Though neither was scored on American soil, 20-year-old Korean phenom Ji-Yai Shin claimed her second official LPGA Tour title last weekend, cruising to a six-shot victory over Mayu Hattori in the Mizuno Classic in Shima Mie, Japan. While Shin’s previous LPGA triumph – August’s Women’s British Open – was a Major championship, the relative geographic isolation of her “U.S.” successes leaves her as perhaps the least-known top-shelf star in women’s professional golf. But for how much longer?

According to the Rolex Rankings, Shin is already the best Korean player in the game, her 6th-place ranking standing her four spots ahead of Seon-Hwa Lee, eight above Jeong Jang, and at least 10 notches beyond the cadre of Korean players that dominate the tail end of the top 20, including Jee Young Lee (16), Eun-Hee Ji (17), Hee-Won Han (19) and Inbee Park (20). What’s especially interesting about this is that Shin’s choice of venues works heavily against her when it comes to accruing ranking points, for she plays full-time on her home tour in Korea (a talent-light circuit only because its top stars have all jumped to America) while also adding a few Far Eastern/Australian Ladies European Tour events and the occasional JLPGA stop to her schedule. In between, she has managed nine LPGA starts in 2008, though six of these were events played in Hawaii, Europe or Asia, and two more were Major championships. Impressively, Shin amassed ’08 victories on every one of those circuits save the European – and all those wins tend to pile up the rankings points, even if some of them come on a KLPGA circuit that enjoys zero western TV coverage and can’t make their website work.

But heads up America, because the mystery woman shall not remain a mystery much longer. Shin’s victory at the Women’s British Open earned her LPGA playing privileges for 2009 – and one assumes she’ll make her presence felt early and often.

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour continues to tweak the FedEx cup in futile attempts at creating some meaningful degree of fan interest, but I’ve yet to find anyone not drawing a paycheck from the Tour, or sitting on the Player Advisory Committee, that exhibits the faintest interest. And why should they? It’s a silly, made-for-TV concept that lacks even the excitement the Players Championship, nevermind anything resembling a Major. It is, by definition, relegated to a time of year when weekend sports television begins and ends with football, and its ballyhooed $10 million jackpot will inevitably be won by someone with enough cash salted away to no longer be motivated by purses anyway. And besides, The Masters will always be The Masters, the U.S. Open the U.S. Open. But if the FedEx Cup actually survives for the duration of its contract, it may well change sponsors with the same freedom as many regular Tour stops, leaving it to become, perhaps, the Dairy Queen Cup presented by Dr. Pepper.

And then, per PGA Tour marketing policy, the media guide will suddenly inform us that this has always been the event’s title (e.g. Ben Hogan won the 1947 and ’48 Northern Trust Opens), meaning we were referring to it by an erroneous name all along.

But what I really wonder is...

In the end, will it survive long enough to no longer be hyped as “A New Era In Golf?”

Japan Tour: Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheyo Masters

Site: Taiheyo Golf Club (Gotemba course) - Shizuoka, Japan
Yards: 7,246   Par: 72
Defending: Brendan Jones 274  (beat T. Taniguchi by 1)
Field: World Top 25: None   Other Notables: Ryo Ishikawa, Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama, Tommy Nakajima & Toru Taniguchi.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Asian Tour: Barclay’s Singapore Open

Site: Sentosa Golf Club (Serapong course) - Singapore
Yards: 7,319   Par: 71
Defending: Angel Cabrera 276  (beat V. Singh by 1)
Field: World Top 25: Phil Mickelson (2), Padraig Harrington (5), Ernie Els (10) & Adam Scott (16)   Other Notables: Darren Clarke, Wen-Chong Liang, Prayad Marksaeng, Frankie Minoza & Jeev Milkha Singh.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


LPGA Tour: Lorena Ochoa Invitational

Site: Guadalajara Country Club - Guadalajara, Mexico
Yards: 6,573   Par: 72
Defending: New Event.
Field: World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 10 except Ji-Yai Shin (8) & Karrie Webb (9)   Other Notables: Laura Davies & Juli Inkster.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
JLPGA – Itoen Ladies - Chiba, Japan

PGA Tour: Children’s Miracle Network Classic

Winner: Davis Love III 66-69-64-64   263  (beat T. Gainey by 1)
Site: Magnolia & Palm Golf Clubs - Lake Buena Vista, FL

