This Week in Golf - October 30th through November 2nd

Golf Betting Lines

10/27/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - GINN SUR MER CLASSIC, The Conservatory, Palm Coast, Florida - Following three days of weather delays and suspensions, Daniel Chopra finally wrapped up his first PGA Tour win in a Monday finish at last year's Ginn Sur Mer Classic.

Chopra closed with a two-under 71 in the final round to beat Shigeki Maruyama and Fredrik Jacobson by one shot. The two-time Nationwide Tour winner claimed his second PGA Tour title this season at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

Like it did last year, this tournament falls on the second-to-last week of the PGA Tour season. Next week's Children's Miracle Network Classic is the seventh and final event of the Fall Series -- and the last chance for those players who are in jeopardy to make it into the top 125 on the money list to keep their PGA Tour cards for next season.

Patrick Sheehan, currently No. 125 on the list, will be in the field this week hoping to defend his position or improve it. Jeff Overton, Martin Laird, Vaughn Taylor and Jay Williamson -- all on the bubble -- will be among the players battling for good finishes.

The Golf Channel will have three hours of coverage for all four rounds beginning at 1:30 p.m. (et) each day.

The upcoming Children's Miracle Network Classic was won by Stephen Ames last season.

EUROPEAN TOUR

VOLVO MASTERS, Club de Golf Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain - Justin Rose wrapped up the European Tour's Order of Merit title with a win at last year's Volvo Masters. It was more than he needed.

Rose beat Simon Dyson and Soren Kjeldsen in a playoff with a birdie on the second extra hole, claiming his fourth European Tour win and first money title. It didn't matter what the outcome of the playoff was -- Rose would have won the Order of Merit crown even if he tied for second place.

Sitting 83rd on the money list this season, Rose still gets to play the Volvo Masters as its defending champion. The field is made up of the top 60 players on the money list.

Robert Karlsson, having a career season, leads the money list by nearly 300,000 euros over defending British and PGA champion Padraig Harrington.

Harrington is among three of Karlsson's Ryder Cup teammates who can mathematically catch Karlsson this week, the others being Lee Westwood and Miguel Angel Jimenez. But as consistent as Karlsson has been this season, it's unlikely he will be blocked from being the first Swede to win the Order of Merit crown.

The Golf Channel will have coverage of all four rounds of the season-ending event. The European Tour's 2009 season begins next week with the HSBC Champions event, won by Phil Mickelson last year in China.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP, Sonoma Golf Club, Sonoma, California - Jim Thorpe successfully defended his title at last year's Charles Schwab Cup Championship with a six-under 66 in the final round that gave him a three-shot win over Fred Funk and Denis Watson.

It was the third time Thorpe -- who didn't make this year's field -- won the season-ending Champions Tour event. The last two victories represent his last two wins overall.

Loren Roberts tied for 13th place, but still won the season-long Charles Schwab Cup race and its $1 million prize based on a strong year that included a pair of victories.

Jay Haas currently leads the Schwab Cup points list by just 12 points over Fred Funk. He is 96 points ahead of Bernhard Langer -- making the race for this year's $1 million top payout a close one heading into the final tournament.

The Golf Channel has 2 1/2 hours of coverage of all four rounds beginning at 4:30 p.m. each day. The only events left on the Champions Tour schedule for 2008 are the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge, Q-school and the Del Webb Father/Son Challenge.

LPGA TOUR

HANA BANK KOLON CHAMPIONSHIP, Sky 72 Golf Club, Ocean Course, Incheon, Korea - Suzann Pettersen was declared the winner of last year's Hana Bank Kolon Championship when the third and final round was canceled due to unplayable conditions caused by gusting winds that left several greens unputtable.

It marked Pettersen's fourth victory in a five-win 2007 season that has been followed by a winless 2008. Though she has picked up three runner-up finishes this season, Pettersen has yet to break through again.

Her competition in a smaller-than-normal field this weekend includes Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and a host of top Koreans -- but no Lorena Ochoa or Annika Sorenstam.

This event began in 2001, but was cancelled in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks on the United States. Pettersen was the first non-Korean player to win the tournament.

There is no television coverage scheduled for this week. Next week is the Mizuno Classic, which was won by Momoko Ueda last year.