Mon Apr 7 14:46:33 2008

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This Week in Golf - April 10th through April 13th

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - PGA TOUR - THE MASTERS, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia - After the LPGA Tour kicked off its major season last weekend, the PGA Tour has its first major this week with The Masters.

Using a strong wedge game, and sinking several clutch putts, Zach Johnson claimed his first major championship last year.

Johnson, knowing he couldn't reach the greens on Augusta's par-fives, laid up every time and displayed a solid wedge game en route to a three-under 69 in the final round.

The Iowan finished at one-over-par 289, but it was good for a two-shot win over four-time Masters champ Tiger Woods, as well as Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini, who also closed with 69s.

Woods closed with an even-par 72 and for the first time in his career did not win a major while playing in the final pairing. He trailed Stuart Appleby by one going into the final round.

However, Woods still has never come from behind to win a major title.

Johnson's come-from-behind win meant he was the first player since 1990 to win the Masters while not playing in the final pairing.

The Masters committee re-instated an old rule allowing winners of PGA Tour events, excluding the Fall Series tournaments, entry into the season's first major.

With that rule coming back into effect, seven players are in the field this week with that being their only qualification of the 14 possible qualification categories for professional golfers.

Those seven are '07 Buick Open winner Brian Bateman, '08 Mercedes-Benz Championship titlist Daniel Chopra, this year's FBR Open champ J.B. Holmes, '08 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner Steve Lowery, '08 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic champion D.J. Trahan, last week's Houston Open victor Johnson Wagner and '07 Zurich Classic of New Orleans winner Nick Watney.

Several past champions including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and European Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo are not competing this week.

As per tradition, The Master has also invited several amateur champions. Competing this week will be U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion Trip Kuehne, U.S. Amateur runner-up Michael Thompson and British Amateur champ Drew Weaver.

Colt Knost, who won last year's U.S. Amateur and U.S. Amateur Public Links, will not be competing this week as he has turned professional and therefore forfeited his invitation.

ESPN will have three hours of coverage on Thursday and Friday. CBS takes over for the final two rounds and has four-and-a-half hours of action on Saturday and five-and-a-half hours of coverage on Sunday.

The PGA Tour returns to action next week with the Verizon Heritage, where Boo Weekley won last year.

LPGA TOUR

CORONA CHAMPIONSHIP, Tres Marias Residential Golf Club, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico - A week after winning her second straight major championship, women's world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa will head to her homeland looking for her third straight win.

Ochoa has won her last two starts -- the Safeway International and the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

That raised her career total to 20 wins and puts her within one point of earning enough points for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Ochoa can earn the points now, but can't get inducted until she completes 10 years on tour.

Last year, Silvia Cavalleri stole Ochoa's thunder by closing with a six-under 66 to beat the hometown favorite by two shots. Ochoa shot 68 in the final round to share second with Julieta Granada.

Don't feel bad for Ochoa though, she has won nine times since that defeat. That was Cavalleri's first tour win and she is still looking for title No. 2.

There is no television this week.

The LPGA returns to action next week in Florida with the Ginn Open, where Brittany Lincicome won last year.

CANADIAN TOUR

SPRING INTERNATIONAL, Del Rio Country Club, Modesto, California - The Canadian Tour opens its season this week with the first of two straight events in California.

First up is the Spring International, where Adam Bland won last year. Bland, who was making his first tour start, birdied two of the last three holes to post nine-under-par 279, thanks to a final-round 67.

Bland was joined there by Spencer Levin (72), Scott Gibson (69) and John Ellis (72). The four went to a playoff where Bland birdied the first extra hole for the win.

There is no television coverage of this event.

The tour remains in California next week with the Stockton Sports Commission Classic, where Wes Heffernan was victorious last year.