It's that time of year again. Almost as dreaded as the week of Final Exams, yesterday marked the first round of the LPGA Qualifying School on the Legends and Champions Courses at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla. The five-day, 90-hole tournament is known by many as Q School, and one stroke can mean the difference between competing on the Big Stage -- the LPGA Tour -- or on the mini tours in 2008. Seventeen of 134 players this week will receive exempt status for the 2008 season, and non-exempt status will be awarded to the next 35 players and ties.

In essence, this week dictates how the golfers will spend their next year: either they'll successfully post low numbers and win their exempt 2008 LPGA Tour cards, or they'll spend another year trying to accomplish the same feat. And for those who have experienced the Q School and mini tours for far too long, failing this week may mean putting the clubs away for good.

I always believed these five gut-wrenching days would automatically instill unease in any golfer. How could it not? But I had to find out for sure, so last night I called Leah Wigger, a friend and former teammate at the University of Virginia. After finishing among the top 30 in the LPGA Sectional Qualifying tournament in Rancho Mirage, California, Leah made it to the final stage of Q School this week. She had a rough start yesterday, beginning her round with two bogeys. But she bounced right back (as always) with a birdie on the 9th and another on the back nine, despite admitting it wasn't her best ball-striking day. After opening with a solid 72, Leah is currently tied for 31st.

I wanted to know how it felt to compete against women who had previously enjoyed great success on the LPGA Tour, such as Kelli Kuehne and Meredith Duncan.

"It's not weird at all," said Leah. "I know I can compete against those girls. It's just a matter of being able to play consistently and play my own game."

I should've known Leah wouldn't be fazed by such competition. But here's the kicker: Leah isn't even nervous this week. All this talk about Q School being the toughest, most demanding, overwhelming, exacerbating and nerve-racking experience doesn't rattle Leah's iron-clad confidence.

"To tell you the truth, I don't care if I don't make the cut," said Leah, who teed off at 9:10 this morning. "I know I'm eventually going to play on the LPGA Tour. Whether it's next year or the year after. It's just a matter of time."

She's always shown such poise and never ceases to amaze me with her confident demeanor. I'm as confident she'll do well this week and will certainly keep you updated.

Most celebrities have some kind of presence on the internet, whether it's their own website or a MySpace page (personally, I don't understand the MySpace trend, but I guess I'm too old -- still, why would anyone feel the need to post pictures of themselves whenever they attend another party or go to the dentist?), and that goes for professional athletes as well. Sure, the golf elite isn't exactly known for being the best self-promoters in the world, but a respectable number of tour players have launched websites in the last few years.

Never before, however, have I seen the phenomenon displayed in Annika Sorenstam's new blog. The former world no. 1 is posting regularly and, shockingly, responding to practically every comment posted by her fans. That's... unheard of. For a celebrity of her stature, it just doesn't happen (and before all you Rosie O'Donnell fans bite my head off, I know she's another rare exception, but let's face it, she has a little more time on her hands than Sorenstam does). I mean, it doesn't even happen with low-brow no-names such as myself. In over a year of blogging on this site, I've posted less than a dozen responses to other people's comments. Annika had me beat in her first weekend. I'm sure that doesn't say much about me, but I hope you get my point: the woman is a saint. And before the entire world discovers this rare opportunity and inundates her blog with more comments than any one person could possible handle, I strongly suggest you take the chance to converse with this golf mega-star. I guarantee she'll get back to you.

Former U.S. Solheim Cup Captain Nancy Lopez will captain the 2009 PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team, announced Wednesday by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). The prestigious event, which biennially showcases the 12 top female U.S. junior golfers (ages 12-18) competing against the 12 best European junior golfers, will be held August 17-23, 2009 at Aurora Country Club in Aurora, Ill.

As a former junior golfer,  I've always idolized and emulated Lopez, especially now that I've had the experience of working with the Hall of Famer  on her online column, Nancy's Corner. I'm inspired by her positive energy and desire to carve the way for up-and-coming junior golfers.

"All these girls are my daughters' age, so I think it'll be a lot of fun to be a part of what they're doing," Lopez said. "Hopefully I can make a difference in their lives."

