A Look Back: Nov. 2 1941: Dave Stockton, winner of two PGA Championships and captain of the winning 1991 U.S. Ryder Cup team, is born in San Bernardino, Calif. 1947: The Ryder Cup is renewed after World War II with the Americans posting an 11-1 win over Great Britain & Ireland in Portland, Ore. 1986: Mark Hayes wins the Centel Classic by one stroke over Russ Cochran. 1986: Jim Thorpe wins the Seiko-Tuscon Match Play Championship, defeating Scott Simpson in the final. 1997: David Duval wins the Tour Championship by one stroke over Jim Furyk at Champions Golf Club in Houston.

Associations
The United States Golf Association nominates Reed Mackenzie to a one-year term as its president. Mackenzie, 59, succeeds Trey Holland and has been involved with the USGA since he joined the Junior Amateur Championship Committee in 1977. Officers for the executive committee were also nominated.
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Architecture
Tom McBroom-designed Royal Frigate Golf Course in the West Indies commissions golf course builders Evans Golf to construct the new course. When complete, Royal Frigate will measure 6,944 yards and play to a par 71, as well as include an academy and practice facility.
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People
Jack Nicklaus agrees to serve as a spokesperson for King Pharmaceuticals' product Altace, used to reduce the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction and death from cardiovascular causes. The advertising campaign will include national television and print exposure.
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Golf course architect Craig Schreiner presents a half-day seminar on sand bunker renovation and construction at the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association's 35th Annual Conference and Trade Show in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nov. 12-14. Schreiner has participated in more than 70 course renovations nationwide.
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Environmental Golf promotes Eric Eskel to golf course superintendent at Tracy Golf and Country Club in Tracy, Calif. Eskel will manage the business unit dedicated to golf course maintenance and will implement efforts to improve the overall golf course maintenance operations.
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Real Estate
Sales representatives from golf communities located in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina will provide videos, brochures and information to prospective real estate purchasers at The Golf Course Home Show, held in Hartford, Conn., Nov. 2-4. The Golf Course Home Show was created by GolfCourseHome.net, an online provider of golf course community information.
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Publications
American Wholesale Book Company readers select "How I Play Golf" by Tiger Woods as a fourth-quarter Buyer's Pick. American Wholesale is a subsidiary of leading book retailer Books-A-Million.
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Business
Holders of more than 90 percent of Spalding Holdings Corporation's senior subordinated notes consent to an extension of the grace period from 30 days to 51 days pending recapitalization negotiations.
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LESCO, a specialty provider of products for the professional turf care market, announces it won't meet predicted earnings for 2001, and that this year's results will fall short of 2000 levels.
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Equipment
Coming into the final two official tournaments -- The Tour Championship and Southern Farm Bureau Classic this week -- Black Widow cleats by Softspikes had been worn to victory at 18 PGA Tour events (including the PGA Championship) in 2001. More than half the fields at the two events are also wearing the cleats.
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Casual Friday
One Last Chance

Just in case you have forgotten, the Tour Championship is this weekend, one last chance for the Tour's all-stars -- minus Phil Mickelson, that is -- to gather before heading off to their silly-season events and the short off-season. (Hey, what are we talking about? Many began the off-season the Monday after the PGA Championship).

What a season this has been, though. Tiger Woods wins the Masters to complete a slam of some sort, Mark Brooks, Stewart Cink and Retief Goosen do their best to hand each other the U.S. Open, David Duval finally breaks through to win a major, and David Toms emerges as another rising American force with his win at the PGA Championship. And that was just the majors.

We also had the cancellation of the Ryder Cup until next year, a nice blend of Baby Boomers and Generation Nexters vying for top honors each week, and the usual number of John Daly sightings.

This event is the Tour's All-Star game, just like the Pro Bowl is the afterthought to the NFL season. Nothing is really gained from this event, the honors and significant titles having already been bestowed. We thought a Mickelson-Woods showdown might erupt for Player of the Year honors, but Woods, in our opinion, wins by default.

So why watch? Because we said so. Seriously, ABC and ESPN are combining to provide 17.5 hours of coverage -- 12.5 beginning today, so it must be worth watching. More than that, though, it's our last chance to see golf played at its finest before they all gather again in 2002.

And golf at its finest generally includes Woods -- even if he isn't on or up to par. Now if you're wanting to see some real drama, try the Southern Farm Bureau Classic on The Golf Channel as a select number of players attempt to secure their 2002 PGA Tour cards.

TAP-INS

As thoughts turn toward the holidays and getting in a little golf during a trip to a warm climate, remember new airline restrictions. Absolutely no golf clubs can be carried on board an airplane, and check-in will be more of a headache with a full bag of clubs. Try a shipping service like Golf Bag Shipping (golfbagshipping.com) for your own clubs or get custom rentals sent to you wherever you may be through ShipGolf.com....

Mark O'Meara writes about playing the new, lengthened Augusta National with buddy Woods in the latest issue of Golf World. According to O'Meara, the changes make Augusta a lot tougher -- no more wedges into the greens on most of the par-4s. He says he and Woods give it "two thumbs up."...

Out on bookshelves this month will be Lorne Rubenstein's "A Season in Dornoch: Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands," published by Simon and Schuster.