six players to play his way into the Deutsche Bank field.

University of Hartford grad Tim Petrovic had a bogey-free 67 to finish in a tie for 21^st at 279 and move to 58th on the FedEx Cup points list. Bubba Watson, who won his first tour title in the Travelers Championship in June, shot a third straight 70 for 281 and a tie for 31st, climbing to ninth in the FedEx Cup standings.

Fairfield native J.J. Henry played in the front group with Brian Davis, and the 2006 Buick (now Travelers) Championship winner had to be happy the twosome finished in 3 hours, 20 minutes. Henry shot 73 for 291, finishing 72^nd and last. Davis was four strokes better, finishing with a 69 for 286 and a tie for 60^th.

But both advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Davis moved to 49th in the standings, while Henry dropped to 82^nd. Andres Romero snuck into the Deutsch Bank Championship field at No. 100 when he birdied four of the last five holes after back-to-back double bogeys to move up from 115th thanks to a 72 for 284 and a tie for 53rd.

Besides Woods, Streelman and Romero, others to earn their way to Norton were Ryuji Imada (107 to 73), J.P. Hayes (108 to 76) and Troy Matteson (114 to 88).

Those who fell out of the top 100 were Petrovic's former UofH teammate, Jerry Kelly, who missed the cut and went from 90th to 102nd, Kevin Sutherland (82 to 101), Alex Cejda (91 to 103), Derek Lamely (92 to 104), Matt Bettancourt (97 to 106) and Jeff Maggert (100 to 108).

Evan Beirne of Milford heads back to St. John's University for his senior year after one of the best summers for a Connecticut golfer ever.

It didn't end all that well with a 5-over-par 77 in the final round of the Met (N.Y.) Open at Blackpage Black on Long Island, which has hosted two U.S. Opens.

But despite the 77 after leading entering the final round, Beirne tied for third. That came after he won the Met Amateur and Connecticut State Golf Association's Russell C. Palmer Cup, finished second to pro and four-time champion Kyle Gallo in the Connecticut Open, lost a playoff in the Big East Conference Championship and obliterated his own course record at his home course, New Haven Country Club, shooting an 11-under 58, four less than the previous standard.

Beirne, named to the All-Big East Conference men's golf team, is 15 points ahead of two-time CSGA player of the year Jeff Hedden in the 2010 race. But Beirne, a transfer from Southern Methodist University fully recovered from foot surgery two years ago, isn't likely to win player of the year for the first time since he's back with the Red Storm while Hedden will be competing in several other CSGA events.

Still, well done Evan and continued good luck in the fall. It would be great to see another Connecticut product on the PGA Tour.

The Travelers Championship apparently won't get a chance to decide if it wants to become a FedEx Cup playoff event and move to Labor Day weekend. Longtime Boston Herald sports writer Joe Gordon reported Deutsche Bank is expected to announce Thursday that it will pick up its option to sponsor the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2011 and 2012.

Three weeks ago at the tournament's media day at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, said the banking giant hadn't picked up the option and hoped to have decision before the end of the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second FedEx Cup playoff event that begins Friday.

Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube said the event at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell would weigh the pros and cons of moving from late June, a week after the U.S. Open, to Labor Day weekend, which was the date of the original Insurance City Open at Wethersfield Country Club for many years after its inception in 1952.

An increased purse and television costs likely could be compensated for with larger crowds, concession and parking sales, etc., because of the presence of the top 100 players on the FedEx Cup points list that almost certainly would include the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, all of whom rarely, if ever, have played in Cromwell.

But now Grube & Co. likely won't have to concern themselves with a date change.

More on Thursday -- if not sooner. Here's Gordon's story in its entirety:

By Joe Gordon

Deutsche Bank Championship officials are optimistic the bank, in its final year of a title sponsorship deal, will pick up its option to sponsor the PGA Tour event in 2011 and 2012.

"I remain very optimistic and will make a formal announcement (of the bank's decision) next week - likely to be Thursday on pro-am day," Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, said via e-mail.

Tournament director Eric Baldwin agreed with Waugh's assessment.

"I would interpret that exactly as Seth wrote it," said Baldwin, who was asked if he had a sense of what was happening. "I do, and I think Seth put it very well. He's optimistic. Conversations have been very positive and there will be an announcement tournament week."

 

The $7.5 million tournament, one of four designated as FedEX Cup playoff events, begins Friday at TPC Boston in Norton and runs through Labor Day.

The fact Waugh has a date in mind for the announcement makes it sound as if a deal is very close, if not already done.

"I can't necessarily comment on that, it's still a week away," Baldwin said.

Things didn't improve for West Hartford's Liz Janangelo on Friday. She shot a another 5-over-par 77 and missed the cut by six shots in the LPGA Tour's Canadian Women's Open at St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Janangelo's 154 total for 36 holes was 20 strokes higher than leader Michelle Wie, her partner during the victorious United States' victory in the 2006 Curtis Cup. It was the ninth missed cut in 11 starts this year for Janangelo, who was playing for only the second time since she had to withdraw early in the second round of the U.S. Women's Open in early July because of an ailing hip.

Meanwhile, Wie had four birdies and one bogey in a 69, which put the 20-year-old Stanford student from Hawaii at 134 and three strokes ahead of Jiyay Shin (67), who is No. 2 in the Rolex Women's World Rankings. Wie has hit only 10 of 28 fairways but missed just six of 36 greens in regulation the first two rounds. "You end every round thinking it could be better," Wie told reporters after the round. "There's a shot here and there, but I went out there and I tried my hardest."

Wie is leading after 36 holes for the fourth time on the LPGA Tour but has won only once. "It is frustrating when you don't win, but there's nothing you can do about it," she said. "All you can do is look forward, just try and do your best every step of the way; and that's what I'm trying to do, just trying to go out there and try my hardest."

Shin isn't the only top player closest to Wie. Shin is one ahead of Morgan Pressel (66) and defending champion and No. 3 ranked Suzann Pettersen (69).

Tiger Woods' sudden turnaround took a major misstep down the stretch Friday.

Woods, winless in more than nine months, appeared on the verge of building a sizable lead in The Barclays, the first FedEx Cup playoff event and his first start since the end of his six-year marriage four days earlier.

But Woods bogeyed four of his last eight holes, including a 20-inch miss and a photographer's early trigger, that gave him a 2-over-par 73, 36-hole total of 138 and dropped the world's No. 1 from the lead to a share of 14th, four strokes behind Jason Day at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

"I didn't hit it bad at all," Woods, who shared the first-round lead with Vaughn Taylor after a season-low 65, told reporters after his round. "I hit it really good. As I said, I didn't putt really well. I hit it as good as I did (Thursday). If I don't make putts, I don't score."

Woods' late lapse enabled Day to leap into the lead thanks to three straight birdies on his back nine (Nos. 5-7) in shooting a second 67.

Day, a 22-year-old Aussie who won his first PGA Tour title earlier in a year in which he has battled sinus problems, has a one-stroke lead over Kevin Streelman. Streelman had a six birdies in seven holes in a 6-under 29 on his incoming front nine to shoot 63 and tie for third with Taylor (70) at 135. Two years ago at Ridgewood CC, Streelman just missed a playoff. Saturday, he will play in the final group with Day.

Two-time Travelers Championship winner Stewart Cink improved his hopes of making a fifth consecutive U.S. Ryder Cup team with 69, which put him in a tie for fourth at 136. Among those at 137 are three-time major winner Padraig Harrington (68), Adam Scott (71) and University of Hartford grad Tim Petrovic, who was 4 under for the day, 7 under for the tournament and tied with Woods for the lead before bogeys on the last two holes gave him 69.

Woods' backward move was even more dramatic, though he still improved his chance of being one of captain Corey Pavin's four picks for the U.S. Ryder Cup team that will play Europe in Wales on Oct. 1-3. Pavin will announce his selections Sept. 7, the day after the conclusion of the second playoff event, the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. Woods started the tournament 112th in the FedEx Cup points standings and has to finish 57th or better to move into the top 100 that qualifies for the tournament at which the chief beneficiary is the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Europe's Ryder Cup team will be decided Sunday night, and Harrington can only hope to be one of the three picks of captain Colin Montgomerie.

"The last thing I wanted was to come here and miss the cut, or play poorly," Harrington said.

Paul Casey, also hopeful of a Ryder Cup pick, shot 69 and is in the group with Woods that also includes Zach Johnson.

Despite his poor finish, Woods will at least keep his No. 1 ranking for another week, as No. 2 Phil Mickelson shot 74-146 to miss the 142 cut, then left through a side door without speaking to reporters.

Woods took the solo at his ninth hole, No. 18, after hitting his approach to 5 feet, setting up his second birdie of the day. But his backward move started at the par-3 second hole, where he flew his tee shot over the green, then was startled by a photographer, who took a series of pictures as Woods started his swing on his second shot.

"Not in my swing," Woods said as he made contact and watched his ball fly 25 feet past the cup, leading to his first bogey of the day.

Then at the 291-yard, par-4 fifth hole, where Woods hit driver to 15 feet in the first round, Woods laid up and then missed the 20-inch putt for par.

"Ball was sitting in a hole," Woods said. "I could see it. I was trying to hit up on it and hook it like I normally do. I didn't do it."

Woods also made bogey on No. 6 after one of his few poor iron shots that came up short, and he closed with a fourth bogey after missing his only fairway of 14 at No. 9.

Putting, a year-old malady until Thursday, proved Woods' biggest problem again. On three straight holes on the front nine, he ran putts 4 feet beyond the hole and had to work for pars.

"I didn't have the speed at all on the greens," Woods said. "I was leaving it way short or blowing it by the hole. And it caught up with me."

Fairfield native and 2006 Buick (now Travelers) Championship winner J.J. Henry (73) and Travelers Championship titlist Bubba Watson (70) are tied for 41st at 141.

Seventy-two players who shot 142 or better advanced to the final two rounds, and a notable cut victim besides Mickelson (74-146) was Jerry Kelly (73-147), Petrovic's former UofH teammate.

Among those who missed the cut, recevied no FedEx Cup points and were eliminated from the playoffs were Sergio Garcia (No. 101, didn't play), Pavin (No. 110, didn't play), Ben Curtis (No. 116, 147) and 2004 Buick Championship winner Woody Austin (No. 122, 145).

I can't think of anything as annoying in golf as slow play. Not a whiff. Not a drive out of bounds. Not a missed 18-inch putt.

No, there's nothing more exasperating in the terrific game than slow play.

I've tried to fight the malaise for years, but in my latest attempt to eliminate golf's ultimate nuisance, I present to you a terrific column passed along to me by ESPN's Nicole Coffey, one of the top female players in Connecticut. It should be required reading for every golfer on the planet. If you have any thoughts, please make them known to us in the comment section.

Four-hour round is O.C. author's goal

By RANDY YOUNGMAN

COLUMNIST

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ryoungman@ocregister.com

Liz Janangelo of West Hartford bogeyed three of the last five holes to shoot 5-over-par 77 and stand tied for 111th Thursday after the first round of the LPGA Tour's Canadian Women's Open at St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Janangelo, making only her second start since having to withdraw from the U.S. Women's Open early in the second round in early July because of an ailing hip, is 12 strokes behind leader Michelle Wie, a former Curtis Cup partner who had two trick shots among six birdies and a hole-in-one in a 65.

After shooting 3 under on the front nine, the 20-year-old Wie recorded the eighth ace of her career, second as a pro, when she hit a 5-iron into the cup on the 181-yard 11th hole. She immediately high-fived her caddie and playing partner Cristie Kerr, who moments later holed a 40-foot chip for birdie from the deep rough. That led to a hearty hug between her and Wie, a teammate on the victorious 2008 U.S. Solheim Cup team.

The hole-in-one gave Wie the lead, then after a bogey at No. 12, she birdied three of the last six holes, including the 17th where she holed out a bunker shot.

"I feel like I definitely needed this," Wie said.

Wie has a first-round lead for the second time. The other was in the 2005 U.S. Women's Open where she finished in a tie for 23rd.

Wie is three ahead of Sarah Kemp and four in front of defending champion Suzann Pettersson.

Finalizing his divorce apparently had an immediate settling effect on Tiger Woods.

Three days after his six-year-old marriage with wife Elin ended, Woods carded seven birdies in a 6-under-par 65, his best round of 2010 and good for a tie for the lead with Vaughn Taylor midway through the PGA Tour's first FedEx Cup playoff event, The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

"It's exciting to hit the ball flush like this again," Woods told reporters after missing only one of 14 fairways and two greens in regulation. "It's something I've been missing all year. I haven't hit it flush. And it felt good to hit the ball and shape it both ways and really hit it through the wind. I've hit so many shots ... this year that haven't been hit flush enough to get through the wind. But today I was doing it all day."

Woods, trying to retain his No. 1 ranking and advance to next week's Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., birdied four of the first seven holes and then closed with three red numbers in the last six holes after making his only bogey at No. 12. He has not led after any round since his last victory in the Australian Masters in November and hasn't been atop a PGA Tour leaderboard since the second round of the Tour Championship in October.

Since then, Woods has been involved in a Thanksgiving night car crash outside his home in Orlando, Fla., revelations of serial infidelity, five months away from the game and a shatter marriage that officially ended Monday. And his golf was so bad that he was 112th out of 125 players who qualified for the playoffs. He was so low that he was the first off the first tee, a first in his PGA Tour career.

"It was actually kind of nice," a smiling Woods said. "With fresh greens, everybody in our group was making putts on the front nine. You had to get it today."

Woods did just that, hitting driver only twice, including on the 291-yard fifth hole where his tee shot stopped 15 feet from the cup. And with his irons were spot on, it was the antithesis of a year in which little has gone right for Woods, who declined to say if there was a connection between his good play and his divorce coming less than 72 hours after he teed off.

"I can't really say that's the case," he said. "As far as golf, it was nice to put it together."

It came after working for several weeks with new teaching guru Sean Foster, who also works with Sean O'Hair and 2007 Travelers Championship winner Hunter Mahan, who will be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team in Wales Oct. 1-3.

The 65 was Woods' lowest score in 46 rounds since a 62 in the BMW Championship 50 weeks ago. He needs to finish 57th or better to move into the top 100 in the FedEx Cup points standings and advance to next week's Deutsche Bank Championship, where the main beneficiary is the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Taylor, 38th in the FedEx Cup standings, smiled when asked if he was surprised to see Woods name on the leaderboard.

"Somewhat, you know?" he said. "It's good to see him back on top."

Woods hit a 310-yard drive, 7-iron to 6 feet and made the putt for his final birdie at No. 18 to tie Taylor, who birdied four of the last six holes. Ryan Palmer and Adam Scott each had a chance to join the early leaders but bogeyed their final hole to finish at 66 and tied with Brian Gay.

Palmer three-putted No. 18 after starting with five consecutive birdies and seven in the first eight holes in a front-nine, 7-under 28, tying the low nine-hole score of the year set five times. His five opening birdies tied Jeff Quinney (third round, Reno-Tahoe Open) for the best start to a round this year.

Scott missed the green on the ninth hole, his last of the day, and failed to get up and down to save par.

Defending champion Heath Slocum, two-time Travelers Championship winner Stewart Cink, Davis Love III and Camilo Villegas head a 14-way tie for sixth at 67. Fairfield native J.J. Henry and University of Hartford grad Tim Petrovic shot 68 and are tied for 20th. Travelers Championship winner Bubba Watson bogeyed his last hole, No. 9, for 71.

Phil Mickelson, trying to overtake Woods for No. 1 in the rankings, again had driving problems in shooting 72 for a tie for 72nd. Jerry Kelly, Petrovic's former UofH teammate, shot 74 and is tied for 104th.

Brad Benjamin won the first hole with a bogey and never looked back in a 6-and-5 victory over Tommy McDonagh of Norwalk in the first round of the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Park, Wash. Benjamin, of Rockford, Ill., was 2 under par for 13 holes in the romp over McDonagh, who was 6 over.

In the second round Thursday, Benjamin will play 64th-seeded Amory Davis of Chadds Ford, Pa., who scored a 3-and-1 victory over qualifying medalist Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, Calif.

Connecticut players who failed to reach match play were John Murphy (Wilton), 154; David Jones (Norwich), 155; Jeff Hedden (Old Lyme), 155; Cameron Wilson (Rowayton), 159; Tom McCarthy (Tolland), 161; and Will Smith (Avon), 165.

The match-play event culminates with a 36-hole final Sunday.

Kevin Giancola added a unique and what he called "amazing" chapter to his golf career and the history of the Connecticut Section PGA on Wednesday.

Giancola birdied two of the first three holes to open a six-stroke lead and then held off Frank Leja to win a third title in the Connecticut PGA Championship at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield.

And the director of instruction at Golf Quest Family Sports Center in Southington completed a wire-to-wire victory with a 1-under-par 71 for a 54-hole total of 7-under 209, five less than Leja, despite having his clubs stolen after the second round Tuesday.

Here's the reason (in is own words) why Jim Furyk, No. 3 in the FedEx Cup points standings, was disqualified from the first playoff event, The Barclays, for missing his 7:30 a.m. starting time for the pro-am today. Sure seems a bit harsh, especially since he was so close from making his time. Sounds like what happened at Bay Hill a few years ago worked out just fine.

But being the pro's pro that Furyk is, he accepted his punishment with class, unlike a lot of athletes these days such as the batch of NFL guys holding out for new contracts when they're already signed.

PGA Tour official Chris Reimer provided these quotes from Furyk:

"I overslept. I always use my phone as an alarm and it had no power this morning. I don't know if something happened with the charger or what, but I never got it. I woke up at 7:23 and tore out of there, put a pair of pants on and shirt ... I have no belt or socks and my shoes aren't tied yet. I actually got into the locker room at 7:35, but I guess I had to be on the tee. But when I got done with (PGA Tour official) Slugger (White) in the area at 7:35 and I had to be on the tee ... which it wasn't a one-tee start today, so I had to be on No. 11 by 7:35. There was no way to get there."

"The hotel had power, because actually on the phone it said 7:23. But somehow my phone died. I never use a backup because I just figure if the phone is charged I'm good to go ... I was trying to call my caddie ... trying to call anyone ... just getting here as quick as possible. Calling wouldn't have done any good."

"A long, long time ago I got there a little late at Bay Hill. The alternate filled in for me for two holes and then I just stepped in and played the rest of the way. In seventeen years, twice."

"What is the worst part of it? There are a lot of worst parts. It is a great golf course. I was looking forward to the event. I'm third in [FedEx Cup] points, so to possibly severely hurt a good year, it depends on how I play the rest of the way, but to hurt a good year after putting myself in that position. I played my heart out all year, so to then limit myself to one less event than the rest of the field ..."

"I'm heading home. There is no reason to go to Boston this early (for the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass.). To sit there for nine or 10 days is pointless."

"I don't know what the scenario is for me to make it to the TOUR Championship ... if I've hurt myself for that. Two years ago, I would have really hurt myself for that. Am I pretty much a given? I'm pretty sure I'll be able to read tomorrow."

"I missed the first day of school. I should have just stayed home. I'm beside myself, but I have a way of climbing into stupid situations. The rules are rules."

