While Annika was cooking up the course Sunday en route to a playoff victory over Paula Creamer in the Stanford International Pro-Am, she also had a chance to dish with celebrity chef Ming Tsai in Miami last week, as she detailed in her personal blog.

Annika's love of cooking is well known and according to Susan Reed, the two have known each other for years. Annika met Ming when she went to eat at his restaurant, Blue Ginger, in Boston while playing the 2006 U.S. Women's Open in Newport, Rhode Island. Tsai made her a special dinner and told her she was going to win the U.S. Open. She went on to beat Pat Hurst in a 18-hole playoff, and they've been friends ever since, with Tsai giving her cooking lessons and Annika returning the favor with golf lessons.

So it's no surprise she was thrilled at the opportunity to shoot a segment with Tsai at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club for his hit public television series, Simply Ming. The episode is scheduled to air in the fall.

Annika included the recipe for the dish they created, "East-West Gravlax with Lemon-Fennel Salad," on her Web site and gushed,  "The Executive Chef of the resort enjoyed the dish so much, that he put it on the menu for the week and named it the 'Annika Gravlax.' "

If you're hungry for more, check out the recipe section of Annika's Web site. I think I'll have to try the "Flatbread with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese" she's currently featuring online. Just like her career mark in playoffs (16-6), it's a recipe for success.

Have you seen this? It's made the rounds on GFW's Facebook page. It's a rap video titled "Never Lay Up" created by  Nate Randle, Top Flite's national brand manager. He's also the one wearing the superhero costume and rapping on the virtues of the D2 ball. Not surprisingly, this video has been incredibly viral since it appeared on YouTube earlier this month, having already been viewed more than 1 million times:

For more videos head over to Top-Flite's D2 Man page. To learn more about Randle, check out his interview with Sports Illustrated where, of course, the subject of Randle's sexy sidekick cart girls came up.

SI asked, "Is it true you're engaged to both of them?"

D2 replied: "Yes, and my wife's cool with it."

She must be.  She proudly highlighted the video on the family blog.

As I watched Eli Manning and the New York Giants shatter the New England Patriots perfect season to win Super Bowl XLII 17-14 Sunday night, I couldn't help but think back to my chat with Eli  this past July.

Of course, this was before the start of his season, when training camp was days away. The day I met Eli, he was promoting the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship at Grand Central Station. While the crowd attending at the time was sparse, numerous questions swirled around Eli and his team leadership ability heading into the 2007-08 season.

At the time, I was struck by Eli's calm, unruffled demeanor as he described what football skills he brought to the tee. "Visualize the shot," he said at the time. "I always try to do that in football -- you visualize the throw. Obviously in golf you don't have a guy running up trying to sack you, so you have an opportunity to really visualize what you're going to do before you actually do it." I was reminded of that comment Sunday evening, when Eli managed to wiggle free from his opponents and throw an impressive 33-yard pass to David Tyree in the fourth quarter, then went on to sail a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress for the win.

Eli's brother Peyton, who led the Colts to the Super Bowl XLI title last season, cheered on his brother's win at the stadium. I remembered Eli mentioning that he plays a few rounds with his brothers and dad, Archie, in the off-season. I remembering asking Eli who was the better player, and he just laughed. No matter how each fares on the course, at least in the arena Eli and Peyton now stand on equal ground, as Super Bowl MVPs.

The LPGA Tour debuts in the U.S. in two weeks, and so will Annika Sorenstam. As reported on Wedensday, Annika will play the SBS Open at Turtle Bay February 14-16. It will be the Swedish superstar's first visit to Hawaii in six years. Annika also announced she's planning to enter 18 to 20 tournaments this year as she ramps up in an attempt to regain her No. 1 ranking, currently held by Lorena Ochoa (Annika is fourth).

In the meanwhile, Annika is devoting herself to working on charitable causes in Florida. As Annika posted on her blog yesterday, she traveled to Tampa this past weekend to participate in Derek Jeter's Celebrity Golf Classic. "Derek is a great person and we had fun meeting the celebrities in attendance," she writes (stars included Morgan Freeman and Michael Jordan).  "We even hit the dance floor with them on Monday night!"

She also spent time at her golf academy in Kissimmee Wednesday with her younger guests. Today, she's playing a round with a special one. Molly Escordi of GrosseIle, Mich. is 14 years old, plays on the high school golf team -- and suffers from Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she's fulfilling her dream  to play a round with Annika (who is also a national spokeswoman for the foundation).

