RICHMOND, Texas -- The 2010 LPGA schedule was released here Tuesday and the fact it contains only 23 or 24 events, depending on how you do the math, explains why several LPGA members are trying to get the their cards for next year on the Japan LPGA. More than a dozen members were in the mix originally, but now it is down to Seon Hwa Lee, Candie Kung and Inbee Park. These are not insignificant players. Kung has four LPGA careers victories, as does Lee, who was the 2006 Rookie of the Year. Park has won once, but it was the 2008 U.S. Women's Open.

The JLPGA has 34 tournaments on its 2010 schedule as of now, and sources familiar with the Japan women's tour say the worst-case scenario is that it will have 31, still significantly better than the LPGA. While the LPGA says it expects to have 24 tournaments in 2010, it began the 2009 season with 31 but played only 27, losing the Ginn Open, Kapalua and China along the way with the Bell Micro being pushed to next year.

Purses on the JLPGA have been about two-thirds those of the LPGA in recent years, but that gap will narrow significantly next year when the total LPGA purse drops from $60 million in 2008 to a little more than $40 million in 2010. And if Kung, Lee and Park play both tours they will have ample opportunity. There are 17 off-weeks on the 2010 LPGA schedule between its mid-February start and finish the third week of November.

-- Ron Sirak

Even during a disappointing season, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Anthony Kim, who has been playing much better of late, could win an event with a field of just four players. What should be surprising is the whopping $1 million check he received as a prize.

Don't worry, you didn't miss the addition of a fifth major on the schedule or even the creation of yet another World Golf Championship. So what prestigious event did the 24-year-old conquer to earn such a huge payday? Why the second annual Kiwi Challenge, of course.

At least he had to work overtime for it. Kim defeated Sean O'Hair in a playoff at Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand after the two were tied at the conclusion of the 36-hole exhibition for players under 30.

The made-for-TV event, which also featured defending champion Hunter Mahan and Camilo Villegas, was sponsored by Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs golf courses, Te Awa Wines and Peter Millar luxury apparel. It will air on NBC over the weekend (sorry to spoil the suspense) and don't worry, no one came away empty-handed. O'Hair ($500,000), Mahan ($300,000) and Villegas ($200,000) were rewarded well for their top-4 finishes.

Not a bad haul for two days of playing golf on one of the most picturesque courses in the world. Whatever happened to being mired in a global recession?

-- Alex Myers

(Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images)

SONOMA, Calif. -- John Cook and Loren Roberts were the big winners Sunday at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Cook claiming a runaway tournament victory and Roberts capturing the season-long Schwab points race and the $1 million annuity.

But senior rookie Russ Cochran, who finished a distant second place to Cook, wasn't complaining about his consolation prize of $255,000.

The left-hander from Kentucky, who was simply fighting to get in Champions Tour events early this season after starting 2009 with conditionally-exempt status, wrapped up the year in 17th place on the money list with $900,696. That total is more than $200,000 greater than his best season on the PGA Tour, 1991, when he won his lone tour title, the Centel Classic.

Cochran finished 2009 on a roll, with five top-10 finishes in his last six starts, earning an average of $97,227 per start. The success for Cochran, who turned 51 on Halloween, was in stark contrast to his futility after finishing T-7 in the Allianz Championship Feb. 15. It was three months before he got in his next tournament, the nadir coming when he failed to Monday-qualify for the AT&T Champions Classic outside Los Angeles in March.

"We only had three spots," Cochran recalled. "I shot 70. It was a difficult golf course. Missed a putt on the last hole. Went to a playoff. Chipped in on the first playoff hole. Guy makes about a 25-footer on top of me, and then he makes another 12- or 14-footer on the second hole to keep me out. [I was] thinking, if I don't separate myself soon, then it's very discouraging."

Cochran's year started to take on a different tone at the U.S. Senior Open at Crooked Stick, where he shot 64-68 on the weekend and finished third. Things only got better after that.

"This year's just been fantastic for me," said Cochran. "I think the main thing I did this year was that I said I'm not going to be happy with a little bit of success. If I get an opportunity, I'm gonna play hard, and I stayed focused pretty much all year."

No one may start the 2010 Champions Tour season with a better attitude than Cochran, for whom winning seems like a logical next step.

MADISON, Miss. -- Perched precariously on the bubble at 125th on the PGA TOUR money list entering this week's Viking Classic, former British Open champion David Duval is following his practical inclinations and considering all of his options for the 2010 season. Among them is entry in the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament.

Duval said Friday at Annandale GC that he has entered Q-School in case he is not fully exempt next season. The 13-time Tour winner played this season on his one-time exemption for top-50 in career earnings. The final stage of Q-School is Dec. 2-7 at Orange County National in Winter Park, Fla.

