quoting from an article vis ScoreGolf by Rick Young:

Five months after his passing Moe Norman’s life story is being reissued with three new chapters chronicling the Canadian Hall of Famer’s final nine years.

The Feeling of Greatness: The Moe Norman Story by Tim O’Connor documents the bittersweet life of Norman, one of golf’s most engaging and often misunderstood characters, from his working class roots in Kitchener, Ont., to his recognition as one of golf’s greatest ball-strikers.

“We have re-issued The Feeling of Greatness to celebrate a Canadian legend and to bring his fans and interested readers up to date on his last nine years, during which the golf world came to recognize his genius as one of the greatest ball-strikers in the history of the game,” said Gail Robbins, president of Eyelevel Products Inc.

More information and ordering details can be obtained from Eyelevel Products at 800-387-7638.

Excerpt from Press Release:

Story after story is being written this week by sports writers around the world about the rain delayed Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa Resort. This is the latest edition of the World Golf Championships that replaced the old World Series of Golf event called the NEC Invitational that was played at Firestone five of its first six years. Accenture features an elite 64-man field of pros playing for a $7.5 million purse with $1.3 million going to the guy who makes it five matches.

Few golfers know that the World Series of Golf (WSG) is back and will truly offer golfers from around the world, not just 64 elite pros, a chance to walk away with a slice of a $3.8 million purse where the winner pockets a cool $1 million! Anyone who has heard of this new tournament soon realizes that it is for good golfers with nerves of steel where driving, chipping and putting only represents half of the skill set needed to win. Unlike the Accenture Match Play Championship format, the new World Series of Golf format combines the excitement of golf with one of the world’s most popular card games… poker. It is designed to give non-professional golfers a fair opportunity to compete in a world-class golf event where they can win big money playing against equal or better golfers, even professionals. The equalizing element comes from an exciting hole-by-hole bet-and-play format that is modeled after the game of poker.

Source: emediawire.com
See Also -> http://www.worldseriesofgolfinc.com/

Always happy to read more news about Arnold Palmer returning to the Weston Golf and Country Club, to commemorate his win at the 1955 Canadian Open, which was his first professional victory.

Today the Globe ran an article confirming that Palmer will be playing in the Return of the King pro-am to be held at Weston in September. To quote the article:

“Palmer, whose charisma helped take the PGA Tour into the sporting big leagues, will play on Sept. 12 in a pro-am dubbed the Return of the King along with Canada’s first member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Marlene Stewart Streit.

Then the next two days, the Kings & Queens Senior Amateur Championship will be held at the Weston. The new event on the golf calendar is being inaugurated by the Greater Toronto Area Golf Association to benefit the Hospital for Sick Children as well as junior golf and underprivileged kids.”

For more info, keep an eye on the Weston GCC Website.

“Paul Slater established a new world record for the longest drive with an effort of 720 yards down the runway at London City Airport. The 34-year-old defied torrential rain and strong winds at the event, hosted by the London Golf Show. He beat a recent 696-yard drive from Australian tour pro Stuart Appleby. “I knew it was right as soon as I hit it,” Slater said. “You know when you’ve hit a good shot, you get the surge going right up through your body.” Slater revealed that the club he used had a remarkable 2½ degree loft and 50″ shaft, far different from the conventional professional tour drivers of 10-12 degrees.”

— BBC Sports

SI.com - Golf - Golf Truth & Rumors: Feb. 17, 2005

Looks like Michelle Wie may have something to shoot for after she achieves her first goal of playing in the Masters. The Open Championship held by the Royal and Ancient Society (a/k/a the Men’s British Open) is going to open qualifying for the 2006 event to Women. Explicitly what is being removed is the “male only” clause.

This is a great development, as there really is no need to have total segregation in golf. Women should be allowed to try and qualify for any male professional golf event. Going further, it helps break down old boundaries of prejudice and ignorance. Quoting from an article in the Times of London, John Hopkins, their golf correspondent says:

“Gender-based restrictions are gradually being removed and every new wave of publicity weakens the remaining rules. Many of the Open venues, such as St Andrews, Royal St George’s and Muirfield, have men-only clubhouses but this will change eventually. Royal Liverpool, where the Open will be held in 2006 (the first year a woman theoretically could compete) also currently only allows men into the clubhouse. But it is like grains of sand passing through an hour-glass. It’s a slow process but eventually they will all be gone, which can only be a good thing.”

Source: Q&A: John Hopkins on women playing in the Open

The PGA Tour has no policy on steroids.

Nothing is in the works, because no one has found anything that would help a golfer’s performance.

In fact, the only substance abuse policy on the PGA Tour books is a two-page statement from former commissioner Deane Beman in January 1992 that deals with recreational drugs, and alcohol as it relates to players’ conduct.

“There is a lot of power involved in golf, but more so feel and touch,” U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen said. “I don’t know if somebody took steroids how that would affect the game. I don’t think golf is that much a power sport as it is in other sports, like athletics or things like that, where there is such a small margin between the athletes.”

The only thing golf has tested lately is hot drivers, and that lasted about a month.

Source: SFGate.com

Riviera Country Club, site of this weekend’s Nissan Open, is as much an L.A. icon as the Brown Derby, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre or Marilyn Monroe. It links the old L.A. with today’s L.A., maintaining its old-style feel while remaining a popular stop on the PGA Tour.

This was Hogan’s Alley, after all, where he won the 1948 U.S. Open, and the place where Babe Didrickson Zaharias became the first woman to play in a pro event in 1938. It’s also where a 16-year-old Tiger Woods made his PGA Tour debut under a sponsor exemption in 1992. The Nissan Open, nee the Los Angeles Open, also has a special place in the world of sports broadcasting, being the first golf tournament broadcast on radio (1929), the first golf tournament to be locally televised (1953) and the first golf tournament to be televised nationally (1966).

Source: PGA.com

Japan’s formidable duo of 19-year-old Ai Miyazato and Rui Kitada had hordes of golf spectators on the edge of their seats when they won the inaugural Women’s World Cup of Golf title and a $200000 first prize after a rollercoaster final round at the Links at Fancourt yesterday.

Japan, in joint third place at six-under 140 on day two of the event, leapt to the top of the leader board at the start of play yesterday, thanks to a sterling performance by Miyazato.

Source: AllAfrica.com