PGA Tour:  Frys.com Open

Site: Grayhawk Golf Club (Raptor course)  -  Scottsdale, AZ
Yards: 7,125     Par: 70
Defending: Mike Weir 266  (beat M. Hensby by 1)
Field:   World Top 25: Mike Weir (22)   Other Notables: Steve Elkington, Lee Janzen, Tom Lehman & Davis Love III.
 
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European PGA Tour:  Castello Masters Costa Azahar

Site: Club de Campo del Mediterraneo  -  Castellon, Spain
Meters: 6,227      Par: 72
Defending: New Event
Field:   World Top 25: Sergio Garcia (5), Camilo Villegas (6), Henrik Stenson (10) & Justin Rose (15)   Other Notables: Angel Cabrera, Paul Casey, Jose Maria Olazabal, Andres Romero & Jeev Milkha Singh
 
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Japan Tour:  Bridgestone Open

Site: Sodegaura Country Club  -  Chiba, Japan
Yards: 7,138     Par: 72
Defending: Shingo Katayama 270  (beat three players by 1)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Toshi Izawa, Singo Katayama, Prayad Marksaeng, Shigeki Maruyama & Toru Taniguchi.
 
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Asian Tour:  Macao Open

Site: Macao Golf & Country Club  -  Coloane, Macao
Yards: 6,263     Par: 71
Defending: Wen-The Lu 201  (beat R. Moir in a playoff)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Not many.
 
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Sunshine Tour:  Vodacom Origins of Golf Final

Site: St Francis Links  -  St Francis Bay, South Africa
Yards: 6,719     Par: 72
Defending: Titch Moore 209  (beat U. ven den Berg by 3)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Desvonde Botes, James Kamte, James Kingston & Des Terblanche.
 
                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL
 
 
Champions Tour:  AT&T Championship

Site: Oak Hills Country Club  - San Antonio, TX
Yards: 6,670     Par: 71
Defending: John Cook 198  (beat M. O’Meara by 2)
Field:   Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Bernhard Langer (2), Eduardo Romero (4), Nick Price (9) & Tom Watson (10)   Other Notables: Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Hubert Green, Hale Irwin, Sandy Lyle, Gil Morgan, Larry Nelson, Mark O’Meara, Lee Trevino & Fuzzy Zoeller.
 
                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE         AERIAL
 
 
Elsewhere…
JLPGA – Masters Golf Club Ladies – Miki, Japan
Nationwide – Miccosukee Championship – Miami, FL
Euro Challenge – Apulia San Domenico Grand Finale 8 0 Puglia, Italy

PGA Tour:  Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals Open

Winner: Marc Turnesa   62-64-69-68   263  (beat M. Kuchar by 1)
Site:  TPC Summerlin  -  Las Vegas, NV
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
European PGA Tour:  Portugal Masters

Winner: Alvaro Quiros   66-68-67-68   269  (beat P. Lawrie by 3)
Site:  Oceanico Victoria Golf Course  -  Vilamoura, Portugal
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Japan Tour:  Japan Open

Winner: Shingo Katayama   68-72-72-71   283  (beat R. Ishikawa by 4)
Site:  Koga Golf Club  -  Fukuoka, Japan
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Asian Tour:  Midea China Classic

Winner: Seung-Yul Noh   66-66-67-68   267  (beat T. Pilkadaris by 1)
Site:  Royal Orchid International Golf Club  -  Guangzhou, China
 
STORY         RESULT        MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Sunshine Tour:  Metmar Highveld Classic

Winner: James Kamte   69-63-64   196  (beat three players by 5)
Site:  Witbank Golf Club  -  Mpumalanga, South Africa
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
LPGA Tour:  Kapalua LPGA Classic

Winner: Morgan Pressel   72-72-67-69   280  (beat S. Pettersen by 1)
Site:  Kapalua Resort (Bay course)  -  Maui, HI
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Champions Tour:  Administaff Small Business Classic