"No matter what tournament it was, I'd be upset. But I'm more upset because it is this one. We are here at the end of the deal."

"This year, and the last couple, I mean, the fans are embracing themselves to it. It is going to take time. It will take years. But it has a special feel. The one thing that we have in golf that is difficult is that people say, well this is a big week. Well, I just played a World Golf Championship and that was a big week. I just played the PGA and that was a big week. Now I have two Playoff events and those are all big weeks. Then we have the TOUR Championship and that is a big week. Then I have got the Ryder Cup and that is a pretty big week. So ... my last seven tournaments have all been big weeks. But this whole Playoff thing is a special deal."

Jim, you just moved up plenty of rungs in my book. Good luck the rest of the playoffs and in the Ryder Cup. You deserve it for your professional stance (no pun intended).

Two interesting storylines before the first FedEx Cup playoff event even starts.

Tiger Woods needs to finish 57th or better in The Barclays to advance to the second round, the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. You can bet the Deutsche Bank folks will be rooting plenty hard since they're in the process of trying to decide whether to sign their option for 2011-12 and the Tiger Woods Foundation is the tournament's main beneficiary.

At The Barclays, Tiger won't have to worry about close friend Jim Furyk, who is No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings but will be dropping dramatically after being disqualified from for missing his 7:30 am pro-am time today.

Why? He overslept. Hard to believe anyone, especially Furyk, wouldn't set up several ways to make sure he got up on time. Where's Fluff when Jim needs him?

Dennis Walters is one of the most inspiring people in the world, much less the golf world. Walters hasn't allowed being paralyzed from the waist down in a golf cart mishap in 1974 to end a productive existence.

Instead of playing on the PGA Tour, Dennis uses his personal experience as an example to challenge everyone in his audience to do something in their life that perhaps they thought was impossible with hard work, dedication and perseverance. "I'm not talking about a dream you have at night," Walters said. "To me, a real dream is having a positive thought in your head and in your heart and doing whatever it takes to make that come true. Also, if you have a dream and it doesn't work out, never stop dreaming; get a new dream."

Walters has appeared at numerous PGA Tour events at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, and now the Connecticut Section PGA Foundation is sponsoring the Dennis Walters Golf Show at Stanley Golf Course in New Britain on Friday at 6 p.m. and Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The one-hour shows will be fun, inspiration and provide a terrific message, as Walters hits trick shots from wide range of lies and with "clubs" such as a fishing rod, crutch and cell phone. And his trusty Super Dog, Bucky, will lend a helping paw.

Walters is one of only 11 honorary lifetime members of the PGA of America, with the exclusive club also including three former presidents -- Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. In 2008, the PGA of America presented Walters its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, which also has gone to luminaries such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen.

The shows are free to the public, and the section is asking patrons to bring a non-perishable food item. Pre-registration is not required. A junior clinic taught by Lyman Orchards pros will precede its show at noon.

This is the kind of story that even the most hardened journalist always hopes he/she never has to read or report.

That it occured near the City of Sin where what happens there stays there makes it all that much more sad and intriguing.

Six drugs in her system and a bag over her head. No one should die like that, especially someone 25 years old who seemed to have so much going for her.

But Erica Blasberg took her own life. Why? Perhaps only she knows in heaven.

But to think Liz Janangelo of West Hartford is a contemporary and former friend who is back on the LPGA Tour and about to get married tells you just how fragile life can be.

Erica, hopefully you've been resting in peace for the last three-plus months.

Here's an account of the Blasberg story from espnnews.com

LAS VEGAS -- The Clark County coroner's office ruled Tuesday that 25-year-old professional golfer Erica Blasberg's death was a suicide.

Blasberg died May 9 at her home in Henderson, about 15 miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip. She was found with a plastic bag secured over her head.

Henderson police said that while no foul play is suspected they have issued a misdemeanor arrest warrant for Dr. Thomas Hess on obstruction charges. Police said Hess, who discovered Blasberg's body, removed items from the scene, including a suicide note.

The contents of the note haven't been disclosed.

The coroner's office said Blasberg died of suicide due to asphyxia, coupled with the presence of toxic levels of prescription medication in her system, including prescription headache, cough, pain and anti-anxiety medications.

The drugs in Blasberg's system included butalbital, temazepam, alprazolam, codeine, hydrocodone and tramadol, according to the coroner, but Nevada law doesn't permit the release of details on the amounts of medication.

"While asphyxia was the primary cause of death, the presence of prescription drugs in Ms. Blasberg's system was a significant factor," Coroner Michael Murphy said.

Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said authorities would contact Hess' lawyer and likely allow the doctor to turn himself in because the charge is a nonviolent misdemeanor. But the spokesman refused to say if additional charges were possible.

Police have said a 911 call from Hess summoning police came from the house and that Blasberg was alone when officers arrived. Blasberg's agent said her bags were packed for a tournament in Mobile, Ala., when she was found.

The death investigation was complicated, police said, because Hess admitted altering the scene -- including the removal of the note indicating Blasberg took her own life -- and he stopped cooperating with detectives. Hess hid the note and prescription medications in his vehicle.

A Blasberg family attorney says he is in the process of determining the exact nature of the relationship between the golfer and Hess.

Calls from The Associated Press to Blasberg's father, Mel Blasberg, her agent Chase Callahan and Hess' lawyer Charles Kelly were not immediately returned.

The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners in Reno said Hess' medical license is active and he has had no disciplinary action or pending complaints. He got his license to practice in Nevada in July 2003.

Blasberg grew up in Southern California and was in her sixth season on the LPGA Tour.

She was a former junior golf standout, an All-American in 2003 and 2004. She was the 2003 NCAA freshman of the year and 2003 Pac-10 player of the year while at the University of Arizona.

She turned professional in June 2004 and won once on the Duramed FUTURES Tour before qualifying for the LPGA Tour in 2005.

Her best year on Tour was 2008, when she earned a career-best tie for eighth at the SBS Open in Hawaii and more than $113,000 in winnings, the LPGA said.

Blasberg played in one event this season, tying for 44th in the April 29-May 2 Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico.

More kudos to Phil and Amy Mickelson, two of the most thoughtful people on the face of the earth. And the only back-to-back winner of the Travelers Championship (2001-02) was at it again early Saturday morning with his wife, battling back from breast cancer for more than a year, at his side.

The Mickelsons were taking part in their latest Start Smart giveaway, helping 1,500 students get a head start on school supplies and shoes. The parents of three children have helped more than 8,000 youngsters since starting the program six years ago. "It's a very special day for our whole family," Phil told the San Diego Union Tribune. "The only thing we ask in return is that they try hard in school."

The fun part? Amy said it's letting the kids make their own choices. "Giving them a choice helps them to be individuals and express themselves in the way that they want," said Amy, whose mother has been fighting breast cancer for more than a year.

The Mickelsons have expressed themselves the way they want, and it has frequently benefitted others, even in trying times. Congratulations to both for all they do for humanity.

Turns out the optimism early Monday won't be coming to fruition for Danbury native Ken Green. Kenny had hoped to receive a sponsor's exemption to the Champions Tour's Hospice First Tee Open at his favorite course, Pebble Beach, and play competitively in two weeks for the first time since having to WD after the first round of the Connecticut Open because of excessive pain in his right leg, the lower part of which was amputated 14 months ago after a horrific RV accident that killed his brother, girlfriend and dog.

Here's the latest item from Kenny's blog:

Quick note,

I may have spoke too soon as my afternoon as been filled with many surges, not stupid ones of the brain either. It may have been an omen to the news that I won't be going to Pebble and the Hospice First Tee Open. I sit here in a state of disbelief as I once again have made the error of hoping for hope. I thank you all for listening to me babble in engolegism, as this is my 76th blog, which is a bit higher than what I shoot these days. So much for the theory that I'm such a credit for the tour.

I need a bubble bath filled with wine, women, and me. Off I go. Damn, I have none of the above at the house.

Ken

You've got to admit the guy never loses his sense of humor, even in the most difficult of times.

What has been rumored for weeks became reality Monday: Tiger Woods and his wife of six years, Elin, have officially divorced.

The divorce was filed in Bay County Circuit Court in the Florida Panhandle nine months after Tiger's Thanksgiving night auto accident outside the couple's home in Orlando, Fla., that led to revelations of Tiger's numerous extra-mariital affairs.

Financial terms of the divorce weren't disclosed. Tiger and Elin will share in the parenting of their children, 3-year-old daughter, Sam, and 19-month-old son, Charlie.

The couple's combined statement said: "We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future. While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us. Once we came to the decision that our marriage was at an end, the primary focus of our amicable discussions has been to ensure their future well-being. The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern."

Great news on the Kenny Green front: Danbury's favorite son is feeling better after his latest treatment on his right leg, the lower half of which was amputated 14 months ago after a horrific RV accident that caused the death of his brother, girlfriend and dog. He's even talking about trying to return to the Champions Tour in two weeks. It would be his first competition since he had to withdraw from the Connecticut Open in mid-July because of the pain and swelling in his leg after shooting a first-round 74.

Here's his blog from today. It's chock full of terrific thoughts. He says he has diarrhea of the mouth at the end, but who cares when you've been through what Kenny has been through, especially his memories from his last trip to Pebble Beach:

I'm about to open my mouth again so I might has well go in the barrel and enjoy the ride.

Before I do, I will talk about what is important -- my pain. After 5 days of torment, I now have had 4 days of really decent days (minus one). It's kind of strange to actually almost feel semi-normal. There is still electricity in the stump, but the levels are so much calmer. I'm not sure if it can hold up yet under the physical regime of daily golf, but I'm gonna go slap it around this week and find out.

I'm hoping to get into the Pebble Beach event [Sept. 3-5, Home Care & Hospice First Tee Open, http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/s616 ] because it's my favorite place in the world and has even more meaning because I can still see my son Hunter playing the loop holes of 9-13 five times as Jeannie and I sat on the 13th green and just watched him. It was our last trip together, and I can't get it out of my head. I haven't heard yet, so I'm not so sure that's a good sign on whether I'll get an exemption.

First, to the Dustin Johnson and the PGA Championship flap. The PGA of America continually makes decisions as bad as I do. With that said, you must remember that sometimes as a player you are in a different mindset when trying to win a tournament, so I have no problem with him being in "dumb" mode. However, his caddie, who makes a boat load of money, should never have made that mistake. This falls on him for the most part.

Now, to my good old moral-less Yankees. Ironic again that a player refused to admit the truth in battle. Jorge Posada was given credit for tagging a guy out at home and he never had the ball in his glove (umpire didn't see it). He knew it and just smiled. If we can't get the little things right in life what chance do we have on the big ones?

Speaking of the big things: Tiger Woods and the gang still seem to be missing some common sense. There is a bit of debate on this mandatory obligation to play 1 of 5 events every year. This is a no brainer. How on earth did Tiger never go back to Milwaukee when they gave him his first ever exemption? This event is now gone, and wouldn't it have been a great PR move if he stepped up and said he would actually cough up the money for a couple of years so they could find a new sponsor (not even coke money for him)? The PGA tour has lost and is losing too many locations that have been sponsors for evers. The players need to show more loyalty. This concept that golf is hard and it's tough to play 20 events a year is a crock of skunk goose. The top players have jets, and travel is like stealing. They spend more hours with their family than any other person who works.

Golf is in trouble. In my opinion, when the people my age 50+ die off in 15-20 years or so, the population of golfers will drop dramatically. The younger population does not play enough to come even close to what we old hackers do. The next batch of CEOs will not be so interested in golf if their clients don't care about it. We have to do more to get the middle and lower income kids into the game. It's way too expensive; it must be cheaper. The tour, PGA, Tiger, Phil and all the other people who have stupid money should be building 9-hole facilities that are for kids only. Educate, teach and play golf all in one.

Let's be honest: Black and Latin kids are not into golf and probably won't be; other sports are tops on their list of fun. We have less American-African players than ever. Where is the Tiger effect? Golf is the best sport for all kids to play as it teaches you all the best qualities in a person, which in turn keeps you out of trouble. The First Tee is a fantastic organization, but it's still trying to figure out how to do all these things economically.

Once again I have jumped around like a case of diarrhea. I am what I am. Be good.

Love to all, Ken

There's about two months left in the disjointed LPGA Tour schedule, but I think we can hand the Player of the Year Award to Ai Miyazato. Despite being admittingly nervous at the outset of the Safeway Classic's final round Sunday at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, N.J., Miyazato shot an even-par 72 for a 54-hole total of 11-under 205 and a two-stroke victory over Cristie Kerr and Na Yeon Choi.

Miyazato bogeyed two of the first seven holes, then steadied herself with a birdie at No. 9 in winning for the fifth time in 14 starts this year to regain No. 1 in the Rolex Women's World Rankings from Kerr. "Today was a really tough day," the Japanese star said. "I was really nervous on the front nine. But after nine holes I made a birdie and it gave me a gook kick."

Kerr chased Miyazato until she hit her approach into the water on the par-4 18th. Kerr shot 70, one less than Choi.

Miyazato was ranked No. 1 for a week in June and a week in July. She is among five players jockeying for the top ranking: Kerr, Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen and Yani Tseng. Kerr, a two-time winner this year, dropped to No. 2 in a wild race that has existed since Lorena Ochoa retired earlier this year. "My goal at the start of this year was to become player of the year, so I'm aiming for that," Miyazato said. "Everybody is so close at the top, so I don't really know what is going to happen. But it's a good motivator for me.

Hall of Famer Juli Inkster missed a shot at a win at 50 years old when she was disqualified Saturday for using a weighted training aid on her club to stay loose while waiting to make the turn at the 10th hole. After the second round, Inkster was in a three-way tie for second, three strokes behind Miyazato, when informed by a LPGA official that she had been DQ'd for breaking Rule 14-3.

LPGA Director of Tournament Competitions Sue Witters said a viewer watching the telecast brought the violation to the attention of tournament officials via email. By then, Inkster was on the 17th hole. "I had a 30-minute wait, and I needed to loosen up," Inkster said in a statement. "It had no effect on my game whatsoever, but it is what it is. I'm very disappointed."

Arjun Atwal completed one of the PGA Tour's most compelling stories of 2010 on Sunday. A week ago Sunday, Atwal arrived in Greensboro, N.C., having lost his PGA Tour membership a month earlier, no chance of reaching the FedEx Cup playoffs and having to Monday qualify just to get into the Wyndham Championship.

Sunday, the 37-year-old Atwal exited Sedgefield Country Club as the first native of India to win a PGA Tour title and holder of a full exemption through 2012 after a one-stroke victory over fast-closing David Toms.

Despite the win in his 120th PGA Tour start, Atwal still wasn't eligible to compete in the playoffs that begin Thursday with The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. But while others were trying to get into the top 125 in the FedEx Cup points standings, Atwal focused on regaining a spot on the tour he dreamed about winning on since growing up thousands of miles away.

Atwal achieved his goal by rallying from a back-nine deficit to shoot 3-under-par 67 and finish at 20-under 268, one shy of Carl Pettersson's tournament record in 2008. Atwal earned $918,000, more than twice what he had previously won this year, and became the first Monday qualifier to win since Fred Wadsworth in the 1986 Southern Open.

"I told my caddie, 'We've got nothing to lose this week. Just go out there and try and win it,' " Atwal said. "Guys are going to be out there trying to secure their FedExCup spots or whatever. We've got nothing. I don't have a card. I don't have anything. Just go out there and free-wheel it, and that's what I did this week."

Jeev Milkha Singh, who in 1996 became the first Indian to break into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings, said India will be uplifted by Atwal's story.

"This is an important win for the country of India," said Singh, who tied for 18th. "All the children in India will be inspired by his victory, and it will help grow the sport. Arjun is a fighter. He did not get down after his injury last year and losing his status on the tour."

Toms birdied three of the last four holes, including a 25-foot putt at No. 18 that gave him 64-269, one less than John Mallinger (62), Michael Sim (62), John Rollins (65) and Justin Leonard (65).

Lucas Glover made five consecutive birdies to shoot 6-under 30 on the front nine and take the lead at 20 under. But three bogeys down the stretch gave the 2009 U.S. Open champion 67 and seventh at 271.

Atwal started the day with a three-stroke lead but needed a 6-foot birdie putt at No. 16 and two closing pars, including a 7-foot putt at the 18th after hitting his approach over the green, to emerge from a logjam of challengers.

"It just kept changing," Atwal said. "Everybody's tied for the lead at a certain point."

Atwal reclaimed the lead with a birdie on No. 14, Leonard birdied No. 17 and Toms birdied No. 18 to join them at 19 under. Leonard dropped one back after a bogey on 18 while Atwal still had three holes to play.

As Atwal's final putt disappeared, he dropped his putter and extended his arms skyward in jubilation for his first PGA Tour title to go with wins on the European, Asian and Nationwide tours.

And the guy known best for playing practice rounds with Tiger Woods has certainly endured plenty the last few years. The most exasperating was starting the year playing on a minor medical exemption out of the Qualifying Tournament/Nationwide Tour category and failing to win enough money ($586,007 in eight starts through the Canadian Open in mid-July) after admitting he returned too soon after weighlifting injuries to both shoulders last year.

And in 2007, a driver trying to race him down a street in Orlando, Fla., died in a crash. Atwal was cleared of any wrongdoing, but the yearlong investigation took an emotional toll.

Sunday, Atwal showed emotions of an totally different kind and could enjoy every second.

Congratulations to Peter Pulaski on receiving the Connecticut Section PGA's highest honor.

Pulaski, director of golf at The Course at Yale in New Haven and a 20-year member of the PGA of America, has been named the section's professional of the year.

The announcement was made Sunday night after the Lyman Orchards PGA Pro-Am on the eve of the start of the Connecticut PGA Championship at the renovated Jones Course at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield.

Pulaski is the 53rd recipient of the award since 1952. He previously was honored in 2003 as Teacher of the Year and in 2007 as the Horton Smith Award recipient.

"Peter Pulaski is a true grassroots golf professional, coming up from the ranks first as caddie and bag room attendant, to apprentice and assistant professional, and onto to director of golf at Yale, one of the most prestigious positions in the northeast," said section president Ralph Salito, head pro at Richter Park Golf Course in Danbury. "I am proud as a PGA professional and president of the section to pay tribute to one of our industry's leading ambassadors who as elevated our standing within the sport and business of golf."

Pulaski was elected to PGA membership in 1990. He has been employed at Yale University since 1994 and was appointed director of golf in 2000. He previously served as the head golf professional at Grassy Hill Country Club in Orange and the Short Beach Par 3.

Pulaski's philosophy as a golf professional is that you must have a passion for the game and the willingness to serve the people who come to play. He feels privileged to be a PGA member and has a strong sense of responsibility and stewardship in maintaining the high levels of tradition and values the game of golf has promoted since it began.

At Yale, Pulaksi sits on the Best Practices Committee on Management/Union Relations. He holds coaching certification from NCAA and has served as the assistant coach to the men's and women's golf teams and has been the tournament director for two NCAA Regional Championships.

Pulaski currently serves on the section board of directors and as chairman of the Education Committee. He previously served as chair of the Communications and Growth of the Game Committees. He also led the PGA Drive For The Game campaign that raises funds for the Connecticut Section PGA Golf Foundation, and in 2009, he was the recipient of the
President's Award for his outstanding efforts to support this cause.

