The Gillette Co. will form the Gillette Tour Challenge,
a 45-event, season-long series that includes players on the
PGA Tour, Senior PGA Tour and LPGA Tour. Regular-season
competition will consist of two-player teams while the
season-ending championship will feature teams of one golfer
from each tour. Eighteen events are set for the PGA Tour,
17 for the Senior PGA Tour and ten for the LPGA. The season
concludes with a $1.8M championship October 7 in Bermuda,
which will be broadcast on ABC (Gillette).
SHARK TAMED: USA TODAY's Jerry Potter notes that Greg
Norman and PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem "say they
aren't feuding anymore." The two's "perceived differences"
are over forming a world tour featuring the game's top
players. Finchem joined Norman at his news conference at
the TPC of Sawgrass, FL, site of The Players Championship:
"We wanted to put this to rest. We have a pretty good
working relationship" (USA TODAY, 3/27).
WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY? The PGA Tour Radio Network debuts
with limited coverage of The Players Championships at the
TPC at Sawgrass, March 27-30, and complete broadcasts begin
with the Shell Houston Open on May 3. The radio network
will cover 20 events for the PGA Tour, Senior PGA Tour and
Nike Tour during the '97 season (PGA Tour Radio Network).
PUTTIN' ON THE RITTS: LPGA Tour Commissioner Jim Ritts
is featured in the BOSTON GLOBE by Robin Romano. Romano
notes "things are looking up these days for the organization
[Ritts] took over just over a year ago." Ritts: "We've
become a hot commodity" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/27).
