Times wires
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
U.S. Open tweaks its qualifying procedures
Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said the Masters would take a close look at its qualifications to make sure the field doesn't get larger than the club prefers.
The U.S. Open doesn't worry about the size of its field — it is set at 156 players — though it gave the criteria a close review. The U.S. Open prides itself in being the most democratic major, preferring that about half of the players go through qualifying.
Starting in 2012, the U.S. Open is moving away from the money list on the PGA Tour (top 30) and European Tour (top 15) and instead will take the top 60 players in the world a month and a week before the championship. Still intact will be the 30 players who reach the FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship.
How many players will be exempt under that criteria in 2012?
"The U.S. Open has done so much study on this," USGA executive director Mike Davis said. "We've gone back on a five-year basis to see if the (2012) rules were in place the last five years, the net results and what it gets us. We do not want to cross the line of more than 50 percent being exempt for the U.S. Open. If we've done our homework properly, half will be exempt."
Davis said the results showed an addition of between zero to five players.
New No. 1 heads to South Korea
Lee Westwood hopes to put on a show in the Ballantine's Championship this week as the first No. 1-ranked golfer to play in South Korea. Westwood reclaimed the top ranking from Martin Kaymer when he won the Indonesian Masters by three strokes in Jakarta on Sunday, his 38th birthday.
Fellow Englishman Luke Donald could have overtaken Westwood a few hours later at the Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C., but lost the PGA Tour event in a playoff.
Westwood said, "It's nice to get back to No. 1 on Sunday. I played well last week, and my confidence is high."
This week on tour
PGA: Zurich Classic, TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La. TV: Today-Friday, 3-6 p.m., Golf Channel; Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. on Ch. 10.
LPGA: Avnet LPGA Classic, Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Mobile, Ala. TV: Today-Friday, 12:30- 2:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Saturday-Sunday, 4-6 p.m., Golf Channel.
European/Asian Tour: Ballantine's Championship, Blackstone Golf Course, Icheon, South Korea. TV: Today-Sunday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Golf Channel.
Times wires