Pulaski lives in Stratford with his wife, Jean Marie, and their two children.

Other award winners: Ken Doyle, Hop Meadow Country Club-Simsbury, Teacher of the Year; John Steffen, Twin Hills Country Club-Coventry, Junior Golf Leader; Andrew Campbell, Black Hall Club-Old Lyme, Horton Smith Award; Ron Dellostritto, Wethersfield Country Club, Bill Strausbaugh Award; Brian Keiser, Wethersfield Country Club, Assistant Professional of the Year; Robbie Leming, Lake of Isles-North Stonington, Public Course Merchandiser of the Year; Howie Friday, Tumble Brook Country Club-Bloomfield, Private Club Merchandiser of the Year; and Bill Higgins, Hamden, Golf Sales Representative of the Year.

The recipients were named from more than 200 nominees from throughout Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The winners will be honored at the PGA Special Awards banquet Nov. 21 at MGM Grand at Foxwoods. The award winners will be joined by the yet to be
named 2010 PGA section player, senior player, and junior players of the year.

Fran Marrello will try to extend his Connecticut Section PGA record for major victories this week as Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield shows off its more than $2 million in renovations.

Marrello, the head pro at Canaan Country Club, won his 15th section title last year in the organization's biggest event, the Connecticut PGA Championship. Now he'll headline a 90-man field at the new-look Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed Lyman Orchards layout that was partially closed recently for the extensive alterations.

"I am looking forward to the challenge of the course," said Marrello, who in 2009 became the only section player to win player of the year and senior year of the year in the same year. "I had the opportunity to play there a few weeks ago, and the course was in great shape. I plan to just relax, take golf for what it is and enjoy three days of golf with great people."

One of Marrello's major assets is his laid-back nature, which has enabled him to qualify for PGA Tour major championships such as the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. He shot 5-under-par 208 to win the 2009 section championship at Wethersfield Country Club by four strokes over Tony Kelley (Wyckoff CC-Agawam, Mass.), a four-time winner (1988, '89, '96, 2000) who was runner-up for the second year in a row.

Kelley is also the last person to win back-to-back titles and will be among nine former winners in the field. The others are Marrello (2001, '09), Kevin Giancola (Golf Quest-Southington, 2003, '08), Ian Marshall (Watertown, 2007), Mike Carney (Watertown, 2005), Tom Gleeton (Waterbury, 2004), Mike Martin (Clubs To Go, 1998), John Paesani (Norwich, 1991, '93, '97), Jack McConachie Jr. (Pine Valley-Southington, 1982) and Dennis Coscina (PGA Life Member), who won a record eight times (1975, '76, '78, '79, '80, '83, '85, '94).

Though the Jones course has hosted more than 20 open qualifiers for the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship that is operated by the section, few section tournaments, and not the championship, have been played there.

"Surprisingly, only a limited number of PGA professionals are familiar with the Robert Trent Jones course," section executive director Tom Hantke said. "Those that are will find vastly improved playing surfaces, and those who aren't will appreciate the championship caliber of the layout that has stood the test of time."

Marrello recalls the early years at Lyman Orchards when practice putting greens were located behind many of the tees at each hole.

But things have changed plenty on the par-72, 7,011-yard course. Changes included replacing the irrigation system, renovation of all the bunkers, the addition of new bunkers, improved drainage and the creation of more aethestically pleasing sightlines for golfers. Final touches for the championship have been pruning and removing of certain trees that have matured over the years, comproming the playability of some of the back tees.

"We are extremely excited to showcase the renovation work that was completed the last year to our peers in the profession," Lyman Orchards general manager David Christenson said. "The Jones Course will present a fair test and will command a premium on driving the ball in play. Solid ball striking, crisp iron shots and good ball positioning around the course will be the keys. And with water impacting seven of the nine holes coming in, I anticipate movement on the leader board on the final day." 

The 79th championship has a $36,000 purse, the third largest in history, with the winner after 54 holes receiving $5,000. Play begins Monday at 8 a.m., and Marrello, Kelley and Marshall will be the featured pairing, teeing off at 10:24 a.m. The low 36, and anyone within 10 shots of the lead after two rounds, advance to the final 18 holes on Wednesday, when an awards ceremony will be held after the end of play.

Giancola's $23,446.33 is the largest sum earned in the championship this decade, followed by Marrello ($21,200), Kelley ($16,470.83), Gleeton ($14,967), Carney ($14,864.50), Paesani ($11,579), Dave Dell (Springfield, $11,579), Jim St. Pierre ($11,400), Suzy Whaley (TPC River Highlands-Cromwell, $11,102.50) and McConachie ($9,938).

Whaley is the only female to win the event, in 2002 at Ellington Ridge Country Club, thereby qualifying for what was then the Canon Greater Hartford Open. Hope Kelley (The Ranch-Southwick, Mass.) is the only female competing this year. 

If you want to see the finest local pros in the region compete for their grandest prize on a challenging, new-look course, make a visit to Lyman Orchards in the next three days. Or give yourself a real treat and go all three days.

West Hartford's Liz Janangelo had two bogeys and a closing double-bogey 7 in the last four holes to miss the cut for the ninth time in 11 starts this year in the LPGA Safeway Classic at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore.

Janangelo shot a 4-over-par 76 Saturday for a 36-hole total of 7-over 151 that was tied for 105^th and four strokes above the cut for the final round Sunday. She was making her first tour appearance since having to withdraw early in the second round of the U.S. Women's Open in July because of pain from a hip injury that has bothered her most of the year.

Ai Miyazato, No. 2 in the Rolex Women's World Rankings, moved into position for a fifth victory in 14 tournaments in 2010 as she had seven birdies in a 67 for 133 and a three-stroke lead over Song-Hee Kim (64) and Na Yeon Choi (67). Kim's six-birdie, one-eagle total matched Ji Young Oh (64-138, tied for sixth) for the low round of the day and the tournament.

LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster also was tied for second after shooting a 67 but was disqualified for swinging a weighted training club to try to stay loose during a 30-minute wait on the 10th tee. She was unaware of the violation until questioned by a LPGA official after the round. The LPGA had been notified by an email from someone watching on television.

The accolades continue for Ken Green, and this one couldn't be more appropriate.

Green, who lost the lower half of his right leg in a horrific RV accident 14 months ago and worked hard enough to return to the Champions Tour in April, has been named the recipient of the 2010 Chelsea Cohen Courage Award by the Fairfield County Sports Commission.

The Danbury native, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, will accept the award at the commission's sixth annual "Sports Night" banquet at the Greenwich Hyatt on Oct. 18.

"I'm honored to be recognized for the Cohen Award," Ken said via email from Orlando, Fla., where he is being fitted for a new, smaller prosthetic. "People sometimes don't realize the courage that our kids go through when fighting a life-and-death battle. They seem to handle it better than the adults, and we should all learn from their example.

"I've never met Chelsea, but this honor just gives me more reason to keep fighting on without moaning. Every burst of love sent my way will help me fight on."

Kenny, who lives in West Palm Beach, Fla., has received endless support since the tragic accident that claimed his brother Billy, girlfriend Jeannie Hodgin and dog Nip. Ken sustained a serious head injury, and his right leg was badly damaged. Green opted to have the lower part amputated rather than not be able to play golf again.

Despite the mishap in Mississippi on a trip from a Champions Tour event in Texas, Green vowed to honor Billy, Jeanne and Nip by playing professional golf again. In April, he teamed with Mike Reid in the Champions Tour's Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. A month later, he played in his first individual Champions Tour event, the Regions Charity Classic, shooting 74-76-75 to finish ahead of three players.

Last month, despite obvious pain, Green played in the Connecticut Open at the Country Club of Fairfield and shot a 2-over-par 74 in the first round. But he was forced to withdraw before the second round because of swelling and excessive pain in his leg. At the time, Green was coming off a recent procedure called a "kryoblast" in which the nerve endings in the stump are frozen, but it could take up to six weeks to determine if it worked.

Still, Green has continued to fight back, just as Cohen did when the standout girls soccer play at Norwalk High School was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer in 2004. For two years she constantly battled through radiation and radical chemotherapy treatments before she died on Aug. 2, 2006.

It should be another emotional night in Greenwich on Oct. 28, and I hope to be there if humanly possible. It will be an honor to see one present-day hero and to honor a young one from the past.

Birdies were soaring right from the outset of the third round of the Wyndham Championship.

Kevin Na and Drew Weaver, playing in the first group off at 7:10 a.m. Saturday, combined to shoot 15 under par in ideal playing conditions _ soft greens and no wind. And Na's record-tying, 9-under 61 gave him a share of the lead two hours before halfway pacesetters Brandt Snedeker and Arjun Atwal were to tee off at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. N.C.

Na had seven birdies and an eagle to match the Sedgefield course record shot by Carl Pettersson in his 2008 victory and Atwal in the first round. That got Na to 12 under for 54 holes, but his piece of the lead didn't last long.

Atwal birdied six of nine holes midway through the third round on the way to 65 for 196 and a three-stroke lead over Scott Piercy (64), Lucas Glover (67) and Scott McCarron, runner-up to Pettersson two years ago who birdied the last four holes for 63.

"I played real solid, didn't really put myself out of position," Atwal told CBS announcer Peter Kostis after his round. "Winning (Sunday) would mean a lot. It's not just about driving around the tour in fancy cars. I watched the best players in the world on TV in India as a kid and always wanted to win on the PGA Tour.

"I have to keep doing the same thing (Sunday). I can't worry about winning the tournament. If I win, fine. If not, I just move on to the next week. I want to have a lot of fun, which I've had all week. I wasn't suppose to be playing this week, and then I Monday qualified, so anything now is a bonus."

Just being able to play is a bonus. Atwal, whose career-low 61 gave him the first-round lead, lost his PGA Tour membership after not earning enough money ($586,007 in eight starts through the Canadian Open last month) while on a minor medical extension out of the Qualifying Tournament/Nationwide Tour category because of injuries to both shoulders sustained after weightlifting. He tried acupuncture that didn't work, then got relief from a cortisone shot.

Atwal, who started the week 171st in the FedEx Cup points standings, is now on the verge of becoming the first Monday qualifier to win a tour event since Fred Wadsworth in the 1986 Southern Open. That would earn him a spot in the 2011 Masters and a two-year tour exemption but not a berth in the FedEx Cup playoffs because he's a non-tour member. The playoffs begin Thursday with The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

But Atwal, who lost a five-man playoff to Phil Mickelson in the 2005 BellSouth Classic, could be hard-pressed with no previous winning experience on tour and 10 players within three shots of the lead. Tied for fifth at 197 are Will MacKenzie (65), David Toms (65), Justin Leonard (66), John Rollins (68, including a double-bogey 7 on the easiest hole, No. 15) and Snedeker, who bogeyed the 15th and 16th in a 69.

Na heads a four-way tie for 11th at 198.

"The greens were perfect and softer compared to getting chewed up a little in the afternoon, so I definitely had an advantage going out first," Na told reporters after his career-low round. "And I had been driving it poorly, so I put a new driver in the bag and was able to hit a lot more fairways, which was an advantage."

Na admitted he thought about shooting 59, which has been done only seven times in PGA Tour history but twice this year. He made the turn in 5-under 30 and birdied the 11th but managed "only" three more birdies to "settle" for 61.

"I felt like I was playing well enough to have a shot (at 59), but I missed a few putts out there, some real makeable putts," Na said.

A 60 would have been a course record, but a poor approach left a 40-foot birdie putt that wouldn't drop.

"Honestly I wanted the course record," Na said. "That's what I was going for. I wasn't going to leave it short. If I run it by and three-putt, it's not a big deal."

Weaver, who is from nearby High Point, N.C., shot 64 after he and Na barely made the 137 cut. Weaver organized a "Pink Out" on Friday in honor of his mother, who has breast cancer. The former Virginia Tech standout played six PGA Tour events as an amateur with a best finish of a tie for 40th at the 2009 U.S. Open. This is his second tour event as a pro and his first paycheck is certain.

University of Hartford grad Jerry Kelly had a bogey-free round until he made a 5 at No. 18 for 199 and a tie for 15th. Kelly's former UofH teammate, Tim Petrovic, made the biggest jump among the players with Connecticut ties to make the cut. He rallied from a double-bogey 6 at No. 4, making six birdies the rest of the way, including three on the last four holes to shoot 66 and move into a tie for 19th at 200.

Taft School-Watertown grad James Driscoll shot 67 for 201 and a tie for 29th. Fairfield native J.J. Henry, another who just made the cut and played in the twosome behind Na and Weaver, birdied four of the last seven holes for 67-204 and a tie for 60th.

Trinity College grad Jay Williamson shot himself out of the FedEx Cup playoffs with a 72 for 207, dropping from a tie for 37th to 76th. He began the week 142nd in the FedEx Cup points list and needed a good finish to move into the top 125 for next week.

Steve Marino, whose father Steve is a Glastonbury native, shot 74 and is tied for last at 208.

Like Marty Greenberg, the former chairman of the Commodities Exchange, needed another million dollars.

Talk about the rich getting richer.

But that's what happend to Greenberg this week after he made a hole-in-one in the Alonzo Mourning Charities Tournament, where no one had previously registered an ace on the 150-yard 13th hole at the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.

Greenberg accomplished the feat with a 7-iron, his third career hole-in-one.

"I've been lucky three times," he said.

West Hartford's Liz Janangelo had a so-so showing in her first LPGA start since having to withdraw from the U.S. Women's Open because of an ailing hip.

Janangelo had two birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey 5 on her second hole, No. 11, in a 3-over-par 75 and is tied for 77th after the first round of the Safeway Classic in North Plains, Ore. Janangelo hadn't played competitively since early in the second round of the national championship when lingering pain in her hip forced her to call it quits. 

Janangelo, who has made only one of eight cuts this year, is nine strokes behind leader Ai Miyazato, a four-time winner in 2010. Miyazato is one ahead of Teresa Lu and Jee Young Lee, who bogeyed the 18^th hole to fall out of a share of the lead.

After a week off to relax and reflect after failing to qualify for the PGA Championship, Fairfield native J.J. Henry picked up where he left off at the Turning Stone Resort Championship.

Henry made one of the biggest jumps of the day at the Wyndham Championship on Friday, shooting a 4-under-par 66 to leap 55 spots and make the 3-under cut at 137, a tie for 69^th.

Henry had five birdies and his only bogey at No. 18 after opening with 71 at Sedgefield Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. He closed with 63 to finish second at Turning Stone in upstate New York two weeks ago.

Henry is eight strokes behind co-leaders Brandt Snedeker, the 2007 Wyndham champion who had four birdies and an eagle 3 at No. 15 in a 65, and Arjun Atwal, a Monday qualifier who shot 67 after tying the course record with a 61 in the first round. Atwal made four birdies on the front nine to get to 13 under but shot 1 over on the back nine.

Snedeker and Atwal are one ahead of Kevin Streelman (65), Lucas Glover (65) and John Rollins (65).

Jerry Kelly shot 67 and is tied for 20^th at 133, one ahead of former University of Hartford teammate Tim Petrovic (68) and Taft School-Watertown grad James Driscoll (67), who share 25^th. Trinity College grad Jay Williamson, tied for ninth after an opening 65, shot 70 to slip into a share of 37^th.

Because they are not PGA Tour members, three of this year's four major championship winners _ Graeme McDowell (U.S. Open), Louis Oosthuzien (British Open) and Martin Kaymer (PGA Championship) _ didn't qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, which begin next week at The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. Atwal also will not be in the 125-man field as he's not eligible for playoffs because he lost his membership after the Canadian Open because he didn't earn enough money through a minor medical extension due to shoulder problems.

Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, won't be at The Barclays because he missed the cut after starting the week 126^th on the FedEx Cup points standings.

Trinity College grad Jay Williamson needs a big week to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs that begin next week.

Williamson got off to a good start Thursday, shooting a 5-under-par 65 to tie for ninth, four strokes behind leader Arjun Atwal, after the first round of the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.

Williamson might have had a clue it could be a good week when he aced the 191-yard third hole with a 6-iron during a practice round Tuesday. His stellar play this week could be attributed to changing his driver and most of his irons and/or his sports psychologist telling him to breathe and "have great vivid memories of great shots." 

Williamson told reporters his brain gets a little too active, and he starts feeling a greater sense of urgency. He puts pressure on himself to play well and said that eventually manifests itself in his hands.

Andy Mai and Nick Torrance led Connecticut to an eight-stroke victory over defending champion New Hampshire Wednesday in the New England Junior Golf Championship at Abenaqui Country Club in Rye Beach, N.H. Mai, of the e-club of New Haven, shot a 1-under-par 71 to tie for first at 5-over 221 with Jamison Randall of Rhode Island (77) and Jake Nutter of New Hampshire (77). Randall beat Mai and Nutter on the second playoff hole to win the individual title. Torrance, of Lake of Isles Country Club in North Stonington, shot a team-best 70 to finish fourth at 222.

Connecticut had a 54-hole total of 1,108 after the top five of seven scores each day determined team totals. It was CT's sixth victory in eight years after it blew the lead entering the final round in 2009.

Other members of the victorious Connecticut team were Brian Tohir (New Canaan, 223), Monte Mullen (Farmington, 227), Alex DiClemente (Timberlin GC-Berlin, 229), Brian Engstrom (Pine Orchard Golf and Yacht Club-Branford, 237) and Kevin Jud (Timberlin, 251). Connecticut State Golf Association vice president Nick Pahoulis of Glastonbury and Tallwood Country Club in Hebron was coach of the winning team.

Bubba Watson is just one of the boys, a lanky, huggable long hitter who relates well to golf fans everywhere. Watson is also emotional, as he demonstrated after making a 3-foot par putt on the second playoff hole to beat Scott Verplank and Corey Pavin and win his first PGA Tour title in the Travelers Championship in Cromwell in June. As his final stroke disappeared, Watson burst into tears on his wife's shoulder as he remembered his father, Gerry, who is battling cancer.

Watson nearly won his first major Sunday, losing to Martin Kaymer on the first playoff hole in the PGA Championship in Kohler, Wisc. But that hardly fazed Watson. Moments after Kaymer tapped in for a bogey, Watson was all smiles when informed he had qualified for the U.S. Ryder Cup team for the first time. And on Wednesday, Watson announced he will represent the Green Beret Foundation as part of the Birdies for the Brave, the PGA Tour's primary vehicle for supporting the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

Watson, a graduate of Milton High School in Milton, Fla., made the announcement during a special golf clinic he conducted for military personnel and their families at A.C. Read Golf Course at NAS Pensacola hosted by Birdies for the Brave and the famous Blue Angels. Watson was accompanied by his father, a former Green Beret in the United States Army.

"Supporting the military has always been close to my heart," Watson said. "The Green Beret Foundation and Birdies for the Brave are both incredible organizations, and I'm honored to be able to support those who sacrifice so much to protect our freedom."

Watson joins 10 other PGA TOUR players in their support of military charities as part of Birdies for the Brave:

• Homes For Our Troops and Special Operations Warrior Foundation, supported by two-time Travelers Championship winner Phil Mickelson.