"I actually looked into it last year, and I found out I was exempt into the final stage, but, unfortunately, I had missed the deadline by two days," Duval said with a laugh. "So this year I went ahead and checked earlier and then entered. I just figured it was best to have that option."

Duval, who turns 38 in 10 days, said he was trying to not be fixated on what his status would be next year. His 125th-place standing is due largely to his tie for second at the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, where he earned $559,830, which, interestingly qualifies him for the 2010 Masters and U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

"I would like to think I could play 15 or 18 events off exemptions, but you never know. It's not something you want to do necessarily," Duval said. "I'm in a unique position, though, because I could conceivably not be exempt on the PGA Tour next year, but I would be in the first three majors. Kind of a funny situation. I think I've been pretty loyal to tournaments, and I would like to think I'll be able to play enough off exemptions. We'll see what happens."

Regardless of where Duval finishes, it clearly appears that he is gearing up for 2010. Last week at the Frys.com Open, Duval reunited with caddie Mitch Knox, who was on his bag for all of his 13 victories.

"We've had a lot of good success together," said Knox, who last worked with Duval in '04. "Hopefully, we'll say something or do something at the right time that will help him in a certain situation to get him over the hump. He knows what to do. I was fortunate enough to be with him when he was playing really well, and I can tell you, that was something to watch. I think he can be that player again. I just want to help."

-- Dave Shedloski

(Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Unlike many of his fellow Nationwide players, Michael Sim didn't have to sweat it out during last week's season-ending Tour Championship. The Australian's monster year already had ensured him one of the 25 PGA Tour cards for the 2010 season and his third Nationwide win of the season in August had given him an automatic "battlefield promotion" to the big show.

The problem for Sim has been his timing. His call-up coincided with the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, tournaments with limited fields reserved for those qualifying through PGA Tour events.

The PGA Tour's Fall Series hasn't been much kinder. With spots at a premium for those trying to secure their playing privileges for next year by way of the top 125 on the money list, Sim only has managed to play in the recent Turning Stone Resort Championship, where he finished tied for 55th place.

Sim had another setback two years ago in his rookie season on the PGA Tour when he suffered a stress fracture of the spine. He was only able to play in 17 events and despite being given a medical exemption of five extra events in 2008, was unable to earn enough money to keep his card.

Still, while most graduates of either the Nationwide or Q-School have trouble sticking on the PGA Tour, Sim appears a safe bet to buck the trend when he ventures out full time in January. Currently ranked No. 53 in the world, Sim also made the cut at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open this year, where he didn't look fazed in shooting a final-round 72 at Bethpage Black while playing with Tiger Woods.

Oh, and then there's his resume from the Nationwide Tour, where he won three times in a span of eight starts and shattered the circuit's money record with $644,142 in earnings over just 14 starts. Yeah, you read that right. He made that much money on the Nationwide Tour. To illustrate how hard that is to do, Sim's payday of $100,308 for finishing in a tie for 18th place at the U.S. Open in June wasn't far off from any of his three winner's checks.

But plenty of more opportunities should await him at golf's highest level once he emerges from this state of limbo between professional tours. Sim just had his 25th birthday October 23rd and he'll celebrate by actually getting to play in this week's Viking Classic. Even if it is the second-to-last event of the official PGA Tour season.

-- Alex Myers

(Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Even though the International team has gone off its previously published script, I think the team is looking pretty solid. Beige works well in a "green" world.

The U.S. team needs to rethink the white sweaters as they look flat on TV. The team trousers all have this V slit at the bottom (left), which was in vogue 60 years ago. This slit is at the bottom of the trousers and it enables the trouser bottom to sit nicely over one's shoes provided the length of the pants is correct.

Isn't it great to see players without a ton of logos? Now the caddies seem to have all the graphics and it's actually a bit much. They look like those men that have the "Sandwich Board" advertising that one sees on the streets of New York.

Speaking of looking great, how about a barber on call for the players? Good for you Adam Scott for getting a haircut -- oops "hairstyle".

Can we all agree that both teams looked great at the Opening Ceremony? The International team suits really looked crisp. OK, the U.S. was a bit more casual in the blazer and tan trousers.

Can we please put a "USE BY ... " stamp on Argyle? Sure it looks great, but it's getting way overworked.

And note to players' wives: Please do not wear the same outfits.

If first impressions mean anything, I get really worried when the Golf Channel broadcast team comes on the air looking like the board of directors at your local bank.

The U.S. team's red-white-and-blue motif (predictable) at least has some bright color and life to it. Earlier in the week the U.S. squad looked like the golf team for the U.S. Postal Service.

I always think that the split bottoms on the trousers is a bit over the top.

