Philadelphia, PA – LPGA TOUR - CME GROUP TITLEHOLDERS, The TwinEagles Club, Naples, Florida - The final official event of the season is on hand for the LPGA Tour with the CME Group Titleholders.
Three players from every official event gained a spot in the field for this second year event.
Last year, Hee Young Park carded four rounds under par to finish at minus-9. She won the title by two strokes over Paula Creamer and Sandra Gal.
The victory for Park was her first on the LPGA Tour. She has collected five top-10 finishes this season and stands 34th on the money list.
The field this week includes the top-31 players on the money list, 48 of the top 50, and all 16 winners from this season.
Last year, the event was contested at the Grand Cypress Golf Club, but has switched to The TwinEagles Club in Naples this year.
Golf Channel is slated to cover all four rounds.
This the final event of the year for the LPGA Tour. The lone offseason event remaining after this week is the LPGA Tour Qualifying School, which kicks off November 28.
EUROPEAN TOUR
UBS HONG KONG OPEN, Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong - The European Tour has a pair of events this week, with the top player in the world headlining the field at the Hong Kong Open.
Rory McIlroy returns to Hong Kong Golf Club to defend his title. Last year, he closed with a 5-under 65 to beat Gregory Havret by two strokes. Havret also shot 65 in the final round.
They both soared past third-round leader Alvaro Quiros, who stumbled to a 3- over 73 to slide into a share of seventh.
McIlroy clinched the European Tour Order of Merit with his third-place finish in Singapore last weekend. Like Luke Donald last year, McIlroy won both the European Tour and PGA Tour money titles. Those were the first two times anyone ever won both titles in the same year.
The world No. 1 will face the likes of Padraig Harrington, Paul Casey, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Paul Lawrie and Singapore Open winner Matteo Manassero in his titles defense this week.
Golf Channel will have late night, early morning coverage of all four rounds.
SA OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate, Ekurhuleni, South Africa - Another group of European Tour golfers will be in South Africa this week for their national Championship, the SA Open Championship.
One of South Africa's major champions, 2011 Masters champ Charl Schwartzel, along with 2010 PGA Championship winner Martin Kaymer will be among the headliners at the Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate this week.
Last year, Hennie Otto only needed an even-par 72 in the final round to earn his second European Tour title. He did most of his damage in the middle two rounds, where he went 67-65.
Otto stumbled to three bogeys in a 4-hole span on the back nine to lose his 3- stroke lead. However, he birdied the 17th to regain the lead and parred the last to claim the title.
Golf Channel will also have coverage of this event.
The European Tour heads to Dubai next week for the DP World Tour Championship. Quiros won by two strokes last year.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
CHAMPIONS TOUR Q SCHOOL, TPC Eagle Trace, Coral Springs, Florida - Champions Tour Q School kicks off Tuesday in Florida.
Last year's Q School medalist, Jeff Freeman, is back in the field this week. Freeman fired four straight 5-under 66s at the TPC Scottsdale to win by four strokes.
This year on the Champions Tour, Freeman played 14 events and posted just one top-10 finish, a tie for seventh at the Principal Charity Classic. He ended 61st on the money list.
The only offseason event after this for the Champions Tour is the PNC Father/Son Challenge, Dec. 15-16.
SKILLS CHALLENGE
TYCO GOLF SKILLS CHALLENGE, The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida - Eight players, including five from this year's Ryder Cup, were at The Breakers on Monday for the 2012 Tyco Golf Skills Challenge.
The eight men were broken into two-man teams. European Ryder Cuppers Justin Rose and Peter Hanson were paired together as were U.S. Ryder Cuppers Dustin Johnson and Keegan Bradley, Champions Tour players Mark O'Meara and Nick Price, while Zach Johnson and Kyle Stanley formed the final tandem.
The six skills are the Tyco Integrated Security Long Drive, Korbel Mid Iron, The Breakers Bunker Shot, Chip Shot, Tyco Integrated Security Trouble Shot and Korbel Short Iron. They will be followed by the Tyco Integrated Security "Reverse Scramble," representing the seventh and eighth skills.
Contrary to the traditional scramble format, the rules of the "Reverse Scramble" call for the opposing team to select which shot its rival twosome must play, adding a new dimension to the competition.
The competition will air on NBC the weekend of Dec. 29-30
3-TOUR CHALLENGE
WENDY'S 3-TOUR CHALLENGE, Rio Secco Golf Club, Henderson, Nevada - The 21st annual Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge will be contested on Tuesday.
The Champions Tour shot 15-under 57 last year to win by one over the LPGA and by three over the PGA.
Fred Funk, Bernhard Langer and Tom Lehman will play for the Champions Tour, while the LPGA is represented by Natalie Gulbis, Suzann Pettersen and newly minted Player of the Year Stacy Lewis. The PGA Tour squad will consist of Jason Day, Nick Watney and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III.
Golf Channel will air the event on tape delay on December 10.
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