Golf Digest

EUROPEAN TOUR:The battle for the Race to Dubai title will continue at next month's Hong Kong Open after current leader Lee Westwood and fellow Englishman Paul Casey confirmed their participation at the €1.5 million event.

Westwood holds a narrow advantage over Rory McIlroy, who will also tee off at Fanling, after winning last week’s Portugal Masters and with fourth-placed Casey also in the field, the stage is set for an exciting shootout between the trio.

World number four Casey is set to make his return from a rib injury sustained in August at next week’s Volvo World Matchplay in Spain and the 32-year-old is relishing the prospect of squaring off against Westwood and McIlroy at Hong Kong Golf Club from November 12th-15th.

“The Hong Kong Open is not only a wonderful and historic tournament in its own right, it is also pivotal in the 2009 Race To Dubai, so it promises to be a very exciting week,” said Casey.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s Martin Laird has followed up his US Tour win last Sunday by taking up European Tour affiliate membership - and is now eligible for the Ryder Cup.

But the 40 world ranking points Laird earned in Las Vegas will still not count towards the cup table and he starts from scratch this week in Arizona.

“The Ryder Cup would be the absolute pinnacle for me in golf,” said Laird. “I’m going to try and do everything I can to get in it.

“People have been saying to me the Ryder Cup is next year and I kind of laughed it off. Now all of a sudden it’s straight on the radar. Hopefully, I’ll kick-start something.”

US TOUR:DA Points fired six birdies and just one bogey en route to a five-under par 65 and the early lead in the Frys.com Open at Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Points leads by one from a group of seven on 66 including Canada’s Stephen Ames, Paul Goydos and Ricky Barnes.

A shot further back are Tom Pernice, Fred Couples, Scotland’s Martin Laird, Steve Lowery and Matt Jones.

PGA GRAND SLAM:US Open champion Lucas Glover coasted to a five-shot victory at the end-of-season PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda on Wednesday after firing a five-under-par 66.

Two strokes ahead overnight in the elite 36-hole event which brings together the winners of the years four majors, Glover posted an 11-under total of 131 at Port Royal Golf Course.

US Masters winner Angel Cabrera of Argentina, helped by an eagle at the par-five seventh, signed off with a 66 to finish second at six under and Stewart Cink third after a closing 70 for 137.

HSBC CHAMPIONS TOURNAMENT:Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa will take on world number one Tiger Woods at next month's HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai after getting permission to play from his sponsors.

The 18-year-old Ishikawa was due to contest a much smaller tournament on the Japan Golf Tour, where he currently leads the tour of merit, on the same November 5th-8th weekend.

But he was cleared by his sponsors to travel to China for the more prestigious event and confirmed his participation yesterday.

CHALLENGE TOUR:There was a familiar name at the top of the leaderboard on day two of the Italian Federation Cup, as home favourite Edoardo Molinari added a flawless round of 65 to his opening 66 to move to 11-under-par 133, one shot clear of Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts, Welshman Rhys Davies and Ireland's Simon Thornton.

Despite persistent rain at Olgiata GC in Rome, Italy, the peerless Italian never looked in trouble, and finished with a flourish to open up a one-stroke lead at the midway stage of the € 150,000 event, which is the penultimate stop on the 2009 Challenge Tour Schedule.

Thornton is targeting his first win and a place in the top 20 of the rankings in his first season on the Challenge Tour. Three birdies in his final four holes gave him some impetus to take into a weekend which could make or break his season.