Mon Mar 31 13:34:41 2008

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This Week in Golf - April 3rd through April 6th

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - LPGA TOUR - KRAFT NABISCO CHAMPIONSHIP, Mission Hills Country Club (Dinah Shore Tournament Course), Rancho Mirage, California - Last year, Morgan Pressel rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole and went to the range.

She was still there when Suzann Pettersen all but handed her a piece of history.

Pressel became the youngest women to win a major championship at the age of 18 years, 10 months and nine days old after closing with a three-under 69 on Sunday at last season's Kraft Nabisco, the first major of the year on any tour.

Her first major championship was facilitated by Pettersen's collapse down the stretch: a three-shot lead lost on the last four holes left the powerful Norwegian one back.

Pettersen went on to have a career year, winning her first five titles as well as finally picking up her first major at the McDonald's LPGA Championship in June. But the season may be remembered most for the tournament she didn't win.

Both players will be back, facing a field that includes 2006 champion Karrie Webb, who memorably holed out for eagle on the last hole that year to force a playoff with Lorena Ochoa that she eventually won, claiming her second Kraft Nabisco title in seven years.

Ochoa, the world No. 1 and two-time reigning Player of the Year, earned her second victory this season at last week's Safeway International. She will be looking to win her second major championship after breaking through at last year's Women's British Open.

Annika Sorenstam will be seeking her first major title since the 2006 Women's U.S. Open. Sorenstam owned this event from 2001-05, winning it three times and finishing runner-up once.

With a win this week, Sorenstam would tie LPGA Tour founder Louise Suggs for third on the all-time majors win list with 11.

The Kraft Nabisco Championship is one of only two tournaments (including the Masters) that has been played on the same golf course (Dinah Shore Tournament Course) since its inception in 1972.

ESPN2 will have coverage of each of the first three rounds, with CBS taking over for the final round on Sunday. Next week the LPGA Tour will be in Mexico for the Corona Championship, which Silvia Cavalleri won last year.

PGA TOUR

SHELL HOUSTON OPEN, Redstone Golf Club Tournament Course, Humble, Texas - The Houston Open has been won by great American players like Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Payne Stewart, Raymond Floyd, Curtis Strange, Fred Couples, Fred Funk and Corey Pavin.

But the 10th oldest tournament on the PGA Tour also boasts a strong history of international champions.

When Australia's Adam Scott won by three shots over Stuart Appleby and Bubba Watson last season, he became the 12th Houston Open champion from outside the United States since the event's inception in 1946.

Those 12 players boast 16 wins at the tournament, which serves this season as the last event before the Masters.

With the season's first major looming, some of the world's top golfers are taking the week off, including No. 1 Tiger Woods. But the field this week will still include Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, the defending champion Scott, K.J. Choi, and last week's surprise winner in New Orleans, Andres Romero.

Among the other players skipping the tournament are Jim Furyk, Justin Rose and Vijay Singh, who won the Houston Open three times between 2002-05.

The Golf Channel has coverage of the first two rounds, with NBC taking over on the weekend again. Next week, Zach Johnson will defend his surprise win at the Masters.

EUROPEAN TOUR

ESTORIL OPEN DE PORTUGAL, Oitavos Dunes, Estoril, Portugal - Pablo Martin made history with his win at last year's Open de Portugal.

Then a 20-year-old Spanish standout at Oklahoma State University, Martin became the first amateur ever to win on the European Tour when he closed with a three-under 69 on Sunday to beat Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin by one shot.

Jacquelin chipped in for a birdie on the 72nd hole to match the low round of the day with a 67, placing pressure on the young Spaniard. But Martin finished with a pair of two-putt pars to finish off a bogey-free round for the win.

The victory snapped Paul Broadhurst's two-year winning streak at the tournament -- not that Broadhurst was even in the mix. He finished 12 shots back.

Martin returns this week as a professional, looking to become the fifth player in tournament history to repeat as champion. As an amateur winner last year, he was ineligible to win prize money. Jacquelin, instead, received an increased share of 208,330 euros for second place.

The Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds this week, beginning at 10:30 a.m. (et) the first two days and a half-hour earlier on the weekend. The best European Tour players will be at the Masters next week.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

THE CAP CANA CHAMPIONSHIP, Punta Espada Golf Club, Cap Cana, Dominican Republic - Champions Tour players will get a chance to work in a beautiful setting this week at the inaugural Cap Cana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

The new tournament features a 78-player field and an official prize purse of $2 million, with the winner collecting $300,000. But the biggest draw may be the course itself.

Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the Signature Course at Punta Espada Golf Club is a par-72 layout the stretches along the coastline of the Caribbean Sea. Palm trees abound, not only lining the course but also in some of the expansive bunkers.

The Golf Channel will have coverage of all three rounds this week. The Champions Tour is off next week, returning on April 18th for the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, which was won by Tom Watson last year.

NATIONWIDE TOUR

LIVERMORE VALLEY WINE COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP, The Course at Wente Vineyards, Livermore, California - The toughest tournament on the Nationwide Tour has come around again.

The Course at Wente Vineyards has a reputation for producing the highest scores on tour each year, and last season's tournament was no different.

Despite closing with a double-bogey on the 72nd hole, Omar Uresti was the only player to finish at par or better last year, earning his second Nationwide Tour win and first since 1994 with an even-par 288 total.

Uresti became only the second player in Nationwide Tour history to win a tournament with a score of even-par or worse. Playing mostly on the PGA Tour this season, he won't be back to defend his title (no player has ever repeated as champion on the developmental tour).

The Nationwide Tour is off next week, returning on April 17th for the Athens Regional Foundation Classic, where Martin Laird won last season.