Winner: Bernhard Langer   68-67-69   204  (beat L. Nielsen by 2)
Site:  The Woodlands Country Club (Tournament course)  -  The Woodlands, TX
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Elsewhere…
JLPGA – Fujitsu Ladies – Yuri Fudoh 203   (Story)
Nationwide – Chattanooga Classic – Arjun Atwal 264   (Story)
Euro Challenge – Maragra Diehl-Ako Platinum Open – Taco Remkes 270   (Story)
Futures – Duramed Invitational – Vicky Hurst 211   (Story)

At times like this – upon hearing that perhaps the most aggressive, charging, vibrant golfer of the last 50 years has been diagnosed with a brain tumor – there is a tendency to fall back on maudlin prose about fate, life and death, and all the rest.  To my mind, this makes for a tedious read.

Conversely, to start recounting Seve Ballesteros’ myriad accomplishments might, in its own way, be distasteful, amounting, in a sense, to eulogizing the man well before the game is over.

So instead I will simply offer a few random thoughts on one of the more complex golfers of our time, beginning with a note about his personality.  For most American fans, Seve has long been a player easy to dislike, his desire to succeed in the Ryder Cup appearing almost obsessive, his demands for E Tour appearance money and an unwillingness to meet the PGA Tour’s minimum standard of 15 annual events during the 1980s appearing plainly arrogant.  Stories of his gamesmanship are legion, as are his misadventures with caddies, and his legendary ego.  Indeed, one of my favorite Seve stories came following Bernhard Langer’s missed 6’ putt that cost Europe the 1991 Ryder Cup.  In attempts at supporting his crestfallen teammate, Ballesteros noted with his customary verve that “ “No one in the world can make that putt.  It is too much pressure for anyone.  Not even Jack Nicklaus in his prime will make that putt...Not even me!”

But beyond all of these not-so-tasteful things, there lies, I am reliably told, a pretty decent fellow.  In researching The Book of Golfers several years back, I ran the draft of my not-so-complimentary Seve profile past a respected contemporary of his on the European Tour and received an interesting response.  Yes, I was told, the negatives about the man were largely true.  But beyond all of that, Seve was generally liked by his E Tour peers, particularly the younger, less-established players whom he frequently found time to help and support.  Perhaps because of his own none-too-affluent youth, Ballesteros, it seems, remained “one of the guys” to a fairly high degree in Europe – though clearly both that approach and image didn’t travel across the Atlantic with him very well.

Another Seve story that remains little told in America (though it is well-known in Europe) took place at the 1979 French Open when his close friend and fellow Spanish professional Salvador Balbuena suddenly passed away – at age 29 – from a heart attack.  Much of the grief-stricken Spanish contingent withdrew from the event but Ballesteros elected to compete and donate his winnings to Balbuena’s widow and children.  After struggling with his emotions throughout the week, Seve carded Sunday’s low round, a five-under-par 68, to tie for third.

And then there is this last item that strikes me: Early in his professional career, as his victories and Major championships mounted, it became a common refrain that Tiger Woods played the game like no golfer before him.  Perhaps that was true then, but our present-day Tiger, while still unquestionably the best golfer on earth, is not quite so original.  For a good quarter-century before Woods began swinging from the heels, then recovering from all manner of bizarre places, Seve Ballesteros had perfected the method, his sense of dash and style in navigating back from parts unknown matched in the game’s annals only by the legendary Walter Hagen.

Seve’s game is gone now; regardless of how his health issues play out, we will never again see that swashbuckling golfer win seemingly just by the massive force of his will.  But his presence in the game, especially in Europe, where he largely put it on the professional sports map, remains both imposing and important.

Hopefully he’ll keep filling that role for a long, long while to come.

PGA Tour:  Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals Open

Site: TPC Summerlin  -  Las Vegas, NV
Yards: 7,243     Par: 72
Defending: George McNeill 264  (beat D.J. Trahan by 4)
Field:   World Top 25: Mike Weir (23) & Rory Sabbatini (24)   Other Notables: Paul Azinger, Fred Couples, David Duval, Steve Elkington & Davis Love III.
 
