VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) Europe is adding a wealth of Ryder Cup experience for the team room with four more assistants to captain Thomas Bjorn.

Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell are the latest additions to Bjorn’s staff for this year’s matches in France. Bjorn previously named Robert Karlsson as one of his vice captains.

Westwood has played in every Ryder Cup since his debut in 1997 at Valderrama, and he has compiled a 20-18-6 record. Of his 10 teams, seven ended in European victories.

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”I am sure it is going to be a very different experience for me, but I am relishing having a role in helping Europe win in Paris and, in particular, assisting Thomas in his role as captain,” Westwood said. ”Of course, my ideal scenario is that I hit a hot streak of form over the summer and force my way in to the team. But quite honestly, as long as I am able to contribute to the 2018 European team in some way, I am going to be happy.”

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Check our New Balance's golf shoe promotion if you're still searching for a Father's Day gift. It ends June 30th.

This Los Angeles-based entertainer performs his golf-themed stand-up routine around the country—and has some interesting commentary on golf

I have a tournament coming up at my home course, so naturally upon being given the name of my opponent, I rushed to the GHIN Handicap Lookup to learn about his game. From a straight index perspective, we were about the same, but when used properly the Handicap Lookup can offer more insight than that. For instance, I could see my opponent has already played plenty this spring, but that he hasn’t played particularly well, and that his last round especially was a dud. I could tell you that he ended 2017 on a hot streak, that he plays the overwhelming majority of his golf at our home course, and that the one inordinately difficult course he played last August cuffed him around pretty good (101!).
FacebookPinterestThe Handicap Lookup isn’t perfect. It doesn’t provide specific dates of rounds (giving months instead), nor does it tell you the specific courses golfers play away from their home course (although that is viewable when reviewing your own history). But it is, in its own way, a form..

A versatile sweater, an extra pair of socks—Don't forget these basics when packing for your next golf trip

Jamie SquireEver wanted to caddie for Tiger Woods? Turns out all you needed was $50,000.
That's what one bidder donated over the weekend at the 20th Annual Tiger Jam in Las Vegas during a live auction for Woods' TGR Foundation. The donation will earn the currently anonymous person a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry Tiger's bag during the Wednesday Pro-Am at the 2018 Hero World Challenge.
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Among the other auction items included an Acura MDX SH and rounds at Bluejack National or Diamante Cabo San Lucas, two of Woods' recently-opened courses. While those would be pretty cool experiences, neither will be as unforgettable as a four-hour stroll in the Bahamas with one of the greatest golfers of all time.
RELATED: Tiger Woods challenges long drive champ to long drive contest, promptly smokes one and reacts accordingly

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) Wake Forest junior Jennifer Kupcho found redemption Monday by winning an NCAA title she squandered a year ago.

Kupcho overcame a rough three-hole stretch on the front nine at Karsten Creek with five birdies over her final eight holes for a 1-under 71 and a two-shot victory over Andrea Lee of Stanford and Bianca Pagdanganan of Arizona.

Kupcho became the first Wake Forest woman to win an NCAA golf title.

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She thought she had it last year at Rich Harvest Farm until she took triple bogey on the 17th hole of the final round when her 9-iron came up just short into the water and then she three-putted for a triple bogey, losing by one shot to Monica Vaughn of Arizona State.

Kupcho had a bogey-double bogey-bogey stretch in the middle of the back nine before she poured it on.

”My assistant coach was in my ear saying, `There is going to be mistakes down the stretch, just keep fighting, just keep fighting.’ Kind of got annoying to the point, ..

Ethan MillerStrange things are happening in Las Vegas these days. While one sports book isn't taking any bets on the Houston Rockets, all the others are on the brink of a historic beating because they took too many bets on the Golden Knights.
RELATED: What does legalized gambling mean for golf fans?
The NHL expansion team's unforeseen foray to the Stanley Cup Finals could prove rather costly to casinos that offered wagers on the expansion team winning a title in its first season. Westgate Las Vegas Superbook alone is on the hook for 13 tickets at 500-to-1 odds. And it also booked a $400 bet at 300/1, which would net a $120,000 payout.
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Considering no previous NHL expansion team had ever even finished with a .500 record in its first season, it didn't seem to matter what odds the Golden Knights were given at the start of the season. But thanks to new rules for the expansion draft and some savvy moves by general manager ..

The news of unrest within Lucas Glover's family served as reminder that golfers are subject to the same challenges as everyone else.

Carol Mann, a two-time major champion who won 38 LPGA Tour titles, has died. She was 77.

The LPGA Tour issued a statement Monday that Mann had died Sunday at her home in The Woodlands, Texas. LPGA Tour officials said a family member notified them of Mann’s death.

Her major titles were the 1964 Women’s Western Open Invitational and the 1965 U.S. Women’s Open. She won 10 tournaments in 1968.

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Mann also served as LPGA president from 1973-76. She was an analyst for men’s and women’s golf on ABC, ESPN and NBC.

Mann was inducted into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977.

LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan says Mann has been ”part of the fabric of the LPGA for more than 55 years, with a Hall of Fame career both on and off the golf course.”

Mann grew up in Baltimore and Chicago. She took up golf at 9, attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and joined the LPGA Tour in 1961.