GOLF DIGESTCurtis Cup: In keeping with a long Irish tradition of captains, Ada O'Sullivan has been named as the captain of the Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team for 2004 and the Vagliano Trophy team for next year.
The former international O'Sullivan, from the Monkstown club in Cork, will follow Irish captains Claire Dowling in 2000 and Elm Park's Ita Butler in 1996 - the last time the Britain and Ireland team beat the Americans - in Killarney.
O'Sullivan's first experience of captaining an LGU team was in this year's Espirito Santo Trophy which was played at the Saujana Golf and Country Club, Malaysia in October.
However, prior to taking up that position, O'Sullivan had a long career in amateur golf and played for Ireland from 1982 to 1997, before a back injury forced her into premature retirement from active international service.
O'Sullivan was the Irish Strokeplay champion in 1987; the European Masters Strokeplay champion in 1994 and gained experience of a captain's duties with teams at both Irish junior and senior levels.
The Monkstown member remains a fiercely competitive player and still plays to a handicap of scratch.
"I am delighted to have been appointed captain of both teams after my 'initiation' in Malaysia.
"My appointment is part of a long-term LGU strategy which hopefully will result in our squad of talented youngsters producing their best performances in international competition around the world, " said O'Sullivan.
"Life is a continuous string of experiences and this as good as it gets."
O'Sullivan's first outing will be in next year's Vagliano Trophy against the Continent of Europe which will be played at County Louth Golf Club, Baltray, on July 25th and 26th followed by the 2004 Curtis Cup to be played at Formby Golf Club on June 12th and 13th.
The other appointment is that of Pam Benka, this year's Curtis Cup captain, who has accepted the position of captain of the team to compete for the Commonwealth Trophy in New Zealand next November.
USA Tour School
Bristol golfer John Morgan will be competing alongside Tiger Woods on the US Tour next season. Just eight months into his professional career Morgan came through the American circuit's rigorous qualifying school in California - 14 rounds in all - in a superb 11th place.
A closing 76 still put him through with four strokes to spare, and now Morgan is off on holiday to decide just where he wants to play next season. Having already secured a place on the European circuit via the Challenge Tour, the former England amateur international is spoilt for choice.
One man who did not was Casey Martin (pictured above), whose debilitating leg ailment has made him a sympathetic figure in the world of golf. Martin carded five over par 77 in the final round.
A member of the PGA Tour in 2000, Martin concluded the gruelling six-round event tied for 57th at five-under 427.
At the beginning of the day, Martin was tied for 21st at 10-under and in prime position to get back his card. The cut came at eight-under, meaning Martin only needed to shoot 74 to make it.
Martin, a team-mate of Tiger Woods at Stanford in the 1990s, was a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2000, when he made only 14 cuts in 29 starts and never finished better than 17th.
Martin made news throughout the year by winning a fight with the PGA Tour in Federal Court that allowed him to use an electric cart in a tournament because of the congenital condition affecting his right leg - known as Klippel-Trenaunay-Webber Syndrome. No other player has been allowed to use a cart in PGA Tour competition.
Snooker
Steve Davis's dream of a seventh British Championship is over but he made John Higgins fight all the way for a place in the quarter-finals.
Higgins set up a last eight meeting with Ken Doherty after turning a 5-3 overnight advantage into a 9-7 success.
But Davis gave a great account of himself and with a touch of luck could have got even closer to the 1998 and 2000 title winner.
Ronnie O'Sullivan was involved in his own cliff-hanger before defeating Hong Kong's Marco Fu 9-7.
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