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Equipment
Spalding Sports Worldwide releases the Strata Tour Straight, a multi-layered golf ball coated with a slick Teflon surface. The ball is designed to reduce the side-spin that average golfers create at impact.
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Courses
Lakeland Golf Course owners Ron and Ana Burns have purchased an additional 110 acres adjacent to their existing 62-acre nine-hole course in St. Paris, Ohio, and will expand it to 18 holes by spring 2003.
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Events
A web site for the Chicago Short Game Challenge has been launched at www.rmygroup.com to provide information about the event for amateur golfers interested in participating. The Challenge, which takes place June 21-30, is open to amateurs of all skill levels.
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Bite Footwear is one of the executive sponsors for upcoming MTX/Alice Cooper Celebrity-Am April 20-22 at Marriott's Camelback Inn Resort & Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
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Publications
The U.S. Golf Association and leading turfgrass agronomist Dr. James Beard launch a new edition of the best selling golf-turf book, Turf Management for Golf Courses: Second Edition.
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Media
The Golf Channel's Academy Live will the reveal result of Navy Cmdr. Justin Cooper's mission to break 90 for the first on Academy Live's Troubleshooter Challenge: Breaking 90, airing Tuesday, April 23, at 8 p.m. ET.
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Tournaments
Korea's Charlie Wi confirms he will play the Davidoff Tour's SK Telecom Open April 25-28 at Lakeside Country Club near Seoul, Korea.
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Reader's Forum On Saturday at the Masters, Tiger Woods erased a six-stroke deficit in 26 holes and by day's end was the third-round co-leader with Retief Goosen. Woods then went out on Sunday, shot a 1-under 71 and won his second straight Masters, third overall, and his seventh professional major. And Woods is not yet 27. Is Woods the greatest of all time? If not, who is? Let us know your opinions by sending your responses to stuart@gpagolf.com with the subject line RE: Tiger Woods. Also include your first initial and last name, along with your email address.

Five Questions
David Leadbetter

David Leadbetter certainly did not originate golf instruction, although it sometimes might seem that way. What Leadbetter did, along with pupil Nick Faldo in the 1980s, was create the image of a modern coach. Leadbetter accompanied Faldo to tournaments, worked with him on the range and followed him on the course.

Given Faldo's success, the formula was soon copied by players and coaches throughout the world.

Leadbetter, sometimes called the king of the "techo-gurus," has worked with many of the today's top players, such as Faldo, Nick Price and Ernie Els. He continues as one of the most well-known, if not the most well-known teachers in the world.

The Leadbetter name is on golf academies in the United States and throughout Europe and Asia. He also has authored several instruction books, including "The Fundamentals of Hogan," in which Leadbetter analyzes Ben Hogan's "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf."

Leadbetter recently spoke with the Golf Press Association's Jim Wilson for this Five Questions session.

Q: What is your assessment of Ty Tryon in his first few tournaments on the PGA Tour? He's missed the cut in his four events thus far.

A: How we looked at it with Ty was that the first six months would be a period of getting comfortable on Tour.

We realized that in the early part of the schedule, the fields might be a little tougher. Ty is going to do fine. He's a really talented youngster. He has a lot to learn, and he knows that. We just analyzed his four tournaments recently. He's hitting the ball fine, but his up-and-downs, his putting, is not really up to Tour standards. He's got to learn his game. A year from now, he'll be a much better players.

It's like Justin Rose. Justin missed a heck of a lot of cuts early in his career, but it didn't demoralize him, just made him work harder. Now he's a very good player. Ty's young enough to suck it up. If he falls down, he'll pick himself back up.

Q: Ernie Els has had a great season so far. How did the two of you get back together?

A: Ernie has great technique, but he knew nothing about his golf swing, nothing.

We never really parted. I worked with Ernie in the '90s. A former assistant of mine, Robert Baker, was in the army with Ernie in South Africa. When Robert went out on his own, Ernie decided he would work with him.

Click here to read the complete Five Questions interview with David Leadbetter.