"I look forward to an inspiring day," notes Annika. If her health is as strong as her spirit, I look forward to an inspiring season by Annika as well.

Golf Channel announcer Kelly Tilghman was suspended for two weeks Wednesday in response to a "lynching" comment she made last Friday regarding Tiger Woods. So what exactly did she say? Watch for yourself on this MSNBC clip. (Golf Channel yanked the YouTube clip I posted yesterday.)

What's your opinion of this situation? Post your comment on our forum.

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.

Another reason to catch George Clooney's new film, "Michael Clayton," this weekend: If the Barry Grissom character (seen here with Sydney Pollack) seems very familiar to you, you're not alone. A former colleague of mine recently forwarded a note from a friend who discovered that the actor, Michael O'Keefe, is none other than "Danny Noonan" from "Caddyshack"!

Here's how he looks now (left). I checked out his bio pages on the New York Times site as well as IMDB.com and discovered a few more tidbits. Since "Caddyshack", he's spent time on the small screen (most notably as the husband of character Jackie on "Roseanne")   and was married to singer Bonnie Raitt! Who knew?

And did you know he was a student of  Zen Master Bernie Glassman? Be the ball, Danny!

This week is Golf Digest's annual Hot List Summit, where the equipment editors of Golf Digest, Golf World and Golf for Women test  the latest in clubs and balls in order to decide which products to bless in the 2008 Hot List. This year's summit is being chronicled by our sibling site, golfdigest.com, on its  equipment blog, Bomb & Gouge. Today's session focused on the women, all part of the research for an upcoming story by Stina on new equipment (expect to hear more from Stina on this soon). Their findings? As Bomb, aka Mike Stachura,  reports: "Our women found out today that the companies who are really committed to understanding women golfers are producing products that can change women's games."

Another takeaway, one that Stina has chronicled in her "Try & Buy" series, is the frustration of women with the pro shop experience (you can share your experience on our Try & Buy forum). "What do women want?" asks Bomb aka E. Michael Johnson. "The same as us: Good product, good selection and good service. And a little respect wouldn't hurt either."

Amen to that.

We just shot our first-ever GFW instruction videos!

Last week, a group of GFW editors gathered at gorgeous Glen Arbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, NY. On deck were five of our  Top 50 Teachers: Cheryl Anderson, Debbie Doniger, CJ Reeves, Kellie Stenzel and Suzy Whaley, as well as  Senior Instruction Editor Dave Allen and director Lorin Anderson (husband of Cheryl), a former colleague of mine at Golf Magazine who has helped create some of the best video instruction in the business.

Our purpose? Create an instructional video package geared specifically to our readers. While there are many video tips available online,  none of them specifically address female players.

Our ground-breaking new video series will change that. Dave pulled together a line-up of topics that address the game from tee to green. The tips cover every facet of your game: grip fundamentals, adding 15 yards off the tee, playing hybrid approach shots, improving your chipping and pitching,  as well as  reading greens and making long and short putts.

Here are some preview photographs from the short-game portion of the shoot: Anderson (top, bunker play), Reeves (chipping), and Stenzel (bottom, green reading).  We don't think you'll find videos like this anywhere.

The videos will start rolling out on our site in the coming weeks. If you'd like to be alerted when they appear on Golfforwomen.com, sign up for the weekly GFW newsletter. Not receiving it? Sign up now. And if there is any particular instruction you'd like to see, share it with us by posting a comment below.

Interesting stories from around the Web:

• Lansing State Journal: Columnist John Schneider thinks Haslett High School's athletic director overreacted when he confiscated shirts that read "Grip it and Rip it" from the girls' golf team. Read

 

• Philadelphia Inquirer: A profile of Sheila Drummond, a blind golfer show shot a hole-in-one last month. Read

 

• News-Record: A look at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, which recently completed a $3 million renovation.  Read

 

• Reuters: Paul McGinley resigned as Nick Faldo's European Ryder Cup captain. Read

 

• Montgomery Advertiser: David Bronner, who created the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, talks about his excitement hosting this week's inaugural Navistar LPGA Classic.  Read

 

• The Vancouver Sun: A look at Kevin Kimberley's invention, a full-sized three-wheeled Clickgear Cart, which won the international award for Best New Product at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in January.  More than 35,000 are expected to be sold worldwide this year. Read

 

• Today's Golfer:  A truck carrying 25,000 golf balls jack-knifed and "spewed its load across a highway in England. Staff writer Jonathan Greathead quips: "Losing one is careless... losing 25,000 is really crazy!" Read

Whenever I need some  inspiration at my desk (especially on a Monday!), I check out the daily photo blog "One Day One Shot."

