ROYAL & ANCIENT GOLF CLUB OF ST. ANDREW
The British Open

Site: Southport, England.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Royal Birkdale Golf Club (7,173 yards, par 70).

Purse: $8.24 million. Winner’s share: $1,487,000.

FedEx Cup points: 27,500. Winner’s share: 4,950.

Television (all times PDT: TNT (Thursday-Friday, 4 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday, 4-6 a.m.; Sunday, 3-5 a.m.) and ABC (Saturday, 6-11 a.m.; Sunday, 5-10:30 a.m.).

Last year: Ireland’s Padraig Harrington won at Carnoustie, beating Sergio Garcia in a four-hole playoff. Harrington lost a one-shot lead on the 72nd hole by twice hitting into the Barry Burn on his way to a double bogey.

Last week: Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell won the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, beating South Africa’s James Kingston by two strokes. Ernie Els tied for ninth, and Phil Mickelson tied for 38th. … Kenny Perry won the John Deere Classic for his third PGA Tour victory in five starts. The 47-year-old Perry, skipping the major tournament to play in Milwaukee, beat Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson with a par on the first playoff hole. Adamonis and Williamson hit into a greenside water hazard in the playoff.

Notes: Tiger Woods, sidelined by a knee injury, is missing the tournament for the first time since Turnberry in 1994. He won at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005 and Royal Liverpool in 2006. … Mark O’Meara won the last British Open at Royal Birkdale, beating Brian Watts in a playoff in 1998. Peter Thomson (1954, 1965), Arnold Palmer (1961), Lee Trevino (1971), Johnny Miller (1976), Tom Watson (1983) and Ian Baker Finch (1991) also are Royal Birkdale winners. … The 2009 tournament will be played at Turnberry. The 2010 event is set for St. Andrews.

On the Net: http://www.opengolf.com

PGA Tour site: http://www.pgatour.com

PGA European Tour site: http://www.europeantour.com

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PGA TOUR's U.S. Bank Championship

Site: Milwaukee, Wis.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Brown Deer Park Golf Course (6,759 yards, par 70).

Purse: $4 million. Winner’s share: $720,000.

FedEx Cup points: 12,500. Winner’s share: 2,250.

Television (all times PDT: Golf Channel (Thursday, 1-4 p.m.; Friday, 10 p.m.-1 a.m., 1-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10 p.m.-1 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Monday, 10 p.m.-1 a.m.).

Last year: Joe Ogilvie won for the first time in 230 PGA Tour starts, beating Tim Clark, Tim Herron and Charlie Wi by four strokes.

Last week: Perry won the John Deere Classic for his third victory in five starts.

Notes: Perry, also the Memorial and Buick Open winner, declined a British Open spot to play in the event. He also passed up a chance to qualify for the U.S. Open. … Corey Pavin won the 2006 tournament for his first tour title in 10 years, shooting 61-64-68-67 for a two-stroke victory over Jerry Kelly. Pavin also won the 1986 tournament at Tuckaway Country Club. … Shigeki Maruyama won in 2001 to become the first Japanese player to win a PGA Tour event on the mainland. … The Canadian Open is next week at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ontario, followed by the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

LPGA TOUR's State Farm Classic

Site: Springfield, Ill.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Panther Creek Country Club (6,608 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.7 million. Winner’s share: $255,000.

Television (all times PDT): ESPN2 (Friday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon; Sunday, noon-2 p.m.).

Last year: Sherri Steinhauer won her eighth tour title, holing a par putt from off the 18th green to beat Christina Kim by a stroke.

Last week: Paula Creamer won the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic for her third victory of the year. She opened with an 11-under 60 and added rounds of 65, 70 73 for a two-stroke victory over Nicole Castrale.

Notes: Michelle Wie received a sponsor exemption. She tied for 46th last week in Ohio, shooting 70-72-71-72. … Vicky Hurst is making her third LPGA Tour start of the year. The 18-year-old Hurst won the CIGNA Golf Classic last week for her fourth Futures Tour victory of the year. She won the Futures Players Championship to earn the second sponsor exemption. … Nancy Lopez also is in the field. … The Evian Masters is next week in France, followed by the Women’s British Open at Sunningdale. … Suzann Pettersen won the Ladies Irish Open on Sunday at Portmarnock Links for her second European tour victory of the year.

On the Net: http://www.lpga.com

CHAMPIONS TOUR's 3M Championship

Site: Blaine, Minn.

Schedule: Friday-Sunday.

Course: TPC Twin Cities (7,100 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.75 million. Winner’s share: $262,500.

Television (all times PDT): Golf Channel (Friday, 2-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 a.m., 2-4 p.m.; Monday, 1-5 a.m.).

Last year: D.A. Weibring won his fourth Champions Tour title, birdieing the last three holes to beat Jay Haas by a stroke.

Last event: Argentina’s Eduardo Romero won the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open on July 6, beating Fulton Allem and Gary Koch by a stroke.

Notes: Dan Forsman is making his tour debut. The five-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 on Tuesday. … Peter Jacobsen is making his second start since having his left knee replaced in March. He tied for 74th three weeks ago in the Commerce Bank Championship. … The next three tournaments are major championships — the Senior British Open, the U.S. Senior Open and the Tradition.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

NATIONWIDE TOUR's Price Cutter Charity Championship

Site: Springfield, Mo.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Highland Springs Country Club (7,057 yards, par 72).

Purse: $600,000. Winner’s share: $108,000.

Television: None.

Last year: Tom Scherrer won his third career Nationwide Tour title, shooting 66-63-66-67 for a four-stroke victory over Franklin Langham.

Last week: Rick Price won the Nationwide Tour Players Cup in Bridgeport, W.Va., beating Chris Anderson on the second hole of a playoff. The 40-year-old Price earned a tour-record $180,000 to guarantee himself a 2009 PGA Tour card.

Notes: Scherrer finished 20th on the money list last year to earn a PGA Tour card. … The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational is next week in Columbus, Ohio, followed by the Cox Classic in Omaha, Neb., and the Wichita Open. … Tacoma's Michael Putnam is in the field this week.

On the Net: http://www.pgatour.com

OTHER MEN's TOURNAMENTS

U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION: U.S. Amateur Public Links, through Saturday, Murphy Creek Golf Course, Aurora, Colo. On the Net: http://www.usapl.org

CANADIAN TOUR: Canadian Tour Players Cup, Thursday-Sunday, Pine Ridge Golf Club, Winnipeg, Manitoba. On the Net: http://www.cantour.com

PGA EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR: MAN NO Open, Thursday-Sunday, Adamstal Golf Club, Ramsau, Austria. On the Net: http://www.europeantour.com

OTHER WOMEN's TOURNAMENTS

DURAMED FUTURES TOUR: Alliance Bank Golf Classic, Friday-Sunday, The Links at Erie Village, Syracuse, N.Y. On the Net: http://www.duramedfuturestour.com

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR: BMW Ladies Italian Open, Thursday-Sunday, Argentario Golf Resort and Spa, Porto Ercole, Italy. On the Net: http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com

JAPAN LPGA TOUR: Stanley Ladies Open, Friday-Sunday, Tomei Country Club, Shizuoka, Japan. On the Net: http://www.lpga.or.jp