Just add this one to the great collection of John Harbottle III-designed golf courses

Palouse Ridge, the new 18-hole championship facility at Washington
State University that opened in late August, has been named the
ninth-best new venue in the world in 2008 by “Travel and Leisure Golf”
magazine.

The links-style layout, which the magazine depicts has having “top
shelf greens and whisker-edged bunkers,” was one of six new West Coast
courses selected. The Castle Course in Scotland is No. 1.

Palouse Ridge is slated to host the Washington State Men’s Amateur
in 2009, the …

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Tacoma’s Michael Putnam is past the penultimate, out-of-sight stage
of PGA Tour Qualifying School, placing tied for third at the four-round
event Saturday at Deerwood Golf Club in Kingwood, Texas.

Putnam finished at 9-under 279, and will get an opportunity to
rejoin the PGA Tour by playing the six-round, final stage Dec. 3-8 at
PGA West Nicklaus and Stadium Courses in California.

The top 25 from that tournament earn their PGA Tour card.

Needless to say, Putnam is anxious and excited. He failed to reach
this point last

…

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Tacoma’s Michael Putnam has one more opportunity for a late-season rally.

Putnam finished 52nd on the Nationwide Tour’s earnings list for 2008
– the top 25 earned their PGA Tour cards – and now has to go through
PGA Tour qualifying school.

That starts today for the Life Christian Academy graduate, and
Pepperdine All-American. He, along with Bremerton’s Corey Prugh, will
participate in one of the second-stage qualifying sites at Deerwood
Golf Club in Kingwood, Texas.

Others include:

• Yakima’s Brock Mackenzie and Kent’s Jess Daley are at South Hills Plantations Club in Brooksville, Fla. …

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This week: PGA Tour’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic, Thursday through Sunday, Magnolia and Palm Golf Courses, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Second-round score: 1-over-par 73 on Magnolia Course.

Position: Moore (2-over 146) missed the cut by four
strokes. Scott Verplank (128) holds a three-stroke lead over Steve
Marino and Troy Matteson.

Recap: This is certainly not the way the Puyallup
product wanted to end his 2008 season, especially after his newfound
confidence had been bubbling after a significant layoff late in the
summer. At one point, Moore was 2-under on his round after three
birdies …

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This week: Nationwide Tour Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas.

Second-round score: 1-over-par 72.

Position: Putnam (1-over 143) is tied for 45th, 12 strokes behind co-leaders Garrett Osborn and Darron Stiles (131).

Recap: The Tacoma native will need a mini-miracle
to get back in contention for the top two spots, and earn his PGA Tour
card next season. On Friday, he did not come close to matching the
effort of fellow in-state product Alex Prugh (67), with whom he was
grouped.

Tee time Saturday: 6:19 a.m.. PST off the first tee with Garth …

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This week: PGA Tour’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic, Thursday through Sunday, Magnolia and Palm Golf Courses, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

First-round score: 1-over-par 73 on Palm Course.

Position: Moore is tied for 109th, 10 strokes behind leader Troy Matteson (63 on Palm Course).

Recap: What a bumpy front-nine for the Puyallup
native, who had double bogeys on the second and fourth holes, but
eagled the 532-yard, par-5 seventh and eventually got to even-par for
his round at the turn. After that, he just couldn’t get anything going
– on the Palm Course where many of the …

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This week: Nationwide Tour Championship, Thursday through Sunday, TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas.

First-round score: Even-par 71.

Position: Putnam is tied for 32nd, seven strokes behind leader Darron Stiles (64).

Recap: A real average start (two birdies, two
bogeys), combining good ball-striking (hit 14 of 18 greens in
regulation) with 32 total putts on the greens.

Tee time Friday: 7:24 a.m. PST off the first tee with Chad Ginn and Alex Prugh.

This week: PGA Tour’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic, Thursday through Sunday, Magnolia and Palm Golf Courses, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

World ranking: 128th.

2008 earnings: $1,214,900 (84th on PGA Tour).

Last tournament: The Puyallup native has an outside
chance to eclipse his career-best earnings of $1,554,901 with a strong
finish this week, and has made the cut at this tournament in two of
three tries, including a tied-for-13th in 2005. Moore last played at
the Frys.com Open in late October, missing the cut (1-over-par 141),
but before that had posted back-to-back top-25 finishes.

Tee time …

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