By Joe Chemycz for PGA.com - PANAMA CITY, Panama -- Jeff Klauk rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt from off the 18th green to finish up a 6-under-par 64 Thursday in the opening round of the Panama Movistar Championship, the first tournament on the 2008 Nationwide Tour schedule. His efforts put the St. Augustine, Fla., resident atop the leaderboard by one stroke after the initial 18 holes of the $600,000 event. Veteran Scott Dunlap (65) is alone in second place with Ben Bates, Brendon De Jonge and Pablo Acuna next in line with 66s at the Panama Golf Club. "I've just been ready to go," said Klauk, who was in the second group off the morning tee as the Tour began its 19th season. "It's been a long time since I've gotten off to a decent start. I just want to get to the next level." (more)

The Sports Network - Panama Golf Club, Panama City, Panama - The Nationwide Tour season begins, as usual, outside of the United States. The Panama Movistar Championship is the first of 30 scheduled events for the 19th season of the Nationwide Tour. It will be one of five tournaments played outside the U.S. this year. Last year's event was won by Miguel Carballo, who will have a chance this week to become the first player to repeat as champion on the Nationwide Tour. Next week is the inaugural Mexico Open.

To all Members: Tuesday Jan. 22nd at 0830 hours will be the first AGSP Tournament for 2008 at Summit. Cost is $35 and includes Fee, Cart and Lunch plus prizes. Kindly register with Summit, you may pay them direct or effect payment the day of the event. Best regards, Jovan Vukelja, President

By Bob Askew for Panama-Guide.com - As you might know there's rather limited golf opportunities in Panama ... it's a great place for golf with more courses on the way, so I thought I'd do a quick review. The premier course around Panama City is Club de Golf de Panama (http://www.clubgolf.com.pa) in the Cierro Viento area out towards Tocumen airport. Panama Golf Club has a long, rich history and is the venue of the PGA Nationwide event (Movistar Panama Championship) each year in late January. Due to the association with the PGA, the course has been and is being systematically upgraded. The main scope of work is rebuilding greens and bunkers, but #14 was lengthened by about 80 yards and made into a real par 4. They've rebuilt about half the greens on the course, averaging 2-3 a year. New #6 green will open soon followed by #2. The upgrades have been very good, with designs by the PGA experts. Rather than the old-style big sloping greens, the new ones have specific target areas that reward good approach shots with level, makeable putts. (more)

Marty Henwood - Canadian Tour PANAMA CITY, Panama--Despite making the cut at the Movistar Panama Championship, four Canadians weren’t able to make a move over the weekend at the Nationwide Tour’s season-opener. Jon Mills of Belleville, Ont. was the top Canuck, finishing in a tie for 32nd at 5-over 285. Chris Baryla (Vernon, BC) was 37th along with 2004 Canadian Tour money leader Erik Compton while David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., the Times Colonist Open champion in 2004, placed 51st. Making his Nationwide Tour debut, Brad Fritsch of Manotick, Ont. had his struggles on the weekend, posting rounds of 79-76 to come in 63rd. Miguel Carballo fired a final round 5-under 65 and at minus-6 held on for a two shot win over Jim McGovern, Hunter Haas and Patrick Sheehan. Carballo, who lists Eduardo Romero, Angel Cabrera, Ricardo Gonzalez and De Vicenzo among his heroes, becomes the fourth Latin American to win on the Nationwide Tour, joining Paraguay's Angel Franco and Mexico's Keoke Cotner and Esteban Toledo. The victory -- worth $99,000 -- gives him full status on the Nationwide Tour through the end of the 2008 season. "I still can't believe I won," said Carballo, one of nine siblings. "I didn't think I would ever win but I'm happy that I did. To win any Nationwide Tour tournament would be a thrill, but to do it in Latin America makes it even more special. Earning a Nationwide Tour card and having the opportunity to fulfill a goal of mine to play on the PGA TOUR is beyond words."

(AP) PANAMA CITY, Panama — Argentina’s Miguel Carballo won the Nationwide Tour’s season-opening Panama Championship, closing with a 5-under 65 on Sunday for a two-stroke victory over three players. The 27-year-old Carballo, five strokes back at the start of the round, finished with a 6-under 274 total on the Panama Golf Club course. He earned $99,000 and secured full status on the Nationwide Tour through the end of next season. "I still can’t believe I won," Carballo said. "I didn’t think I would ever win, but I’m happy that I did. To win any Nationwide Tour tournament would be a thrill, but to do it in Latin America makes it even more special. "Earning a Nationwide Tour card and having the opportunity to fulfill a goal of mine to play on the PGA Tour is beyond words." PGA Tour winner Jim McGovern (66), Hunter Haas (70) and Patrick Sheehan (71) tied for second at 4 under, and Camilo Benedetti (65) and third-round leader Marc Turnesa (73) followed at 3 under. Carballo won 55 years after Argentine star Roberto De Vicenzo claimed the first of his five victories at the Panama Golf Club. "Just winning is great," Carballo said. "But winning in the same place where one of the best golfers from Argentina and the world won is a great thrill." Carballo’s only other professional win came in the 2006 Guatemalan Open, an event sanctioned by the PGA European Challenge Tour and the Tour de Las Americas. "My goal at the beginning of the day was to shoot 4 or 5 under, and I was able to do that," Carballo said. "I played so well today under tough conditions and a lot of pressure. ... This course was really hard all week long. You just had to do your best to hit fairways and greens. I guess I did that better than anyone else this week."