The images are by 54-year-old French photographer Patrick Micheletti. When the  6-handicapper  isn't working  in software maintenance at Air-France Airlines, the photobug is busy clicking away at professional tournaments around the world. He's officially accredited as  a freelance photographer on the European tour and the Ladies European tour.

His goal is to highlight one new photo a day. "Not always easy," he admits on his blog, "like play[ing] golf, but [a] very funny challenge."

What I love about the blog is that he focuses on players, as opposed to the myriad of course shots you typically see in relation to golf imagery. As Micheletti explains on his bio page: " You may see some swings action here but not many, some beautiful holes, but essentially portraits of golfers, trying to capt[ure] a special moment, or an interesting expression on their faces."

I think he has more than succeeded when you browse through his photos. One of my favorites is of a boy sleeping on the grass at the British Open (see above) as well as his player shots from the 2007 Evian Masters.

I also love the little widget on his blog that lets you instantly change the background from black to white or grey to better display the particular image being viewed -- a nice little touch.

Have you come across any interesting golf photos/photographers online? Share them with us in the comments area below. Have your own photos to share? Send them to us and we'll feature our favorites online.

Navigating the World Golf Hall of Fame's new online Solheim Cup exhibit could be compared to Britney Spear's VMA performance last night: surprisingly skimpy and underwhelming.

I'm sure the actual on-site exhibit, entitled "Pride, Passion, Patriotism: A Celebration of The Solheim Cup," running until the end of this year, is wonderful. I had an opportunity to tour the Hall of Fame several years ago and was quite impressed by the variety and thoroughness of the memorabilia on display (see the online tour of the museum). I guess that's why I'm left scratching my head over the online version.

Granted, the Hall of Fame does note its online offerings are a sampling; I just wish the Hall had drawn a larger one.  The interactive exhibit features a left-hand navigation listing the year of each competition; each year's highlight contains a  slideshow featuring a limited number of very small pictures. An "In their own words" link allows you to read a few scant quotes from the players. There's a short overview of the matches, a listing of the players, and that's pretty much it. I was hoping to at least view some of the video in the exhibit, as you'll find on the baseball and football Hall of Fame sites.  My recommendation: Since the exhibits are usually pretty good in person, book your fall getaway to World Golf Village, make the Hall of Fame a part of your itinerary and check it out for yourself.

If your Labor Day weekend plans include a round or two (and whose doesn't?), then be a part of the first  Patriot Golf Day taking place Saturday, September 1. A joint venture between the PGA of America and the USGA,  approximately 3,000 courses around the country will collect money that day to benefit American service men and women.  All you have to do is pay an additional $1 to your regular green fee. Private courses will solicit donations from members.

The event was created by PGA Professional Dan Rooney of Stillwater, Okla., who is raising the funds for the Fallen Heroes Foundation, which provides financial and emotional support to the families of those  killed or injured in the line of military duty, and works with the Wounded Warriors program. The foundation is also working on providing full scholarships to children who have lost a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan. Rooney served two tours of duty in Iraq as an F-16 fighter pilot. You can learn more about him in this August 2007 Golf Digest article.

To learn more about the program or to locate a participating golf course near you, visit the Play Golf America Web site. It's a great way to honor and support our military men and women as we celebrate the end of summer.

Congratulations to Annika Sorenstam and Mike McGee, who announced their engagement Saturday morning on Annika's Web site. The couple have been dating for two years.

McGee described the proposal in a press release announcing the engagement: "I've been carrying the ring around for a week, and it just seemed like the right time this morning. She was relaxing peacefully at home with her cats and I know that’s when she is most content."

“We were having a nice morning and he completely caught me off guard with the question," Annika wrote on her Web site. "Ironically, it was exactly two years ago that we spent our first weekend together. I am very excited about our future and could not be happier." 

No wedding date has been set yet.

It will be the second marriage for Annika, who started dating McGee shortly after she divorced David Esch in August, 2005 after eight years of marriage. McGee is the son of golfer Jerry McGee and has served as Managing Director for Annika's businesses since December 2006, when he relocated to Orlando, Fla.

