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Sponsorship
Target Stores will become title sponsor of the Target World Challenge presented by Williams, the Tiger Woods Foundation's annual tournament. Target has been the presenting sponsor since 1999, and the new commitment runs through 2006.
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TaylorMade Golf announces it has signed four international PGA Tour pros. Craig Perks, Jose Coceres, Peter Lonard and Eduardo Herrera will use TaylorMade clubs and carry TaylorMade staff bags.
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Events
The Buick Scramble officially kicks off its 2002 season this month with local championship tournaments nationwide. Open to amateur golfers with certified USGA Handicap Indexes, more than 2,000 local qualifying tournaments will be held.
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People
SRIXON Sports USA, Inc., a manufacturer of golf balls and equipment, announces the hiring of Martin Olinger as executive vice president of sales. Olinger will be responsible for extending SRIXON's retail distribution and sales in the U.S.
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LESCO, Inc., promotes of Michael P. DiMino to President and Chief Executive Officer. Also, J. Martin Erbaugh is elected to Chairman of the Board of Directors.
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The Professional Clubmakers' Society inducted Bernie Porter and Elmore Just into the Clubmakers' Hall of Fame at the 11th PCS International Symposium and Expo Awards Banquet in Louisville, Ky., on March 2.
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Courses
Los Lagos Golf Course, LLC, a partnership of CourseCo, Inc. and Capitol Development Group, announces the opening of its newest managed golf facility, Los Lagos Golf Course in central San Jose. The city-owned course is a par 68, 5,393-yard layout.
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Media
CNNSI.com continues partnership with Sports Illustrated and The Augusta Chronicle for this year's Masters coverage, offering users in-depth 2002 Masters coverage.
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ABC's final-round telecast of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the LPGA season, received a 2.2 overall network household rating, the highest for the event since 1994. The rating was an 83 percent increase in household viewership as compared to the 2001 final-round ratings, and was also the highest for an LPGA major since the final round of the 1998 U.S. Women's Open.
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Colleges
Georgia Tech retains the nation's top spot in the Precept Coaches Poll. The Yellow Jackets received 29 of 31 first-place votes for the second straight week. Wake Forest and Clemson are ranked second and third, followed by Florida and Oklahoma State.
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Tournaments
The PGA Tour's season-opening event, the Mercedes Championships, contributes more than $251,920 to local charities through Kapalua Maui Charities, Inc. The tournament has raised more than $870,000 for charity since it moved to Kapalua four years ago.
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Casual Friday
LPGA Clicks its Heels Together

There is nothing better than when a plan comes together.

At the LPGA Tour's three-day summit last month, two of the initiatives in five-year plan were to increase the tour's exposure and improve player and tour presentation.

Commissioner Ty Votaw could not have been much happier with last week's Kraft Nabisco Championship. The year's first major received a 2.2 overall network household rating, the highest for the event since 1994, and the figure represented an 83 percent increase over last year's final-round coverage.

As for presentation, well, what could have been better than a Karrie Webb-Annika Sorenstam Sunday pairing? About the only thing could have been those ruby-red swoosh slip-ons that Sorenstam sported on Sunday.

Sorenstam says they just appeared in her locker on the previous Thursday. Something tells Casual Friday that occurrence was not by accident, but that someone was on top of their game in the Nike marketing department.

FIRST CUT

You know a book has to be juicy when, in the introduction, the author thanks people he cannot name at the time, but they know who they are. Sounds like an unauthorized biography to us. And that's basically what "Driven: The Definitive Biography of Nick Faldo" (Virgin Books) is.

Noted British journalist and broadcaster Dale Concannon attempts to give Faldo a fair shake while analyzing this broodish great's career - on and off the course. ...

While Casual Friday is on the topic of Faldo, it was recently announced that he will provide commentary for The Golf Channel. As a six-time major champion, hopefully his insight will be as cutting-edge as Johnny Miller's, but without the bitterness.

Personally, we cannot wait for Ryder Cup week to hear what ol' Nick has to say. Stay tuned. ...

Louisville Golf will hold the Elmore Just Memorial Tournament to benefit a scholarship fund in his name at Bellarmine University. Just, who help found Louisville Golf in 1974, passed away last April 23.

The tournament is set for April 29 at Persimmon Ridge Golf Course in Louisville, Ky.

To enter or for questions about the tournament, contact Josh Fischer, Vice President of Marketing for Louisville Golf, at josh@louisvillegolf.com. ...

Want a peek of the changes at Augusta National? During USA Network's coverage of the BellSouth Classic today, a segment detailing the reconstruction at Augusta National will air between 5-5:30 p.m. The feature will includes aerial views and commentary from USA analyst Peter Kostis. ...

DOUBLE CLICK
www.masters.org

If you cannot call in sick or sneak out for a long lunch next Thursday or Friday, this really is the place to be for this year's Masters Web coverage. The site takes on a life of its own starting on Monday.

 

Reader's Forum Considerable alterations have been made at Augusta National, especially in terms of length. Will these changes positively or negatively affect the Masters, and how so? Also, were these changes necessary to keep up with the technological advances in equipment and today's better-conditioned players? Let us know your opinions by sending your responses to stuart@gpagolf.com with the subject line RE: Masters alterations. Also include your first name and last initial.