Note to Anthony Kim: OK, we got it. We see the USA belt buckle. Enough! You can wear your sweater out for the rest of the week. I'm starting to think this is a carnival act rather than a golf event. I'd like the team to look like a team, not a bunch of individuals. What would happen if the San Francisco 49ers started personalizing their uniforms? It's perfectly fine with shoes, but otherwise everyone should be wearing the same outfits.

Hooray for the International team single handedly trying to bring back pleats a year before they will be back in style. It looks to me like the essential issue with the International team is the fit of their trousers. Oh, by the way, what's up with the grooming? Aren't there any mirrors in the locker rooms?

If these two teams' outfits today are any indication of what we are going to see for the rest of the week, I need to hit the snooze button.

-- Marty Hackel

SAN FRANCISCO -- Whether you want to call it orchestrated or choreographed or scripted, the clothes that the U.S. team is wearing during the Presidents Cup aren't just something they grabbed out of the closet, or found on the floor.

In fact, there's an Excel spreadsheet in the hands of the U.S. side, sort of a haberdashery scorecard, so everyone can keep up with the proper threads.  Maybe you will notice the duds the U.S. team wears during Wednesday's opening ceremony at Harding Park.

You didn't have to be a clothes horse to recognize the style on this track:  navy cashmere blazers, white dress shirts with red pinstripes, khaki slacks, red ties with navy and yellow stripes. Red, white and blue, imagine that. Of course, that's not all. The linings of the sports coats of captain Fred Couples, assistant captain Jay Haas and honorary captain Michael Jordan were the colors of the U.S. flag.

"So when they opened their coats, it's a flag," said Rickey Lamitie, president of the golf division of élevée Custom Wardrobes.  "It's pretty patriotic."

Couples recruited élevée, based in Van Nuys, a year and a half ago to provide the clothing for the U.S. team.  It's a collaboration with Ashworth, which is doing the sweaters and golf shirts.  For Lamitie's group, this is a breakthrough campaign, since it's the first time in the Presidents Cup history that a company other than Hart Schaffner Marx was chosen to dress the U.S. team in suits, slacks and sports coats.

There are 25 players on the PGA Tour who wear clothes with the élevée logo. When Angel Cabrera won the Masters, he was wearing elevee slacks.  Whether that made a difference is hard to gauge, but presumably, if the pants fit...

Lamitie said Couples was active in the Presidents Cup clothing process and selected the fabrics to go with the suits, slacks and sports coat outfits.

So far this week, everything has gone well. The only player who required a change was Phil Mickelson, who needed his slacks altered. Lamitie found a tailor in the Financial District to take care of that task. Oh, and Anthony Kim sent Lamitie a text message to find him a white belt. You must know how trendy and essential that is.

To keep track of the clothing merry-go-round each day of play this week, you have to know the lineup. Feel free to keep score at home.

Thursday:  White shirts with red tip collar; heather gray slacks with pinstripe; solid red sweaters.

Friday:  Blue shirts with white pinstripe; navy slacks; 'ice' white sweaters.

Saturday:  Navy shirts; black and gray 'birdseye' slacks; gray argyle sweaters.

Sunday:  Red shirts with white pinstripes; navy slacks; solid navy sweater.

And probably on Monday, they'll all be at the dry cleaners.

The American Junior Golf Association announced the Scholastic Junior All-America Team winners Wednesday, October 7. The award, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, recognizes 24 junior golfers who excel on the course and in the classroom.

Eligibility is based on a top 10 finish for boys in an AJGA event and a top 5 finish for girls. Candidates are additionally judged on their grade point average, class rank, SAT/ACT scores, leadership skills and community service. Applicants must also write a 500-word essay on some aspect of golf.

The winning essay by Sam Bernstein (pictured left), a senior at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in Riverdale, N.Y., tells how his grandfather lovingly taught him the game of golf. His school will get a computer, donated by Hewlett-Packard.

Sam and the 23 other winners will be honored at the Rolex Junior All-America Awards banquet, November 22 at the PGA National Resort Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. They also received invitations to the Polo Junior Golf Classic, which will be played at the resort Nov. 21-27.

These gifted kids generally have their pick of any college. Five have already made verbal commitments: Shane Lebow, who was also an All-American last year, is headed to Stanford. Niall Platt and Ashley Armstrong have committed to Notre Dame, and Rachel Morris (Southern Cal) and Emily Tubert (Arkansas) have also chosen their schools.

Their time on the course doesn't keep them from taking honors and AP courses. And their test scores are the envy of any serious student. Bonnie Hu, of Fremont, Calif., nearly aced the SAT exam, getting 2350 out of a maximum 2400 points.

Click here for a complete list of the winners and to read Sam Bernstein's winning essay.