The Korea Herald

Kim has PGA card but no place to go

LA QUINTA, California (AP) ― The final Q-school that granted direct access to the PGA Tour could turn out to be a waste of a remarkable effort by Kim Si-woo.The 17-year-old from South Korea made it through all four stages of qualifying ― that includes a pre-qualifying stage in September ― and was among 25 players who earned their cards Monday at PGA West. Trouble is, he can’t become a PGA Tour member until he turns 18 on June 28.Kim might play as few as three tournaments and go right back to Q-s

Dec. 5, 2012

Top of the class

LA QUINTA, California (AP) ― Rory McIlroy sure didn’t feel like the PGA Tour player of the year when he arrived at Kiawah Island for the final major of the year. He had missed three cuts, had not contended in a major and had only one win.The last two months changed everything.McIlroy was announced Tuesday as player of the year, and while the tour does not disclose the vote of its players, this was the equivalent of a tap-in. McIlroy wound up with four wins, including his eight-shot victory in th

Dec. 5, 2012

Lee Dong-hwan tops Q-School

South Korean golfer Lee Dong-hwan became the first Asian to finish in sole possession of first place at the PGA Tour’s qualifying tournament on Tuesday, Korean time.Lee, 25, shot a six-round total of 25-under 407 at the par-72 TPC Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California, to claim the medalist honors. He shot a five-under 67 in the final round with eight birdies and three bogeys.In 1992, Masahiro Kuramoto of Japan tied four others at the top of the qualifying tournament, but Lee is th

Dec. 4, 2012

Lee Dong-hwan leads PGA Tour Q-school

LA QUINTA, California (AP) ― South Korea’ Lee Dong-hwan shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday on PGA West’s Stadium Course to take a two-stroke lead after the fourth round of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament.Lee had a 19-under 269 total in the six-round event. The final top 25 and ties will receive 2013 PGA Tour cards and the next 50 and ties will earn Web.com Tour cards.Edward Loar, Kim Meen-whee, Vaughn Taylor and Richard H. Lee were tied for second after their rounds on the Stadium Course. Richard

Dec. 2, 2012

McDowell clings to 2-shot lead at Sherwood

THOUSAND OAKS, California (AP) ― Graeme McDowell rolled in two long putts early in the round Saturday and ran his streak to 29 holes without a bogey on his way to a 4-under 68 and a two-shot lead over Keegan Bradley going into the final round of the World Challenge.McDowell hasn’t won anywhere in the world since he rallied from four shots behind and beat Tiger Woods in a playoff at this event two years ago, capping off a dream season in which he won the U.S. Open and the decisive match for Europ

Dec. 2, 2012

Lee Dong-hwan leads PGA Tour Q-school

South Korea' Lee Dong-hwan shot an 8-under 64 on Saturday on PGA West's Stadium Course to take a two-stroke lead after the fourth round of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament.Lee had a 19-under 269 total in the six-round event. The final top 25 and ties will receive 2013 PGA Tour cards and the next 50 and ties will earn Web.com Tour cards.Edward Loar, Meen Whee Kim, Vaughn Taylor and Richard H. Lee were tied for second after their rounds on the Stadium Course. Richard H. Lee had a 64, Taylor shot

Dec. 2, 2012

Golf’s guardians want long putters to go belly-up

THOUSAND OAKS, California (AP) ― Brace yourself ― just not your putter.In a proposal that would affect every golfer from major champions to amateurs at their local clubs, the guardians of the 600-year-old sport want to write a new rule that would outlaw a putting stroke they fear is taking too much skill out of the game.The U.S. Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club said Wednesday they are not banning the belly putter or the longer “broom-handle” putters ― only the way they are used

Nov. 29, 2012

McIlroy wins Dubai by 2 strokes

DUBAI (AP) ― Rory McIlroy made five straight birdies down the stretch to overtake Justin Rose and win the Dubai World Championship on Sunday, ending a historic year in which the 23-year-old Northern Irishman won the PGA Championship and the European and PGA tour money titles.The top-ranked McIlroy recovered from early putting woes to finish at 6-under 66 for a total 23-under 265 at the season-ending tournament. Rose, who was tied for seventh after three rounds, surged down the stretch into conte

Nov. 26, 2012

Top-ranked McIlroy, Donald share Dubai lead

DUBAI (AP) ― Rory McIlroy sank a short birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday to remain tied with Luke Donald as the world’s two top-ranked golfers pulled three shots clear of a star-studded field after the third round of the Dubai World Championship.The top-ranked McIlroy, who has already wrapped up the European and PGA Tour money titles, struggled early when he bogeyed the first hole and missed several makeable birdie putts. But he improved on the back nine, sinking a 30-foot eagle putt on 14 t

Nov. 25, 2012

Donald shoots 65 to lead after 1st round in Dubai

DUBAI (AP) ― Luke Donald shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to lead Rory McIlroy and two others by one stroke after the opening round of the season-ending Dubai World Championship.Donald saved par on Nos. 1 and 4 with clutch putting, and some accurate up-and-down play helped him make four birdies in a stretch of six holes.“It was a nice, solid start,” said the Englishman, who made six of his seven birdies in the first 10 holes. “It was very tidy. Just a lot of solid golf. I gave myself a lot of oppor