• United Through Reading, supported by Rory Sabbatini.

• Naval Special Warfare Foundation, supported by University of Hartford grad Jerry Kelly, Frank Lickliter II and Vijay Singh.

• Wounded Warrior Project, supported by Lickliter, Nick Watney, Boo Weekley and Jason Gore.

• Operation Homefront, supported by Pavin.

• Military Warriors Support Foundation, supported by Ted Purdy.

Since 2005, the PGA Tour has joined with tour players, corporate partners, tournament fans and TPC club members to raise millions of dollars annually for eight military homefront groups supported by tour players that provide critical programs and services to meet the specialized needs of military men and women lost or seriously injured in performance of their duty, through fundraising events at TPC clubs nationwide.

Other Birdies for the Brave activities include Military Appreciation Day celebrations and Patriots' Outpost military hospitality chalets during PGA Tour tournaments, as well as the opportunity for military members to attend many PGA Tour events on a complimentary basis. Those amenities were provided during the Travelers Championship in June. To learn more about Birdies for the Brave, visit www.birdiesforthebrave.com or follow them on Facebook.

There are countless good causes out there, but Birdies for the Braves is certainly among the most worthwhile.

The Arthritis Foundation had a tough task finding a suitable replacement for Randy Edsall after the UConn football coach opted out as honorary spokesman for one of the organization's biggest fundraisers, the Gridiron Gala.

Edsall's presence had helped the arthritis group raise nearly $2 million in six years, but he understandably decided to focus his charitable efforts on the foundation of former Huskies cornerback Jasper Howard, who was stabbed to death during a scuffle on campus in October.

When Edsall revealed his intentions, Bradley Hoffman, co-chairman of the Hoffman Auto Group who has raised money and volunteered on behalf of the foundation for 25 years, initiated the idea for the Whalers Arthritis Foundation Hat Trick Reunion Dinner. He then contacted Howard Baldwin, former Whalers managing general partner and now CEO of Whalers Sports and Entertainment.

Baldwin was happy to have the new Whalers group step forward, and it proved quite the substitution.

The first dinner Friday night at the Marriott Downtown Hartford raised about $250,000 for the Arthritis Foundation.

"What can I say about the (new) partnership?" Heather Schold, regional development director for the local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation that covers all New England states except Massachusetts, said via an email. "It was truly an honor to be partnered with the Whalers organization, such a huge part of Hartford history and hockey history.

"Given that the Whalers had always been so involved in the community and with charity fundraising while they were here, it was incredible to have them partner with the Arthritis Foundation as they are re-entering the community. That tradition of giving back and truly being a part of the community is incredibly admirable.

"We are so grateful to have been part of such a historic and nostalgic weekend and look forward to a long-lasting partnership with Whalers Sports and Entertainment. We cannot thank Howard, (wife) Karen and the entire team for working with us every step of the way. This is an entirely shared success!"

While the Whalers were the headliners at the dinner, their cause was certainly helped by Arthritis All-Stars Teddy Monnes, 7, Cindy Dilillo, 19, and Anthony Sabre, 17. During talks to about 350 in attendance, Teddy, Cindy and Anthony shared their experiences of living with arthritis, and it was truly inspirational.

"There were so many new faces at the event that have not been involved with the Arthritis Foundation and the stories of those whom we are serving," Schold said. "Each of our Arthritis All-Stars will benefit from the generosity and support of those sponsoring and attending the Hat Trick Reunion Dinner. Every person attending made a direct impact in their lives."

The Baldwins were thrilled with the outcome of the initial dinner.

"We are so happy that the Arthritis Foundation dinner was such a tremendous success," Howard and Karen said in an email. "We had a great time, and, in the usual positive spirit of the Whalers, all the former players exhibited their generosity and recognition. Part of what made the team so special was their commitment to supporting charities and the community at large.

"Being part of a team that believes strongly in giving back is still synonymous with being a Whaler."

The Whalers' charitable work didn't only occur Friday night. On Saturday, 22 former players, Hockey Hall of Fame announcer Chuck Kaiton, "the voice of the Whalers," and longtime Whalers equipment man Skip Cunningham sat for nearly six hours in the concourse of Rentschler Field in East Hartford talking with and signing autographs for about 5,000 fans. That was about three hours older than scheduled, but it helped raise about $25,000 for the Whalers Wives Foundation.

But the Friday night activities were especially worthwhile for the more than 46 million people, including 300,000 children, who have been doctor-diagnosed with arthritis, an inflammatory diseases affecting the joints and the leading cause of disability in the United States. In Connecticut, the unpleasant numbers are 700,000 and 3,400. More American youngsters have arthritis than diabetes, and the Arthritis Foundation is the only national non-profit organization raising awareness and funding in support of research, education, public policy initiatives and exercise programs surrounding the disease.

The Arthritis Foundation has a simple motto: Live Strong. Be Strong.

The foundation's logo includes the phrase: Take Control. We Can Help.

The Whalers certainly helped make those terrific words something to live by. Now hopefully it helps Whalers Sports and Entertainment finalize its bid to take over off-ice activities of the Hartford Wolf Pack, renamed the team the Connecticut Whalers and bring another NHL team back to the XL Center.

The sooner the better for all involved.

As a media voter for the World Golf Hall of Fame, I've got some serious thinking about two new candidates this year.

Major championship winners Ernie Els and Retief Goosen from South Africa head the list of nominees for the Class of 2011 released Wednesday.

Voters include Hall of Fame members, golf journalists, historians and dignitaries from around the globe. Ballots are due in July, and an announcement for the 2011 class of Inductees will be made later this year. The annual World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony, traditionally held in the fall, will take place in the spring of 2011 at a venue and on a date to be announced.

Els and Goosen are the newest additions to the PGA Tour and International ballots, respectively.

Els' titles include the 1994 and 1997 U.S. Open, the 2002 British Open, 15 additional PGA Tour wins and 44 international victories. He became eligible for the PGA Tour Ballot after his 10th year on tour in 2004 and met the final qualification for the ballot when he turned 40 late last year. He has competed on six Presidents Cup teams and has won the European Tour Order of Merit twice.

Goosen won the 2001 and 2004 U.S. Open, along with an additional 12 European Tour, 10 Sunshine Tour and five PGA Tour titles. He has been selected to five Presidents Cup teams and earned the European Tour Order of Merit twice. While earning the necessary points for the International Ballot in 2003, he met the final qualifying criteria when he turned 40 last year.

Others under consideration are Miller Barber, Fred Couples, Doug Ford, Jay Haas, Don January, Tony Lema, Davis Love III, Harold (Jug) McSpaden, Mark O'Meara, Kenny Perry, Macdonald Smith, Dave Stockton, Ken Venturi, Fuzzy Zoeller, Peter Alliss, Darren Clarke, Max Faulkner, Sandy Lyle, Graham Marsh, Colin Montgomerie, Norman Von Nida, Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki and Ian Woosnam.

The World Golf Hall of Fame honors the history of the game by preserving the legacies of the world's greatest players and contributors. In the museum located at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., the Hall of Fame serves as a steward of the game through elaborate storytelling and exhibits featuring artifacts, works of art and photography significant to the history of golf and its members.

To learn more about the Hall of Fame or to lend support, visit www.worldgolfhalloffame.org.

Jeff Hedden and David Jones have been golfing buddies since they were members of the Waterford High Class of 1981. The sharpshooters from Old Lyme and Norwich now often have friendly matches at the Black Hall Club in Old Lyme and go head-to-head in major events throughout Connecticut.

So it's only appropriate that they will hop on a plane Thursday morning at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks and head for the State of Washington for next week's U.S. Amateur at Chamber's Bay.

"I'm really looking forward to it," said Hedden, who will move ahead of Evan Beirne in his bid to win a third consecutive Connecticut State Golf Association Dick Tettelbach Player of the Year Award race. "The course looks exotic on the Web site. It should be a lot of fun, and it's kind of cool that we can do this together. We were on-again, off-again friends for awhile, but now we have a good friendship."

Appropriately, Hedden and Jones will play only four groups apart in qualifying Monday and Tuesday at the par-71, 7,742-yard Chambers Bay in University Park, Wash., the longest course in USGA history, and the par-72, 7,039-yard The Home Course in Dupont, Wash. The low 64 after two rounds advance to match play, which will be played at Chambers Bay and culminate with a 36-hole final Aug. 29.

Hedden has a special incentive to reach match play for the second time and solidify his attempt to win another player of the year award. His oldest daughter, 24-year-old Mallory, will caddie for him. "She's the second-best caddie I've had to Nicole," Hedden said, referring to his wife and former star on the Connecticut women's golf scene. "She caddied for me the last two years in state events and really knows golf."

With Mallory by his side, Hedden, who played in the 2003 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont CC in suburban Pittsburgh, could continue an already stellar season. He won the CSGA Two-Man Team Championship with Jim Gentile, finished one shot back of U.S. Amateur alternate Beirne in the Russell C. Palmer Cup, tied for second with close friend Philip Perry in the Tournament of Champions and reached the Round of 16 in the Amateur Championship, won by Bernie D'Amato. Hedden and Gentile also were part of the CSGA team that beat the Connecticut Section PGA side for the second consecutive year in the Julius Boros Challenge Cup Matches.

Hedden finished second in the 36-hole U.S. Amateur sectional qualifying at New Haven Country Club. Jones, Will Smith (Avon) and 2006 State Amateur winner Tom McDonagh (Norwalk) were 1-2-3 in the qualifier at Wee Burn Country Club in Darien. Jones also won the Norwich Invitational last month.

Other Connecticut players in the 312-man starting field next week are Tom McCarthy (Tolland), John Murphy (Wilton), Jeff Wilson (Fairfield) and 2009 player of the year runner-up Cameron Wilson (Rowayton). Murphy, McCarthy and McDonagh finished 3-4-5 in the Palmer Cup.

This could be one of Hedden's final seasons in Connecticut. He's considering moving to Charleston, S.C., with Nicole and their two sons, Tripp and Harper, to prepare for a possible shot at the Champions Tour. "Thank God for a little success," said the 47-year-old Hedden, who has won seven CSGA titles in the Open, Amateur, Mid-Amateur and Juniors and played in several USGA events.

But business commitments will force Hedden to miss the U.S. Team Championship. The Connecticut team is Hedden's longtime friend Bill Hermanson, Ryan Leahey and Mike Ballo Jr.

The Lake of Isles North Course in North Stonington has been honored again.

The Rees Jones creation is among the 100 Top Courses You Can Play in the September issue of Golf Magazine.

LOL, which opened in May 2005, is No. 83, moving up two spots from the 2008 rankings. It's the only Connecticut course in the top 100.

"We are extremely pleased that GOLF Magazine has once again selected the North Course as one of the top courses in the country," Lake of Isles general manager Archie Cart said. "This honor is noteworthy because these awards have become increasingly more competitive each year and we were able to improve on our ranking. Lake of Isles has been recognized on numerous occasions for its challenging & beautiful layouts, pristine course conditions and the overall service experience. We embrace the challenge to continually improve the experience for our guests."

The North Course is a par-72 of more than 7,300 yards of rolling fairways, island tees and greens and extraordinary views from the championship tees. Other accolades have included being named the No. 1 Public Course in Connecticut by Golfweek Magazine and Best In State by Golf Digest. And the Lake of Isles Golf Shop has been named as one of the Top 100 Golf Shops by Golf World Magazine.

The course is open to resort guests of nearby Foxwoods Resort Casino and daily-fee golfers. Greens fees range from $145 to $195 and include a cart, range balls and yardage card. Lake of Isles also features a state-of-the-art Golf Academy.

LOI, owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and located across the street from Foxwoods Resort Casino, also has an 18-hole South Course for its members. For more information, call 888-475-3746 or visit www.lakeofisles.com.

Phil Mickelson has taken some bad raps over the years.

But Lefty continued to show plenty of class at the PGA Championship.

Despite his revelation that he has been dealing with psoriatic arthritis since the U.S. Open, Mickelson shot a 5-under-par, the low score of the final round Sunday, to finish tied for 12th in the year's final major.

In April, Mickelson won the Masters about a year after learning his wife and mother had breast cancer. Now, only weekly injections reduce the pain that affects agility, mobility and strength. Those aren't as major a factor as in baseball, basketball, football or hockey, but pain is pain and can cause plenty of mental anguish in a game like golf.

Let's hope Lefty, his wife and his mom heal as much and quickly as possible. They're all classy folks who deserve the best.

The ninth annual "Tee Off to Hockey Season" Eastern Connecticut Hockey Organization Stars Youth Hockey Golf Tournament will be at Blackledge Country Club in Hebron on Sept. 24.

Registration begins at noon, and there's a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Entry fee of $110 per person and $420 for a foursome includes 18 holes of golf, cart, lunch and a buffet dinner. Dinner only is $40 for adults and $20 for children.

There are will be prizes, a raffle and silent and live auctions that include a Bruins Winter Classic Zdeno Charra jersey signed by 21 Bruins, an autographed Dallas Stars jersey and pictures signed by Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick of Milford and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, New York Mets tickets, an overnight stay at Bradley Airport and numerous gift cards to local merchants.

To enter, make out checks to ECHL and mail to: Bob Pilney, 136 Grandview Street, Manchester, Ct. 06040. For more information, contact Bob Pilney at 860-647-9398 or president@echostars.com. The ECHO website is www.echostars.com.

Long hitters Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson got consolation prizes Sunday at the PGA Championship.

Watson lost a three-hole aggregate playoff to Martin Kaymer that most thought was going to include Johnson, but each earned a spot on the United States Ryder Cup team.

Watson's addition gives the Travelers Championship three of the eight automatic berths on the American team that will face Europe on Oct. 1-3 at The Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales.

Watson, who won the Travelers Championship at TPC RIver Highlands in Cromwell in June, and Johnson, denied a PGA playoff spot after grounding his club in what he didn't realize was a bunker way right of the 18th fairway at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc., knocked Anthony Kim and Lucas Glover off the U.S. team.

Watson was ranked No. 18 before losing the playoff to Kaymer by a shot and jumped to third in the final Ryder Cup points standings. Johnson moved from ninth to sixth with a tie for fifth.

"You're playing for your country," Watson said after learning he had made the team. "You're playing for the USA. Until 2016, we don't have an Olympics. That's my Olympics. I've wanted to play the Ryder Cup my whole life. I've made many a putts when I was eight and 10 years old to win the Ryder Cup. So why would you not want to play for your country? Win or lose, when we get to the Ryder Cup, we all want to win, but at the same time you represent your country and we want to represent our country well."

Masters champion Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan, winner of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational last Sunday, head the U.S. team. They are followed by Watson, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Johnson, Jeff Overton and Matt Kuchar.

Mickelson (2001-02) and Mahan (2007), the other former Travelers Championship winners on the team, had clinched spots before the PGA Championship.

"It's pretty neat having three of our winners on the team," Travelers Championship tournament chairman Nathan Grube said.

Watson, Johnson, Overton and Kuchar are four rookies on the team. Overton will be the first player in U.S. Ryder Cup history to not have previously won on the PGA Tour. But since 2008, he has 12 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, half of them this year.

Mahan and Stricker will make their second Ryder Cup appearances, and both played integral roles in the U.S. victory in 2008 at Valhalla GC in Louisville, Ky.

Mickelson, who tied for 12th in the PGA Championship, and Furyk will provide veteran leadership with 13 Ryder Cup appearances between them.

Corey Pavin will announce his four captain's picks in New York City on Sept. 7, the day after the end of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., the second of four FedEx Cup playoff events.

The top four players who didn't automatic qualifier are Kim, Glover, Zach Johnson and Tiger Woods, the world's No. 1-ranked player who has struggled for most of the year but said he would accept an invitation from Pavin.

Kim and Glover both missed the PGA cut, while Johnson jumped 10 spots and Woods fell two spots after a tie for 28th at Whistling Straits.

Kim was among the top eight through most of the qualifying process until the PGA Championship despite missing four months to recover from surgery on his right thumb. But Woods has played only nine PGA Tour events this year and is still not assured of a spot in the first FedEx Cup playoff event, The Barclays.

So Pavin has some very interesting choices to make. Kim seems deserving if his thumb is fully healed, and it's hard to turn down Woods despite his personal turmoil and erratic game since crashing his RV into a tree on Thanksgiving evening.

It likely will come down to how the four top non-qualifiers perform in this week's Wyndham Championship and the first two FedEx Cup events.

Martin Kaymer won one of the wildest major championships in history Sunday, but the guy who tied for fifth received the most attention.

A bogey on the final hole of a three-hole aggregate playoff with Travelers Championship winner Bubba Watson was enough to give Kaymer his first major title at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc.

Watson, who won his only PGA Tour title at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell in June, led the playoff after a birdie on the first playoff hole, No. 10. But he bogeyed No. 17 and made double-bogey 6 at No. 18, enabling Kaymer to score his fourth top-10 finish in the last five majors and win for the first time in America after five victories on the European Tour.

But many will remember the year's final major for the playoff absence of Dustin Johnson, who was penalized two strokes on the final hole of regulation when he gently placed his 4-iron in the sand after hitting his drive wide right.

Johnson, like most others on the premises littered with 1,200 bunkers, was unware that he was in a hazard. The sand was trampled down and the edge of bunker unrecognizable as Johnson tried to nurse a one-stroke lead to the winner's circle.

Johnson grounded his club, thinking it was grass that had been killed by the gallery traffic. And fans were packed so close around Johnson that he never thought he was in a bunker.

"Walking up there, seeing the shot, it never once crossed my mind that I was in a sand trap," Johnson told reporters. "I just thought it was a piece of dirt that the crowd had trampled down. ... It's very unfortunate. The only worse thing that could have happened was if I had made the putt on that last hole."

But after hitting his second shot long, he chipped to 7 feet but missed his par putt. Moments after tapping in for what appeared to be a bogey, Watson was approached by PGA of America rules official David Price and informed of a possible two-stroke penalty. Instead of 71 and a shot at a major, Johnson had to sign for a 73 and watch Kaymer and Watson play off for the title.

During a long delay as rules officials sorted out the controversy, the gallery chanted: "Let him play!" Johnson and his caddie, Bobby Brown, knew the rule about all the bunkers being hazards, but trash and foot prints in the sand confused them. Johnson never disputed he grounded his club, but he was still stunned to realize he was in a bunker. Inside the scoring room, he could be seen erasing the 5 on this scorecard and changing it to a 7.

"What bunker?" Johnson said he told Price, who was walking with Johnson and Nick Watney in the final group. "There's a lot going on. I'm excited I had a putt to win -- or thought I had a putt to win. Walking off ... I think I'm going to a playoff, and I've got a two-stroke penalty."

Johnson, who had a final-round meltdown of 82 after leading the U.S. Open after 54 holes, finished at 9-under 279 and tied with Jason Dufner (71) and 1995 PGA champion Steve Elkington (71). That trio was one behind 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson (70) and 21-year-old Rory McIlroy (72) of Northern Ireland, both of whom failed to join Dufner as the only players to birdie the 18th hole and get into the playoff.