                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL
 
 
European PGA Tour:  Portugal Masters

Site: Oceanico Victoria Golf Course  -  Vilamoura, Portugal
Yards: 7,105      Par: 72
Defending: New Event
Field:   World Top 25: Robert Karlsson (8), Lee Westwood (12) & Miguel Angel Jimenez (20)   Other Notables: Angel Cabrera, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Colin Montgomerie, Charl Schwartzel & Richard Sterne.
 
                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL
 
 
Japan Tour:  Japan Open

Site: Koga Golf Club  -  Fukuoaka, Japan
Yards: 6,797     Par: 71
Defending: Toru Taniguchi 283  (beat S. Katayama by 2)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Isao Aoki, Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama, Prayad Marksaeng, Frankie Minoza, Tommy Nakajima & Toru Taniguchi.
 
                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL
 
 
Asian Tour:  Midea China Classic

Site: Royal Orchid International Golf Club  -  Guangzhou, China
Yards: 6,889     Par: 71
Defending: Thaworn Wiratchant 263  (beat C. Phadungsil & S. Yates in a playoff)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Wen-Chong Liang, Thaworn Wiratchant.
 
                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL
 
 
Sunshine Tour:  Metmar Highveld Classic

Site: Witbank Golf Club  -  Mpumalanga, South Africa
Yards: 6,772     Par: 72
Defending: Marc Cayeux 202  (beat U. van den Berg by 3)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Desvonde Botes, Darren Fichardt & James Kamte.   

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL
 
 
LPGA Tour:  Kapalua LPGA Classic

Site: Kapalua Resort (Bay course)  -  Maui, Hawaii
Yards: 6,600     Par: 72
Defending: New Event
Field:   World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20 except Paula Creamer (3), Ji-Yai Shin (7), Inbee Park (13), Yuri Fudoh (14) & Jeong Jang (15)    Other Notables: Laura Davie, Rachel Hetherington, Juli Inkster & Liselotte Neumann.
 
                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL
 
 
Champions Tour:  Administaff Small Business Classic

Site: The Woodlands Country Club (Tournament course)  -  The Woodlands, TX
Yards: 7,018     Par: 72     
Defending: Bernhard Langer 191  (beat M. O’Meara by 8)
Field:   Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Tom Watson (9) & Mark McNulty (13)   Other Notables: Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Fleisher, Hubert Green, Hale Irwin, Gil Morgan, Larry Nelson, Mark O’Meara, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Lee Trevino & Fuzzy Zoeller.
 
                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL
 
 
Elsewhere…
JLPGA – Fujitsu Ladies – Chiba, Japan
Nationwide – Chattanooga Classic – Chattanooga, TN
Euro Challenge – Maragra Diehl-Ako Platinum Open – Margara, Italy
Futures – Duramed Invitational – Braselton, GA

PGA Tour:  Valero Texas Open

Winner: Zach Johnson   69-66-62-64   261  (beat three players by 2)
Site:  La Cantera Golf Club (Resort course)  -  San Antonio, TX
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
European PGA Tour:  Madrid Masters

Winner: Charl Schwartzel   69-64-66-66   265  (beat R. Gonzalez by 3)
Site:  Club de Campo Villa de Madrid  -  Madrid, Spain
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Japan Tour:  Canon Open

Winner: Makoto Inoue   70-71-69-65   275  (beat four players by 1)
Site:  Totsuka Country Club  -  Kanagawa, Japan
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Asian Tour:  Hero Honda Indian Open

Winner: Wen-Chong Liang   60-71-71-70   272  (beat D. Beck by 1)
Site:  Delhi Golf Club  -  New Delhi, India
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Sunshine Tour:  BMG Classic

Winner: Doug McGuigan   68-70-68   206  (beat J. Van Zyl by 1)
Site: Ebotse Golf & Country Estate  -  Johannesburg,20South Africa
 
STORY        RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
LPGA Tour:  Longs Drugs Challenge

Winner: In-Kyung Kim   67-69-69-73   278  (beat A. Stanford by 2)
Site: Blackhawk Country Club  -  Danville, CA
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Champions Tour:  Senior Players Championship