It's been a tough year for Annika, so I'm happy for her! Share your good wishes for the couple by posting a comment below.

Like many golf fans, I've always been curious about life on the professional Tour. I remember my fascination devouring the best-sellers A Good Walk Spoiled and Q School Confidential. Now we finally have a peek into the ladies tour with the Rookie Blogs on LPGA.com. There are 18 players currently contributing and there are many interesting posts. For example, Charlotte Mayorkas, who notched two wins on the Futures tour last year, revealed the role host families play in the lives of many players as they travel on the road (she's pictured on the left with her host "parents" standing behind her and her caddie). Mayorkas writes:

"I typically arrive a few days before the start of a tournament to get acclimated and to meet my host family. Greeted at the door with big smiles, I am frequently served with a sit-down home cooked meal. The families provide me with sleeping accommodations, the use of their washer and dryer and kitchen for the week, tell me where the best place is to have my oil changed or car washed, and introduce me to all the great local restaurants and historical points of interest. Some families invite me to go grocery shopping with them while others open up their refrigerators to me, or make space for the food I pick up at the store. There's not a lot of extra time for me to volunteer to do chores, but I try to do the dishes and always tidy up after myself. Some families host one golfer while others host more than one. Not all of my second families play golf. Some are diehards like myself while others have never touched a club in their life. Some families watch me practice while others just follow me during tournament rounds."

She goes on to detail some of the interesting family members she has stayed with, as well as some memorable side trips on her blog. I love these insights and hope to highlight a new post from one of the rookies each week through the end of the season. If you'd like to learn more about these first-year players, Check out the 2007 rookie blogs and share your favorite posts in our comments area.

It's not often in golf I see my first name online without my byline attached to it, so it was with particular interest that I followed Alena Sharp's play last week in the Canadian Open. I wanted to learn more about my namesake,  so I found her official Web site. I enjoyed her "Sharp Facts" page (this Canuck loves Kelly Clarkson and hockey as much as golf) and reading her post from yesterday as she finished tied for 10th:

"The fans out in Edmonton were great and walking up 18 both Saturday and Sunday gave me goose bumps as I could feel the country really supporting me...Going to enjoy the moment and finally get to drink the bottle of champagne that has been sitting in my fridge waiting for my first top 10 since I got my full exempt card.  Man, it's going to taste good!"

I bet! I then browsed a few more player sites and found these interesting nuggets:

Suzann Pettersen was pleased with her 10th-place finish as well: "I am happy with the result. I did not manage to bring it all out, but looking back a couple weeks, and now ahead, it is good. SAS Masters in Oslo coming up should be a lot of fun."

I also learned champion Lorena Ochoa is a Canadian fan as well: Her site lists her "favorite vacation spot outside Mexico" as  "Whistler, B.C., Canada."

Interested in learning more about your own favorite big-name players, such as Annika or Natalie? There's a full listing of official player sites on the LPGA Web site. And if you have a favorite player or fan site you'd like to name, share it with us!

Robin Roberts' recent battle with breast cancer is a topic close to our hearts here at GFW, and something we devote space to each year in our September/October issue. We found some terrific Pink Ribbon products for you to purchase to help support the cause, and we just found out about a new promotion we wanted to share with you: Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment are offering 12 popular chick flicks wrapped in distinct pink packaging for a "DVDs for the Cure" promotion starting September 18. They sent along this funny golf-related video clip from one the movies, "There's Something About Mary." Watch the clip and learn about the other movies included in the promotion. It's a great way to add to your video library and fight breast cancer! And if you've come across any other Pink Ribbon products of mention, share them with us by posting a comment below.

Lorena Ochoa took a step toward her first major championship title, shooting a a 6-under 67 to take the lead at the Women's British Open Thursday. Louise Friberg of Sweden and In-Bee Park of Japan are tied for second. Annika Sorenstam played the course in one under to remain in lurking distance. The other notable player of the day, Michelle Wie, shot an even-par 73. Read the full first-round reports on ESPN and on Golf World and check out our first-round photos. I also found these interesting stories:

• Boston Globe reports on a New Day for the Old Course
• Sorenstam's helpful text message from Tiger Woods
• Wie settles for an even-par round
• How Laura Davies and St Andrews suit each other

Have you come across anything interesting? Share it  by posting your comment below.

I just saw these pictures of Paula Creamer performing cartwheels during today's pro-am and had to share them — Love seeing the ladies so excited and having fun!

