“Golf star Lorena Ochoa swings strong in face of Mexico drug war” plus 2 more |
- Golf star Lorena Ochoa swings strong in face of Mexico drug war
- Golf-OneAsia adds another million dollar Chinese shootout
- Golf Digest a 16-time winner in GWAA contest
| Golf star Lorena Ochoa swings strong in face of Mexico drug war Posted: 25 Feb 2011 10:43 AM PST Mexico City – Nearly a year after retiring as the most celebrated golfer in Mexican history, Lorena Ochoa teed off Wednesday in her first Mayakoba Golf Classic, her star power lending a needed boost to sports events in violence-wracked Mexico. Hailing from a country where golfers, especially women, were invisible next to soccer icons, the four-time LPGA Player of the Year became the first Mexican golfer to rank No. 1 in the world – and she kept that ranking for three consecutive years while also winning over Mexican fans with her unassuming manner and charity work. Her tireless promotion of golf in Mexico now has an added advantage: Ms. Ochoa's participation in Mexico's only PGA Tour event "provides us with a very powerful tool to show the sense of safety that we have in Cancún," says Jesús Almaguer, CEO of Cancún's Tourism Promotion Trust, a corporate ally of the Mayakoba Golf Classic held in nearby Playa del Carmen, near Cancún. IN PICTURES: Mexico's drug war The sense of safety that Mr. Almagueris mentions does not exist everywhere. Earlier this month, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LGPA) dropped April's Tres María Championship in drug-plagued Morelia, Michoacán, citing the violence there. Shortly thereafter the United States issued a travel alert for Guadalajara, the city hosting LGPA's Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November. Organizers reportedly said they are monitoring the situation but did not cancel the event. This year Mexico will host more high-profile international games than it has seen in two decades, experts in the field say, even as drug-related violence spreads to major cities where the events will take place. Ochoa's presence this week was seen by some as a promotion of these tournaments just as they come under scrutiny about security concerns related to the violent drug war. Security scrutinized ahead of Pan Am GamesIn October, more than 40 countries from across the Americas will send some 6,500 athletes to Mexico's second city, Guadalajara, for the Pan American Games. Security has become a hot topic after criminal groups blocked major streets by forcefully commandeering buses and trucks and setting them on fire in early February and later lobbed a grenade at a night club, killing six people. In reaction, the US Consulate General in Guadalajara prohibited US officials from traveling after dark between the city and its international airport and recommended that US citizens consider similar precautions. Organizers of the Pan Am Games, which take place every four years, are taking extensive security precautions, securing the athletes' village with electrified barriers and video cameras. Federal police will patrol the city, which is reportedly requesting that civil protection personnel participate from other countries. Sports stars fight bad press from drug warAnd just like Ochoa at Mayakoba, celebrities will do their part to promote the Pan Am Games and calm fears, says Hector Lopez Zatarain, a sports marketing consultant working for the Pan Am Games. Guadalajara's own Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez of Manchester United and Formula 1 champion Sergio Perez are on the list to campaign for the event. Ochoa, another Guadalajara native, will publicize her upcoming golf tournament, according to Mr. Lopez Zatarain. "They will help to promote the city as a safe city, as a nice place to visit," he says. The FIFA Under 17 World Cup will also hold games in Guadalajara, playing in June and July in seven Mexican cities, including troubled Morelia and Monterrey. Killings during tennis' Mexico Open fuel concernsAll the preparation in the world, however, may do little to calm organizers' jitters, which were on full display this week at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, the largest tournament in Latin America. The men's Association of Tennis Professionals, or ATP, warned against traveling outside hotels and players were advised to leave the resort city right after being eliminated, The Associated Press reported. "We [players] are a bit scared about this and we're trying to decide what to do," said Argentine athlete David Nalbandian. This past weekend 12 taxi drivers and passengers were gunned down in Acapulco, local media said, just before the tournament opened Monday. Last