Lopez is also hoping to lead the team to victory, as she did when she captained the 2005 U.S. Solheim Cup  to a 15 1/2 - 12 1/2 victory over the Europeans. As a player, Lopez captured 48 LPGA Tour titles between 1978 and 1997 and compiled a  2-1-0 record in the inaugural 1990 Solheim Cup.

Lopez was a standout junior golfer herself. She won the New Mexico Women’s Amateur at the age of 12, won the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship twice (1972 and 1974), and was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams. Consequently, she knows the enormous pressure these girls will face and is prepared to help them overcome it.

Notably, in the four years the PING Junior Solheim Cup has been played, the host team has won every time. So Lopez and her crew enter the 2009 matches hoping to keep the streak alive and break the series' all-time tie of 2-2-0 in her favor.

However, most importantly to Lopez is the chance to nurture the LPGA's future crop of stars. Past participants in the matches have included Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Brittany Lang, Louise Stahle and Minea Blomqvist.  "This is a new challenge and an opportunity to get to know the players of tomorrow," Lopez said. "I feel like I've been out of the loop for many years, so to meet the new superstars of the LPGA excited me a whole bunch."

The LPGA has three blogs debuting during the season-ending ADT Championship this week. Angela Park, one of two rookies in the field who will be receiving the Rolex Rookie of the Year award  Friday night, posted her first blog entry today and  will continue writing throughout the week. One of the highlights from her first post:

"The past few days have been a blast from sleeping in a mansion, to having cocktail parties, and playing a pro-am where all the amateurs in my group hit it past me but can't get it inside 10 feet from 100 yards."

Hall-of-Famer Se Ri Pak has her caddie TJ posting this week. He's giving some great insights into his time with Pak, describing her recovery from a hip ailment, and revealing that he's lugging around a new bag:

"It's a Hall of Fame bag which we're going to use this week and win a million dollars with it and then it is going into the Hall of Fame and stay in her display forever. It's got her new clothing line logo on each side. On the back of it is the World Golf Hall of Fame logo and on the front it has the Big Horn Golf Course logo. It's got her name and about 8 logos on it. It's whiter than I am. You should see me walking with it. It's huge. So hopefully that thing will make us a million bucks."

Another player hoping to have a big week is Annika Sorenstam, who officially launched her own personal blog yesterday with a live chat session (in case your missed it, here's the transcript).

Are you following the ADT this week? Any other player blogs you're reading? Share it by posting a comment below.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL--It wasn't until this past weekend that Annika Sorenstam clinched a spot in the ADT Championship. That alone speaks to what kind of year it's been for Sorenstam on the golf course.

Plagued by back and neck injuries, Sorenstam needs a victory this weekend to avoid her first winless season on the LPGA Tour since her rookie year in 1994. In 12 starts, she has six top-10 finishes, including a playoff loss to Meaghan Francella at the MasterCard Classic back in March, but has rarely been in contention. Her best finish in the four majors was a tie for 15th at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, which was only her second event back after missing two months of action with a ruptured disk in her neck.

"It is not the kind of year you want to put on a resume," Sorenstam said Tuesday from Trump International Golf Club, site of the LPGA's version of the playoffs. "But having said that, it's been a tough year with the injury. It really kind of set me back. I've only played 12 times, and I would probably say that five of those 12 I've been competitive. I mean, not even to my full potential.

"So in that regard, I'm not so worried about not having a win," she continued. "You cannot win if you're not 100 percent, and it's tough to win even when you are. This year is just a matter of me getting past it and being ready for next year."

Next year can't come soon enough for Sorenstam, who was nearly invincible during a five-year stretch from 2001 through 2005, winning 43 times. In 2006 she slumped to three wins, but one of them was her third U.S. Women's Open title. Now, the world's former No. 1-ranked player is seeking a return to the top spot she lost in April to reigning No. 1 Lorena Ochoa.

"I love the competition. Not being competitive [this year] and not playing is something I missed," said Sorenstam, who owns 69 career LPGA titles. "I would say that it hurts that I couldn't perform  on the level that I know how. It hurts when you cannot practice the way you want, or when you don't hit the shots that you've been hitting for years. So that motivates me, that makes me want to get back on top because that's where I enjoy being."