Photos: Getty Images

Putting woes led to a weekend of heartbreak for both 27-year-old Spaniard Sergio Garcia (left) and 22-year-old Japanese star Ai Miyazato (right) in their individual quests to register a "W" -- he in a major, she in LPGA Tournaments.

Garcia, who has 16 PGA Tour and international victories but  is 0 for 35 in major wins, led throughout the 2007 British Open until he missed a 10-foot par putt on the final hole of regulation play Sunday. That forced a playoff between him and Padraig Harrington, who went on to claim the claret jug.  "I still don't know how that par putt missed," Garcia lamented in his post-championship news conference. "I'm still trying to ask myself, trying to find an answer on that."

Miyazato was also left shaking her head as well Sunday in the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship. A legend in her native country, she has racked up 14 victories on the Japanese Tour. But while she earned seven top-10 finishes in 2006, her rookie year on the LPGA Tour, overall she has been winless in 43 tour starts. Like Garcia, she seemed on her way to victory as she advanced last week. But in the final round, she missed a pivotal 8-foot par on the 15th hole as Seon Hwa Lee made her birdie putt, and two holes later Lee clinched the match play championship.

"That was a very important putt," Miyazato admitted afterwards in her press conference.

Reading their stories, I was struck by their similarities -- she started playing golf at age 4, he at age 3. Both had stellar amateur careers (she won the 2003 Miyagi TV Dunlop Ladies Golf Tournament, he won the 1995 European Amateur Championship). Both cite fathers who have been very influential in their lives. And both had important wins undone by putts. I really felt for them as they each struggled to look ahead, sounding like any one of us after a tough round. "Just have to get better, I guess," Garcia shrugged.

"Maybe I need to practice putting," echoed Miyazato.

It is turning out to be quite a controversial 2007 British Open. In addition to the allegations of steroids use  made by Gary Player on Wednesday, a senior R&A member was forced to step down Friday after the media publicized racial remarks he made at an annual golf writers' dinner. But here's the part of the  news report that really got me:

"The speech followed a toast proposed by the former BBC golf correspondent Tony Adamson which included a joke about a player punching his wife in the mouth."

That's a joke? I think anything but -- I'd love to hear Tony Adamson's explanation on that one.

In a move that many have been anticipating for some time, the LPGA Tour announced today that it has acquired the Duramed Futures Tour, effective immediately. The announcement was made today by LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens at the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship in New Rochelle, NY, along with Futures Tour President and CEO Zayra Calderon. While the Futures Tour has been the official developmental tour of the LPGA since 1999, it was operating in a licensee role with the league. Read the full announcement on the LPGA Web site.

It's fantastic news to see the development tour officially in the LPGA family. Calderon and her staff (which includes Vice President of New Business Development Tracy L. Kerdyk, an LPGA Tour alum, and Lisa D. Mickey, Director of Communications and a former Golf for Women senior editor) have worked incredibly hard to build the Futures Tour into a professional and sponsor-worthy product. The quality of players and tournaments continues to get better and better, reflecting the growth and excitement of women's golf. Hopefully, the acquisition will result in increased exposure for the Futures players, similar to that enjoyed by the Nationwide Tour under the PGA Tour. Golf for Women is doing its part: read our latest feature, an online exclusive about life on the the Futures Tour and last week's CIGNA Golf Classic by Assistant Editor Ashley Mayo.

Eli Manning, NY Giants quarterback and younger brother of Super Bowl MVP and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton, participated in a charity putting competition in Manhattan last Wednesday to promote the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship,  taking place at Wykagyl CC in New Rochelle July 19-22. Since the contest was being held at Grand Central Station, a few blocks from our GFW offices, I decided to walk over and check it out.

When I first arrived, there were actually more New York sports media members than spectators. This led a fan behind me to exclaim, "Wow, I can't believe it! Eli Manning's in front of me and no one's here! If this was the Paramus Mall, it would be packed!"
 
After fighting my way through the media crush (see picture above) and listening to all those incessant football/Tiki questions (You can read more in these articles from the Daily News and New York Post), it was finally my turn to get to the golf.

My biggest question: Why was a man who plays football involved with a women's golf event?

He laughed, then said, "Well, it's really just teaming up with HSBC and they do so many things for golf -- obviously, they're part of the women's world match play, and they also do The First Tee, teaching the core values of life through golf to young kids and as an athlete, I think sports are so important to kids and communities..."

