PERRYGOLF INSIDER NEWS

It's official - The Open Championship will return for the 27th time to the Old Course, St Andrews in 2005.

Others celebrating their 100th birthday. The Duke's Course was chosen as the first of six Scottish Golf Clubs to commemorate The Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Centenary. To commemorate 100 years of the PGA, 100 Centenary Oak trees, nurtured from acorns that originated at the Oak Hill Course in Rochester, NY, will be planted at 100 clubs across Great Britain and Ireland. Over 300 clubs in Great Britain and Ireland will celebrate their centenary between 2002 and 2010.

Congratulations to Doonbeg for being awarded the 2002 Palmer Cup, the first summer it is officially open! The Palmer Cup, an annual match-play competition, pits eight collegiate golfers from the United States against their counterparts from Great Britain and Ireland. Ballybunion was also named as the host for the 2004 event.

The final teams for the 2nd Annual Seve Trophy, to be held April 19-21 at Druid's Glen were announced. Captain Seve Ballesteros' European squad will defend the Trophy with Alex Ceijka, Thomas Bjorn, Niclas Fasth, Mathias Gronberg, Raphael Jacquelin, Thomas Levet, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Robert Karlson, and José Maria Olazabal. Captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team, Colin Montgomerie, will be looking to win with Paul Casey, Paul McGinley, Steve Webster, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, David Howell, Paul Lawrie, Ian Woosnam and Lee Westwood. Seve apparently was not too pleased when his protege, Sergio Garcia, a qualifier, opted instead to spend that weekend at Hilton Head, SC at the WorldCom Classic.

Seve Ballesteros made other news when he showed up at the Madeira Island Open sporting an unusual good luck charm - a tattoo of himself fist-pumping after winning the 1984 British Open at St. Andrews. He explained that it gave him confidence and inspiration when he looks down on the 'artwork.' Don't laugh, Seve made his first cut of the year.

Bob Lewis, a four-time U.S. Walker Cup team member, will lead the US Squad as Captain for the 2003 Walker Cup Matches, September 6-7 at Ganton Golf Club in North Yorkshire, England.

Speaking of the Walker Cup, five members of the winning Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team last August are among 22 players vying for a spot on the GB & I squad that will compete against the Continent of Europe for the ST ANDREWS TROPHY in Lausanne, Switzerland this August 30-31. The squad will be captained by Garth McGimpsey, who will also captain the 2003 GB & I Walker Cup squad at Ganton.

Alison Davison, a former Curtis Cup member, has been named Captain of the GB & I team that will compete in the Women's World Amateur Team Championship at the Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 16-19, 2002.

Mount Juliet will be making some changes in preparation to host the WGC American Express Championship this September. Plans include rebuilding of some championship tees and toughening of some holes, the 2nd in particular. Changes are however not scheduled to disrupt golfers.

Adare Manor will host the AIB Seniors Open May 17-19, 2002

The St Andrews Links Trust wants to make the St Andrews Links Trophy the top stroke play tournament for amateur golfers in the world. Burberry has signed on for a three year sponsorship. It has lowered the handicap requirement from 1 or better to scratch or better. The tournament is looking at possibly moving dates in the future to attract more US Collegiate players who are competing on their home soil in the NCAA's during the current May 25 and 26 timeframe. In order to compensate they are actively seeking entries from older top American amateurs and Walker Cup members such as John Harris and Tom McKnight.

Talented young golfers can learn an appreciation of the Old Course and St Andrews by competing in the St Andrews Links Boys' and Junior Ladies Open Tournaments this August 5-8. Both events are match play with one qualifying round on the Eden (Boys) and Strathtyrum (Ladies) and the quarter, semi and final matches on the Old Course.

The dates of the 2004 Solheim Cup have been moved to September 12-14, 2003, at Barseback, Sweden so as not to interfere with the rescheduled 2002 Ryder Cup.