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By Golf Channel News

(The following edited content was supplied by Golf Channel in a news release.)

The LPGA Tour will stage its inaugural showing of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in primetime on Golf Channel from San Francisco, Calif. The event was previously a stop on the Taiwanese Tour schedule, and Swinging Skirts (a non-profit organization in Taiwan) will continue to serve as the title sponsor. The strong field includes nine of top 10 players in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings.

The PGA Tour is in Louisiana, as Billy Horschel defends at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Henrik Stenson and Jason Dufner will headline the field at the European Tour's Volvo China Open.

ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS
(PGA Tour)
Dates: April 24-27
Venue: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La.

Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):...

Shelley Mayfield told me, "I played a lot of golf with Ben Hogan ... maybe more than anyone else." In this new series, I' share Mayfield's memories of Hogan as a golfer and a person. Along the way, I'll tell you about Mayfield and his long and rewarding life in golf. Read INTRODUCTION.




I ASKED SHELLEY MAYFIELD WHAT I asked all the other old-time tour players. Tell me about Ben Hogan. Tell me what he was like as a person, and what you thought of him as a golfer.

"I'm apt to be more of a rater of how they strike the ball from tee to green than I am as how well they putt or chip the ball," Mayfield said. "And...

Shelley Mayfield told me, "I played a lot of golf with Ben Hogan ... maybe more than anyone else." In this new series, I'll share Mayfield's memories of Hogan as a golfer and a person. Along the way, I'll tell you about Mayfield and his long and rewarding life in golf.


GOLF LEGEND BEN HOGAN DIED on July 25, 1997, in Fort Worth, Texas. Hogan was nineteen days shy of his 85th birthday. Three of the men who served as pallbearers at Hogan's funeral at University Christian Church were Hall of Fame golfers—Sam Snead, Ken Venturi and Tommy Bolt.

Another pallbearer with a distinguished golf career was not well known to the public, but he might have been the closest to Hogan, especially from the 1960s on. His name was Shelley Mayfield. This is a story about Mayfield's life in golf and his...

MATT KUCHAR THREE-PUTTED FROM four feet on the par-3 17th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links, but that didn't keep "Kooch" from winning the RBC Heritage. The hottest man in golf over the last month holed out his bunker shot on the final hole to wrap up a 7-under 64 in windy conditions and a 1-stroke victory over 54-hole leader Luke Donald.

I watched much of the coverage on Sunday and was aghast when Matt missed his four-foot birdie putt at 17, and then missed again for par, walking off with a bogey and tied with Donald. I thought, "Uh-oh. Here we go."

But Kuchar said he just shook it off and headed to 18, which "requires your full attention."

"It really feels awfully good," he said afterward. "I thought Houston I was in control. I...

ON SATURDAY THE GREENBRIER WILL CELEBRATE the 100th anniversary of The Old White Golf Course. Designed by Charles Blair Macdonald and named for the Old White Hotel, the course opened in 1914. President Woodrow Wilson was among the first golfers to play Old White that long-ago April. Others who have graced its fairways include golf legends Ben Hogan, Byron...

By Golf Channel News

(The following edited content was supplied by Golf Channel in a news release.)

Golf Channel will feature the LPGA LOTTE Championship from Hawaii in primetime, with an impressive field headlined by Inbee Park. The PGA Tour shifts to South Carolina for the RBC Heritage. World Golf Hall-of-Famers Tom Watson and Nick Faldo are in the field, which also includes Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar and Jim Furyk. The Champions Tour is in Georgia, where Miguel Angel Jimenez will make his first-career start on the over-50 circuit. Louis Oosthuizen and Lee Westwood headline the European Tour's Maybank Malaysian Open.

RBC HERITAGE
(PGA Tour)
Dates: April 17-20
Venue: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, S.C.

Tournament Airtimes On Golf Channel (Eastern):
Thursday 3-6 p.m. (Live) / 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. (Replay)
Friday...

FRESH OFF HIS SECOND MASTERS VICTORY, Bubba Watson is a long, long way in front in the U.S. Ryder Cup points race. Bubba's nearly 1,800-point lead on Jimmy Walker reminds me of his massive driving distance advantage, like the one he uncorked on Augusta's par-5 13th during the final round of the Masters.

"Way to go Bubba!!! Enjoy your victory," tweeted U.S. captain Tom Watson. "See you on the plane to Gleneagles."

The top nine players will automatically qualify for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Captain Watson has three discretionary picks. Watson has already said that one pick is reserved for Tiger Woods if Tiger is healthy and ready to play in September.

U.S. Ryder Cup Points Standings
(As of April 14)

1. Bubba WATSON - 6,258.984
2. Jimmy WALKER - 4,459.071
3. Dustin JOHNSON - 3,759.812
4. Jordan SPIETH - 3,437.864
5....

By John Christensen

Copyright © 2014 John Christensen. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

TIGER WOODS MAY RECOVER FROM his back injury and play more Masters, and he might even win more majors. But another important story after his recent surgery—the back story, if you will—is that Tiger's not the only one who's hurting.

Golfers are getting injured in unprecedented numbers—amateur and pro alike—and the culprit is the modern golf swing. That's the only possible conclusion based on information I found while researching my ebook about Mike Austin (Perfect Swing,Imperfect Lies: The Legacy of Golf's Longest Hitter).

Here's an excerpt...