month 15 headless bodies were scattered outside a mall. Acapulco spring break reservations have since plummeted to 1,000, down from 9,000 last year, the Mexican daily El Universal reported, saying that other violent beach towns in Sinaloa and Sonora have taken major hits this year. Calmer resorts like Cancún have not yet witnessed a drop in tourism, says Almaguer, the tourism promoter. And many hope that Ochoa's noted swing at the pro-am portion of the Mayakoba Golf Classic from Feb. 23-27 will help keep tourism strong. "What she's done for golf in Mexico could never be repeated," golfing great Greg Norman said Tuesday before the tournament began. "She's been a great ambassador for the game of golf. She's represented her country as well as I've seen anybody represent their country." Tournament Director Larson Segerdahl agreed. "Not only does she represent the very best in the game of golf but she represents the very best of Mexico," he said in a statement. IN PICTURES: Mexico's drug war This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Golf-OneAsia adds another million dollar Chinese shootout Posted: 24 Feb 2011 10:02 PM PST SINGAPORE, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Golf's explosion across the world's most populous country is set for its latest boost following the launch of the Nanshan China Masters for this 2011 season. Organisers said on Friday the tournament in Shandong province would offer a prize purse of one million dollars as the OneAsia Tour continues to milk China's marketing potential. The event will take place from June 2-5 at the luxurious Nanshan International golf club, home of the China Golf Association (CGA), officials added. "We are confident that the event will become one of OneAsia's best tournaments in the years to come," said Nanshan Group chairman Song Jian Min. "We are committed to building the event in the years to come and to continue investing in golf, in order to promote the development of the sport in China." The Nanshan China Masters will join the $3million Volvo China Open and Midea China Classic as the Chinese leg on the 2011 OneAsia schedule. The Open takes place in Chengdu in April, followed by the Classic in Shunde in October. "We are delighted to be further expanding in China and bolstered by the strong and unrelenting support of the CGA," said OneAsia's chairman Sang Y Chun said. "We're confident we should see even more Chinese events added to our schedule in the near future. "China has never conducted as many elite events … for Asian players." (Reporting by Alastair Himmer in Tokyo; Editing by Nick Mulvenney. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com) Double-click on the newslinks: for more golf stories This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Golf Digest a 16-time winner in GWAA contest Posted: 25 Feb 2011 10:24 AM PST Golf Digest Writer-at-Large Dan Jenkins' ninth-career win highlighted a list of 16 awards for Golf Digest, Golf World, and GolfDigest.com in the Golf Writers Association of America's annual writing contest. Jenkins' first-place award came for his GolfDigest.com column on the Tiger Woods scandal, "Nice (Not) Knowing You". It was the first time the legendary Jenkins was honored in the Internet category. Other first-place winners included Senior Writer Jaime Diaz, whose feature story on his visit with Seve Ballesteros in his native Spain won the Non-Daily Feature category; Senior Writer Dave Kindred, who won for his Internet News Story on Phil Mickelson's win at the Masters; and Staff writer Max Adler, whose account of his cross-country trip won in the Internet Special Projects Category. Golf Digest Editor-in-Chief Jerry Tarde received an honorable mention for his Editor's Letter on a golfer, Tom Siebel, who survived after being trampled by an elephant. Tarde was previously selected to be honored at the GWAA Annual Awards Dinner with the PGA of America Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award. The complete list of honorees from the Golf Digest Publications is below. INTERNET INTERNET COLUMNS - 1, Dan Jenkins, GolfDigest.com, Ramifications of the Tiger Woods scandal; 2, (tie), Ron Sirak, GolfDigest.com, Adventures at the Tavistock Cup. Honorable mention: Dave Kindred, GolfDigest.com, Dustin Johnson's costly mistake at the PGA. INTERNET NEWS - 1, Dave Kindred, GolfDigest.com, Phil Mickelson wins the Masters; 3, Dave Kindred, GolfDigest.com, Augusta man holds out against Augusta National. NON-DAILY Honorable mention: Matthew Rudy, Golf Digest, Do women putt worse than men? This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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