WGT Golf News

By The Armchair Golfer

The LPGA season is underway at the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand. Forty-nine of the top 50 on the 2009 LPGA money list will tee it up at Siam Country Club outside of Bangkok, Thailand. World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa is the defending champion.

Although last year was tumultuous for the LPGA Tour, a new season and new commissioner had three of the LPGA's biggest stars in a sunny mood as they sat for a press conference on Tuesday.

Asked about LPGA commish Michael Whan and new sponsor announcements in recent weeks, Ochoa said, "We are all happy with the new commissioner. We're going in the right direction." Paula Creamer said, "His vision for our Tour is where it should be." Michelle Wie made it unanimous. "I've talked to Mike Whan and he's awesome. He sends e-mails to us and keeps in touch. He wants to know what we're thinking as players."

What the players think definitely matters. Just ask ex-LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens. It's early, but so far Whan's collaborative style is winning the players and a few new sponsors.

The three players also talked about their prospects as the season begins. Creamer, who suffered last year with a mysterious ailment, said she feels the best she has in a long time. Wie said she and other players are gunning for Ochoa's top spot. Lorena said she is just trying to concentrate on her own game and not be concerned about all the great talent chasing her, including last year's rookie of the year, Jiyai Shin.

Whether they're in for another bumpy season or not, look for the ladies to hang tough. The LPGA has survived since 1950 when a group of 13 women that included Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs and Betty Jameson founded the ladies tour. They'll be celebrating their 60th anniversary all year, which will include historic snapshots at LPGA.com.

Borrowing a phrase from Spock, who might be a commissioner candidate if Whan doesn't work out, may the LPGA live long and prosper.

(Images: Lancaster-Jones, Allison, /Flickr)

Some of you have made Pro or Master, gotten new Pro-tier or Master-tier clubs to celebrate, and then found that you could not use them in certain tournaments. This is because the game has a built-in rule that prevents you from playing in a tournament with higher level clubs if you signed up for that tournament while at a lower tier.

For example, if you signed up for a tournament as a Pro, but before the tournament ends you achieved Master and bought Master-level clubs, you will not be able to play that tournament with your new clubs. You should be able to play any new tournaments you sign up for with those new clubs. This rule helps to keep the playing field level as players get better and advance tiers.

Hope this helps!

We found the perfect photo to meld together Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year. Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Photo: FindGift.com

Happy Friday everyone, and enjoy the long weekend!

• Hole-in from 155 yrds on Kiawah #9 by jakestanfill7
• Bounce-in from 138 yrds on Bethpage #13 by Birdwell
• 86 yrd eagle on Bethpage #18 by palladio
• Out of the sand and into the hole on Bethpage #1 by spiderfan

The USGA has one of the most comprehensive collections of golf photography, with more than 500,000 images and more than 15,000 images added every year. Browse the collection of historic and modern-day images and pick one up today! There is also a gallery of free wallpapers that you can download.

By Ryan Ballengee

Srixon Golf presents an interesting new product for 2010. It's a bit of a throwback, though. Now, reintroducing the yellow golf ball!

This time, though, Srixon is pushing a yellow ball with some science behind it that suggests that the colored ball may actually help you play better.

Srixon sent out a press release a few days ago introducing the ball and explaining the technology.

"By tapping into the psychology of hitting each shot and the visualization and calming effect at address, the Z-STAR"! and Z-STAR"! X Tour Yellow golf balls incorporate the science of visual perception with the psychology of color effect on the human brain."

"Science has proven that yellow is the most visible color in the visual spectrum and psychology has correlated green with calming and stress relief; therefore Srixon has combined the two colors based on these findings to tap into the player's mind and expand the benefits of playing a better ball."

It kind of makes sense. A few years ago, Nike Golf came out with their Maxsight athletic contact lenses with specific hues for sporting performance. The color that they chose for golf was grey-green. They were designed to help with reading greens.

The lesson of the story is that Paula Creamer may have incidentally been onto something when she chose to play final rounds with a pink ball. She may love the color—and it is part of her nickname—but it may also have a positive psychological impact, too.

