PGA Golf Talk

PGA of America launches PGA Profinder, a new feature in their site that aims to further connect PGA to the public, thus making it more accessible and user friendly for all who visit the website.

PGA.com will offer PGA Profinder, a new online searchable directory that lets visitors access all PGA Professionals and PGA-staffed facilities.

Every ardent golf fan will gain the ability to use this cutting edge online tool to search for as well as locate PGA Professionals and facilities so as to find golfing instructions, golfing clinics, events, leagues, tournaments and generally golf playing opportunities. They are free to search via ZIP codes, golf courses, PGA Professional’s name or city. All in all, a grand total of 28,000 PGA Professionals and over 11,000 PGA-staffed facilities are listed on PGA ProFinder.

Next up, another feature will also be introduced in the website. The PGA Golf Instruction Video Series DVDs will be sold. The series will feature PGA Teachers of the Year Laird Small, Peter Krause and Bill Forest, who were world renowned golf players and instructors.

Phyllis Wade, who for the last 60 years served as a volunteer at the Northern Trust Open and other PGA tournaments, was instrumental in the success of most of the events. Considering her service to the PGA tour and to the game of Golf, she was awarded the Volunteer of the year 2007 by PGA tour. Tim Finchem, The PGA tour commissioner, said that she is a part of the history of PGA events and she is a representative of thousands of volunteers who are dedicated to the success of the PGA golf tour.

The Northern Trust Open Tournament Director, Tom Puchinski, said that every body associated with North Trust is happy that the volunteer spirit of Phyllis has got recognition from PGA Tour and appreciated her contribution to the growth and success of golf. Phyllis is at present doing service at the media center by answering telephones and clips and copies articles about golf in newspapers.

The PGA officials said on Friday that the Byron Nelson Golf championships are going to be played upon a single course and the TPC course is going tol be ready by the start of the tournament, April 23rd. The Nelson tournament venue is getting remodeled for a sum of $8 million and it will be the first time since 1993 that the tournament will be played on one course. The PGA Tour’s operation head Henry Hughes appreciated the efforts of many parties who have joined together in getting the golf course ready despite facing huge problems from varying weather conditions. The summers record rainfall in the region delayed the redesigning of the golf course by about two months.

Two courses were used previously for the first few rounds during the Nelson tournament, with the first round on the Cotton Valley course and then the players assemble on the TPC grounds for the weekend rounds. The redesigning people have received dozens of inputs from various PGA Tour players and have looked into each suggestion in full detail before redesigning the course. The 185 acre TPC course has been given a face-lift from tee to green. D.A. Weibring, who oversaw the project, told reporters that their main intent was to respect Byron Nelson and came up with a cleaner course that includes traditional bunker, tee and greens throughout the entire length of the course.

Tiger Woods makes his 2008 PGA Tour debut at the Buick Invitational this weekend in sunny San Diego. Torrey Pines Golf and Country Club plays host to the real beginning of the PGA season with the Pacific Ocean as a gorgeous backdrop. This will be sneak peek preview for the U.S. Open, which will also be hosted by Torrey Pines. That being said, do not forget to take the weather in to consideration. Torrey Pines is rarely played in the winter. And I don’t care that it’s in California. The climate is different in January than it will be in June, so factor that in when you’re studying the lay of the land.The big hole to watch out for is sixth hole, which has been converted from a manageable par-5 to a terrifying par-4.

The Philippines won the first Women’s World Cup of Golf by two strokes followed by South Korea at Sun City on Sunday.  Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin carded a final round of 65 for a 72 hole aggregate of 18-under par 198. South Korea, who shared the overnight lead with the Philippines, were second on 16-under par with Chinese Taipei and Japan in third at 13-under. France were fifth on 11-under.For the South Africans it was a case of too much to do in the third round of better ball after trailing South Korea by seven strokes at the start. Teeing off on the 18th and enjoying a two-stroke lead over South Korea, both Rosales and Delasin found heavy rough.

International Final Qualifying (IFQ) for the British Open gets underway in South Africa on Tuesday.This is the first of five qualifying events on five different continents for the July 17-20 championship will be held at the same Royal Johannesburg and Kensington course .Mark Murlessis looking to bounce back from his disappointing two-over 73 on the final day. Sixty-two players from 15 countries will try to gain automatic entry to the third major of the season by finishing in the top four of the 36-hole qualifying tournament on Wednesday.

 Tyrone Ferreira showed no sign of nerves on his professional debut by firing a bogey-free, six-under-par 65 to share the lead after the first round of the Joburg Open on Thursday. The co-sanctioned European and Sunshine Tour event at the par-71 Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club got underway in steady rain but that did not hamper Ferreira. The 20-year-old, South Africa’s number one amateur in 2007, birdied his second hole as a professional, a 490-metre par-five, to give his round immediate momentum.

The Sony Open golf championship is a golf competition scheduled during the PGA Tour. The event has taken place at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, every January since the foundation of the competition. The 2006 prize fund of the tournament constituted $5,100,000, while $918,000 out of it went to the champion.This championship will be held on January 7-13, 2008. No tickets available for now.

Adams Golf, one of the leading equipment companies in golf, has announced recently the signing of Rory Sabbatini. Rory is a four-time champion on the PGA TOUR, who ranks 11th in the world. As part of the negotiated deal, Sabbatini will wear the Adams Golf hat, carry the Adams Golf staff bag and play the company’s Idea a3 irons, Idea Pro hybrid and Insight driver.

The 2013 Canada Games in Quebec will now officially include golf. Golf will make its Canada Games debut as a demonstration sport at the 2009 Games in Charlottetown. According to the words of a representative of RCGA (Royal Canadian Golf Association), golf competitions with diversify the Games and “provide high-performance golf athletes across Canada with a major benchmark for excellence”.