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS

European PGA & Asian Tour: HSBC Champions

Winner: Sergio Garcia 66-68-72-68   274  (beat O. Wilson in a playoff)
Site: Sheshan International Golf Club - Shanghai, China

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Japan Tour: The Championship by Lexus

Winner: S.K. Ho 66-68-65-70   269  (beat K. Miyazato by 5)
Site: Otone Country Club - Ibaraki, Japan

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Sunshine Tour: MTC Namibia PGA Championship

Winner: T.C. Charamba 68-67-69-66   270  (beat M. Bremner & N. Henning in a playoff)
Site: Windhoek Country Club - Windhoek, Namibia

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


LPGA & JLPGA Tours: Mizuno Classic

Winner: Ji-Yai Shin 68-66-67   201  (beat M. Hattori by 6)
Site: Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club - Mie, Japan

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
Nationwide – Nationwide Tour Championship – Matt Bettencourt 267 (Story)

Just over a month ago, I posted a somewhat speculative piece awarding Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez the title of European-Tour-2008-Player-Of-The-Year-Not-Named-Padraig.  Before a single week had passed, my runner-up choice, Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, won the Dunhill Links Championship in spectacular style, shooting a final-round 65 at St. Andrews before ultimately prevailing in a playoff, and suddenly the race became too close to call.  Though neither Karlsson nor Jimenez contended at last weekend’s season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama, Karlsson’s tie for 32nd was enough to secure a €37,500 payday, which in turn clinched the top spot in the 2008 European Order of Merit by some 273,000 Euros over Padraig Harrington, with Lee Westwood finishing 3rd and Jimenez claiming 4th.  In the end, Karlsson entered 23 official E Tour events, Jimenez 26, with each man winning twice.  But Karlsson’s 12 top-10 finishes (including an impressive nine top-fours), his three top-10s in the year’s first three Majors, and his Order of Merit crown must surely be enough to nose the towering Swede into the top spot.

And now it’s official because as of this Thursday, some seven week’s shy of the new year, the E Tour kicks off its 2009 schedule in Shanghai.

Highly logical, that.

But if my timing was a little off in prematurely selecting Jimenez, I did considerably better two weeks ago in singling out 17-year-old Japanese phenom Ryo Ishikawa for attention.  A Japan Tour winner as a 15-year-old amateur (!) in 2007, Ishikawa had just beaten his chest a bit with a 2nd-place finish at the Japan Open (four behind Shingo Katayama) and was generally showing the sort of early career form that had earned him the inevitable (and calamatously unoriginal) moniker “the Japanese Tiger Woods.”  Following being noted here, Ishikawa closed with a pair of weekend 67s to tie for 12th at the Bridgestone Open before reaching cruising speed at last weekend’s ABC Open, where a closing 69 (including clutch birdies at the 15th and 16th) lifted him to his first triumph as a professional, edging veteran Keiichiro Fukabori by one.  With the win, Ishikawa climbed to 4th place in the Japan Order of Merit, while also serving notice that he figures as a force to be reckoned with – both at home and, eventually, abroad – for many years to come.

And then there is the extreme opposite end of the spectrum, where soon-to-be-retired (maybe) Annika Sorenstam closed with a sparkling, eight-birdie 65 to win the LET’s Suzhou Taihu Ladies Open, defeating homestanding Li Ying Ye in sudden death in China.  The victory, Sorenstam’s 14th in Europe and 90th overall, may not have come against elite competition, but if, in the end, it ultimately represents her final career triumph, she can certainly be said to have gone out in real style.

I’m thinking we haven’t really seen the last of Annika yet. But just in case...

Bravo!

PGA Tour: Children's Miracle Network Classic

Site: Magnolia and Palm Golf Clubs  -  Lake Buena Vista, FL
Yards: 7,516   Par: 72
Defending: Stephen Ames 271  (beat T. Clark by 1)
Field: World Top 25: Stuart Cink (14) & Justin Leonard (23)   Other Notables: Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Brad Faxon, Lee Janzen, Davis Love III.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