Johnson's misfortune came minutes after Kaymer made a 15-foot par putt on the 18th to shoot 70 and join Watson (68) at 11-under 277. After Watson birdied the first playoff hole, Kaymer, a 25-year-old German, made another 15-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 17th and then watched Watson implode.

Watson went from the right rough into the water, took several minutes to evaluate his options and then hit over the green into a bunker. His trap shot hit the flag and stopped a foot from the cup. After seeing Watson's second shot landed in the water, Kaymer chipped out, hit to 15 feet and two-putted for bogey.

"I don't realize what happened," Kaymer said. "I just won my first major. I've got goose bumps just talking about it."

It was the cruelest ending to a major since Roberto de Vicenzo signed for a higher score on the 17th hole in the final round of the 1968 Masters won by Bob Goalby.

After that mishap, de Vicenzo uttered, "What a stupid I am."

Johnson had to feel likewise.

Watson was disappointed for only a few minutes as he learned he had played his way onto the U.S. Ryder Cup team that will face Europe on Oct. 1-3 at The Celtic Manor in Wales.

"I made a bad swing. You can't get mad at a bad swing," said Watson, who rallied to finish third in the Ryder Cup standings while playing for months with the burden of his father, Gerry, battling cancer. "I wouldn't do anything different. I play to win, not to lay up and finish second.

"It would have been nice to win, but making the Ryder Cup team is most important. That was my major. That was my goal. As soon as I finished I called (captain) Corey (Pavin) to see if I had made the team, and he said yes. I said great. I hope to represent my country well."

Johnson also made the American team, as he and Watson displaced Anthony Kim and Lucas Glover among the eight automatic qualifiers. Pavin will announce his four captain's picks on Sept. 7, the day after the finish of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., the second of the four FedEx Cup playoff events.

But it likely will take Johnson until after pro golf's most emotional team competition to recover from this misstep. In the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, he had a three-shot lead entering the final round, made triple bogey on the second hole and shot an 82.

This was more devastating as the final chapter in the final chase to the wire for six players, who led or shared the lead at some point.

McIlroy, who was trying to become the youngest major champion in 80 years, narrowly missed a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole. Johnson also failed to make a needed birdie on 18 that yielded only the one all day.

Lost in the crazy finish was Watney, who had a three-shot lead starting the day. But he lost it all on the first hole as he made double bogey and Johnson a birdie. Watney then lost the lead for good at No. 7, where his tee shot bounced off rocks and into Lake Michigan, leading to a triple-bogey 6. That led to a closing 81, the highest finish by a 54-hole leader at the PGA Championship since it went to stroke play in 1958.

Watney tied for 18th, costing himself a shot at his first Ryder Cup berth. He then had to watch Johnson, with whom he often plays practice rounds, have a shot at his first major taken away by a strange local rule.

"I didn't see anything on the golf course, and when the official came up, I was totally shocked," Watney said. "I thought he was coming to me about it, the way my day was going.

"Whether that's fair? I guess they did write it on the (rules) sheet. Man, that's a tough call, though."

Tough might be the understatement of the golf season --- anywhere.

Southington native Rob Labritz got some national TV exposure early Sunday night.

Labritz was the only club professional to make the cut in the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc., and was on the 18th green alongside playoff winner Martin Kaymer at the awards ceremony.

Labritz, a former Central Connecticut State University standout, received his club pro award from PGA of America president Jim Remy after shooting a 5-over-par 77 for a 72-hole total of 295 and a tie for 68th with Stuart Appleby.

Labritz, the director of golf at Glen Arbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, N.Y., finished 18 strokes behind Kaymer and Travelers Championship winner Bubba Watson, who lost an aggregate three-hole playoff when he hit his second into the water and made double-bogey 6 on No. 18, the third extra hole.

Twenty club pros were in the 156-man starting field, but Labritz was the only one to make the 36-hole cut. The former Central Connecticut State University standout was 2 under through the 17th hole Saturday before making a quadruple-bogey 8 at his last hole, No. 9.

Labritz was a member of the 1987 CIAC Division I champion Southington High team.

With all due respect to Frankie Valli and the Four Season, "Oh, what a day!"

Yes, a day to remember Saturday at Rentschler Field in East Hartford for the Whalers and their original and hopefully new owner Howard Baldwin, one of the first inductees into the World Hockey Association Hall of Fame.

About 5,000 exuberant fans, 22 former Whalers players, Hockey Hall of Fame announcer Chuck Kaiton and longtime Whalers equipment man Skip Cunningham spent 61/2 hours celebrating, promoting and saying thanks during a larger-than-expected Whalers FanFest.

Baldwin, the former Whalers managing general partner and now CEO of Whalers Sports and Entertainment, had hoped at least 1,500 fans would show up in the first major test of his hope to revitalize the sport in the area and get another NHL team in Hartford.

Baldwin and the rest of the Whalers family were pleasantly surprised by the pouring of love for the former New England Whalers of the WHA and Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League.

"This is the beginning of a new beginning," Baldwin told boisterous fans after being inducted into the WHA Hall with the Gordie Howe family and Andre Lacroix. "Thank you for being so patient. This shows that, spiritually, the franchise never left. We're here to stay, we're going to do the Winter Fest (Feb. 11-20) and we're going to do the summer event every year."

Whalers Sports and Entertainment still has to officially become the new oversee of the off-ice activities of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, which could be announced next week. But the 5,000 on hand for the end of the weekend's Whalers Reunion and FanFest, which also included a golf tournament and Arthritis Foundation Hat Trick Dinner on Friday, demonstrated that should be a no-brainer.

"It's been a real eye-opening day," former Whalers captain Kevin Dineen said.

"I'm overwhelmed with how many people showed up," free-spirited left wing Paul Lawless said. "And my hand is fine except for the carpal tunnel syndrome that set in an hour ago."

But that minor inconvenience and the slow-moving line were about the only glitches on a day when an estimated $25,000 was raised for the Whalers Wives Foundation.

The last person in the lengthy congo line was Steve D'Amico of Cooperstown, N.Y., who has been in Connecticut working at his girlfriend's father's accounting firm in Berlin. That prevented D'Amico from attending the Baseball Hall of Fame inductions two weeks ago, but now he stood mere feet from the first WHA Hall of Fame inductions.

D'Amica, who recently graduated from Ithaca College, arrived at 9 a.m. to work for one of the dozens of vendors at the FanFest, got in line at 1:45 p.m. and got his first autograph at 5 p.m. 

"I hate to admit I had heard a little about the Whalers but really didn't know anything about the team until I came here today," D'Amico said with a sheepish smile. "But this has been amazing. I sure hope they get another team."

So did the thousands who often chanted "Let's Go Whalers" during the Hall of Fame introductions, which were made by Tim Gassen, the founder of the shrine from Indianapolis, Ind. The introductions included Colleen, the wife of Gordie and mother of Mark and Marty who died in March 2009. She earned entry because of the extensive off-ice work that she did for her family and the league, not to mention being one of the first female agents.

"This kind of turnout shows the Whalers belong in Hartford," Gassen said.

Gassen then lauded the WHA Hall of Fame's first of 46 inductees.

"Andre was what I consider the epitome of the perfect WHA player, averaging nearly a point a game while playing for six teams in seven years and doing so much charity work," Gassen said. "The Howes helped put the WHA on the map, and that included Colleen, whom we're so proud to include in this induction. Howard was the man who made all this possible, the man who helped bring about the merger (between the WHA and NHL), the man who is going to bring the Whalers back to the NHL."

The last line drew the loudest roar of the day and chants of "Let's Go Whalers," "Let's Go Howard," "Let's Go Gordie," and "Let's Go Andre."

Gassen then received more applause when he said Hartford is among the leading contenders to be the permanent home of the WHA Hall of Fame. The other is Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Gassen will induct NHL Hall of Famer and brief Whalers left wing Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nillsson into the WHA Hall of Fame next Saturday. A week later, Andre Lacroix Day will be celebrated in Cleveland, where Lacroix now lives and runs an ice rink.

hen told it might be nice to have a Hall of Fame home in Hartford AND Winnipeg, Gassen liked the idea. The New England Whalers won the first AVCO Cup in 1973, the Winnipeg Jets the last in 1979.

"We have lots of memorabilia, films and artifacts, and now all we need is a permanent facility," said Gassen, who will talk to Baldwin Sunday about housing the Hall of Fame. "Hartford was the WHA's most stable franchise, and Winnipeg is among the league's proudest franchises. Maybe Hartford could be the eastern home with its trophy, if we can find it, and Winnipeg could be the western home with its trophy.

"We'd like to have something done as soon as possible, so hopefully I'll be back in Hartford soon."

That, too, would be greeted with applause, but it's doubtful it would be as loud and long as Saturday. But it was only Step One. Many more steps need to be climbed, hopefully starting next week with the official word that Baldwin & Co. are taking over the off-ice Wolf Pack doings. Then it's continued promotion with the new Connecticut Whalers and lots of support for the Winter Fest, which will include 20-25 outdoor games at The Rent.

And wouldn't it be something if the Connecticut Whalers won the Calder Cup next June? Finally, a professional hockey title in Hartford that includes the name Whalers. Heck, we might even see another Whalers parade through downtown.

Despite a horrific end to a long day, Southington native Rob Labritz could feel plenty good about what he accomplished Saturday at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc.

Labritz, the director of golf at Glen Arbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, N.Y., finished off a weather-delayed, 1-over-par 73 to become the only one of 20 club professionals in the 156-man starting field to make the cut in the 92nd PGA Championship.

The former Central Connecticut State University standout then was 2 under for 17 holes after making his fourth birdie of his third round. But a quadruple-bogey 8 at his last hole, No. 9, gave Labritz a 74 and a 54-hole total of 218, good for a tie for 64th among 72 players to make the cut.

Labritz, a member of the 1987 CIAC Division I champion Southington High team, will play the final round Sunday with two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen.

Kevin Dineen was one of 27 former Whalers back for a weekend of fun and nostalgia, starting Friday with a golf tournament at the wonderfully manicured Tunxis Plantation Country Club in Farmington and the Arthritis Foundation Hat Trick dinner that drew about 350 people at the Marriott Downtown Hartford Friday night.

Dineen, fellow former captain and NHL Hall of Famer Ron Francis and Joel Quenneville, who coached the Chicago Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup since 1961 last season, participated in a question-and-answer session with Hall of Fame announcer Chuck Kaiton. The trio also fielded questions from the audience while sharing insight into why the Whalers were about the closest a NHL team could be before leaving Hartford in 1997.

The golf tournament, fundraiser and Fan Fest on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Rentschler Field in East Hartford is the kickoff to a bid to bring the NHL back to Hartford by a group headed by former Whalers managing general partner Howard Baldwin, CEO of the new Whalers Sports and Entertainment in Hartford.

Baldwin's goal is to revitalize the local pro hockey market by taking over management of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack and renaming the team the Connecticut Whalers. Final details are being ironed out in hopes to getting the transfer from Northland LLC to Whalers Sports and Entertainment before the AHL season starts in early October.

The former Whalers players said if anyone could get the NHL back in Connecticut, it's Baldwin. And they showed their support by coming back from all parts of North America, with defensman Grant Jennings making the longest trek from Anchorage, Alaska.

Dineen and wife Annie arrived from Portland, Maine, after checking out several colleges along the way with daughter Hannah. And Kevin had a new contract in his back pocket after he and former Whalers defenseman Eric Weinrich were rehired as coach and assistant coach of the Portland Pirates. Good move by the Pirates after Dineen lost out as a finalist for the heading job of the Columbus Blue Jackets, whom he worked for in the hockey operations department in player development for two seasons after retiring as a player.

Here's the release on the rehiring of Dineen and Weinrich on the AHL website:

The Portland Pirates announced the Buffalo Sabres have re-signed head coach Kevin Dineen and assistant coach Eric Weinrich for the 2010-11 American Hockey League season.

"We are delighted to have Kevin and Eric returning to coach the Portland Pirates," said Sabres general manager Darcy Regier. "They have done an excellent job in respect to our young players and their development within the organization. As we continue to grow our young prospects, we are confident their success in the National Hockey League can be attributed to their time spent with such quality individuals that we have in place in Portland."

"We are thrilled to have both Kevin and Eric behind the Pirates bench for another season," said Pirates managing owner/CEO Brian Petrovek. "Within the hockey world, Kevin has developed into and now become one of the top pro coaches in the business and he has proven by his outstanding coaching record and by the young players he has developed that he is as talented as they get in his profession. The passion, intensity and work ethic that Kevin brings to the rink every day elicits the very best out of the Buffalo Sabres prospects and our fans have certainly experienced with great appreciation the exciting, high energy and no-nonsense style of play he puts on the ice every game.

"Eric's impact as an Assistant Coach with the Pirates has been outstanding. He has been able to translate the successes he enjoyed as a world class blueliner into an ability to communicate with our young players and help develop them with his knowledge and experience. He and Kevin have developed a great approach together. Their preparation, teamwork and camaraderie have been paramount to our success."

Dineen, named the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding coach in 2005-06, is heading into his sixth season as the head coach of the Pirates. The 46-year-old is the longest tenured head coach in Pirates franchise history and stands as the franchise leader in games coached (400), wins (219) and winning percentage (.581) with a 219-154-27 career record.

The Quebec City, Que., native guided the Pirates to a second place finish in the Atlantic Division in 2009-10 with a record of 45-24-7-4. Last season marked the third time in five seasons that Dineen led the Pirates to a season featuring 45 or more victories. He has also led the Pirates to two Eastern Conference Finals, coming within one win of the Calder Cup Finals each time.

"I am very excited to back as part of the Buffalo Sabres organization," Dineen said. "My family and I are thrilled to return to Portland for a sixth season as we continue our effort of reaching our goal to win a Calder Cup Championship for the great fans of Portland."

Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Dineen, who was selected 56th overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, spent 18 years in the NHL as a player from 1984-85 to 2002-03. He scored 355 goals and 405 assists for 760 points and 2,229 penalty minutes in 1,188 games with Columbus, Ottawa, Hartford/Carolina and Philadelphia. Dineen appeared in two NHL All-Star Games as a member of the Whalers (1988 and 1989). He was also named the 1990-91 NHL Man of the Year and was a three-time finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (1995, 2001 and 2002), given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Dineen also represented Canada on many occasions, playing on the country's national team at the 1984 Olympic Games, 1987 Canada Cup and three World Championship Tournaments (1985, 1989 and 1993). At the time of his retirement he was one of only eight NHL players to record more than 300 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes in an NHL career.

After retiring as a player, Dineen spent two seasons working in the Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey Operations Department in player development.

Dineen and his wife, Annie, are the parents of two daughters (Hannah and Emma) and two sons (William and Declan).

2010-11 will mark Weinrich's third full season as an assistant coach under Dineen. He also started the 2006-07 season as an assistant on Dineen's coaching staff but chose to step back onto the ice and resume his playing career with the Pirates.

"I expressed to Darcy (Regier) that I really enjoyed being part of the organization and was hoping that they would consider resigning me and he said they would be happy to have me back," Weinrich said.
"I've been associated with Kevin in one way or another for the past four seasons and I look forward to working with him again and learning all I can from his experience and leadership of the team."

Weinrich was originally selected 32nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He played 18 seasons at the NHL level with Boston, Chicago, Hartford, Montreal, New Jersey, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Vancouver. Weinrich finished his NHL career playing in 1,157 games with 388 points (70 goals, 318 assists) and 825 penalty minutes. He ended his playing career with the Portland Pirates in the 2007-08 season, after playing in 88 games spanning over two seasons and recording 22 points (3 goals, 19 assists). Throughout the course of his career, the 43 year-old participated in nine World Championships for Team USA - the most of any American-born player. He also played in the 1988 Olympic Winter Games, the 1991 Canada Cup and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

"It's great to have Eric back as part of my staff," said Dineen. "He brings a wealth of NHL and AHL experience and does a great job mentoring our young defensemen."

Weinrich's professional career began in the AHL with the Utica Devils in 1988-89 and 1989-90. In 1989-90, he was named the winner of the Eddie Shore Trophy (AHL's outstanding defenseman) and also was named an AHL First Team All-Star. Prior to entering the pro ranks, Weinrich spent three seasons at the University of Maine (1985-88) where he registered 69 points (16 goals, 54 assists) in 83 games over three seasons with the Black Bears. In 1987, he was named a Hockey East First Team All-Star and also earned NCAA East Second Team All-American honors.

Weinrich, his wife Tracy and two children, Ben and Emily, live on Cousins Island in Yarmouth.

Erica Barnes has added her name to the Connecticut golf honor rolls.

Barnes shot a 7-over-par 80 Thursday at Oronoque Village Country Club in Stratford, but it was still good enough for a three-stroke victory over Jen Holland in the Connecticut State Women's Amateur Golf Championship.

Barnes, 18, of Berlin started the day with a one-stroke lead over Holland, never lost her advantage and finished with a 54-hole total of 242.

Holland, the 2008 champion from Lyman Orchards GC in Middlefield, shot 82. Eight-time winner Lida Tingley (84) and Becky Montgelas (83) tied for third at 248.

Going from one set of sticks to another: As expected, the Greenville (S.C.) Road Warriors are the new East Coast Hockey League affiliate of the New York Rangers.

The Rangers are expected to share the affiliation with the Philadelphia Flyers and provide seven skaters and one goalie to the Road Warriors. The Flyers reportedly will announce their part of the affiliation next week.

"We are all very happy and proud to be the ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers," Road Warriors owner and president Neil Smith said. "Glen Sather and Jim Schoenfeld are committed to player development and we will work hard to develop future Rangers here in Greenville."

Smith was president and general manager of the Rangers from 1989 to 2000, winning the Stanley Cup in 1994 and the American Hockey League's Calder Cup in 2000 with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Sather succeeded Smith in New York, and Schoenfeld became Rangers assistant GM and Wolf Pack GM.

The Road Warriors replace the Charlotte (N.C.) Checkers, one of three new teams in the AHL. The Road Warriors came into existence last season when the Johnstown (Pa.) Chiefs moved to Greenville.

Travelers Championship winner Bubba Watson sprayed his usual number of drives but recovered so well that he shot a 4-under-par 68 to nab a share of the lead in the incomplete, fog-delayed first round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc.

Watson spent part of a 3-hour, 10-minute fog delay playing games on his phone and throwing things at Rickie Fowler while his good friend was trying to sleep. The free-spirited Waston then got serious, birdied the first hole and three of five holes midway through the back nine to shoot his low round in relation to par in a major championship.

Watson is tied with Francesco Molinari, who made a 25-foot birdie on his last hole, No. 9, as well as Matt Kuchar, Ernie Els and Nick Watney, who were among half of the 156 starters not able to complete the round before darkness set in. Els had finished 12 holes, and Kuchar and Watney 11 holes each, with Watney making at eagle 3 at No. 11 to grab a share of the top spot.

"I putted well, and my focus was there," Watson, who beat Scott Verplank and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin to win his only PGA Tour title at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, told TNT after his round. "I stayed with every shot and took my medicine when I had to. I missed a couple of tee shots, but the golf course in not easy. I just made some putts."