Winner: D.A. Weibring   67-70-66-68   271  (beat F. Funk by 1)
Site: Baltimore Country Club (East course)  -  Timonium, MD
 
STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS
 
 
Elsewhere…
JLPGA – Sankyo Ladies Open – Mai Wakabayashi 208     (Story)   
Nationwide – WNB Golf Classic – Mark Leishman 267     (Story)
Euro Seniors – Lake Garda Italian Seniors Open – Peter Mitchell 203     (Story)
Omega China – Omega Championship – Zhou Jun 282     (Story)

It’s a good thing I’m a fan of Robert Karlsson (I think it goes back to the volcanic sand…) because by winning last weekend’s Dunhill Links Championship, the streaking Swede pulled the rug out from under my Miguel-Angel-Jimenez- for-E-Tour-Player-of-the-Year piece before even a single week had passed.  Karlsson managed to steal his Dunhill victory after starting Sunday tied for 7th, three off the pace, following a disappointing Saturday 76 at Carnoustie.  His closing 65 at St Andrews drew him right back into the fight, however, and when Germany’s talented Martin Kaymer bogeyed the Road hole, Kaymer, Karlsson and England’s Ross Fisher played off.  Karlsson made quick order of things by birdieing the first with a three-footer to salt away his second straight E Tour triumph (having claimed the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Cologne during September).  With three of the Tour’s four remaining official events taking place in Spain, however, we must assume Jimenez to hold something of a home field advantage.  But well beyond this mythical POY contest (“mythical” because we’ve ignored Padraig Harrington – writing him off to America – just so there might be something to talk about), we now must consider the prospect of the 39-year-old Karlsson emerging not just as a dominant Euro star but perhaps as a (near) future top-5 player worldwide.

This, after all, is a man whose remarkable season (only one non-top 10 from the E Tour’s return to the Continent through late August’s SAS Masters) seemed to be cooling down…until he rang the bell twice in consecutive starts.  Further, he finished  T8 at the Masters, T4 at the U.S. Open and T7 at the Open Championship, then led the PGA Championship on Thursday before ultimately fading to a tie for 20th.  Toss in a Ryder Cup appearance (including a 5&3 dusting of Justin Leonard in singles) and one clearly must wonder if the matured Karlsson – perhaps no longer the game’s least-tethered spirit? – is ready for truly big things in 2009.

His talent, to be sure, has always been imposing.

Meanwhile, moving further East, whatever happened to OneAsia?

It seems that the Asian Tour has thus far managed – through either its own growing financial clout or its burgeoning ties with the E Tour – to derail the prospect, killing its chances of a 2009 debut and generally raising far more questions than answers.  Truthfully, it does seem difficult to envision a meaningful OneAsia without a full commitment from the region’s eponymous tour.  The Australasian Tour, after all, is on life support, and possesses nowhere near enough economic clout to drive the proposed new tour’s wheel, and I have always been skeptical regarding the desire of the Japan Tour (which has long stood very nicely on its own) to take a leadership role.

Currently being discussed are a set of 2009 WGC-style super events for the region, high-profile tournaments (selected from existing schedules) open to members of all of the region’s competing tours.  This might well be an important first step in the long-term uniting the region, and, one presumes, a desperately necessary move for the Australasian circuit, which would immediately add multiple big-money events to its otherwise dwindling schedule.

But with rumors persisting of a potential merger between the European and Asian tours somewhere down the line, OneAsia doesn’t appear to be going anywhere fast.

For now.