Off the course, however, it's been a wonderful year for Annika the brand. In addition to getting engaged to her business manager, Mike McGee, she opened a teaching and fitness facility, The ANNIKA Academy, designed golf courses, helped build her own website and became a national ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. And on Wednesday, she debuted her own blog.

While her business ventures remain important to her, she's made it clear to everyone involved that golf takes top priority in 2008. If next year indeed turns out to be Sorenstam's last full season on the LPGA Tour, which has been widely speculated, she plans to go out on top.

"I got the team together about four weeks ago, and I told everybody that I'm going to step away early next year and just focus on the golf," Sorenstam said. "So, hopefully, everybody will pick up a little piece of what I'm doing and help me out.

"I do think the hardest part is for me to let go," she added. "I'm kind of a control freak and want to be part of everything and want to know what's going on. It's going to be more of an adjustment for me than for the team to help out. But they are willing to do it, and they know that [getting back on top] is important to me."

It's been exactly one month since I left town for 12 days to attend the annual Golf Digest Hot List summit (this year we went to Mesquite, Nev., for our player testing and meetings with scientists and retailers). As I sit on the train to work finishing my write-ups for the massive Hot List special that will run in the February issue of Golf Digest, I'm struck by how these are always the longest four weeks of my year, but they still seem to go by faster than any other.

The GD Hot List summit used to be focused solely on men's golf equipment, but in the last two years, we've held a women's-clubs testing day at the beginning of the summit to gather information that we'll use in the annual GFW Spring Equipment Preview, which will run in our May/June issue. We call in test clubs from every women's-club manufacturer in the industry and have a panel of 10 players of different abilities evaluate them. Each year, I am struck by the sheer volume of amazing new products, and this year in particular, by how good it all looks.

Yes, I said looks.

I've been extolling the virtues of the technical advances in women's equipment for a few years now -- and I still do -- but what really makes me realize how far the mainly male-run companies have come in their women's R&D and marketing is just how gorgeous these clubs have become. They are no longer haphazard shafts attached to generic-looking clubheads with clumsily designed, swirly-logoed "ladies" medallions glued to the back cavities. Some real research has gone into matching the sleek profiles, color schemes and graphics that are fashionable right now, and it's clear that there has been a lot of big-picture thinking in designing full collections of equipment and accessories that match and complement each other.

You will see all of the greatest new women's products in our May/June issue, which hits newsstands in April. But for a sampling of some of the clubs I'm talking about here, check out:

Tour Edge's new chocolate Moda set with matching bag

Adams' new Idea A3OS set for women (also with bag)

Ping's purple Rhapsody clubs

I guarantee you, they are just the tip of the iceberg.

John Daly has published his very own instruction book, Golf My Own Damn Way. Here's a taste for what you'll learn: "You can't see your own belt buckle, so focus on that little extra hanging over your belt. For some of us that's easier than others. My point here is that your belly is your key to a good golf swing."
Read Doug Lowe's review in the herald

