Seventeen-year-old British amateur golfer Justin Rose,
who tied for fourth place at the British Open, announced
that he will turn professional and make his debut at this
weekend's European Tour Dutch Open, according to Keith Perry
of the London DAILY TELEGRAPH. Rose said it "would be silly
not to" turn pro after his performance this weekend (London
DAILY TELEGRAPH, 7/20). Rose will be repped by London-based
Carnegie Sports, and in Boston, Joe Concannon reports that
"[l]ucrative endorsement contracts are reportedly sitting on
the table" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/20).
OPEN NOTES: Brian Watts, who was runner-up at the
British Open, just recently signed a contract to be repped
by TX-based Cornerstone Sports. In Dallas, Brad Townsend
reports that the move is a "strong indication" that Watts,
who has played on the Japanese Tour for the last few years,
plans a "move" to the PGA Tour "in the near future" (DALLAS
MORNING NEWS, 7/20)....In London, Matt Dickinson writes on
the "corporate war being waged" in golf between Nike and
adidas. Spanish amateur Sergio Garcia "already has a non-
contract agreement" with adidas "and can expect to become a
millionaire overnight when he turns professional" (LONDON
TIMES, 7/20).
RECOVERY SHOTS: Yesterday, JAL extended its title
sponsorship of the LPGA JAL Big Apple Classic through 2003.
JAL also announced that next year's event will carry a purse
of $850,000, up from $775,000 this year (NEWSDAY, 7/20).
....MN-based Rainbow Foods has become the title sponsor for
the Minnesota LPGA Classic. Rainbow signed on for one year
and Tournament Dir Michael Sterns said both sides "will talk
about extending" the deal after this year's event, which is
slated for August 17-23. Rainbow will put up part of the
event's $600,000 purse (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/17).