Okay, we get the idea. So I congratulated him on his recent engagement to longtime girlfriend Abby McGrew and asked: Does your fiancee play golf?

"She does not."

Does she have any interest in learning to play?

"She says she does, one day. We'll see."

Does he get out on the course with Peyton?

"We do... we get to play a few times a year. We try to get together with my dad [Archie] and my two brothers [Peyton and oldest brother Cooper] -- get all the boys out there."

Then he compared golf to football ("Visualize the shot. I always try to do that in football -- you visualize the throw.") and my four minutes was up. As he was led away to begin the putting tournament, I could only hope that the women's match play championship would inspire Eli, who claims to play once a week during the off-season, to get his fiancee to join him or "the boys" next time, perhaps even in squeeze in a round before summer training camp begins July 28 in Albany.

I just came across this interesting profile of 23-year-old Australian Nikki Garrett, the 2006 Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year who intends to try to qualify for the LPGA Tour this fall. Read the article to learn more about Garrett and tell us: Who do you think will be the next "big thing" in women's golf?

Bear Sterns CEO Jimmy Cayne has been accused of spending too much time working on his game instead of concentrating on his firm's recent struggles. Maybe he's just trying to improve his ranking on Golf Digest's CEO List (he's currently sits T-124). However, it looks as if the extra practice hasn't paid off:  Check out his scores on GHIN.

Add golf to Condolezza Rice's lengthy list of accomplishments. According to  The Washington Post, the Secretary of State  took up the game two years ago and has been taking lessons at the golf course on Andrews Air Force Base, where she recently shot an 89.

Other golf news of note for your Monday morning:

• Lorena Ochoa could be hosting her own golf tournament in 2008
• Ron Sirak believes fatherhood will not hamper Tiger
• Opening of a women-only golf shop on Long Island
• New golf coaches named at Vanderbilt and Tulane
• Furor over strippers at political golf outing
  

Here are a few Women's Open news picks courtesy of GolfObserver.com:

• Lorena Ochoa suffering from the Phil Mickelson syndrome
• Will the USGA return to Pine Needles?
• Why Morgan Pressel was the fan favorite
• Getting to know Cristie Kerr

What was your favorite—or least favorite—moment of the 2007 U.S. Women's Open?

I had an opportunity last night to read the USGA's U.S. Open blog and they have been doing a stellar job of keeping fans up-to-date on the championship, especially in regard to yesterday's rain delays. Rhonda Glenn, the USGA's communication manager who has covered 30(!) Women's Opens, has been sharing her favorite memories from the championship -- a great read. Also, don't forget to check out our editors' blog this weekend, as Golf for Women senior editor Dave Allen will be blogging from Pine Needles. If there anything -- or anyone -- you want us to keep tabs on during the championship, let us know!

Terrible start for Michelle Wie, who shot an opening-round 82 to sink to the bottom of the leaderboard. Another notable name at the way back of the line? Karrie Webb (yes, my pick to win the Open), who shot an 83.

It looks as if an end is nearing  in the ongoing divorce saga of Greg and Laura Norman, who have split after 25 years of marriage. The couple agreed to a divorce settlement on Saturday, to be finalized in court in September, and signed a confidentiality agreement. However, according to the New York Post's Page Six column, as talks stalled over monetary compensation, Laura's lawyers threatened to drag Greg's new girlfriend, tennis star Chris Evert, into the proceedings. That seemed the impetus to finalize negotiations on divvying up an estimated $500 million fortune, with Laura asking for an equal distribution.  Since the couple filed for divorce last June,  relations had become quite acrimonious, with Greg Norman's lawyers at one point filing a motion claiming he deserved most of the fortune, arguing that "The wife did not teach the husband how to swing a golf club. The wife did not teach the husband how to win."

What do you think? Is Laura Norman entitled to half of Greg Norman's fortune?

If you haven't seen them already, Tiger released pictures of new baby Sam Alexis. Check out the cute family shots below. There are a few more pics available on brother site golfdigest.com. Tiger has that familiar new dad look -- tired and happy. I hope we see more pictures soon!

Congratulations to Tiger and Elin Woods, who welcomed daughter Sam Alexis Monday morning following Tiger's second-place finish in the 2007 U.S. Open. Probably the only folks more excited than all of us at Golf for Women are Carol Bivens and the folks at the LPGA, who are likely hoping for a Tigress in