This week in golf, at a glance
- The Fall Series begins this week in Las Vegas
- Nick Watney and Jason Day are the only two top-30 players in the field
- European Tour players compete in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
This week in golf, at a glance. All times Eastern.
PGA TOUR
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN OPEN
Site: Las Vegas.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: TPC Summerlin (7,243 yards, par 71).
Purse: $4.5 million. Winner's share: $810,000.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.).
Last year: Kevin Na won his first PGA Tour title, beating Nick Watney by two strokes. Na finished at 23-under 261 to break the tournament record in the event that switched from 90 to 72 holes in 2004.
Last week: Europe rallied to win the Ryder Cup, taking 8 1/2 of 12 singles points to beat the United States by a point at Medinah. Ian Poulter led Europe with a 4-0 record, and Martin Kaymer won the point needed to retain the cup, holing a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole to beat Steve Stricker.
Notes: No. 21 Watney and No. 29 Jason Day are the only players in the top 30 in the world ranking in the field. Watney lives in the area. ... In 2010, Jonathan Byrd made a hole-in-one on the fourth extra hole to beat Martin Laird and Cameron Percy. ... The tournament is the first of four Fall Series events. ... Casey Martin received a sponsor exemption. The Oregon coach is allowed to use a cart in competition because of a rare circulatory disorder in his right leg. ... The Frys.com Open is next week in San Martin, Calif., followed by the McGladrey Classic in Sea Island, Ga.
EUROPEAN TOUR
ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: St. Andrews and Carnoustie, Scotland.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Courses: St. Andrews, Old Course (7,305 yards, par 72), Carnoustie, Championship Course (7,412 yards, par 72) and Kingsbarns Golf Links (7,181 yards, par 72).
Purse: $5 million. Winner's share: $800,000.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.).
Last year: Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey held off countrymen Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. Hoey closed with a 6-under 68 at St. Andrews for a tournament-record 22-under 266 total. McIlroy finished two strokes back, and McDowell tied for third.
Last week: Europe rallied to win the Ryder Cup, taking 8 1/2 of 12 singles points to beat the United States by a point at Medinah. Ian Poulter led Europe with a 4-0 record, and Martin Kaymer won the point needed to retain the cup, holing a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole to beat Steve Stricker.
Notes: Kaymer, the 2010 winner, is in the field along with European Ryder Cup teammates Paul Lawrie and Peter Hanson, South Africans Ernie Els, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Americans Rich Beem and Shaun Micheel. ... Swimmer Michael Phelps and double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius are playing in the pro-am competition. ... The final round will be played on the Old Course. ... The Portugal Masters is next week.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
SAS CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Cary, N.C.
Schedule: Friday-Sunday.
Course: Prestonwood Country Club (7,240 yards, par 72).
Purse: $2.1 million. Winner's share: $315,000.
Television: Golf Channel (Friday, 1:30-4 p.m.; Saturday, 1:30-1:30 a.m., 1:30-4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-3 a.m., 1:30-4 p.m.; Monday, 1-3 a.m.).
Last year: Kenny Perry won his first Champions Tour title, making a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th en route to a one-stroke victory. Perry won a day after his sister died of breast cancer.
Last event: Willie Wood won the Hawaii Championship on Sept. 16 for his second victory in the last three events, taking advantage of Bill Glasson's late collapse.
Notes: Tom Lehman tops the Charles Schwab Cup points race with three-regular season events left. The top 30 on the money list will qualify for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in November at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz. ... Russ Cochran, the 2010 winner, is returning from back problems that have sidelined him since the U.S. Senior Open in July. ... Neal Lancaster, from Smithfield, N.C., is making his tour debut after turning 50 on Sept. 13. He won the PGA Tour's 1994 Byron Nelson Classic. ... The tour will remain in North Carolina next week for the Greater Hickory Classic.
WEB.COM TOUR
NEEDIEST KIDS CHAMPIONSHIP
Site: Potomac, Md.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm (7,139 yards, par 70).
Purse: $600,000. Winner's share: $108,000.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Sunday, 7:30-9:30 p.m.).
Last year: Steve Wheatcroft won the June event at the University of Maryland Golf Course, finishing with the lowest 72-hole score in tour history. He shot 66-60-65-64 for a 29-under 255 total and tour-record 12-stroke victory.
Last week: Russell Henley won the Chiquita Classic in Weddington, N.C., beating former UCLA star Patrick Cantlay and Morgan Hoffmann with a par on the first hole of a playoff. Last year while still in school at Georgia, Henley won the tour's Stadion Classic on the Bulldogs' home course.
Notes: Henley earned $99,000 last week to jump from 35th to 12th on the money list with $216,566, enough to earn a 2013 PGA Tour card as a top-25 finisher. ... Luke Guthrie leads the money list with $382,463 in seven events. He took last week off to attend the Ryder Cup after winning the Boise Open and WNB Golf Classic in consecutive weeks. Still a student at Illinois, he also has earned $284,672 in three PGA Tour starts. ... The Miccosukee Championship is next week in Miami, followed by the Jacksonville Open and season-ending Web.com Tour Championship in McKinney, Texas.
LPGA TOUR
Next event: LPGA Malaysia, Oct. 11-14, Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Last event: Stacy Lewis won the Navistar LPGA Classic on Sept. 23 in Prattville, Ala., for her third victory of the year. Lexi Thompson was second, two strokes.
OTHER TOURNAMENTS
MEN
U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION: USGA Senior Amateur, through Thursday, Mountain Ridge Country Club, West Caldwell, N.J.
JAPAN GOLF TOUR: Canon Open, Thursday-Sunday, Totsuka Country Club, Kanagawa, Japan.
ASIAN TOUR: CJ Invitational, Thursday-Sunday, Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club, Jeju Island, South Korea.
EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR: Lyon Open, Thursday-Sunday, Golf du Gouverneur, Monthieux, France.
PGA TOUR LATINOAMERICA: Brazil Open, Wednesday-Sunday, Sao Fernando Golf Club, Sao Paulo.
WOMEN
U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION: U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur, Saturday-Oct. 11, Briggs Ranch Golf Club, San Antonio.
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR: Ladies French France, Thursday-Sunday, Chantaco Golf Club, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France.