Legend says that the modern concept of the golf Majors was conceived by Arnold Palmer on a plane flight to the (British) Open Championship in 1960. Palmer, who had won the Masters and the US Open was asked by Pittsburgh sports writer Bob Drum about Bobby Jones’ accomplishment in winning the US Amateur, the US Open, the British Open Championship and the British Amateur. Palmer agreed that feat would never be duplicated but suggested that a “modern” equivalent could be found in winning the Masters, the US Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship.

The King had spoken. The Majors were born.

It’s interesting to speculate however, about what might have been if Palmer had named another quartet. The Masters, US and British Opens were obvious accomplishments. I don’t think the PGA was. He could easily have named the Western Open, a tournament with a very long and prestigious history. Or perhaps the Los Angeles Open, which has been played since 1923 and had always attracted a stellar cast.

If he had chosen the Western, or LA Open (now the Northern Open), the PGA Tour would have been much more happy. As it is, the PGA Tour—the richest and arguably the best professional golf tour—“owns” none of the Majors. Augusta National owns the Masters, the US Open is administered by the USGA, the British Open by the Royal and Ancient, and the PGA Championship by the PGA Of America (which is NOT the same thing as the PGA Tour) That’s why the PGA Tour is so desperately trying to get the Players designated as the “Fifth Major,” in spite of its total lack of history (it was created in 1974).

The Majors for the men’s professionals are well known. But what about the other tours? The PGA European Tour recognizes the four men’s majors, but it could be argued that—in terms of its importance—they actually have a fifth: the Volvo Masters. As for the other major tours, they’re listed below:

LPGA
Kraft Nabisco Championship (formerly the Dinah Shore)
LPGA Championship
Women’s British Open
US Women’s Open

Champions Tour
US Senior Open
Senior PGA Championship
Senior Players Championship
The Tradition
Senior British Open Championship

European Seniors Tour
Senior PGA Championshipo
US Senior Open
British Senior Open

European LPGA
Evian Masters
LPGA Championship
Womens British Open

The year’s first major isn’t the Masters—it’s the LPGA’s Kraft Nabisco. This year’s defending Champion is Morgan Pressel, who was the youngest in LPGA History to win a major title at the age of 18 years 10 months and 9 days.

The purse for the tournament is $2 million. The winner will take home $300,000.

The Kraft Nabisco has a long and interesting history, extending back to 1972 and its days as a as a 54 hole event, known as the Colgate Dinah Shore Tournament.

For a little background on the history of the tournament, and Dinah Shore, read this post from last year.

Golf reporter and blogger Robert Thompson had a chance to ask superstar golf instructor David Leadbetter a few questions and made the most of the opportunity:

I asked Leadbetter, who has been pretty outspoken on the mistakes in the Wie camp, why he hadn’t been tossed aside like all the other advisers/agents/managers who have tangled with the teen’s parents. He took the question quite seriously, and though he didn’t address it directly, Leadbetter had some interesting things to say:

“This girl is so talented, she could do anything she wants to do in the world of golf. But people in her camp — and I’m not going to name them — have been a bit off on what she can and can’t do. It is tough that she’s a part-time golfer, unlike the other girls who work at it 24/7. In the past she’d go to school, pick it up and just play. Now there’s a lot more pressure on her. These girls — Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Annika — these girls are good. And it is hard for Michelle to be a bit player.

Read the rest of the article. Leadbetter’s comments are quite blunt and ... interesting.

I honestly don’t think she’ll ever really contend again. Her parents have ruined what promised to be an extraordinary golf talent.

Two years ago, The Ginns Open made news by granting a dying woman’s final wish: to see her daughter play on the LPGA Tour.

Hearing the story, Bobby Ginn extended an invitation to Dakoda Dowd, in spite of her being just thirteen years old. She didn’t disappoint; in the face of overwhelming pressure from television and the knowledge that she was playing for her dying mother, Dakoda shot a 74 and 82, just missing the cut. She and her mother were given a replica of the trophy as a keepsake of the event.

Kelly Jo Dowd died a year later at the age of 42.

Now, the people at Ginns have renamed the real trophy the Kelly Jo Dowd championship trophy. It’s a pretty moving tribute that is designed to bring attention to the need for self-examination, and to raise money for the breast cancer cause.

More here.

A trial run of the LPGA’s new drug testing procedures didn’t exactly go smoothly, with the procedure taking entirely too long.

The main complaint from players tested at the Fields Open was the amount of time testing took out of a competition day. Testing was done on the day of the first round, and those players who had morning tee times found there was not enough daylight left after testing to get in any practice.

“Some players took longer than others,” Pilgrim said. “As soon as everyone gets up to speed on how the process works it will be more efficient,” she said, stressing that as players get to understand the testing process better they will be able to assist in making it quicker.

That’s to be expected. Its not often that things go well on a first try. The real question is whether the PGA Tour is paying attention so that it can avoid some of the same issues.