Ryan Moore had the lead at 5 under until he three-putted the 15th and 16th holes and then missed a 12-foot birdie try at No. 18. He was tied for fifth with Jason Day, Charles Howell III, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Darren Clarke and Simon Kahn. Fernandez-Castano has two holes left in the first round, while Clarke had played 13 holes and Kahn seven.

Tiger Woods, trying to rediscover his game and earn a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, birdied three of the first four holes and made an 8-foot putt for a closing birdie to shoot 71, the first time he broke par in eight rounds since the first round of the British Open in mid-July. On Sunday, Woods closed with a 7-over 77 to finish at 18-over-par 298 in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, his highest score since turning pro.

"I got off to a nice start, which was nice, and then grinded away the rest of the way," Woods told TNT. "I hit the ball pretty good and felt like I had control of the ball most of the day, especially the trajectory. I haven't had that in a while. ... I left a few putts short, but I felt my speed on the greens also improved."

Masters champion Phil Mickelson, battling psoriatic arthritis, birdied his first hole after teeing off at 5:45 p.m., local time. He sprayed some drives but birdied his last two holes, Nos. 10 and 11, to get to 1 under and tied for 24th when he restarts Friday morning.

Southington native Rob Labritz, who played at Central Connecticut State University, was under par most of the day before a double-bogey 6 at the difficult 18th gave him 73, the best early showing from the 20 PGA of America club professionals in the 156-man field.

Labritz had four birdies, one bogey and two double bogeys in his best score in his third PGA Championship. His previous best was a 75, which he accomplished twice.

Labritz is the PGA director of golf at Glen Arbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, N.Y. He earned his way into the field with a tie for 15th at the Professional National Championship. He is a former winner of the New York State Open and the New York State PGA Championship

Fog rolling in off Lake Michigan delayed the start of play for 3 hours, 10 minutes and then six minutes a little later. The final threesomes didn't tee off until 6:25 p.m., local time, meaning the first round couldn't be completed Thursday. Play resumes Friday at 8 a.m. (ET).

Because of a fog delay of more than three hours, TNT's coverage of the first round of the PGA Championship will extend one hour to 9 p.m. (ET)

Coverage of the second round Friday is scheduled to return to its planned time of 1 to 8 p.m.

The PGA Championship is under way --- finally.

The start of the year's final major championship was delayed from 8 a.m. until 11:10 a.m. ET because of fog rolling in off Lake Michigan that covered Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc.

This is the 19^th event of the 2010 PGA Tour season to be impacted by a delay/suspension of play. Specifically, it is the second event of the season to experience a fog delay. The start of the second round at the Greenbrier Classic two weeks ago was delayed one hour because of foggy conditions.

With the 3:10 delay, the final group of Jimmy Walker, Robert McClellan and Simon Khan can do some laundry, take in a movie and have a light dinner before they tee off at 5:25 p.m. (local time)  

Jim Calhoun will be receiving yet another well-deserved honor in April, and it has nothing to do with teaching young men how to dribble, pass and shoot a basketball.

The Hall of Fame University of Connecticut men's basketball coach has been named the honoree or the 50^th anniversary White Coat Gala for the UConn Health Center in Farmington.

Calhoun, who is about to embark on his 25^th season in Storrs, is to be recognized April 16 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford in an event entitled, "Celebrating Medicine -- The Fabric of Life."

"Jim has been such a fantastic individual who has contributed to the health of our region through his work at the UConn Health Center," said Dr. Cato Laurencin, vice president for health affairs at the UConn Health Center and dean of the UConn School of Medicine. "In addition, he has been a teacher, mentor and inspiration to many individuals, which in many ways represents our mission. He and (wife) Pat have committed their time and personal resources to help fund our state-of-the-art cardiology center as well as the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center."

Since 1999, the Calhouns have been instrumental in raising about $3.5 million for the UConn Foundation Inc.'s Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Research Endowment Fund for the UConn Health Center. The money has been raised through the Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic, which includes an annual two-day golf tournament, plus a basketball game every other year that includes most of the stars who played for Calhoun in Storrs. The latest event last weekend raised about $400,000 for the UConn Foundation.

"I'm obviously honored and humbled to be the honoree," Calhoun said. "The center has always been a big part of my life and Pat's. We've been affected by cardiac problems and cancer, and it's always wonderful to see any kind of success stories."

Dr. Bruce Liang is the UConn Health Center's chief of cardiology and director of the Pat and Jim Calhoun cardiology center.

To purchase sponsorships ($1,000 to $50,000) or tickets for the dinner ($1,000, $500 or $250), contact Dina Plapler at 860-402-7852 or dplapler@foundation.uconn.edu. Major sponsors can attend a VIP reception before the dinner and a full-page ad in the program, event signage at the convention center and inclusion in a thank-you ad in The Hartford Courant.

To make a contribution to or for information about the cardiology center, call the UConn Foundation at 860-679-1122 or visit www.uchc.edu.

Danbury native Ken Green has been through a seemingly endless stream of highs and lows mentally and physically since the horrific RV accident 14 months ago that claimed the life of his girlfriend, brother and dog and led to the amputation of the lower part of his right leg.

Green has tried as best he can to carry on, with golf being the No. 1 vehicle to some semblance of order in his life. But even the sport he loves has produced more lows than highs, as demonstrated in his latest blog entry:

Oh boy! I played yesterday (Wednesday, Aug. 11) and it was the least amount of pain I've had playing golf in over a year. I was so psyched that maybe we were getting ready to defeat the evil empire. However, last night and today were absolutely horrific. I'm holding out that this is still the beginning of the end for pain.

With that being said, I'm about to relay some really bad news for me. We all remember how the (PGA Tour's) PAC (players advisory council) elected not to amend a change and give me a year's medical exemption - something that is done often, I may add. They rightfully gave Lanny (Wadkins) & Curtis (Strange) a lifetime exemption on tour when their status was running south - they both deserved this based on their careers on tour. One of their theories was that I would be able to get exemptions whenever I wanted. I have written every event that is left on this year's schedule. I'm currently batting 0 for 2. Now I'm not saying that this is how it will always be, but I'm saying because of this I may have to shut everything down for the rest of the year.

My problems are numerous that they may not have thought of...

1) Do I endure pain and try to improve on my scoring abilities or just show up and hack it around?

2) Clearly at this point I can't play more than one event in a row, so this eliminates some events.

3) I need to know much farther in advance on receiving a spot than normal as this tells me whether to get "ready" or not (the other guys are playing all the time, so if they get a spot, it's an 'OK lets go').

4) The work that I'm going to have to put into the game to try and play real golf again is massive and do I bother to do this if I may only play once every 5 weeks or so?  This is a pretty brutal physical amount of work that I just don't know if I will/can do without knowing for sure that I've got a year to prove myself.

5) I'm a whining pork hound. There are only 3 women who I love dearly who really know what I've been going through.  I kid you not when I say that if a gun were handy I would have used it many nights to stop the pain. I've caused them to all cry because they were watching me cry, flip flop on electric bolt and scream. They don't deserve that. I shouldn't be doing that to them.

I may have made the mistake of using golf as my reason for living on. I'm in complete shock at the thought that I may have to face the truth. I'm ashamed of myself for failing, for thinking that I may have to say good bye to real golf. I wonder if the guys on the PAC will be looking themselves in the mirror one day and say, damn I screwed him over for all the wrong reasons. I know the other idiot won't, but they might.

I probably should not be blogging while I'm sitting here in a state of a semi comatose. I'm starting to understand the old samurai warrior as he fought for love, but then failed. How do I go from shooting my lowest round ever as a "legolessgimp" and feeling like I'm on top of the world to free falling all in 30 hours?  Well, I must stop this belly whining before I say something even dumber than I allready said.

Be good my friends,

Ken

It has been one of the most dominating seasons in CT Section PGA Junior Golf Tour history for Elizabeth DiVincentis of Durham. Wednesday, DiVincentis clinched the 13-18-year-old player of the year award in record fashion with four tournaments in the 21-event tour remaining.

DiVincentis shot a season-best, 3-under-par 68 at Norwich Golf Club to earn her 10th victory of the year. She started with two of her six birdies and cruised to a 13-stroke victory over Marissa Grillo in the girls 13-to-15 division.

In the girls' 16-18 division, Ali Armstrong's 82 was two better than Claire Crouch.

In the boys' 16-18 division, Mark Eells of Hebron birdied the second playoff hole to beat Matt Kramer of Milford. Each had shot 1-over 71 in his quest for his first victory of the year.

In the boys' 13-15 division, Rasmey Kong's 74 edged Christopher Bennett by a shot. In the boys' 10-12 division, Aaron Montgomery of Lakefield won with a 4-over 39 for nine holes. Gabrielle Martin of Madison shot 45 to win the girls' 10-12 division.

Guess whatever Tiger Woods does this week in the PGA Championship won't affect his status for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

According to Golf Channel, U.S. captain Corey Pavin will make Woods one of his four picks if the world's No. 1-ranked player doesn't qualify for the team after the conclusion of the year's final major Sunday at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wisc.

The U.S. plays Europe Oct. 1-3 at The Celtic Manor in Wales.

Here's the release put out by the Golf Channel Tuesday night:

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - Big news out of Whistling Straits Tuesday afternoon: U.S. Ryder Cup skipper Corey Pavin told Golf Channel contributor Jim Gray that he will add Tiger Woods to the team if Woods doesn't qualify. Coming off the worst performance of his career at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, there has been speculation regarding Woods' potential value to the team - or if he would accept a captain's pick if selected.

Since changes to the format in 2008, the top eight qualifiers make the U.S. team, leaving Pavin to add four additional players of his choosing. The top eight will be solidified Sunday evening at the conclusion of the PGA Championship. Pavin's four selections will be announced Sept. 7, the day after the Deutsche Bank Championship.

"Of course I'm going to [pick him]. He's the best player in the world," Pavin told Gray Tuesday in the Whistling Straits clubhouse.

Pavin's comments came shortly after Woods said he would accept an invitation at his pre-tournament news conference - the skipper told Gray he was happy and relieved to hear Tiger wanted to be on the team. Although Woods is winless in 2010, a year beset by an avalanche of personal problems, he comes off the best team-event performance of his career at the 2009 Presidents Cup: a 5-0 record, including four victories in partnered matches with Steve Stricker.

Woods was asked in his Tuesday if he and Pavin had talked this week.

"No, I have not," Woods said. "Haven't seen him and hopefully I won't be a pick. I would like to be able to play myself on to that team."

The PGA Championship marks the ninth event for Woods this year. His two best finishes were at the Masters and U.S. Open where he tied for fourth. Prior to last week, his two worst performances this year were a missed cut at the Quail Hollow Championship and a Sunday WD at The Players Championship. But this past week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, a place where Woods has won a record seven times, he shot 18 over par, tied for 78th and beat only Henrik Stenson in the limited-field event. Woods finished 30 shots behind winner Hunter Mahan.

The Deutsche Bank Championship is still seeking volunteers for the PGA Tour's second of three FedEx Cup playoff event Aug. 31-Sept. 6 at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass.

Positions are available on the following committees:

• Marshals (a really cool "inside the ropes" position)

• Shotlink scoring (also inside the ropes)

• Player and Spectator Experience (PASE)

• Premium Access (working in some of the VIP spectator areas)

• Fan Information

Descriptions of all the committees are available at: www.deutschebankchampionship.com/scripts/library/view_document.asp.

Volunteers are required to work 24 hours during championship week (typically six-hour shifts on four days) and will be provided a credential that allows them grounds access for the times they are not volunteering. Volunteers will be required to purchase the volunteer package for $80, which includes an Adidas golf shirt and sweater/jacket, a hat or visor, daily lunch vouchers and a parking pass (a $400 value).

Potential volunteers can go to www.dbchampionship.com for more information.

Former Central Connecticut State University standout Rob Labritz, a native of Southington, will be among the 156 starters Thursday in the first round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc.

Labritz is in the third group off the first tee at 8:20 a.m. ET (7:20 local time) with K.J. Choi and Steve Marino, whose father grew up in Glastonbury. They're two groups in Travelers Championship winner Bubba Watson, fellow long hitter Alvaro Quiros and Hiroyuki Fujita. And that threesome is in front of former PGA winners David Toms, Steve Elkington and Mark Brooks, whose first PGA Tour title was in the 1988 Canon Greater Hartford Open.

This year's major championship winners -- Phil Mickelson (Masters), Graeme McDowell (U.S. Open) and Louis Oosthuizen (British Open) -- will play the first two rounds together, starting at 2:35 p.m.

Former University of Hartford graduates Tim Petrovic and Jerry Kelly tee off on the 10th tee at 8 a.m. and 8:50 p.m. Petrovic will be the first player off with Rick Steinmetz and Jason Day. Kelly is paired with young guns Paul Casey and Anthony Kim.

Tiger Woods, trying to rediscover his game and earn a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team with a new coach, starts at 9:20 a.m. on the 10th tee with Y.E. Yang, who overtook Woods in the final round of the 2009 PGA, and Vijay Singh, who won the year's final major the last time it was played at Whistling Straits in 2004.

Fairfield native J.J. Henry and Trinity College grad Trinity College didn't qualify for the championship.

Spots remain in the first Whalers Golf Classic and for the Arthritis Foundation Hat Trick Dinner on Friday.

Entry fee for the golf tournament, which has a 9 a.m. shotgun start at Tunxis Plantation Country Club in Farmington, is $300 for an individual and $750 for a threesome, which will play with one of the former Whalers players. To enter, contact Lori Lenihart at 860-728-3366 or lori@whalerssports.com. Entry deadline is Wednesday.

The dinner starts at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Downtown Hartford. The cost is $300 and features a VIP cocktail reception for players and sponsors, silent and live auctions and a dinner with a former Whalers player sitting at tables of the evening's top sponsors. After dinner, players will take the stage to share memories of their careers and update fans on what they are doing now.

Among the former Whalers personnel committed to the event are NHL Hall of Fame legend Gordie Howe and his sons, Mark and Marty, Hall of Fame center Ron Francis and fellow captains Kevin Dineen and Mike Rogers, Hall of Fame announcer Chuck Kaiton, general manager and coach Larry Pleau, coach Don Blackburn, Joel Quenneville, Bob Crawford, Andre Lacroix, Paul Lawless, Dana Murzyn, Chris Kotsopoulos, Alan Hangsleben, Garry Swain, Tommy Earl and the Babych brothers, Dave and Wayne.

The Howes, Howard Baldwin, former Whalers managing general partner and now CEO of the new Whalers Sports and Entertainment group, and Andre Lacroix, the all-time leading scorer in World Hockey Association history, will be the first inductees into the new WHA Hall of Fame that will be a highlight of the Fan Fest Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Because of scheduling conflicts, none of the Howes will be at the golf tournament, and only Gordie is scheduled to appear at the Reunion and Fan Fest. Nothing against Mark and Marty, but Dad is No. 1.

To attend the dinner, contact Heather Schold at 860-563-1177 or hschold@arthritis.org.

A week ago, former U.S. Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange said there was no way Tiger Woods shouldn’t be on the American side that will be play Europe on Oct. 1-3 in Wales.

But after Woods resembled John Q. Hack in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational last weekend on the way to his worst finish of his career (tie for 78th at 18-over-par 288 and ahead of only Henrik Stenson), Strange reversed his field. He said U.S. captain Corey Pavin should sit down with Woods and see if Woods wants to be on the team. 

Woods’ decline after his car accident on Thanksgiving that led to revelations of his womanizing and soon-to-be divorce from wife Elin has left his game in disarray. When asked about being one of Pavin’s picks before the Bridgestone Invitational, he cut short the interviewer and said he was going to play his way onto the team — three times.

The only way that Tiger, 10th in the Ryder Cup points standings, can do that is with a strong finish in the PGA Championship, which begins Thursday at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc. The top eight finishers in the Ryder Cup standings qualify for the team, then Pavin will announce his four picks Sept. 7 in New York City. Pavin, a playoff loser to Bubba Watson in the Travelers Championship, would be hard pressed to pick Tiger, who told reporters after a closing 77 that he wouldn’t help the team while playing the way he is.

And at 119th in the FedEx Cup points standings, there’s a chance he won’t be among the 125 to qualify for the playoffs, starting with The Barclays. And if he’s not in the top 100 who qualify for the Deutsche Bank Championship, he won’t play in the event whose chief beneficiary is the Tiger Woods Foundation. How about a tournament without its host playing? Talk about an awkward position. Then again, the last 10 months have been more than just awkward for El Tigre.

So what do you think? Should Pavin pick Tiger or not? Or will it depend on what he does this weekend? Let us know.

This is a golf blog, but we think it's important to report news on other local sports where it seems right.

So we'd like to say that the Greenville (S.C.) Road Warriors reportedly will be the new ECHL affiliate of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, who within days could become the Connecticut Whalers under the new Whalers Sports and Entertainment group headed by former New England and Hartford Whalers and now the WSAE's CEO.

The Rangers will share the affiliation with the Philadelphia Flyers and supply seven skaters and one goalie to the team, whose part owners include former Rangers general manager Neil Smith. Ironically, it was Rangers GM Glen Sather who once said about Smith, "If I had the payroll the Rangers have, I could win the (Stanley) Cup every year." The Rangers have one playoff SERIES since Sather arrived on Broadway a decade ago.

The Rangers needed a new ECHL affiliate because their former affilliate, the Charlotte (N.C.) Checkers became the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes. It's probably fitting that the Rangers are sharing the affiliation with the former Broad Street Bullies. Last season, the Road Warriors started as the Johnstown Chiefs, named after the Charlestown Chiefs from the movie classic "Slapshot," but moved from Pennsylvania to South Carolina after consistently losing money and failing to find local ownership for the team.

The Road Warriors will be coached by Dean Stork, who played collegiate hockey at UMass and in the ECHL before becoming an assistant coach with the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones.

The Road Warriors' website is http://greenvilleroadwarriors.com.

If you want to see Sergio Garcia play in the next few months, you better tune in to the PGA Championship this weekend.

The Spaniard said he plans to take a two-month break after the year's final major championship, so he won't be participating in the FedEx Cup playoffs or the final Ryder Cup qualifying event on the European Tour.

Garcia doesn't plan to return to competition until the end of October at the Castellon Masters on his home course in Spain.

"It's been a long year," Garcia said. "I haven't had a nice, long break my whole career."

The only event that could interrupt Garcia's break is the Ryder Cup Oct. 1-3 in Wales. But making the team, even as a captain's pick of Colin Montgomerie, is a longshot. He appears to have to finish among the top three in the PGA Championship to have a chance of qualifying for the team on the European points list, which is based on tour earnings.

Happy birthday to Kenny Perry, the 2009 Travelers Championship winner who turns 50 Tuesday.

The 14-time winner on the PGA Tour is expected to make his Champions Tour debut later in the year, and I'd expect he'll have instant success as long as he stay healthy.

Two former Canon Greater Hartford Open/Travelers Championship winners are the first two players to clinch spots on the United States Ryder Cup that plays Europe Oct. 1-3 at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales.

Phil Mickelson, the only back-to-back champion (2001-02) in the 58-year history of the PGA Tour's annual stop in Connecticut, and 2007 winner Hunter Mahan will be headed across the pond as the current points leaders. Mickelson has 5,818,963 points and Mahan 4,043.75414.

