We will continue to track all the local talent for 2010 on the Tacoma News Tribune's "Green Scene" blog at this account:

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/golf/

A new sponsor in tow, and three top-10 finishes in hand, including a third-place finish at the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China has Puyallup's Ryan Moore.

Now the latest good news: He's in the top 50 in the world rankings for the first time in his career.

He's seen a huge jump in 2009, starting the season ranked 163rd in the world. A recent surge had him at 75th entering last week's tournament, but a high finish against a strong field were the two biggest reasons for the move to 49th.

The PGA Tour season has one more tournament this week – Children's Miracle Network in Orlando, Fla. – and if Moore remains in that spot, he'll earn an automatic berth to the British Open next year at St. Andrews.

This week: PGA Tour/European Tour WGC-HSBC Champions, Thursday through Sunday, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China.

Fourth-round score: 4-under-par 68.

Position: Moore (15-under 273) finished alone in third, two strokes behind winner Phil Mickelson (271).

Recap: What a debut in the World Golf Championships events for the Puyallup golfer, who played in front of the Mickelson-Tiger Woods grouping. He was solid throughout the round, birdied the 17th hole and, by his own admission, should have finished with another one to tie Ernie Else for second, saying afterward, "I hit a heck of a putt on 18 … I really can't believe it didn't go in." He earned a paycheck of $430,078, and will move into the top 50 in the world rankings Monday, making him eligible for next year's British Open.

Next: 2010 SBS Championship starting Jan. 7 in Hawaii.

This week: PGA Tour/European Tour's WGC-HSBC Championship, Thursday through Sunday, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China.

Third-round score: 2-under-par 70.

Position: Moore (11-under 205) is alone in fourth, three strokes behind leader Phil Mickelson (202).

Recap: Rough weather conditions were the biggest factor in the higher scoring (Tiger Woods and Nick Watney, Moore's playing partners, also shot 70). Moore had a chance to tie for second on the final par-5, but missed an 8-foot eagle putt.

Tee time Sunday: 6:25 p.m. PST Saturday off the first tee with Jyoti Randhawa and Lee Westwood.

This week: PGA Tour/European Tour's WGC-HSBC Champions, Thursday through Sunday, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China.

Second-round score: 3-under-par 69.

Position: Moore (9-under 135) is tied for third with Phil Mickelson and Alvaro Quiros, one stroke behind co-leaders Nick Watney and Tiger Woods (134).

Recap: The Puyallup golfer kept pace in his first WGC event, and is one of seven golfers in the field to fire back-to-back rounds in the 60s, highlighted by an eagle-3 on the 18th hole (8-foot putt) and a chip-in birdie on the ninth hole, his final one (60-foot chip). Moore said the greens at Sheshan are the best he's putted on all season. He now gets his first career grouping with Woods for the third round.

Tee time Saturday: 6:40 p.m. PST Friday off the first tee with Watney and Woods.

After a season in which he went sponsor-free, Puyallup's Ryan Moore has inked a multi-year deal with little-known Scratch Golf to play their irons and wedges.

The contract was finalized Thursday prior to Moore teeing off for the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, China.

Not only will he become the first PGA Tour player to sign with Scratch Golf to use their irons, the 26-year-old from Cascade Christian and UNLV also become a part-owner in the company, which originated in Eugene, Ore. in 2003 and is now based in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Mike Moore, his father and president of Moore Sports Management, said the family flew out to the company's headquarters a month ago, and spent a day testing the product.

=> Read more!

This week: PGA Tour/European Tour's WGC-HSBC Championships, Thursday through Sunday, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China.

First-round score: 6-under-par 66.

Position: Moore is tied for second with Germany's Martin Kaymer and Ireland's Shane Lowry, two strokes behind course record-setter Nick Watney (64).

Recap: Twenty of the 78 golfers in the field broke 70, and the Puyallup golfer was one of them in his World Golf Championships circuit debut. He also signed a new equipment endorsement deal prior to his round Thursday.

Tee time Friday: 6:15 p.m. PST Thursday off the 10th tee.

This week: PGA Tour/European Tour's WGC-HSBC Champions, Thursday through Sunday, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China.

World ranking: 75th.

2009 earnings: $2,,222,871 (30th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: Moore finished up his 2009 PGA Tour season with a tied-for-eighth finish at the Frys.com Open (13-under 268), capping back-to-back tournament in which he finished in the top 10. Since the U.S. Open, only Tiger Woods (eight) has had more top-10 finishes than the Puyallup golfer, whose five top-10s is tied with Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker for second. Moore bypassed the last two events on the PGA Tour schedule – last week's cancelled Viking Classic and next week's Children's Miracle Network Classic in Florida – to play in this world-class tournament, which he gained a spot by way of his late-August win at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina, his first career professional triumph.

Tee time Thursday: 5:05 p.m. PST Wednesday off the first tee with Greg Chalmers and Wei-huang Wu.

This week: PGA Tour's Frys.com Open, Thursday through Sunday, Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Third-round score: 3-under-par 67.

Position: Moore (12-under 198) is tied for fifth with four other golfers. Troy Matteson (195) holds a three-stroke lead.

Recap: The Puyallup golfer's day immediately hit a speed bump when he three-putted from 40 feet on the opening hole for a bogey. He then settled down to make the turn at 1-under, then almost holed out a sand wedge on the par-4 14th for an eagle. His approach stopped seven inches from the cup for a tap-in birdie, and he followed with another one on the next hole.

Tee time Sunday: 10:50 a.m. PDT with Rickie Fowler and Nick O'Hern.

This week: PGA Tour's Frys.com Open, Thursday through Sunday, Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Second-round score: 5-under-par 65.

Position: Moore (9-under 131) is tied for fourth, two strokes behind co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Greg Owen (129).

Recap: Hmm … could he make noise toward a second victory in his final PGA Tour event in 2009. Sure seems that way. A clean scorecard (five birdies, no bogeys) had another sudden surge (three birdies in a row at Nos. 11-13), and another birdie on the difficult 515-yard, par-4 18th where he canned an 11-foot putt.

Tee time Saturday: 11:05 a.m. PDT off the first tee with Nick O'Hern and Chris Stroud.

This week: PGA Tour's Frys.com Open, Thursday through Sunday, Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.

First-round score: 4-under-par 66.

Position: Moore is tied for sixth, three strokes behind leader Nick O'Hern (63).

Recap: Nice start for the Puyallup golfer playing in his final PGA Tour stop this season. He made four birdies in a five-hole stretch (Nos. 14, 15, 17, 18), and was at 5-under late his round before an untimely two-putt bogey at the par-4 seventh.

Tee time Friday: 7:16 a.m. PDT off the first tee.

This week: PGA Tour's Frys.com Open, Thursday through Sunday, Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.

World ranking: 75th.

2009 earnings: $2,087,871 (34th on the PGA Tour).

Last tournament: The Puyallup golfer notched his fifth top-10 finish Sunday at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (16-under 268, tied-for-seventh) – and first since winning the Wyndham Championship in August. And just like last week in Las Vegas, he travels to a course he should know fairly well – the Raptor Course – since north Scottsdale is where he owns a house, just 10 minutes from the course. And he's won on this course before as a teenager – the AJGA Thunderbird International. This is Moore's last PGA Tour appearance of 2009.

Tee time Thursday: 11:41 a.m. PDT off the 10th tee with Charley Hoffman and Rory Sabbatini.