ON TOUR This week's pro golf events
PGA TOURHP Classic of New Orleans
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: English Turn Golf & amp; Country Club (7,116 yards, par 72).
Purse: $5.1 million. Winner's share: $918,000.
Television: USA (Thursday, 4-6 p.m.; Friday, 3-6 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Last year: Left-hander Steve Flesch won his first tour title, beating Bob Estes with a 35-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff. Flesch won in his 174th tour start.
Last week: Vijay Singh won the Houston Open for the second time in three years, beating Scott Hoch by two strokes in a Monday finish. Singh has two victories this year and 17 overall.
Notes: Phil Mickelson is making his first start since winning the Masters for his first major title. He is tied for the tour lead with two victories and tops the money list with $3,488,600 in nine events. ... K.J. Choi won the 2002 tournament to become the first South Korean winner in PGA Tour history. ... Singh, making his 12th start of the year, is second on the money list with $3,349,866. ... David Toms, a Louisiana native who played for LSU, won in 2001, finishing with a 64 for a two-stroke victory over Mickelson. ... Paraguay's Carlos Franco won the 1999 and 2000 tournaments. ... Jack Nicklaus designed the English Turn course. ... The Wachovia Championship is next week in Charlotte, N.C., followed by the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas.
LPGA TOURChick-fil-A Charity ChampionshipStockbridge, Ga.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Eagle's Landing Country Club (6,368 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.6 million. Winner's share: $240,000.
Television: ESPN2 (Thursday, 2-4 p.m.; Sunday, 3-5 p.m.) and ESPN (Friday, 1-3 p.m.; Saturday, 5-7 p.m.).
Last year: Se Ri Pak won the 20th of her 21 tour titles, beating Australia's Shani Waugh on the fourth hole of a playoff. The South Korean forced the playoff with a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole of regulation.
Last event: Cristie Kerr won the Takefuji Classic in Las Vegas on April 18, beating Seol-An Jeon on the seventh extra hole after blowing a four-stroke lead on the final six holes of regulation.
Notes: Annika Sorenstam, the 2001 tournament winner, is making her first start since winning the Office Depot Championship in Los Angeles on April 4 for her 50th LPGA Tour title. The Swedish star also won the Safeway International in March. ... Tournament host Nancy Lopez won the 1997 event for the last of her 48 victories. ... The Michelob Ultra Open is next week in Williamsburg, Va., followed by the Franklin American Mortgage in Franklin, Tenn.
CHAMPIONS TOURBruno's Memorial ClassicHoover, Ala.
Schedule: Friday-Sunday.
Course: Greystone Golf and Country Club, Founder's Course (7,092 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.5 million. Winner's share: $225,000.
Television: The Golf Channel (Friday-Sunday, 5-7:30 p.m., 10 p.m.-midnight).
Last year: Tom Jenkins beat Bruce Fleisher by three strokes. Jenkins won the Blue Angels Classic in Milton, Fla., on April 18 for his fifth senior title.
Last week: Hale Irwin won his tour-record 39th title, beating Gil Morgan and Gary Koch by a stroke in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in Savannah, Ga.
Notes: Irwin won the 2001 event, shooting three straight 65s to break the tournament record by six strokes. ... The Kinko's Classic is next week in Austin, Texas.
PGA EUROPEAN TOURItalian OpenMilan
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Castello di Tolcinasco Golf and Country Club (7,225 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.42 million. Winner's share: $236,850.
Television: The Golf Channel (Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon; Friday, 3-4:30 a.m.; 9 a.m.-noon; Saturday-Sunday, 3-4:30 a.m., 8-11 a.m.; Monday, 3-4:30 a.m.).
Last year: Sweden's Mathias Gronberg won at Gardagolf in Brescia, beating three players by two strokes.
Last week: France's Christian Cevaer won the Spanish Open by a stroke for his first European tour victory, eagling two par-4 holes in a closing 1-under 69.
Notes: England's Ian Poulter won the 2000 tournament at Is Molas and the 2002 event at Olgiata. ... Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal is making his first appearance in the tournament in five years. He finished second in 1990, 1997 and 1998.
NATIONWIDE TOURBMW Charity Pro-Am at The CliffsTravelers Rest, S.C.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Courses: Cliffs Valley (7,023 yards, par 72) and The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards (7,006 yards, par 71).
Purse: $600,000. Winner's share: $108,000.
Television: The Golf Channel (Thursday, 1:30-4 p.m., 9-11 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 1:30-4 p.m., 8-10 p.m.).
Last year: Tripp Isenhour won his second Nationwide Tour title, holding off Kyle Thompson by two strokes.
Last week: Franklin Langham won his second tour title in nearly 11 years, edging Keoke Cotner by two strokes in the Rheem Classic in Fort Smith, Ark.
Notes: Jack Nicklaus and sons Jackie, Steve, Gary and Michael are competing in the event for the second straight year. Gary Player and son Wayne also are in the field. ... Former CBS announcer Ben Wright designed the Cliffs Valley course. PGA Tour player Jay Haas served as a player consultant on the Tom Fazio-designed The Cliffs.
-- Associated Press
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