It will be the eighth consecutive Ryder Cup appearance for Mickelson and second for Mahan, who clinched his berth with a two-stroke victory Sunday in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

Based on the point system used by the PGA of America, six more players will qualify for the team after the 92nd PGA Championship ends Sunday at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc. The year's final major rewards two Ryder Cup points for every $1,000 earns, and all U.S. players making the cut will earn points.

U.S. captain Corey Pavin will announce his final four players Sept. 7 in New York City.

The leaders through Sunday are:

1. Phil Mickelson, 5,818.96300; 2. Hunter Mahan, 4,034.75414; 3. Jim Furyk, 3,646.44283; 4. Steve Stricker, 3,528.50843; 5. Jeff Overton, 3,505.34783; 6. Anthony Kim, 3,274.68428; 7. Matt Kuchar, 3,074.25287; 8. Lucas Glover, 3,052.87453; 9. Dustin Johnson, 3,032.13845; 10. Tiger Woods, 2,809.18100; 11. Ricky Barnes, 2,610.17153; 12. Ben Crane, 2,577.92969; 13. Bo Van Pelt, 2,568,83400; 14. Stewart Cink, 2,475.36615; 15. Sean O'Hair, 2,417.57468.

I’ve been fortunate to be a small part of the Jim Calhoun Celebrity extravaganza for several years.

It’s a terrific affair that has brought significant figures in sports and non-sports while raising more than $3 million for the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UConn Health Center in Farmington since 1999. It includes golf outings Sunday and Monday, and breakfast, on-course lunch, buffet dinner and awards ceremony Monday at the Golf Club of Avon, which always does a terrific job accommodating so many players, often in adverse weather conditions.

So I won’t be seeing much of the Bridgestone Invitational this weekend, so it’s up to you to follow the action on the tube or via pgatour.com. I know there’s not suppose to be any rooting in the press box, but I have to admit I’ll be pulling for lefties Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, who have more than just narrow fairways and 4-foot par putts to deal with these days.

Mickelson, who won his fourth major title in the Masters in April, is on the verge of overtaking Tiger Woods as the No. 1 ranked player in the world for the first time. Lefty deserves the lofty perch at some point in his career to shut up the naysayers for good, all while dealing with wife Amy’s battle with breast cancer.

And Watson deserves another victory while dealing with father Gerry’s battle with throat cancer. One of the perks of Watson’s victory in the Travelers Championship in June was a fun-filled appearance on the reality show “Shaq Vs” with host Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, who lives near Watson’s winter home in Scottsdale, Ariz. It was part of a two-week vacation that included a lengthy emotional visit with his dad, a Vietnam veteran who was a member of the Green Berets’ Special Forces, at Watson’s lake house in High Point, N.C. It was Bubba’s first time with his father since his Travelers win and came not long after a scare in November when doctors thought his wife, Angie, might have a brain tumor. Thankfully, that was proven wrong.

So seeing Mickelson or Watson shed a few more tears as they did after their Masters and Travelers Championship wins would make for wonderful theatre and surely bring dampness to the eyes of any onlookers.

Go Phil! Go Bubba! And go Jim, who has dealt with cancer threats of his own.

Those who thought it couldn’t get worse for Tiger Woods were proven wrong Saturday at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

On what is known as Moving Day on the PGA Tour, Woods headed in the wrong direction—again.

Woods bogeyed the last two holes to shoot a 5-over-par 75 in the third round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitatation, his highest score in 48 rounds at Firestone, where he has won seven times, a record for any venue on the PGA Tour. The 75 was one higher than Tiger had in the first round and beat only some Swede named Michael Jonzon among the first dozen finishers. Meanwhile, Woods’ playing partner, J.B. Holmes, had 69.

Woods carded two birdies, a double-bogey 6 at No. 8 and five birdies, capped by a missed 6-foot putt to save par. He has three consecutive over-par rounds after never having more than one in a row in a WGC event while winning a record 16 times. He hit only seven of 14 fairways and seven of 18 greens in regulation and had 26 putts. He continued to be last in fairways hit (15 of 42) and is nearly as bad in greens in regulation (25 of 54).

And for the second day in a row, Tiger refused to talk to the media after his round. So much for changing his attitude in the wake of relevations of his multiple marital infidelities that have him on the verge of a divorce of his wife, Elin.

Woods started his dreary day ahead of six of the 80 players left in the field (Robert Allenby and Lee Westwood withdrew with injuries), but his 54-hole total of 211 is tied for 78th and better than only Jonzon (226). Then again, Tiger is lucky to be ahead of anyone. If it was regular tour event, he would have missed the 36-hole cut.

Instead, Woods is in his worst three-round position since turning pro, surpassing a tie for 71st in the 2005 Players Championship. His 11-over total is his highest for 54 holes in relation to par, one more than in The Tour Championship in 1996 and 1998. The only time he failed to shoot par or better in any of the four rounds he has played are the 1998 U.S. Open, 1999 British Open and 2003 PGA Championship. And his worst finish as a pro is a tie for 60th in his first event, the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open.

If Woods doesn’t make the cut in next week’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc., he might miss the FedEx Cup playoffs for the first time after winning twice in the first three years unless he adds the Wyndham Championship to his schedule. He started the week 111th in the points standings, with the top 120 qualifying for the first playoff event in two weeks, The Barclays.

About the only consolation for Woods is he’ll get to play the final round Sunday with close friend Anthony Kim, who won the former AT&T Classic that Woods hosts in 2009. Kim, who returned to the tour this week after a three-month layoff following left thumb surgery, shot 71 for 210. Before surgery, Kim had four top-10 finishes this year, including a victory in the Houston Open, which is one more than Tiger in 2010.

Woods finished 21/2 hours before leader Retief Goosen (7 under) started, and it’ll only be worse Sunday, when Woods likely will lose his No. 1 ranking for the first time since June 2005. He has been on the top perch for a record 270 consecutive weeks, running his record total to 612.

But one of Woods’ arch rivals, Masters champion Phil Mickelson, is poised to become No. 1 for the first time. Despite resembling a Howitzer off the tee for much of the second round, Mickelson began the day one behind Goosen and would claim the top spot with a victory. But Mickelson, whose 38 PGA Tour victories include four majors and the 2001-02 Canon Greater Hartford Open, can finish fourth or better to have a chance to overtake Woods. If Mickelson finishes solo fourth, Woods must be outside the top 37, which seems all but assured unless he beats the tour record of 59.

But Mickelson might have to deal with Bubba Watson, who won his first PGA Tour title in the Travelers Championship in June and led after the first round of his Bridgestone Invitational debut with a 64. Watson also had driving problems in the second round but managed to shoot 71 to finish in a tie for fourth with Peter Hanson and Bo Van Pelt.

Mickelson and Hanson played in the penultimate group Saturday with Hanson, right in front of Goosen and Justin Leonard, who started the day tied for second with Mickelson.

I’d like to offer more, but I’m off to Mohegan Sun to participate in the three-day Jim Calhoun-hosted extravaganza, which starts with a charity all-star basketball game tonight at Mohegan Sun featuring most of the top players since Calhoun became a Hall of Fame coach in Storrs. It continues Sunday and Monday with golf outings that have helped raise more than $3 million for the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UConn Health Center in Farmington.

Enjoy your weekend because I know I will.

You’ve got to give the PGA of America a lot of credit for having a good sense of humor—or a bit of a nasty streak.

As if Tiger Woods doesn’t have enough problems on and off the golf course, the world’s No. 1 (in title only these days) will have to walk the first 36 holes of next week’s final major of the year, the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc., with two guys he’d probably rather not see.

Tiger is paired with Y.E. Yang and Vijay Singh, whose mere presence likely will cause even more misfires into the trees and missed five-footers.

A year ago, Yang became the first Asian-born player to win a men’s major championship when he rallied from two strokes back in the final round to beat Woods, capped by one of the game’s best shots on the final hole that set up a closing birdie. It was the first time Tiger lost when he led or shared the lead in a major championship after 54 holes.

Meanwhile, Tiger and Vijay have had a running feud for years, notably when Singh’s caddie wore a hat saying “Tiger Who?” during a matchup in the World Golf Championships-Match Play Championship. Then the man who won the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2004 bested Woods in the Deutsche Bank Championship that Tiger hosts at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., to snatch the No. 1 ranking.

But by rule, the threesome will be walking together for two rounds next week, starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. local) on the 10th tee.

The other featured pairing the opening 36 holes will be the usual matchup of the winners of three previous majors of the year. Masters champion Phil Mickelson, U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell and British Open titlist Louis Oosthuizen will tee off at 2:35 p.m. ET off the first tee Thursday.

Good luck to one and all, and may Tiger not lose any more brain cells—or golf balls—over this latest bit of tough love—er, luck.

Reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson could be 48 hours from being ranked No. 1 in the world for the first time.

Despite spraying drives around tree-lined Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, Lefty shot a 2-under-par 68 Friday for a 36-hole total of 6-under 134 and is tied for second with Justin Leonard after two rounds of the World Golf Championships-Bridgeport Invitational. They're one shot behind Retief Goosen, who had six birdies, including at No. 18, and two bogeys in a 66.

Bubba Watson, who won his first PGA Tour title in the Travelers Championship in June and led after the first round of his Bridgestone Invitational debut with a 64, had a share of the lead until he made a double-bogey 6 on the third hole, his 12th of the day. He birdied No. 6 to get back within a shot but missed a 4-foot par putt at No. 7 and finished with 71-135 for a tie for fourth with Peter Hanson (66) and Bo Van Pelt (68).

Kenny Perry, winner of the 2009 Travelers Championship, was also at 5 under until he made bogey 5 at No. 14, double-bogey 7 at No. 16 and bogey 5 at No. 18 for 73-209 and tie for 24th that included U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell (73) and the No. 1 and 2 in the FedEx Cup standings, Ernie Els (70) and Steve Stricker (71).

"I couldn't get the greens speed today," Watson said when asked about the difference between his 71 and opening 64. "I hit the ball a little better (than Thursday), but I just couldn't make the putts. But after winning the Travelers, my mind is in the right place. I realize how much fun I have to have on the golf course. ... To play in the Ryder Cup (Oct. 1-3 in Wales) would be the biggest honor. I'd probably cry like a baby again."

Watson cried after beating Corey Pavin and Scott Verplank on the second playoff hole in the Travelers Championship as he thought of his father, who is struggling with cancer.

Tiger Woods, who has been No. 1 for a record 270 consecutive events and a record 612 total, wanted to cry after he continued to resemble a Howitzer. He hit only three of 14 fairways and seven greens in regulation in shooting a 2-over 72 that put him at 6-over 146, tied for 72nd and ahead of only six players.

One of them was playing partner Lee Westwood, ranked third in the world, who had seven bogeys in a 76 for 147 and then withdrew because of continued pain from a ruptured muscle in his calf that has prevented him from practicing for a month. Westwood, who won the St. Jude Classic, in June, also won't play in next week's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisc.

"I will be out for as long as it takes to get right," Westwood told reporters after the round. "Hopefully it will be in time for the Ryder Cup."

Westwood has taped the calf and treated it with ice, but it hasn't gotten better. The Englishman managed to finish second in the British Open but said the leg has gotten progressively worse. He said doctors have told him the only was to get better is to "sit on my backside for six weeks."

Things are nearly as bad for Woods, who was so upset about his round that he declined to speak with television or print reporters and headed straight to the parking lot. Woods' opening 74 was his highest score in 46 rounds at Firestone, where he has won a record seven times. In his first two rounds of back-to-back over-par scores in a WGC event, Woods is last in fairways hit (8 of 28) and tied for 71st in greens in regulation (18 of 36).

Mickelson, two back of Watson after an opening 66, would claim the No. 1 spot with a victory Sunday. But there are a few other scenarios that come into play, particularly with how Woods and Westwood have struggled the first two rounds.

At the least, Mickelson, whose 38 PGA Tour victories include four majors and the 2001-02 Canon Greater Hartford Open, needs to finish fourth or better to have a chance to overtake Woods. If Mickelson finishes solo fourth, Woods must be outside the top 37 and Westwood third or lower, which won't happen after his WD.

"Obviously it would be cool (to be No. 1). I'm not going to say it wouldn't," said Mickelson, who rebounded from a double-bogey 6 at No. 14 with birdies at the 15th and 16th holes. "It would be something I would love to do and ultimately be regarded as No. 1 according to the rankings and so forth. And I know that I've got a great opportunity this week.

"I know that I'm playing well, and this is my best opportunity. (But) I try not to think about it."

Goosen's last lead in a PGA Tour event was in the 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship, where he was the 54-hole leader but finished in a tie for eighth. His best finish in 10 starts in the Bridgestone Invitational is a tie for fourth in 2008. Though he hasn't won in 2010, Goosen is tied with Matt Kuchar for most top-10 finishes with seven, including fourth in the British Open and a tie for fifth in his Travelers Championship debut.

Leonard, who had five birdies and one bogey in a 66, doesn't have a top-10 finish in 18 starts in 2010, the deepest he has gone into a year without one.

For those of you who read this blog earlier in the evening, my wife Nancy, 6-year-old grandson Ryan and I thoroughly enjoyed a night out at the MGM Grand at Foxwood. We had a nice dinner outdoors at Juniors and then sang and danced throughout a Beach Boys concert that included 34 oldies but goodies (no new songs) and more corny lines from the always entertaining Mike Love. Still can't believe the guy is still so energetic as he approaches 70 years old. And his son, one of the other six members of the group, has a terrific voice while playing the guitar stationed to dad's left.

Jen Holland had quite a successful warmup for next week's Connecticut State Women's Amateur Golf Championship.

Holland shot a 3-over-par 75 to score a five-stroke victory over Heather Lowell Garvin in the Connecticut Women's Tournament of Champions at Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury on Thursday. It was Holland's fourth victory in the event after wins in 1997, 2004 and 2006. That's one less than record holder Marcia Dolan.

Holland (Lyman Orchards-Middlefield) will be among 78 players competing in the State Women's Amateur Tuesday through Thursday at Oronoque CC in Stratford.

Garvin, the former superintendent at the former Canton Golf Course owned by her family for decades who now plays out of Skungamaug-Coventry, finished one ahead of Linda Lyons (Timberlin-Kensington), who also will be in the State Women's Amateur.

Ellie Large (Farmington), 1996 winner Hannah Steel (Hartford) and Mim Schreck (Oronoque) tied for fourth at 82, one ahead of Lisa Fern-Boros (Highland-Middlebury), Terri Forde (Hop Meadow) and Jean Sennett (Wampanoag-West Hartford), who was seeking a third consecutive victory.

Here's a comment that I received on the story that I broke Tuesday about the Travelers Championship possibly becoming a FedEx Cup playoff event if Deutsche Bank doesn't pick up its 2011-12 option with the PGA Tour that the Travelers folks might want to consider. I'm convinced the tournament would love to move to Labor Day weekend if Deutche Bank says no to the tour, though as Deutsche Bank Americas CEO Seth Waugh said Monday at media day, the bank has been "creative" in trying to protect its interest.

"I for one would be more than thrilled if the Travelers Championship moved to Labor Day weekend. I have attended this tournament for the past 29 years going back to the days of Wethersfield CC. I have seen a decline in attendance over the years and miss the days of the Sammy Davis GHO. The Sammy days were the golden years with the likes of Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Jackie Gleason, and Michael Jordan all attending this prestigious event. I can remember the days of the 18th hole be filled with a sea of patrons. Those were the glory days. If Travelers were to secure the Labor Day spot I think the people would once again fill the bean fields and the course as well. I'm all in on this one."

Commenter name: Tom Pellerin 
Commenter email address: tpnemo

EDITOR'S NOTE: Travelers CEO and chief administrative officer Andy Bessette always likes to say the tournament's goal is "to fill the hill" on the 18th, and having Tiger, Phil & Co. come would certainly do that again.

The Whaley family of Farmington earned more notoriety Thursday.

Mother/wife Suzy Whaley leads the clan in recognition after winning the 2002 Connecticut Section PGA Championship to become the first woman in 54 years to qualify for a PGA Tour, the 2004 Greater Hartford Open at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

And Suzy got to play where her husband, Bill, is the director of golf and general manager of the home of Connecticut's largest sporting event.

Now their youngest daughter, 13-year-old Kelly, has earned her own plaudits.

Kelly had eight birdies in a career-low, 5-under-par 67 that gave her a staggering 12-stroke victory in the 13-to-15 girls division in the Connecticut Section PGA Junior Golf Tour's Twin Hills Open at Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow, Mass. The lowest round for a girl this year and believed to be in tour history enabled Kelly to beat her previous best by two strokes and easily outdistance Elizabeth DiVincentis of Durham, who has been earning her own recognition all year with nine victories.

"Kelly likes to have Elizabeth around because it makes her practice that much harder," Suzy told me in an email. "I was trying to break 90 at 13."

Congratulations, Kelly, on an awesome display against one of the top junior girls players in section history.

Tyler Figgis of Stratford won the boys 13-18-year-old division with a 68. Jason Liu of Windsor captured his second victory of the week in the boys 10-12 division with a 4-over 40 for nine holes. Claire Couch (85) edged Nikki Liucci (86) in the girls 16-18 division, and Emma Heim of Suffield won the girls 10-12 division with a 54.

The last two Travelers Championship winners got off to good starts in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

Bubba Watson, who won his first PGA Tour title at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell in June, had seven birdies and one bogey in his tournament debut, a 6-under-par 64 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Watson was especially strong on the back nine, making four consecutive birdies on Nos. 11-14 and then capping his day with a curling, 36-foot putt at the 18th that caused him to lift his hands skyward.

That gave the long-hitting Watson the lowest first-round score on the PGA Tour this year, the second lowest of his career and a two-stroke lead over Kenny Perry, the 2009 Travelers Championship champion, Masters titlist Phil Mickelson, the only back-to-back winner in ICO/Buick/Travelers Championship history (2001-02); Aussie Adam Scott, who had four birdies and no bogeys; and U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who birdied the first four hole.

"Anything under par was good, and I was fortunate to get 6 under," Watson said.

Watson is playing only his second World Golf Championships event, having qualified by winning the Travelers Championship for his first tour victory. Watson is coming off a two-week vacation that included time at his lake house with his family.

"It's tough to make shots around this golf course," Watson said. "I knew it was going to be tough, but today, I just putted really well, hit good iron shots and made it look a little bit easy. But we're not done yet."

Watson's 5-under 65 in the first round of the Travelers Championship was his previous low first-round score this year. This 64 was one shy of the low first-round score at the Bridgestone Invitational, a 7-under-par 63 by two-time Travelers Championship winner Stewart Cink in 2003 and Scott in 2006. The 64 tied the lowest first-round score by a player making their Bridgestone Invitational debut, previously accomplished by Ben Curtis in 2003 and gave Watson the lead for the first time after the first round.

It helped deflect the pain of his father battling cancer, which caused Bubba to cry during his post-victory speech at the Travelers Championship.

"He's struggling," Bubba said. "He's battling, but he's lost a lot of weight and things are pretty tough."