Panama City, Panama (Sports Network) - Marc Turnesa shot the round of the day Saturday -- a five-under 65 -- to take the lead heading into the final round at the Movistar Panama Championship. Turnesa is at six-under-par 204 and one stroke ahead of second-round leader Patrick Sheehan. The rookie had six birdies and a bogey Saturday and is looking for his first Nationwide Tour win in four career starts. The only other time Turnesa made a cut was in his first start, at the 2002 Hershey Open. "It is nice to play well and be in contention at the first tournament of the year," said Turnesa, who was tied for 16th overnight. Sheehan had a two-over 72 in his third round, dropping into second place at five-under 205. A PGA Tour member for the last four seasons, he is seeking his second career Nationwide Tour win (2002 Price Cutter Charity Championship). "Tomorrow will be all about survival," Sheehan said. "The course is getting firmer and extremely difficult."

The 2007 Movistar Panama Championship will be held from January 25 - 28 at the Club de Golf de Panama in Panama City. Tripp Isenhour finshed 11-under-par 269 to post a three-shot victory at Panama Golf Club in 2006. Golf's Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S. based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School (the main tour's qualifying tournament, popularly referred to as "Q-School") to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level. Those who are on the top 20 of the money list at year's end are given PGA Tour memberships for the next season. All Nationwide Tour Tournaments operate similar to typical PGA Tour tournaments in that they are all 72-hole stroke play events with a cut made after 36 holes. The cut on the Nationwide Tour is for the top 60 players and ties, unlike 70 for the PGA Tour. The fields are usually 144 or 156 players, based on time zones. For the aformentioned international events, the joint tour will split players spots with the nationwide tour for proper sanctioning. As with the PGA Tour, the winner of the tournament will get a prize of 18% of the total purse.

The Next Panama Senior Golf Association (PSGA) Tournament will be held at the Summit Golf & Resort on Weednesday 29 Nov., There will be a Shotgun 8:start at 8:00 a.m., the $30.00 fee includes greens fees & cart. Prizes! Entries with Flor at Summit before 6 p.m., Tuesday 28 Nov. Late entries $5.00 additional

The date for the Panama senior golf association tournament has been changed to Thursday, 14 September (old date Wed. 13th September). This will be a special 1-year celebration for our association with lunch and special prizes. Don’t miss it! All other details remain the same. Next PSGA Tournament Summit Golf & Resort Thursday, 14 September, Shotgun 8:00 a.m. $30.00 includes green fee & cart. Lunch and Special Prizes! Entries at Summit Pro Shop before 6 p.m. Monday 11 September Late entries $5.00 additional

By: Bob Askew - The Panama Senior Golf Association will be holding their monthly golf tournament on Wednesday, 23 August 2006 starting at 8:00 am. The cost is $30.00 and includes a golf cart and green fees. To sign up please contact Flor at Summit. Regular reservations will be accepted until 21 August, after which a $5.00 late fee will be assessed.

The next tournament of the Panama Senior Golf Association will be held on Wendsday, 19 July 2006 at the Summit Golf and Resort. There will be an 8:00 am shotgun start. The cost is $30.00 which includes a golf cart and green fees, and prizes. You can sign up with Flor at the Summit Golf Course and regular sign-ups will be accepted until 17 July at 6:00 PM. Late entries will pay an additional $5.00. For more information contact Bob Askew at rtaskew@yahoo.com and cell 6630-6061.

Here's the details on an upcoming tournament at Summit;

Did you know there was a Yahoo! group dedicated to Golfing in Panama? Check out the Panama Golf Yahoo! group. The members of this group discuss the different courses, coordinate t-times, put together groups, stuff like that...

Good news! We have a tentative PSGA event scheduled for next Tuesday Mar. 14, 7:30 AM at Club de Golf (Cerro Viento). We are still negotiating final terms, but it looks like a go for $25 each player, includes green fee and cart. You will have to buy your own lunch! Please stand by, I will be sending the enrollment form that you will need to fill in to be part of this event. New members will be able to join the PSGA at this event by paying the annual $25 PSGA membership fee. We just concluded the meeting of the PSGA organizing committee and will follow with further instructions. Kevin. (next) The MONTHLY PSGA tournament will be played next Tuesday 7:30am, March 14th at the Panama Golf Course (Club de Golf). Please confirm your participation today by replying to this email. We need to confirm the number of PSGA players by Sunday.

