World Ladies Championship: Major Relief As Moromizato Staves Off Charging Creamer


Tokyo (May 10): Shinobu Moromizato withstood a fierce final-round charge from Paula Creamer to emerge victorious in the 120 million yen (about US$1.23 million) World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup. To the delight of the home fans, the 22-year-old Japanese held her nerve to card a closing 69 over the Ibaraki Golf Club's 6,553-yard West Course. That gave her a 72-hole total of 13-under-par 275 and a tense one-shot victory from Korean Jeon Mi-jeong and American Creamer, who signed for a final-round 65.

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Onus On Regional Tours To Resolve OneAsia Stand-Off, Says Finchem


Ponte Vedra Beach (May 10): When Greg Norman won The Players Championship in 1994, the TPC Stadium Course he eviscerated with a record 24-under 264 was a very different layout than it is today. So, too, was the competitive golf landscape when Norman, seven months later, tried to organise his World Tour in defiance of the PGA Tour’s restrictions on its members competing in 'conflicting events'. It has been suggested that the OneAsia Super Series is Norman’s World Tour redux, only this time with Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hia Han on the firing line. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem thinks not.

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Final-Round Flourish Brings Glory For Malaysian Teen Titan Green


Selangor (May 7): Teenager Gavin Kyle Green overturned a four-stroke deficit with a remarkable final round flourish to win the Malaysian Amateur Closed at Kinrara Golf Club today. Trailing overnight joint leaders Haziq Hamizan and Chan Tuck Soon at the start of the day, 16-year-old Green fired a closing four-under-par 68, which included two eagles. That gave the boy who's been touted as one of Asia's brightest golfing prospects a three-round total of 213 and a one-shot triumph from Haziq.

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Philippine Open Status Still Under Discussion


Manila (May 6): A possible merger between the Asian Tour and the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) may soon materialise for the much-awaited Philippine Open. This despite NGAP’s alleged decision to conduct the 93rd edition of the delayed Open, the eldest and one of the more prestigious professional tournaments in Asia, on its own - a move which drew mixed reaction from professional golfers and golf fans. According to reports, the Asian Tour, the official sanctioning body for golf in Asia, is willing and looking forward to including the Open in its schedule and that it will help in raising the needed prize money.

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US Open's Major Appeal Soars To New Heights


New York (May 5): A record 9,086 entries have been received for the 2009 US Open, to be played from June 18-21 at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, New York. That includes those who are currently fully exempt into the field, the USGA has announced. Among the 63 exempt players are Korean KJ Choi, Indian Jeev Milkha Singh and the Japanese trio of Shingo Katayama, Ryuji Imada, Azuma Yano. The previous record for entries was 9,048 for the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst No 2 in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina. "This is truly wonderful news," said Mike Davis, the USGA’s senior director of Rules and Competitions.

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'I Want To Be The World's Best Golfer,' Says Teen Titan Noh


Seoul (May 4): Teen titan Noh Seung-yul is a young man with grand ambitions. The 17-year-old Korean is relishing a return to next week’s GS Caltex Maekyung Open on home soil - but utmost on his mind will be far bigger goals which include winning the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit and 'becoming the best player in the world'. The slender but ultra-talented youngster has emerged as one of the biggest success stories on the Asian Tour since he burst onto the scene with one win and three runner-up finishes in 2008. Through the opportunity of competing against the region’s finest on the Asian Tour, Noh is now tipped for greater rewards and he has maintained his good form this season with two top-10s to lie in 13th place on the Order of Merit.

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