European PGA & Asian Tours: HSBC Champions

Site: Sheshan International Golf Club  -  Shanghai, China
Yards: 7,199   Par: 72
Defending: Phil Mickelson 278  (beat R. Fisher & L. Westwood in a playoff)
Field: World Top 25: Phil Mickelson (2), Sergio Garcia (3), Padraig Harrington (5), Robert Karlsson (6),A Camilo Villegas (7), Anthony Kim (8), Henrik Stenson (12), K.J. Choi (15), Geoff Ogilvy (18), Adam Scott (17), Trevor Immelman (21) & Ian Poulter (25)   Other Notables: Darren Clarke, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Richard Sterne & Oliver Wilson.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Japan Tour: The Championship by Lexus

Site: Otone Country Club  -  Ibaraki, Japan
Yards: 7,024   Par: 72
Defending: New Event.
Field: World Top 25: None   Other Notables: Ryo Ishikawa, Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama, Shigeki Maruyama, Tommy Nakajima & Craig Parry.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Sunshine Tour: MTC Namibia PGA Championship

Site: Windhoek Country Club  -  Windhoek, Namibia
Meters: 6,199   Par: 72
Defending: Keith Horn 195   (beat three players by five)
Field: World Top 25: None   Other Notables: Very few.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


LPGA & JLPGA Tours: Mizuno Classic

Site: Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club  -  Mie, Japan
Yards: 6,506   Par: 72
Defending: Momoko Ueda 203  (beat M. Hjorth & R. Rankin by 2)
Field: World Top 20: Yani Tseng (2), Ji-Yai Shin (8), Karrie Webb (9), Yuri Fudoh (12), Momoko Ueda (13), Morgan Pressel (15), Inbee Park (18) & Jee Young Lee (19)   Other Notables: The JLPGA Tour.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
Nationwide - Nationwide Tour Championship - McKinney, TX

PGA Tour: Ginn sur Mer Classic

Winner: Ryan Palmer 67-71-72-71 281  (beat four players by 2)
Site: Hammock Beach Resort (Conservatory course)  -  Palm Coast, FL

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


European PGA Tour: Volvo Masters

Winner: Soren Kjeldsen 65-71-69-71 276  (beat M. Kaymer & A. Wall by 1)
Site: Valderrama Golf Club  -  Sotogrande, Spain

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Japan Tour: Mynavi ABC Championship

Winner: Ryo Ishikawa 70-70-70-69 279  (beat K. Fukabori by 1)
Site: ABC Golf Club  -  Hyogo, Japan

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Sunshine Tour: Platinum Classic at Mooinooi

Winner: Thomas Aiken 65-68-64 197  (beat three players by 5)
Site: Mooinooi Golf Club  -  Mooinooi, South Africa

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


LPGA Tour: Hana Bank KOLON Championship

Winner: Candie Kung 70-71-69 210  (beat K. Hull by 1)
Site: Sky 72 Golf Club (Ocean course)  -  Incheon, Korea

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Champions Tour: Charles Schwab Cup

Winner: Andy Bean 68-66-68-66 268  (beat G. Jones by 9)
Site: Sonoma Golf Club  -  Sonoma, CA

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
LET - Suzhou Taihu Open - Annika Sorenstam 213 (Story)
JLPGA - Otsuka Kagu Ladies - Mayu Hattori 210 (Story)

Caveat emptor.

Before I say a single word about Hamlyn's New World Atlas of Golf, I must state up front that I am responsible for approximately one-third of the book - so the reader may choose to view all subsequent comments accordingly. That said...

The original World Atlas of Golf was published in 1976 and was, without question, the landmark "golf courses" volume ever published. But rather than wax prolifically about a 32-year-old title - and to save myself the walk to the bookshelf in order to get the specs right - I will simply reprint the following from The Golfer's Library by way of description:

One attraction of this book is its scope, featuring, as it does, some 170+ courses on six continents and 43 countries. Another is its obvious beauty, particularly the full-color aerial-view paintings of 70 featured layouts. But above all, this classic stands out for the quality of its writing - no great surprise with a roster of Ward-Thomas, Herbert Warren Wind, Charles Price and Peter Thomson, and a foreword by Alistair Cooke.

Though including several modern courses of dubious quality, The World Atlas covers nearly all the genuine greats in admirable, if not unparalleled, detail. Subsequent volumes have updated numerous photographs and yardages, and the inclusion of contemporary sidebars keeps the book relevant to recent tournament play. Yet through it all, the basic text, authored nearly 30 years ago by some blue-chip talents, essentially remains faithful to the first edition.

And now we have, for the first time ever, an entirely new edition.

