Argentinian Duo Ignite European Tour

Angel Cabrera and Andres Romero will reinforce the strength of The European Tour’s relationship with Argentine golf by competing at the forthcoming Abierto Visa de la Republica – the first of two Argentine Opens to feature on the 2008 Challenge Tour Schedule. US Open Champion Cabrera and Andres Romero, winner of The Deutsche Bank Players’ Championship of Europe, have committed to play at the famous Buenos Aires Golf Club from December 6-9, 2007, the scene of Tiger Woods and David Duval’s World Cup victory for the United States in the year 2000. The 2008 edition of the Abierto Visa de la Republica will be staged just five months later, from April 3-6, at the Hurlingham Golf Club, where Cabrera won his second National Open Championship in 2002. While the main reason for having two editions of the Abierto Visa de la Republica in the space of five months is down to the long-term restructuring in the Schedules of both the Challenge Tour and Asociación Argentina de Golf (AAG), the fact that both events will feature on the 2008 Challenge Tour Schedule is symbolic of the special relationship between Argentina and The European and Challenge Tours. Ricardo Gonzalez, Eduardo Romero and Cabrera have been committed supporters of The European Tour throughout their distinguished careers, while Andres Romero is the perfect example of what Argentine golfers can achieve in the modern structure of European golf. In that modern structure, the Challenge Tour’s partnership with both the AAG and the Tour de las Americas (TLA), and their resulting series’ of co-sanctioned events, offers hundreds of Argentine and Latin American players an avenue to The European Tour. Encouraged by his performances during the co-sanctioned tournaments in Mexico, Panama, Peru, Costa Rica and Guatemala, Andres Romero made his way to Europe and won his place on The European Tour with a 14th place finish on the 2005 Challenge Tour Rankings. Andres Romero is one of five Argentine players who have joined the European Tour via the Challenge Tour Rankings since the first co-sanctioned events with the TLA in 2003. Of those five, Daniel Vancsik and Romero have gone on to win on The European Tour.

Peers recognise King in Vegas

LAS VEGAS-International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Don "Only in America" King will be in Las Vegas on Friday to accept a Sam Lacy Pioneer Award from the Sports Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists at their 32nd Annual Convention being held at Bally's.The task force is comprised of black print and broadcast sports journalist from across the country. The Pioneer Award is the organization's highest honor, and King will share the stage at the awards ceremony with fellow recipients that have special Nevada ties including boxing referee Richard Steele; Sacramento Kings head coach and former UNLV star Reggie Theus; ESPN NBA analyst and former UNLV standout Greg Anthony; UNLV women's basketball coach Regina Miller; and former University of Nevada-Reno women's athletics administrator Dr. Angela Taylor."This is a truly great honor for me to be recognized with a Pioneer Award by the august members of the National Association of Black Journalists Sports Task Force while they are convening at their 32nd annual convention," King said. "These are people I respect and admire. I look forward to joining them and the other Pioneer Award recipients at this celebration of the human spirit."The awards ceremony is being co-hosted by Ron Thomas, a sports writer for 34 years who was just named the first director of Morehouse College's journalism and sports program, and Mike Terry, a longtime sports writer for the Los Angeles Times covering college and professional sports.The award is named after Sam Lacy, a trailblazing black sportswriter who was heavily involved in Jackie Robinson's entrance into Major League Baseball. When he died at the age of 99, Lacy was still writing a weekly column for the Baltimore Afro-American.The festivities are part of the NABJ task force's convention, taking place for the first time in Las Vegas, which is ongoing through Aug. 12.King will also take part in a special workshop earlier in the day on Friday beginning at 4 p.m. titled Is Boxing Down for the Count?The promotional legend will be joined on a star-studded panel consisting of President of HBO Sports Ross Greenburg; Senior Vice President/General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports Events Programming Ken Hershman; Hall of Fame boxing promoter Bob Arum; undefeated six-time world champion in five separate weight divisions "Pretty Boy' Floyd Mayweather Jr.; and New York Daily News sports columnist and longtime boxing scribe Tim Smith.New York Post sports columnist George Willis coordinated the workshop, and USA Today boxing writer Chuck Johnson will serve as moderator during the 90-minute discussion beginning at 4 p.m.The workshop will be held on Friday in the Bronze Room 1 at Bally's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Seating is limited and only registered members of the NABJ convention and special guests will be allowed to attend.The awards ceremony will take place at a dinner, also at Bally's Las Vegas from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.NABJ is an organization of journalists, students and media-related professionals. Founded in 1975, it is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation.

Mickelson Targets China

World Number Three Phil Mickelson is the latest star to commit to the HSBC Champions. He joins Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh in confirming he will be at the Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China, from November 8-11, 2007. Winner of 31 titles on the US PGA Tour, including the 2004 and 2006 Masters Tournaments and the 2005 US PGA Championship, Mickelson is looking to add another international title to his CV. He has not won outside of the USA since winning the Tournoi Perrier Paris on the European Challenge Tour in 1993 and the $5 million HSBC Champions would be a great place to start. Playing in his first official event in China, Mickelson admitted he was looking forward to the challenge of the HSBC Champions, saying: “I’ve been looking at a way of including this event in my schedule and am delighted that this year I will be there competing for the ‘Champion of Champions’ title. I would really like to win an international title of this magnitude, especially as I will be competing against so many great winners from the different Tours.” Giles Morgan, HSBC’s Head of Sports Sponsorship and Marketing, added: “We are delighted that Phil has committed to the HSBC Champions. From feedback last year, we know that China’s golf fans are going to very excited to watch him play in Shanghai as he goes head to head with the world’s best. With early commitment from Ernie, Sergio and Vjiay, the field really is shaping up fantastically well. “We have been thrilled at the impact the HSBC Champions has had in Asia and around the world over the last two years and look forward to making the third HSBC Champions our best yet.” Last year’s field included representatives from over 20 countries making it one of the most international on the schedule.The tournament also attracted famous names from other sports, with World Tennis Number One Roger Federer and Spanish ace Rafael Nadal visiting the Sheshan International Golf Club to watch the action. The HSBC Champions is also the only tournament where winners from around the world are rewarded with an invitation to compete against the world’s leading players for the largest prize fund on offer in Asia of US$5 million.
HSBC Champions will be played at the Sheshan International Golf Club. The event is co-sanctioned by The European Tour, Asian Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Sunshine (Southern Africa) Tour, and the China Golf Association.