PGA Tour:  Valero Texas Open

Site: LaCantera Golf Club (Resort course)  -  San Antonio, TX
Yards: 6,896     Par: 70
Defending: Justin Leonard 261  (beat J. Parnevik in a playoff)
Field:   World Top 25: Justin Leonard (23) & Rory Sabbatini (24)   Other Notables: Tommy Armour II, David Duval, Steve Elkington, Lee Janzen, Davis Love III.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


European PGA Tour:  Madrid Masters

Site: Club de Campo Villa de Madrid  -  Madrid, Spain
Yards: 6,970     Par: 71
Defending: New Event
Field:   World Top 25: Miguel Angel Jimenez (20)   Other Notables: Angel Cabrera, Martin Kaymer, Jose Maria Olazabal & Charl Schwartzel.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Japan Tour:  Canon Open

Site: Totsuka Country Club  -  Kanagawa, Japan
Yards: 6,622     Par: 72
Defending: New Event
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Toshi Izawa, Shingo Katayama, Shigeki Maruyama, Frankie Minoza, Tommy Nakajima, Craig Parry & Toru Taniguchi.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Asian Tour:  Hero Honda Indian Open

Site: Delhi Golf Club  -  New Delhi, India
Yards: 6,882     Par: 72
Defending: Jyoti Randhawa 275  (beat T.P. Chang by 3)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: S.S.P. Chowrasia, Jyoti Randhawa & Jeev Milkha Singh.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Sunshine Tour:  BMG Classic

Site: Ebotse Golf & Country Estate  -  Johannesburg, South Africa
Meters: 6,372      Par: 72
Defending: Marc Cayeux 202  (beat U. van den Berg by 3)
Field:   World Top 25: None    Other Notables: Desvonde Botes, Darren Fichardt & PowerHouse McIntyre.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


LPGA Tour:  Longs Drugs Challenge

Site: Blackhawk Country Club (Lakeside course)  -  Danville, CA
Yards: 6,212     Par: 72
Defending: Suzann Pettersen 277  (beat L. Ochoa in a playoff)
Field:   World Top 20: The entire Rolex top 20 except Annika Sorenstam (2), Cristi Kerr (6), Ji-Yai Shin (7), Karrie Webb (8), Momoko Ueda (11), Inbee Park (12), Yuri Fudoh (15), Angela Park (17), Jee-Young Lee (18)    Other Notables: Laura Davies, Rachel Hetherington, Juli Inkster & Liselotte Neumann.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Champions Tour:  Senior Players Championship

Site: Baltimore Country Club (East course)  -  Timonium, MD
Yards: 7,037     Par: 70
Defending: Loren Roberts 267  (beat T. Watson by 6)
Field:   Ranked: The entire Charles Schwab Cup top 20 except Tom Watson (9)   Other Notables: Ben Crenshaw, Bruce Fleisher, Hale Irwin, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Gil Morgan, Larry Nelson, Curtis Strange, Craig Stadler & Fuzzy Zoeller.

                    ENTRANTS          WEBSITE          GOLF COURSE          AERIAL


Elsewhere…
JLPGA – Sankyo Ladies Open – Gunma Prefecture, Japan
Nationwide – WNB Golf Classic – Midland, TX
Euro Seniors – Lake Garda Italian Seniors Open – Lake Garda, Italy
Omega China – Omega Championship – Beijing, China

PGA Tour:  Turning Stone Resort Championship

Winner: Dustin Johnson   72-68-70-69   279  (beat R. Allenby by 1)
Site: Atunyote Golf Club -  Verona, NY

STORY         RESULT          MONEY LIST       STATS         INTERVIEWS


European PGA Tour:  Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Winner: Robert Karlsson   67-70-76-65   278  (beat R. Fisher & M. Kaymer in a playoff)
Site: St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns Golf Links  -  Fife, Scotland

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Japan Tour:  Coca-Cola Tokai Classic

Winner: Toshinori Muto   69-70-69-69   277  (beat Y. Ikeda by 2)
Site: Miyoshi Country Club (West course)  -  Aiichi, Japan

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Asian Tour:  Kolon-Hana Bank Korean Open

Winner: Sang-moon Bae   67-70-67-69   273  (beat I. Poulter by 1)
Site: Woo Jeong Hills Country Club  -  Cheonan, Korea

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Sunshine Tour:  Seekers Travel Pro-Am

Winner: Trevor Fisher   68-67-71   206  (beat D. Botes in a playoff)
Site: Dainfern Country Club  - Dainfern, South Africa