Most relevant, I believe is the choice of included courses, for the list was selected primarily by the book's general editor Mark Rowlinson, Golfclubatlas.com majordomo Ran Morrissett, Australian professional-turn-architect Mike Clayton and myself, and as such reflects rather a different taste in "greatness" then was in vogue back in 1976. Loosely translated, this means that the Firestones, Champions and Medinahs are out, while world-class classic designs like the Chicago Golf Club, Fishers Island, Prestwick and North Berwick are in. With additional Golden Age greats like Garden City, Crystal Downs, the San Francisco Golf Club and The Addington (among others) slated to be added to a future second edition, the roster of courses is, I believe, a really superb representation of the finest in golf course design.

Graphically, the New World Atlas delivers precisely the sort of state-of-the-art presentation one might expect, with course maps being scaled and drawn from contemporary aerial imagery, and a remarkably wide range of photographs bringing the worldwide variety of so many great courses richly to life throughout.

And then there is the writing.

With the original volume having featured the prose of the giants cited above, the bar was set pretty high for any future editions. I cannot begin to suggest that our collective work will ever be their literary equal, but I will boldly state the following: I do believe that as a group, our overall knowledge of course design, and the specific qualities of these great layouts, may actually exceed theirs - and in a book built precisely to highlight those components, such is not an unimportant consideration.

At $39.95 in America, this large and attractive title will represent an indispensable addition to any golfer's library - and I give my word that I'd grade it just the same way had I not been involved.

Caveat emptor be damned.

PGA Tour: Ginn sur Mer Classic

Site: Hammock Beach Resort (Conservatory course)  -  Palm Coast, FL
Yards: 7,663   Par: 72
Defending: Daniel Chopra 273   (beat F. Jacobson & S. Maruyama by 1)
Field: World Top 25: None   Other Notables: David Duval, Brad Faxon, Lee Janzen, Davis Love III & Rocco Mediate.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


European PGA Tour: Volvo Masters

Site: Valderrama Golf Club  -  Sotogrande, Spain
Yards: 6,988   Par: 71
Defending: Justin Rose 283   (beat S. Dyson & S. Kjeldsen in a playoff)
Field: World Top 25: Padraig Harrington (4), Sergio Garcia (5), Robert Karlsson (6), Henrik Stenson (10), Lee Westwood (11), Justin Rose (15), Miguel Angel Jimenez (20) & Ian Poulter (24)   Other Notables: Darren Clarke, Oliver Fisher, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Charl Schwartzel & Jeev Milkha Singh.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Japan Tour: Mynavi ABC Championship

Site: ABC Golf Club  -  Hyogo, Japan
Yards: 7,217   Par: 72
Defending: Frankie Minoza 274   (beat D.H. Lee in a playoff)
Field: World Top 25: None   Other Notables: Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama, Shigeki Maruyama & Frankie Minoza.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Sunshine Tour: Platinum Classic at Mooinooi

Site: Mooinooi Golf Club  -  Mooinooi, South Africa
Meters: 6,323   Par: 72
Defending:Louis Oosthuizen 205   (beat M. Cayeux & A. da Silva in a playoff)
Field: World Top 25: None   Other Notables: Desvonde Botes, Darren Fichardt, James Kamte & Des Terblanche.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


LPGA Tour: Hana Bank KOLON Championship

Site: Sky 72 Golf Club (Ocean course)  -  Incheon, Korea
Yards: 6,550   Par: 72
Defending: Suzann Pettersen 141 (beat E.H. Ji by 1)
Field: World Top 20: Suzann Pettersen (4), Paula Creamer (5), Ji-Yai Shin (7), Helen Alfredsson (8), Seon-Hwa Lee (10), Morgan Pressel (13), Eun-Hee Ji (16), Jeong Jang (17), Inbee Park (18), Angela Park (19) & Jee Young Lee (20)   Other Notables: Sophie Gustafson, Carin Koch & Se Ri Pak.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Champions Tour: Charles Schwab Cup

Site: Sonoma Golf Club - Sonoma, CA
Yards: 7,103   Par: 72
Defending: Jim Thorpe 268   (beat F. Funk & D. Watson by 3)
Field: Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 30 except Tom Watson (10) (Injured).