Lucas Glover outlasted the streaky Ricky Barnes and held off former major champions and sentimental favorites Phil Mickelson and David Duval to win the 2009 U.S. Open Championship at Bethpage State Park. With a gut-check final-round 73, highlighted by a 4-foot birdie putt on the 70th hole of the championship that separated him from his pursuers, Glover got in the clubhouse at this public golf shrine in 4-under-par 276. That was two shots better than the aforementioned trio and gave Glover, 29, his second professional victory.

Revisit the site of the 109th U.S. Open on the Black Course in a two-round online tournament to win USGA and Bethpage memorabilia! The first round started yesterday and ends Feb. 26. In the first round, you can play an unlimited number of times between now and Feb. 26. Your best score will automatically post. The second round is single play beginning on Feb. 26 and ending March 14. The winners will have the  lowest combined scores of both rounds. Good luck!  Play Now

Prizes Include:

		First place: USGA Photo Store Print from Bethpage Choose your own Photo Store print from the USGA's collection of historic and modern-day images, which include the players, courses and moments that have been etched in the memory of golf fans. The USGA Museum archival reproductions are made from high-resolution digital photographs and digital scans utilizing the latest state-of-the-art digital technology. Once you choose which image you want, the matted image will be encased in a Larson-Juhl custom-made wood frame. See photos.usgamuseum.com for more information. A $500 value.
		Second place: Bethpage plate A commemorative Bethpage pewter plate made by Wilton Armetale, a family-owned and family-run business founded in 1892. Each plate is individually, intricately and uniquely handcrafted. Therefore, no two pieces are exactly alike. A $62 value.
		Third place: 2009 U.S. Open Highlight DVD With the 2009 U.S. Open’s much-anticipated return to Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, golf fans knew they could expect to see a challenging test for the world’s best players. No one counted on the complications Mother Nature would add to the mix. Bethpage’s grounds crew and the players rose to the occasion as they battled the elements during the 109th U.S. Open Championship. When the skies cleared, 29-year-old Lucas Glover hoisted the championship trophy. Approximately 60 minutes. A $19.95 value.

WGT's Pinehurst No. 8 is featured on ESPN.com's list of free online games! We'd love your help giving WGT a high rating by scoring the game 10 out of 10 stars. Play some rounds, show them what you've got, and remember to give us a high rating. To rate the game, you will need to create an ESPN.com account if you don't have one already.

Here are the notes from today's product patch:

Thought You Tamed the Monster? Bethpage Black, Now with Randomly Selected Hole Groups

In December, we gave you six sets of new hole groups—two "easy", two "medium", and two "hard". In today's update, we've randomized the hole groups for each difficulty level to give you infinitely more variety. There are still three categories (easy, medium, and hard), but instead of limiting you to one of two sets of hole groups in each level, you will now get a set that is randomly selected from all the possible hole locations in that level.

In addition to being available in practice and ranked rounds, these hole locations are now also available in multiplayer games and stroke play tournaments. The category of holes you get for ranked games will be based on your tier, and for multiplayer games it will be based on the tier of the highest ranking player. Your hole category in stroke play tournaments will be determined by criteria we set up for the tournament, but will most often be based on your tier. In practice games, you will be able to specify the category you prefer, and the game will select a random group of holes for the course based on that category.

Forum Moderation

The first few posts to the forums by a new player will now be moderated. We will review the posts and approve or reject them, and then decide whether to un-moderate the player. Please note that it may take up to 72 hours after the first post for a new user to be unmoderated.

Bug Fixes

• Your friend activity stream should go beyond one page now.
• The accuracy gauge on the swing meter once again reduces in size while the swing meter is held back.
• You should now be able to change your putter distance after taking a practice shot.
• When viewing a ready-go tournament in the game window, it now correctly displays the number of people who have posted a score. Previously, it always displayed 0.
• You should no longer be able to swing while in reverse camera views by clicking on your avatar when the swing meter is not present.
• Improved the error message you get when trying to purchase an avatar you already own.

From now until March 31, play the SkyCaddie SGX Sweepstakes Challenge for your chance to win one of five new SkyCaddie SGX rangefinders! The SkyCaddie SGX is the The Next Generation Rangefinder, featuring a durable, sleek design and a brilliant 3-inch color transflective LCD screen that is unmatched in graphical clarity indoors and in direct sunlight. Play free today >