Golf Tips

Welcome to the British (Wide) Open at Royal Birkdale.

SOUTHPORT, England — Players have downplayed the absence of Tiger Woods at the 137th British Open at Royal Birkdale this week. “It’s bigger than any one golfer,” Lee Westwood and others said in lockstep.

SOUTHPORT, England — Sleep didn’t come easy on those first few nights, when Sergio Garcia’s emotions were still raw, when he would replay the last minutes of the 136th British Open at Carnoustie for hours on end. He remembers walking down the 17th fairway, where he spotted Padraig Harrington walking the wrong way toward him from the 18th hole, and he remembers smiling and saying hello.

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Anthony Kim stopped off on his way to the clubhouse, whipped out his pen to sign a few autographs, then looked back impatiently at his caddie, still loitering on the ninth green.

The following is a timeline of the Open Championship, dating all the way back to 1860.

Someone asked me what it’s like to have a major championship knowing that Tiger Woods won’t be around. “Refreshing,” I said. I was kidding, but it is a little strange to go into a pair of majors without the No. 1 player in the world. It’ll be like the Players Championship — we’ll end up with Sergio Garcia having to fend off Paul Goydos.

Royal Birkdale has a reputation as the fairest of all links courses in the British Open rotation.

STATELINE, Nev. (AP) — Rick Rhoden birdied the last two holes Sunday to win a record seventh American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, edging four-time champ Dan Quinn on the shores of Lake Tahoe where they’ve been rivals for 18 years.

SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Kenny Perry beat Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson in a playoff to win the John Deere Classic and escape with his third victory in five starts after bogeying the 18th hole on Sunday.

Phil Mickelson had a hole-in-one at the Scottish Open on Friday to make the cut and go into the weekend five strokes behind leader Angel Cabrera.

STATELINE, Nev. (AP) — In a field filled with quarterbacks, hockey players topped the leaderboard at Lake Tahoe on Friday.

PGA and European Tour player Luke Donald will be forced to miss at least the next three to four weeks, including The Open Championship next week, after suffering a wrist injury during the final round at the U.S. Open last month.

STATELINE, Nev. (AP) — Six-time champion Rick Rhoden was back in a familiar place Saturday in the lead at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe.

LUSS, Scotland (AP) — Graeme McDowell and Simon Khan shared the Scottish Open lead and Phil Mickelson was six shots back after the third round Saturday.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Former PGA Tour professional and Duke Sports Hall of Fame member Mike Souchak has died.

Tiger Woods is on pace to pass one billion dollars in career earning by 2010

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Greg Norman’s divorce from his wife of 26 years came with a hefty price tag - $103 million.

LONDON (AP) — Luke Donald of England will miss the British Open next week because of a wrist injury that will keep him out of competition for three to four weeks, jeopardizing his hopes of qualifying for the Ryder Cup team.

LUSS, Scotland (AP) — Phil Mickelson had a hole-in-one at the Scottish Open on Friday to make the cut and go into the weekend five strokes behind leader Angel Cabrera.

SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) — In the quiet of the locker room after missing the cut a year ago, a disgusted Paula Creamer swore she’d get even with Highland Meadows Golf Club.

Michelle Wie has been given a sponsor’s exemption to play in the $2.25 million Canadian Women’s Open, the Royal Canadian Golf Association said.

SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) — Paula Creamer birdied nine of her last 11 holes to shoot a course-record 60 on the par-71 Highland Meadows course Thursday in the opening round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.

Tony Romo, a native of Burlington, Wis., was home visiting family and decided to join his father, Ramiro, in the Ray Fischer 72-hole Amateur Championship at Riverside Golf Course in Janesville, an event run by the Wisconsin Public Links Association.