FoxSports.com: Colin Montgomerie suggests that the European Tour change its name to the International Tour: "It has always has been a bit odd that we have the European Tour in Singapore, in Korea, in China. Now we are in Russia, the Middle East, Asia. We're everywhere. So I think a name change might work."
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The Daily Telegraph: Stuart Appleby has spent more than $250,000 upgrading his $100,000 BMW M5 sedan into a customized SUV. Why? "I can and I want to."
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PGA.com: Phil Mickelson says golf as an Olympic sport "would be better if it was for amateur golfers as opposed to professional," and adds that it should be incorporated into the Olympics as early as 2016.
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The Ledger: Vicky Hurst, a senior in high school, was recently named AJGA's Player of the Year. She’ll decide if she'll turn pro after high school or go to college based on how well she does this week at Futures Q School.
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Independent: James Corrigan profiles Justin Rose, who just won the European Order of Merit, and highlights the people behind the golfer.
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Guardian: "I think No. 1 is a fair way right now but for the rest of us normal guys, No. 2 is a good goal." Justin Rose, the new European No. 1, on his rational look at the World Ranking.
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Independent: It's not easy for Padraig Harrington, British Open champion, to travel with claret jug: "I've had some very strange looks from some of the security personnel as my bag has gone through the X-ray."
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Scotsman.com: Has buying a 100-year-old Scottish course ever crossed your mind? Now you can! Turnberry GC in Scotland, which will host the '09 British Open, is for sale by its American owner, Starwood Resorts, for nearly $150 million.
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New York Times: Everyone knows NYC is all about spending big bucks, but here's a shocker: NYC has spent $15 million to build a golf course in the Bronx. One that will never exist. Bloomberg administration's decided to kill the Ferry Point GC project, which is going to cost New York City $7 million, bringing the total spent on the non-existent golf course to $15 million. Ouch.
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Sport.scotsman.com: The Asian Tour, the world's fastest growing golf circuit, will have its richest year, with six events increasing their prize money and 11 tournaments offering purses of more than $1 million.
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iol.co.za: Phil Mickelson is still feeling the effects of breathing in ash and smoke from the California wildfires: "I've been losing my voice this last week with the ash from the fires in California and I kept expecting it to go away and it never did," said the American multi-millionaire who had to flee his San Diego home.” His caddie, Jim Mackay, had to quit during the third round of the Singapore Open after becoming ill.
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I've discovered an amazing beauty product to ease your holiday stress. After all, who has time to fit in a salon visit between all the shopping, decorating, preparing for incoming relatives and attending every fashionable soiree possible? The limited edition Hi-Lights Hair Mascara from Frederic Fekkai ($20) is formulated with diamond dust and crushed pearl to brush on luminous highlights in gold or cognac. Color a few strands to frame your face or go after dark roots for dimension or to mask regrowth. The formula is smudge free and will wash out with your next shampoo. It's a great quick way to give your coif a fun holiday shine.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, golf's ultimate ruling body, announced last week that it had amended 28 of the 34 Rules of Golf in the 2008 rulebook, effective January 1. The rules are revised every leap year (2008 will be a leap year) and may I say how charmingly archaic it is of the R&A to refer to "leap years" instead of prosaic "once every four year." David Rickman, R&A rules secretary, says these changes, agreed jointly between the R&A and the USGA, are an attempt to clarify the rules and make penalties more consistent with the offense.

"We always aim to make the rules readily accessible to golfers worldwide," explains Rickman. "The simpler, clearer language of the 2008 edition is designed to make them easier for players to use."

While most of the 28 amendments are slight, the following three are, in my humble opinion, among the most significant:

Rule 19-2 (Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped By Player, Partner, Caddie or Equipment) previously stated that if a player, her partner or either of their caddies or equipment accidentally deflects or stops her ball, she loses the hole in match play and incurs a two-stroke penalty in stroke play. Under the new rule, the player loses one shot in match play and incurs a reduced one-stroke penalty in stroke play.

Kudos to the R&A and USGA! The previous punishment was too harsh. Jeff Maggert would have appreciated this rule when, at the 2003 Masters, his fairway bunker shot on No. 3 ricocheted off the lip and hit him in his chest. He consequently suffered a two-stroke penalty, lost his lead and never regained it.

Rule 12-2 (Identifying Ball) previously stated that "except in a hazard" a player may mark their ball and lift it without penalty to identify it. The modified rule states that players can now lift their balls in hazards as well.

This makes sense: it's often more difficult to identify your ball when it's in a hazard than when it's in play.

Rule 4-1 (Form and Make of Clubs) previously disqualified a player who carried or used a non-conforming club. Although golfers will still be disqualified for using non-conforming clubs, they will only incur a two-stroke penalty per hole with a maximum four-stroke penalty per round for carrying non-conforming clubs.

Being disqualified for carrying a non-conforming club you never even used? That's absurd.

Keep an eye out for these changes. While they'll make golf more fair and less punitive, rest assured that playing the game will remain as frustrating as ever.

And if you're ever suffering from insomnia, make sure to check out our Rules area online or the rules section of the USGA website for decisions, quizzes, videos and much, much discussion about the minutiae of our game.