Nov. 23, 2012

Donald shoots 65 to lead after 1st round in Dubai

Europe losing its golf stars

DUBAI (AP) ― The European Tour has no problem producing star players. Keeping them is the challenge.Seven players from Europe’s Ryder Cup team are PGA Tour members. Five have made the United States their main residence, and the list is only growing.Martin Kaymer, a former world No. 1 and past PGA Championship winner, announced this week that he’s joining the PGA Tour. Lee Westwood is moving from England to Florida. And big-hitting Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium told the Associated Press that he wi

Nov. 22, 2012

LPGA Tour ahead of the curve on global travel

NAPLES, Florida (AP) ― Alarm bells went off when the best golfers no longer were Americans, whether the measure was a ranking or simply who kept winning the majors.That was the LPGA Tour a generation ago.It took awhile for the men to experience the same shift to a more global game, such as Europeans occupying the top four spots in the world ranking at the end of last year, or the Americans getting shut out of six straight majors. Or the time Lee Westwood, whose humor can be vastly underrated, wa

Nov. 21, 2012

McIlroy eyes year-end high

DUBAI (AP) ― Even after wrapping up the European Tour money title, top-ranked Rory McIlroy still has plenty to play for when he tees off Thursday at the season-ending Dubai World Championship.A victory at the $8 million tournament will allow McIlroy to overtake Tiger Woods as the all-time leading money earner in a single season. Woods amassed a combined PGA and European Tour earnings of $11,557,729 in 2007. A victory for McIlroy would put him $395,857 ahead of Woods.“I would like to pick up two

Nov. 21, 2012

Choi wins final LPGA event of year

NAPLES, Florida (AP) ― If nothing else, Choi Na-yeon proved to be a big-money player this year on the LPGA Tour.Choi captured her first major this summer at the U.S. Women’s Open, the biggest purse of the year. She turned a great season into her best one yet Sunday by winning the Titleholders and a $500,000 check, the second-biggest prize on tour.For someone who has an appointment Monday in Orlando to buy a new house, the timing couldn’t have been better.“I think I can buy bigger than I thought,

Nov. 19, 2012

Choi takes lead at Titleholders

NAPLES, Florida (AP) ―- Ryu So-yeon was rarely so nervous, with so many great players all around her.She was in high heels, not golf shoes. She was giving a speech as the LPGA rookie of the year, not competing at the Titleholders. Compared with standing before a room full of stars under bright lights, playing golf Saturday while trying to stay close to Choi Na-yeon and Ai Miyazato seemed easy.“I was pretty nervous to prepare the speech,” Ryu said about the Friday night awards dinner. “After spee

Nov. 18, 2012

Three share lead at LPGA Titleholders

NAPLES, Florida (AP) ― Suzann Pettersen birdied two of her last three holes Thursday for a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead with Ryu So-yeon and Yoo Sun-young in the LPGA Tour’s season-ending Titleholders.Yoo had a five-shot lead until giving up three shots on the last two holes with a pair of three-putts, one of them a double bogey on the par-3 eighth when her tee shot went long and down a steep slope.Stacy Lewis, the LPGA player of the year, needs to win the Titleholders to have any chance o

Nov. 16, 2012

With money title in bag, McIlroy aims for solid finish

HONG KONG (AP) ― The pressure is off Rory McIlroy on the European Tour money list. He’s topped it with two tournaments to go, two tournaments he’d love to own to cap off a stellar year.Having claimed the money title on Sunday at the Singapore Open after a third-place finish, McIlroy says he can relax a little. At least until Thursday, when he begins his defense of the Hong Kong Open.“It’s nice not having to worry about the Race to Dubai title knowing that I’ve already wrapped it up,” McIlroy sai

Nov. 14, 2012

Kerr wins Ochoa event

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) ― Cristie Kerr won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory in more than two years, and Stacy Lewis tied for fourth to wrap up the player of the year award.Kerr parred the final three holes at Guadalajara Country Club to hold off Angela Stanford and third-round leader Park In-bee by a stroke. Kerr finished at 16-under 272 for her 15th LPGA Tour title and first since the LPGA Championship in June 2010.Stanford shot 68, and Park had a 72.The

Nov. 12, 2012

Park In-bee takes lead in Mexico

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) ― Park In-bee moved into position for her third victory of the year, shooting a 6-under 66 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.The South Korean player had a 15-under 201 total at Guadalajara Country Club. She won the Evian Masters in France in July and the LPGA Malaysia last month and leads the LPGA Tour money list.Park also is trying to catch Stacy Lewis in the player of the year points race, but has to win Sunday

Nov. 11, 2012

Park takes Ochoa LPGA lead

Inbee Park, seeking a third victory of the year and trying to catch Stacy Lewis in the LPGA Player of the Year race, seized a two-shot lead at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Saturday.South Korea's Park had six birdies -- three on the front nine and three on the back -- in her six-under 66 for a 54-hole total of 15-under par 201 at the Guadalajara Country Club.She was two shots in front of American Cristie Kerr, who carded a 67 for 203. South Korea's So Yeon Ryu also posted a 67 for 204 and Ame

Nov. 11, 2012