Perry didn't have a bogey and carded four birdies, including at No. 18, in his low first round in nine starts at Firestone CC. Mickelson, who sliced an inch off his driver to 44 inches on the advice of teacher Butch Harmon, had six birdies and two bogeys as he tied his lowest opening score in 12 appearances in the Bridgestone Invitational.

Mickelson can pass Tiger Woods and become No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking with a victory or top-four finish. If he finishes tied for fourth, Woods would need to finish outside of the top 37 and Lee Westwood outside the top two for Mickelson to move to No. 1.

Woods bogeyed three of his first five holes in shooting 74, two more than his previous high in 44 rounds at Firestone and his highest score in a WGC event.

"I didn't play well," said Woods, who is tied for 70th in an 81-man field on a course where he has won a tour record seven times and never finished worse than fifth. "The only thing I did good is I kept my patience out there. I grinded all the way."

But one fan begged to differ. As Woods headed to the scoring tent, the fans, "You're washed up, Tiger. Give it up."

In his return after a three-month layoff following left thumb surgery, Anthony Kim shot 77. Before the surgery, Kim had four top-10 finishes, including a victory in the Houston Open.

While Kim was back, Aussie Robert Allenby was out. He had to withdraw because of a torn right knee ligament sustained when he slipped on his boat while fishing in the Bahamas. He had surgery on Tuesday but hopes to return Aug. 26 for the first FedEx playoffs event, The Barclays.

Life has been miserable for Ken Green for nearly 14 months, but congratulations are now in order. Well, kind of.

Green announced on his blog that he’s getting married Dec. 7 to Mr. Munch. No, that’s not his new girlfriend, Hanne, who seemed quite the pleasant gal while we chatted during the CT Open last week. But it’s his German shepherd, which was 35 pounds at six months old.

Still, it’s an improvement over the last 14 months. On June 8, 2009, Green lost his former girlfriend, brother and dog when the RV that he was driving between Champions Tour starts blew a tire, bounded down a hill and crashed into a tree. Then in January, Green’s son, Hunter, died after an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol.

Now, there will be more pleasant happenings, and on Pearl Harbor Day, no less. More importanlty, let’s hope Kenny gets well ASAP after having to withdraw from the CT Open after one round because of excessive pain in his right leg, which had to amputated from the knee down after the accident.

Here’s Kenny’s latest thoughts on his website, www.kengreenscomeback.com:

Getting Married,

Shocking news in the world! Mr. Munch and I are gonna tie the knot. I had to cave in once I came home. Damn it! This third marriage is going to work, I just know it. The date is going to be Dec. 7 as we our going to honor all the service dogs who served our country in all our wars — a sometimes forgotten sacrifice made by our friends, dogs. I feel like such a bozo for having have left him for so long. We kissed and made up.

Now to the not so interesting news, my neuroma. As of right now, I can say that there has been no real difference. I’m waiting patiently and soon it will be like my income — zip.

Now there are some thoughts on the NFL. Brett Favre use to be respected by me, but after this most recent handling of his “retirement,” he has dropped to just a few notches ahead of M. Vick. I think that fans of all sports should just boycott for a day so we could remind them all that we play these games for the people not ourselves. And that includes Golf! I’m hoping that the owners & players can’t come to an agreement so the whole 2011 season gets cancelled. Lessons are lessons. NFL, Neuromas forking live on.

I’ve made really dumb mistakes in life, and I want all to know that I’m really sorry for those that I have hurt. I can honestly say I didn’t intend to do it. This battle in life is quite the journey, I say. I do know one thing and that is if you can’t face up to your errors, you will never improve yourself as a person. Wow, I’m turning into a Ghandigreen.

Trivia #1: Do you know that I was once reported dead in a helicopter crash in Hawaii?

Trivia #2: I once hit balls out of my room thru the sliders into the swimming pool of the hotel across the street (not sure I should mention that tho — never said I was smart — never broke anything by the way — Hawaii also)

Trivia #3: I saved my sister from drowning in the ocean off of Molokai — also Hawaii — that was quite an adventure — she has never gone back in the ocean after that.

OK. so there are my thoughts as of this moment.

I think I’ve lost too many cells.

Ken

The PGA Championship is the least respected of the year's four majors but usally has the best field.

That'll be the case again this year.

The 92nd PGA Championship on Aug. 12-15 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., will have 99 of the top 100 players in the latest Offical World Golf Rankings. A record 73 international players representing 22 countries and 29 major champions are part of a 156-man field.

Since 1994, the PGA Championship has featured the most ranked players among any major championship and has brought the most international competitors for any U.S. major. The field will be completed following this weekend's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and Turning Stone Resort Championship.

Could the Travelers Championship become one of the PGA Tour’s playoff events on Labor Day weekend and Tiger Woods actually play in Connecticut? It might become reality if Deutsche Bank doesn’t pick up its option to host the second of the tour’s three playoff tournaments for 2011-12.

Yesterday, at the Deutsche Bank Championship Media Day at the TPC Boston in Norton, Mass., Seth Waugh, the CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, said the tournament is in the final year of its title sponsorship agreement but has been unable to secure a new deal that would guarantee its spot on the tour schedule for 2011. “I would have thought we would have an answer for you by now,” Waugh said. “We know what we want to do. We’re waiting for some answers.”

Deutsche Bank has sponsored the tournament since its inception in 2003, originally with a four-year commitment that was renewed for four additional years. The bank has an option to extend the deal through 2012, and Waugh was optimistic that would happen. “I like our chances to stay involved,” he said. “I hope we’ll be able to talk at Labor Day about keeping the tour in New England for years to come.”

The $7.5 million event is Aug. 31-Sept. 3, with the only scheduled Monday finish on the PGA Tour. The Travelers Championship ended for years on Monday after it began as the Insurance City Open in 1952.

Being on Labor Day weekend causes fears of losing fans because it’s the final vacation weekend of the summer. The Deutsche Bank Championship has always sold out, but it’s limited to 25,000 fans because of space problems and not being a fan-friendly course to walk.

But the major plus is the top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings would be at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell. That means Tiger, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and many other players who rarely, if ever, show up would actually be playing in Connecticut.

Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube said moving from late June, the week after the U.S. Open, to Labor Day has been considered by what is already the biggest sporting event in Connecticut. “This is a great question and one that we have been asking since Travelers took over the event (in 2008),” Grube told me in an email. “If the opportunity arose, would we want a Labor Day date to be a playoff event? There are a lot of moving parts to this answer, and we have discussed it at length for years. There is no simple yes or no answer. We will have to wait and see what happens with Deutsche Bank.”

Waugh would not elaborate on what might be holding up Deutsche Bank’s decision. The bank reported strong earnings last week, but the sluggish economy has forced companies with all kinds of sponsorships in various sports to re-examine their activities. “If it comes down to jobs at the bank or us sponsoring the golf tournament, it’s not a fair fight,” Waugh said. “But those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”

While the bank considers its options, Travelers extended its commitment through 2014 last year. That was a major coup for the insurance giant and the Greater Hartford Jaycees and put it in strong position to possibly replace Duetsche Bank if it ends its title sponsorship.

Waugh said the bank is pleased with how the sponsorship deal has increased its profile in New England, provided a fun benefit for its clients and added a charitable component that has been much larger than that of the Travelers Championship. He said it was not a matter of spending less on the event, but on spreading the money around in a different way.

Waugh also said the bank is standing by the Tiger Woods Foundation despite Woods’ problems since a Thanksgiving car accident at his home in Orlando, Fla., led to revelations that he had had numerous extramarital affairs, which have him on the brink of a divorce from his wife, Elin. Waugh said Deutsche Bank is not a sponsor of Woods; it’s a partner in a tournament that benefits his charity.

“They’ve been a great partner,” Waugh said. “I’m a big believer that when you have great partners and they need help, that you help them, you don’t abandon them. Obviously, they have issues. We’re excited and proud to be partners with them.”

Ironically, Woods might not compete at TPC Boston in what could be DB’s final year as title sponsor. He has played in only seven tour events this year and is 111th on the FedEx Cup points list — right behind University of Hartford grad Jerry Kelly, Kevin Stadler and guys named Graham DeLeat and Josh Teater and just ahead of Ben Curtis and David Duval — entering the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, which starts Thursday in Akron, Ohio. Woods is assured of getting points in that no-cut event, but if he doesn’t get into the top 100 and misses the cut in the PGA Championship, he would have to add the Wyndham Championship to his schedule to try to become eligible for the event that benefits his foundation.

“Obviously, we all want Tiger to be here,” Waugh said. “But if he’s not, we have the best 100 players in the world.”

It sounds like what a lot of tournament sponsors and tournament directors, including Grube, have been saying for years. Personally, I’d sign up for the Labor Day slot ASAP. One can only imagine what the crowds would be like at TPC River Highlands if Tiger, Phil & Co. all showed up at the same time. The additional financial take from sponsorships, tickets, concessions, etc. likely would more than offset a larger financial commitment for Travelers. The purse for the Travelers Championship is $6 million, $1.5 less than the Deutsche Bank Championship.

What do you think? Should the Travelers Championship remain in late June or move to Labor Day weekend? Would you support the local tournament more if it meant being able to see all of the game’s top players? Click the “Comments” link above and tell us what you think.

Two of Connecticut's young studs vied for one of the region's major golf titles Sunday at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.

Evan Beirne of New Haven Country Club, runner-up to Kyle Gallo in the Connecticut Open last week, routed Cameron Wilson of Rowayton 7 and 6 in the scheduled 36-hole final in the Metropolitan (N.Y.) Golf Association Amateur Championship.

Three weeks ago, Wilson won the American Junior Golf Association's National Insurance Junior Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.

Kyle Gallo remains on a roll.

The Berlin resident made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole to shoot an 8-under-par 64 and win the $4,000 first prize in the Manchester Open at Manchester Country Club.

Gallo's deuce gave him a one-stroke victory over Kevin Giancola and defending champion Matt Torrance.

"It was just a matter of executing at that point in time," Gallo told the Hartford Courant. "And it had enough gas to get there. ... I'm playing with confidence now. Structurally my swing is in a good, sound place."

Gallo (Hop Meadow CC-Simsbury) birdied the first five holes in winning his first Manchester Open since 2005. This victory came five days after he captured a record-tying fourth Connecticut Open title and a $10,000 first prize. The two wins certainly help his confidence and paying for the $4,500 entry fee for the PGA Tour qualifying school in the fall.

Giancola (Golf Quest-Southington) also made eagle at 299-yard 10th hole, where he drove the green and made a 6-foot putt. He also holed it from 50 feet at No. 14.

Torrance (Lake of Isles) got two fortuitous bounces after hooked drives at the third and fifth holes. At No. 3, his drive hit a road and car tire and ricocheted back in the fairway. At No. 5, his drive was headed out of bounds but hit a tree and remained in play. He parred both holes.

Brent Dietz (Gillette Ridge-Bloomfield) shot 66 to win the amateur portion of the tournament Sunday. He finished one ahead of Dave Zhang (Manchester CC) and three in front of Glen Boggini (Ellington Ridge CC) and Kevin Carey (Dennis Pines-Mass.).

Nearly every golfer has hit putts in his or her youth, dreaming of winning a major championship on the final hole.

Yani Tseng of Taiwan faced just a situation Sunday at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.

Make a 6-foot par putt and win the Women's British Open. Miss and go into a playoff with Katherine Hull of Australia.

Tseng made it for a closing 1-over-par 73 and 72-hole total of 11-under 277, giving the 21-year-old her third major title and second of the year to go with the Kraft Nabisco in March. Her four LPGA Tour titles also include the 2008 LPGA Championship and 2009 Corning Classic.

"I was nervous and tired with all the pressure and attention out there," said Tseng, who won $408,000. "Katherine played really well and put me under a lot of pressure. It was the toughest win I've had to date. I usually come from behind to win. I've never won from the front before."

Hull entered the final round trailing by four strokes but was only one back going to the par-5 18th. But she missed a 20-foot birdie attempt and had to settle for a 70 and watch Tseng make her clutch putt after driving into a bunker and hitting her third shot just off the green. Hull chipped poorly before her birdie attempt went past the hole.

Tseng said retired Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, her idol growing up, sent her an inspirational message overnight.

"Annika has been so supportive," said Tseng, 21, the youngest woman to win three majors. "She wished me luck and said she was happy to see me on top and that is where you belong. She said just trust in your ability and you will be fine. I wrote that in my yardage book to remind me during the final round."

Sorenstam has always been a role model, and she has been for Tseng since the Taiwanese earned enough money in her first LPGA Tour season to buy Sorenstam's former home in Orlando, Fla. Tseng now has more than $4 million in career earnings and hopes to add to her regular tour win totals in pursuit of Sorenstam's 72 victories, including 10 majors from 1995 to 2006.

"I need to win many more to fill the room," Tseng said.

Two Hull birdies and a Tseng bogey in the first three holes sliced Tseng's lead to three, but a lipout for birdie from 15 feet at No. 17 left a bad taste for the runner-up.

"I'll probably be working on my short game after that finish," Hull said with a smile. "I couldn't believe when that putt on 17 stayed out, but, never mind, I did the best I could. I felt pretty good coming into the week, so there are lots of positives I can take from my performance."

Koreans Na Yeon Choi and In kyung Kim shared third at 7-under 281. American Cristie Kerr tied for fifth at 6 under with two other Koreans, Heekyung Seo and Amy Yangon. Sweden's Caroline Hedwall won the Smyth Salver, awarded to the leading amateur for her 3-over 291.

One hole proved the difference Sunday as Bernhard Langer beat hometown favorite Fred Couples in the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash.

The two shared the third-round lead, and Couples took the lead with a birdie at the first hole. But Couples, who grew up in nearby Seattle, dumped a 60-yard third shot in the water and made a triple-bogey 8 at No. 2, where Langer made a birdie and never trailed again in becoming only the second player to win two straight Champions Tour majors.

Langer, a two-time Masters champion, closed with a 3-under-par 67 for a 72-hole total of 272, three less than Couples (70), who never got closer than two strokes after his disastrous second hole.

"I just thought I could lay it up and wedge it close, then just chunked it," Couples said. "Then I hammered the second (pitch shot) trying to make sure I wouldn't hit it in the water again. (Langer) really, really played well, but there's no way I should have laid up on that hole. I hadn't laid up all week."

Given that opening, Langer played his usual methodical game but got a fortuitous bounce on the par-5 12th hole where he hooked his drive into the trees. Instead of possibly going out of bounds, his ball ricocheted into the fairway and he went on to make par. Meanwhile, Couples didn't make birdie after a perfect drive, as he pulled his second shot left of the green and failed to get up and down.

Couples made a curling, 30-foot birdie putt at No. 16 that gave him and his boisterous followers a glimmer of hope for his first Champions Tour major victory. But the 1992 Masters champion parred No. 17 and then hit a poor drive and second shot at the 18th, where he made bogey, enabling Langer to cruise home.

"This is real special on one of the most difficult courses he play against Freddie on his home course," said Langer, who won the British Senior Open a week earlier and eight time zones away. "But I hit it good, and my putter held up."

Olin Browne, the 1998 Canon Greater Hartford Open champion, made the biggest move with the low round of the day, a 65 that vaulted him into a tie for third with John Cook (67) at 278. Tom Watson, who played with Couples on Saturday, shot 66 to finish third at 281.

Jerry Courville Jr. of Milford (154) and Norwich Golf Club pro John Paesani (165) missed the cut.

On Saturday, Stuart Appleby played with D.A. Points and watched as he stalked a 59, his bid ending with a bogey at the 17th hole.

On Sunday, Appleby took his best shot at the magical number and reached it with birdies on the last three holes for a one-stroke victory over Jeff Overton in the inaugural Greenbrier Classic at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.

A final 11-foot putt gave Appleby nine birdies and an eagle as he rallied from seven strokes back to become the fifth player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59. David Duval is the only other player to card that number in the final round when he won the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. The others are Al Geiberger (1977 Memphis Classic), Chip Beck (1991 Las Vegas Invitational) and Paul Goydos (first round, John Deere Classic on July 8).

"You don't shoot a low number ... feeling a huge amount of indecision," said Appleby, who won $1.08 million with a score that was three less than his previous low and pumped his right hand three times after the final putt dropped. "I was just comfortable."

As for shooting 59 a day after Points shot 61, Appleby said, "It was nice to be on the receiving end."

The 39-year-old Appleby's 59 was the first on a par-70 course. Goydos' came on a par 71 and the others on par 72s. Appleby didn't have the advantage of lift, clean and place that Goydos and Geiberger enjoyed, even though overnight rains left mud on some balls.

Appleby hit 11 of 14 fairways, 15 of 18 greens in regulation and needed only 23 putts in shooting a 6-under 28 on the front nine on the way to a 22-under 258 total and his first win in 110 starts since the 2006 Shell Houston Open. The 59 was one less than the course record shot by Sam Snead in 1950 and tied by J.B. Holmes on Saturday.

Appleby, a friend of the Travelers Championship, needed to shoot the magical number to overtake Overton. The third-round leader missed a 4-foot par putt at No. 17 that appeared to hit a spike mark and then saw a 52-foot birdie bid to send it to a playoff slide an inch left of the cup at the 18th.

That assured Appleby would earn a spot in this week's World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Meanwhile, Overton's closing 67 made him a runner-up for the third in nine starts, when he also has two third-place finishes.

"I got beat by a 59," said Overton, who had 34 putts, including three three-putts in remaining winless in five years on the PGA Tour. "What can you say? I played great, hit a lot of great shots. You can't win golf tournaments when you putt it that bad."

Appleby's ninth tour victory and 17th by an international player this year (11th in the last 15 events) earned the Aussie 500 FedEx Cup points, moving him from 82nd to 24th with 947 points. Other Aussies to win this year are Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and Jason Day. And Appleby's seven-stroke comeback in his 11th consecutive tour start was the largest of year, surpassing Bubba Watson's six-shot rally in the Travelers Championship on June 28.

Charles Howell III shot 67 to finish a tie for ninth at 277 and became the first player since Watson in the 2006 Chrysler Classic of Tucson to go bogey-free at a tournament and not win.

Fairfield native J.J. Henry shot 67 to tie for 36th at 269, one less than Trinity College grad Jay Williamson (66).

A really nice family story reached fruition Sunday in Syracuse, N.Y.

With her father on her bag and her mother in the gallery, Cindy LaCrosse of Tampa, Fla., claimed her second professional victory this year in the $100,000 Alliance Bank Golf Classic at Drumlins Country Club. LaCrosse shot 12-under-par (201) on the East Course of Drumlins Country Club.

"It was the first time he's caddied for me all year," said LaCrosse, who recorded her first victory in Mexico in March. "He knows my game so well. To have my dad, and also my mom, here gave me some extra confidence, whether he caddied for me or not."

LaCrosse and runner-up Amelia Lewis stayed even throughout the front nine, matching birdies for birdies and bogeys for bogeys. But LaCrosse began to break away with "a good par save" on the 15th hole and birdies at Nos. 16 and 17 to shoot 68 and win $14,000.

Lewis, of Jacksonville, Fla., had a closing 70 to finish at 9-under 204. She won $10,000.