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


LPGA Tour:  Samsung World Championship

Winner: Paula Creamer   68-74-68-69   279  (beat S.H. Kim by 1)
Site: Half Moon Bay Golf Links (Ocean course)  -  Half Moon Bay, CA

STORY         RESULT         MONEY LIST         STATS         INTERVIEWS


Elsewhere…
A streaking Gwladys Nocera won her second LET title in three weeks (and her fifth title in 2008) at the Madrid Ladies Masters, her 208 total beating homestanding Paula Marti by four………Korea’s Ji-Hee Lee won the Japan Women’s Open in Niigata, her second JLPGA title of 2008.  Lee birdied the 72nd hole to shoot 284 and edge Ai Miyazato and Esther Lee by one………Scotland’s Richie Ramsay won for the second time on the European Challenge Tour, carding a 269 total to defeat Richard McEvoy by two at the AGF-Allianz Open de Tolouse.

Though not quite a household name in the golfing world, my friend Don Carlson – a former Southern California golf administrator and for 64 years a member at the Riviera Country Club – passed away on Sunday in Los Angeles at age 94.  A marshal behind the 18th green for several decades worth of Los Angeles Opens, Mr. Carlson, a longtime high school baseball and basketball coach in Los Angeles, and a long-ago basketball star at Drake University, was also a talented golfer, shooting his age both at Riviera and in an International Seniors Amateur Golfing Society event at Biarritz, France in 1997.  But beyond these measurable accomplishments, Mr. Carlson was a grand, old-fashioned gentleman whose firsthand, on-the-spot knowledge of Los Angeles golf – he knew everyone from Babe Zaharias to the now-famous Mysterious Montague – forever proved a walking encyclopedia for my own historical research.

Throughout Southern California golfing circles and especially at Riviera, he will be dearly missed.

So it’s barely October, but at least I had the decency to wait until the high drama of the FedEx Cup was complete (would Vijay sign an incorrect scorecard?) before selecting Players Of The Year for major tours around the world.  Of course, the truth is that I simply lacked the time to put this piece together on Thursday or Friday – because even if Vijay had stubbed his toe, withdrawn, and passed on $10 million, it wouldn’t have affected my selections one bit.
 
But to be fair, I never thought much of the Tour Championship even before it became the excitement-free anchor of the Finchem – er, FedEx Cup.
 
Anyway, with the understanding that several faraway tours still have featured events remaining to be played…
 
 
The PGA Tour

I recognize that in some quarters (mostly American) there might be a some debate on this, but for my money there’s only one realistic choice: Padraig Harrington.  True, Tiger Woods won four times in six starts, including an heroic performance at June’s U.S. Open.  But in the end, Harrington not only won two Major championships, he did so in epic fashion, pulling away over the closing holes at both Royal Birkdale and Oakland Hills.  True, hypothetically speaking, had Tiger played a dozen events and won, say seven of them, there might have been a worthwhile discussion to be had……but even then, I’d have still chosen Harrington’s two Majors.  Because in the end, Bobby Jones might have won 20 Majors had he not retired at age 28, Ben Hogan might have claimed 15 had he not collided with a bus, and Harry Vardon might have won a dozen Open Championships had he not been stricken with tuberculosis.  But those are all “might haves,” whereas Jack Nicklaus actually went out and won his 18.
 
As Padraig won his two.
 
End of story.
 
 
The European PGA Tour

Obviously this too would be Harrington, as Major championships are official events on the E Tour schedule just like they are in America.  But getting in the spirit of the thing (i.e.discounting them entirely), serious candidates for strictly European POY honors would essentially be limited to Lee Westwood, Robert Karlsson and Miguel Angel Jimenez, for several other two-time winners (Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke) were simply too inconsistent to merit ultimate consideration.  Westwood, though second to Harrington in the Order of Merit and seven times (!) a top-3 finisher, has thus far failed to win a 2008 E Tour event, which derails his candidacy in my book.  Jimenez, who sits 4th in the OoM, won twice (in Hong Kong early, and at the prestigious BMW PGA Championship in May) and added three more top-3 finishes beginning in Mid-July, making for a consistent all-around season.  Of course, nobody was more consistent than Karlsson, who was scarcely ever out of the top 10, either in Europe or worldwide, after March before finally winning the Mercedes-Benz Championship in September.  Yet in the end, while his six total top-3s nose ahead of Jimenez’s five, the Mechanic’s second win seems enough to clinch the deal.  True, this less-prestigious win didn’t even occur in 2008, for it came at last November’s Hong Kong Open which, by dint of the E Tour’s crafty scheduling, manages to annually count on the following year’s schedule.  But this quasi-’08 triumph remains significantly relevant because it came head-to-head against Karlsson, who suffered the cruel misfortune of double-bogeying the 72nd hole to lose by one.
 