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere...
JLPGA - Otsuka Kagu Ladies - Saitama Prefecture, Japan

PGA Tour: Frys.com Open

Winner: Cameron Beckman 69-66-64-63   262  (beat K. Sutherland in a playoff)
Site: Grayhawk Golf Club (Raptor course)  -  Scottsdale, AZ

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


European PGA Tour: Castello Masters Costa Azahar

Winner: Sergio Garcia 66-65-66-67   264  (beat P. Hedblom by 3)
Site: Club de Campo del Mediterraneo  -  Castellon, Spain

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Japan Tour: Bridgestone Open

Winner: Azuma Yano 65-66-69-67   267  (beat T. Nogami by 4)
Site: Sodegaura Country Club  -  Chiba, Japan

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Asian Tour: Macao Open

Winner: David Gleeson 64-64-69-69   266  (beat W.T. Lin by 3)
Site: Macao Golf & Country Club  -  Coloane, Macao

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Sunshine Tour: Vodacom Origins of Golf Final

Winner: Jaco Van Zyl 70-68-76   214  (beat B. Vaughn by 1)
Site: St Francis Links  -  St Francis Bay, South Africa

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


LPGA Tour: Grand China Air LPGA

Winner: Helen Alfredsson 70-69-65   204  (beat Y. Tseng by 3)
Site: Haikou West Golf Club  -  Hainan Island, China

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Champions Tour: AT&T Championship

Winner: John Cook 65-68-65   198  (beat M. O'Meara by 2)
Site: Oak Hills Country Club  -  San Antonio, TX

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere...
JLPGA - Masters Golf Club Ladies - Shiho Oyama 209 (Story)
Nationwide - Miccosukee Championship - D.A. Points 272 (Story)
Euro Challenge - Apulia San Domenico Grand Finale - Estanislao Goya 261 (Story)

There is little question that the level of competition on the Asian and Japan Tours is not quite on par with that of Europe or the United States (insert OneAsia references/jokes here), but anytime a teenager barely old enough to drive competes at the highest level of any recognized tour, it is a major accomplishment.

Thus we must first offer a major tip of the cap to 17-year-old Korean Seung-yul Noh, who not only competed, in but actually won, last weekend's Midea China Classic, an official stop on the Asian circuit. The 2005 Korean Amateur champion, Noh became the third youngest winner in Asian Tour history by carding a 17-under-par 267 total, good enough to edge veteran Australian Terry Pilkadaris by one at the Royal Orchid International Golf Club in Guangzhou. More importantly, Noh has already proven his status as a legitimate Asian Tour star by thrice finishing runner-up in 2008, notably at May's Maekyung Open, where he lost to countryman Inn-choon Hwang in sudden death. Last week's victory moved him to 8th on the Order of Merit while also whetting our appetites for next month, when we'll see how he stacks up against some of the E Tour's best at the HSBC Champions and the Hong Kong Open.

Meanwhile, in Japan, 17-year-old Ryo Ishikawa - already an established star after rather incredibly winning the 2007 Munsingwear Open as a 15-year-old amateur! - contended for his second official victory at the Japan Open, ultimately finishing second, four shots behind Shingo Katayama. For Ishikawa, 2008 has been an up-and-down campaign, for he opened the year by tying for 5th at theToken Homemate Cup, and later tied for 3rd at July's Sega Sammy Cup - but also failed to better 17th in 14 additional starts, and managed to miss an impressive nine cuts. Such inconsistency has resulted in Ishikawa currently ranking only19th in the Order of Merit, but he's certainly receiving his share of much deserved attention.

And then we return to America, where one of the more revered surnames in the history of professional golf was revived in Las Vegas on Sunday when 30-year-old Marc Turnesa won the event formerly known as the Las Vegas Invitational. Turnesa is the grandson of six-time PGA Tour winner Mike Turnesa, whose six legendary golfing siblings included 1952 PGA Champion James, 13-time PGA Tour winner (and twice a Major championship runner-up) Joe, and one of the World War II era's great amateurs Willie, who claimed one British and two U.S national titles. Currently ranked 75th in 2008 earnings, Marc - who had never played in a PGA Tour event prior to 2008 - is now fully exempt on the PGA Tour through 2010, giving him a chance to potentially re-establish the Turnesa franchise with a vengeance. As to the how's and why's of such golfing talent skipping a generation, that's anyone's guess - but serious inquiries might best be addressed to Tommy Armour III, the previous poster boy for the concept.