THE PGA Mail is an exclusive weekly email news service which is provided free to subscribers across the golf industry in all parts of the world by the PGA of Australia.
The PGA Mail brings you a complete round-up of almost every professional and major golf tournament involving Australians played around the world at the weekend.
And the PGA Mail also offers some other interesting news from all corners of the golf industry. For instance this afternoon’s PGA Mail newsletter will include these items plus the latest world rankings and what’s on this week:
AUSTRALIA’S Mike Harwood has won the European Seniors Tour’s Rookie of the Year award. Harwood had a magnificent first season as a senior in Europe, during which he won the season-ending OKI Castellon Senior Tour Championship and finished ninth on the Order of Merit. Scot Sam Torrance won the Order of Merit and player of the year.
TEENAGE star Ryo Ishikawa staged a successful defense of the Japan Tour's Fujisankei Classic when he beat Shunsuke Sonoda in a play-off on Sunday. The victory was Ishikawa's eighth on the Japan Golf Tour and second this season, which moves him to the top of the money rankings. He will celebrate his 19th birthday this month.
MELBOURNE favourite Robert Allenby -- already set to play in the Australian PGA Championship, presented by Coca-Cola -- will head the challenge against defending champion Tiger Woods at the Australian Masters in November. Allenby will be the highest ranked player in the field after Woods at Victoria Golf Club from November 11-14. Other Australian and international big names include Spain’s Sergio Garcia, Aussie Geoff Ogilvy and Colombia’s Camilo Villegas.
GREG Norman has been busy off the course, late last month launching the latest Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy at the Barefoot Resort in North Myrtle Beach, Florida. The 1000sq m barefoot academy will be the US East Coast headquarters for Greg Norman Champion Golf Academies. Norman plans a West Coast headquarters and has academy sites selected in the Bahamas and Mexico. Jose Manuel Fernandez, the managing partner of the first Norman Academy which opened at Long Bay, Florida, in April, is working on expansion and future sites could include Canada, Europe, South America and China. The academies will offer golf instruction, academic schooling in on-site classrooms and housing for high-school-age students; gap-year programs for golfers before they enter college; and advanced training for college players and touring professionals. Traditional teaching offerings for adults and juniors will also be offered. Norman plans to take an active role in establishing the general teaching curriculum, though he'll leave the actual instruction to others.
IT traditionally has been Australia’s most spectacular charity golf day – raising more than $20 million -- but the 25th anniversary of the ASX Thomson Reuters Charity Foundation Financial Markets event in February it seems has outshone itself. The Australian Financial Review newspaper on Thursday revealed that Australian artist Ken Done has turned his paintbrush to a kitchen appliance and will paint “The Sydney Harbour Fridge” depicting the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House for the charity auction. Done came up with the idea, but the problem was finding a fridge suitable for the artist's vision. The huge 510-litre elegant square line design, stainless steel finish fridge was donated by Electrolux. The golf day as usual will be held at Pennant Hills Golf Club in Sydney with the night auction dinner at the Westin Hotel. Check out the amazing auction list including many golf trips and treats at www.asxreuterscharity.com.au
WHEN Greg Norman played in the Omega European Masters golf tournament in Switzerland last week in a 15 year comeback to the European Tour he did so as the newest member of Omega brand ambassadors. Norman joins a roster of ambassadors which includes golfers Sergio Garcia and Michelle Wie, Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, actors George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, supermodel Cindy Crawford and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
TWO NSW golf course superintendents were recognised for their more than 30 years of service to the industry at the NSW Golf Course Superintendents Association annual general meeting at North Ryde Golf Club. The association’s newsletter The Cut reports in part: “The achievement awards are a new initiative aimed at recognising long-serving superintendents in NSW. Silver awards are for 10 or more years, Gold for 20 or more years and Glass for more than 30 years. Receiving the latter were John Odell (Royal Sydney Golf Club) – 33 years service – and John Simpson (Camden Valley Golf Club) - 37 years service. Simpson’s is an outstanding achievement and he has spent a total of 47 years at the club.”
GREG Norman returned to action at the weekend, after being off the fairways for a year following shoulder surgery, at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland. Norman was third at the Swiss Open, the predecessor to the Masters, in 1980, but was playing at the Crans-sur-Sierre course for the first time since 1995. He missed the cut by nine shots in shooting 75 75, eight over par.
THE Queensland Gold Coast Sanctuary Cove real estate developer Mulpha has released the first built housing product in three years. The new release, reported in the Brisbane Courier Mail newspaper on Saturday, is a range of luxury house and land packages in Mulpha’s flagship Sanctuary Cove community. The Courier reported in part: “Priced from $945,000, the homes are located on prime allotments in Sanctuary Cove's elevated Hillside precinct. Local construction company, RCMD Pty Ltd has started on an initial two homes, which will showcase the houses on offer. Buyers will ultimately have the choice of five different floor plans and 15 configurations, ranging in size from 276sq m to 307sq m, set on 700sq m blocks. Mulpha has also released golf course fronting land on The Pines course from $650,000.’’
AFTER being unable – because of injury -- to fulfill an agreement to play last year US star Fred Couples will be one of the top attractions at the Australian Open this year. Couples will join Australians Adam Scott and Greg Norman, and fellow American John Daly as the Open draw cards at The Lakes from December 2-5.
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