By actually coming in 2007, it’s a narrow margin indeed – but enough to make Jimenez the Player Of The Year.
 
 
The Japan Tour

With fully 10 events left on the schedule (including the Japan Open and the perennially strong-field Dunlop Phoenix and Casio World Open), it’s way too early to say – but at this moment, Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng is the circuit’s only two-time 2008 winner, and sits 4th in the Order of Merit despite only making 10 starts.
 
But there’s much golf still to be played.
 
 
The Asian Tour

Like Japan, with a dozen official events left (several quite prestigious), it’s simply too soon to select a winner.  New Zealand’s Mark Brown is the only player to win multiple Asian events, but both the SAIL Open and the Johnnie Walker Classic came way back in February.  At present, Jeev Milkha Singh (who’s burnished his CV in Europe and occasionally America in ’08) sits 2nd in the OoM, while India’s S.S.P. Chowrasia, a winner in his homeland back in February, sits 3rd.
 
 
The Sunshine Tour

With the Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge, the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the South African Open all scheduled for December, nothing’s settled yet (especially since the Tour’s top stars haven’t been playing at home since March).  Europe will be well into their 2009 schedule (albeit in calendar ’08, and including the latter two of these events) before this is settled.
 
 
The LPGA Tour

Strive as one might to create some discussion based on her quiet(er) second half, Lorena Ochoa remains the only realistic choice – and it’s really a no-brainer.  Yani Tseng and Inbee Park both matched Ochoa’s season Major championship total (one) but neither could claim so much as a single additional victory, leaving them miles shy of Ochoa’s seven.  Among the more traditional contenders, Annika Sorenstam looked ready to go out on a rocket by winning thrice by mid May, but has been heard from little since, while Paula Creamer has also claimed three titles, but noting since mid-July.  The only disappointing aspect of Ochoa’s season is that having won six times (including the Kraft Nabisco) in nine starts through May 18th, she seemed hot enough to make talk of a Grand Slam at least quasi-realistic, and a run on Mickey Wright’s single-season record of 13 wins downright plausible.  The Grand Slam will have to wait for another day, but with six official events left on the schedule, 13 wins is…extremely unlikely.
 
But Lorena Ochoa is, by any measure, the runaway choice for LPGA Player Of  The Year.
 
 
The Ladies European Tour

A resurgent Helen Alfredsson may lead the Order of Merit but for all of her fine play, Alfredsson has only one title (the LPGA co-sponsored Evian Masters) on her 2008 docket.  France’s Gwladys Nocera, on the other hand, sits 2nd in the OoM, but has racked up an impressive four victories – one more than Lotta Wahlin (6th in the OoM) and two more than Suzann Pettersen (5th), Amy Yang (4th), Rebecca Hudson (8th) and Martina Eberl (3rd).  With five events remaining, including the season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters, advantage Nocera.
 
 
The JLPGA Tour

Similarly in the driver’s seat  is six-time JLPGA leading money winner Yuri Fudoh, who thus far leads her home circuit with three 2008 victories.  Several players have amassed two, however, including LPGA Tour regular Momoko Ueda and former LPGA competitor Akiko Fukushima, with the latter also leading the Order of Merit.  But of all the tours which must be graded “incomplete” at this stage, none will likely be subject to more change than the JLPGA, as nine official events remain including two of the circuits “Majors,” this week’s Japan’s Women’s Open and late November’s Tour Championship.

Stay tuned.