ON TOUR | This week's professional golf events

WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
NEC Invitational
Akron
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Firestone Country Club, South Course (7,230 yards, par 70).
Purse: $7 million. Winner's share: $1.2 million.
Television: ESPN (Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday, 2-6 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30-6:30 p.m.).
Last year: Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke won his second WGC title, beating Jonathan Kaye by four strokes.
Notes: Tiger Woods, coming off a 24th-place tie in the PGA, swept the 1999-01 tournaments at Firestone. He won by 11 strokes in 2000, matching the course record with a 61 en route to a tournament-record 21-under 259 total. In 2001, he outlasted Jim Furyk with a birdie on the seventh extra hole. Woods has topped the world rankings for 332 consecutive weeks, breaking the record set by Greg Norman. ... Jose Maria Olazabal also shot a 61 in his 12-stroke victory in the 1990 World Series of Golf. ... Hal Sutton completed the U.S. Ryder Cup team Monday, selecting 50-year-old Jay Haas and Stewart Cink as captain's picks for the Sept. 17-19 matches at Oakland Hills. Woods topped the 10 automatic qualifiers, followed by Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Furyk, Kenny Perry, David Toms, Chad Campbell, DiMarco, Fred Funk and Chris Riley.
LPGA TOUR
Wendy's Championship for Children
Dublin, Ohio
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Tartan Fields Golf Club (6,517 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.1 million. Winner's share: $165,000.
Television: ESPN2 (Friday, noon-2 p.m.; Saturday, 2-4 p.m.; Sunday, 5-7 p.m.).
Last year: South Korea's Hee-Won Han won the second of two 2003 titles, beating Wendy Ward with a 25-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff.
Notes: Michelle Wie is making her second appearance in the event. The 14-year-old sensation, coming off a second-round loss last week in the U.S. Women's Amateur, missed the cut by a stroke in 2002. ... Mallon also is in the field along with 2000 winner Lorie Kane and 2002 champion Mi Hyun Kim. Annika Sorenstam, the 1999 winner at New Albany Country Club, is skipping the event. ... The Wachovia LPGA Classic is next week in Kutztown, Pa., followed by the State Farm Classic in Springfield, Ill.
PGA TOUR
Reno-Tahoe Open
Reno, Nev.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Montreux Golf and Country Club (7,577 yards, par 72).
Purse: $3 million. Winner's share: $540,000.
Television: The Golf Channel (Thursday, 8-10:30 p.m.; Friday, midnight-1:30 a.m., 8-10:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2-4 a.m., 8-10:30 p.m.; Monday, 2-4 a.m.).
Last year: Kirk Triplett won his second tour title, closing with a 9-under 63 for a three-stroke victory over Tim Herron.
Notes: U.S. Senior Open winner Peter Jacobsen is in the field. ... John Cook won the 2001 tournament, overcoming a six-stroke deficit in the final round. ... The Buick Championship is next week in Cromwell, Conn., followed by the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Greater Hickory Classic
Conover, N.C.
Schedule: Friday-Sunday.
Course: Rock Barn Golf & amp; Spa, Jones Course (7,023 yards, par 72).
Purse: $1.6 million. Winner's share: $240,000.
Television: The Golf Channel (Friday, 1:30-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, midnight-2 a.m., 1:30-4 p.m.; Monday, midnight-2 a.m.).
Last year: Craig Stadler won the second of three 2003 senior titles, closing with a 66 to beat Larry Nelson by two strokes.
Notes: Argentina's Eduardo Romero is making his second Champions Tour start. The eight-time European tour winner tied for second in the Senior British Open in his tour debut. ... Former PGA Tour player Mark Carnevale is the tournament director. ... The JELD-WEN Tradition, the final major championship of the year, is next week at The Reserve Vineyards in Aloha, Ore., followed by The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach.
UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION
U.S. Amateur
Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Schedule: Through Sunday.
Course: Winged Foot Golf Club, West Course (7,266 yards, par 70).
Television: ESPN2 (Today-Thursday, 1-3 p.m.; Friday, 2-4 p.m.; Saturday, 4-6 p.m.; Sunday, 3-5 p.m.).
Last year: Nick Flanagan became the first Australian winner since Walter Travis in 1903, beating Casey Wittenberg on the 37th hole at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. Flanagan turned professional after the British Open.
Associated Press
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