Surrounded by Panama's exotic flora and fauna of the region, and tucked up against virgin rain forest, the Summit Golf & Resort Championship golf course is a paradise of elegance mixed with comfort for the enjoyment of all the visitors. The course is located close to Panama City in the Republic of Panama in Central America. The course was originally opened in 1934 for the enjoyment of the administrators, managers and engineers responsible for the operation of the Panama Canal. The course has been completely designed and renovated to World Class standards, and is now the best golf course in Panama. Summit Golf & Resort is strategically located on the East bank of the Panama Canal on the Gaillard Highway, and is only an easy 20-minute drive from downtown Panama City.

(by: Kevin Bradley)Surprising the favored Guatemalan team, the Panama Senior Golf contingent were victorious at the LXIII Campeonato de Golf Interclubes de Centroamérica in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Led by Captain Carlos Chamorro, the Panama team of Arturo Tapia, Robert Askew, Roberto Vallarino, Ramon Ubben, Ramon Raul Delgado, Alberto Villageliou and Jovan Vukelja, overcame the wet conditions and unfamiliar venue and brought home top honors. The Golf course, Club Campestre La Lima, Honduras is a par 72, playing 6,451 yards from the Blue tees and 6,126 yards from the White tees. While not a short course, multitude of "zanjas" very deep and wide ditches that were part of the drainage system of a banana plantation, created a high level of difficulty for approach shots. The five Central American nations each had a team consisting of 8 players. The first two days the Panama team Captain spread the players in the groups at random, the last two days the groups were paired in accordance with their medal performance. Scoring system called for the 6 players in each group to share a total of 30 points amongst them with the worst score getting zero points, a "machetero" system in which low scores got 10, 8 6, 4 and 2 points. Guatemala, who traditionally wins the senior tournament was shocked at the end when Panama beat them by 12 points overall. Our Senior golfers won nice trophies for individual effort and the team brought home a huge Peruvian silver cup. (http://panamaseniorgolf.com/article.php?story=20060213071535627)

New Zealand golfers drew a blank when the second-tier Nationwide Tour ushered in the new season. The season-opening Movistar Panama Championship ended yesterday in Panama with no New Zealander in sight after all four missed the second-round cut. The second-round cut was made at two-over 142, one better than managed by three New Zealanders, while a fourth, Phil Tataurangi, was well off the pace. Michael Long shot 68 and 75, Tim Wilkinson 73 and 70, and Grant Waite 75 and 68 to share 70th place. Tataurangi blew his chances with an opening 77 but at least had the satisfaction of improving by four strokes in the second round. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10366100

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) -- Tripp Isenhour completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Nationwide Tour's season-opening Panama Championship on Sunday, closing with a 1-under 69 for a three-stroke victory over three players. Isenhour had an 11-under 269 total on the Panama Golf Club course. The 37-year-old former Georgia Tech player earned $99,000 for his third victory on the tour. "My first two wins were more like lightning in a bottle," Isenhour said. "Those weeks I just played well and it was my turn to win. This win is so much sweeter because of all the work we did to get to this level.

Panama City, Panama (Sports Network) - Brendan Pappas posted a three-under 67 Saturday to join Tripp Isenhour atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the Movistar Panama Championship. Isenhour posted an even-par 70 and is tied with Pappas at 10-under-par 200. Isenhour, who set the 18 and 36-hole records for this tournament by himself, shares the new 54-hole mark with Pappas. Their total of 200 bettered the old record of 202, which Vance Veazey set last year. Parker McLachlin struggled to a one-over 71 and stands alone in third place at seven-under-par 203. Tim O'Neal had the round of the day, as he matched Isenhour's course record of 63 at Panama Golf Club.

PANAMA CITY, Panama -- Tripp Isenhour posted a 3-under 67 on Friday, one day after he established a new course record with a 63, and stayed atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the Movistar Panama Championship. His 10-under-par-130 total topped Camilo Villegas' 36-hole record from last year by three shots. Isenhour is not concerned about records. He wants to win for the first time since the 2003 BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs. "It helps to have been there before," said Isenhour, who also captured the Mississippi Gulf Coast Open in 2000. "It's been a while. I'm better now than I was then."

Panama City, Panama (Sports Network) - Tripp Isenhour fired a seven-under-par 63 on Thursday to establish a new course record at Panama Golf Club and take the first-round lead of the season-opening Panama Championship. Parker McLachlin, a Nationwide Tour rookie, shot a four-under-par 66 and is tied for second place with Mario Tiziani and Jeremy Anderson. This is the first event on the docket for the Nationwide Tour in 2006 and it's one that Isenhour hoped he would not have on his schedule this year. He fell apart on the final nine holes of the PGA Tour Q School Tournament and missed his tour card.

The main players of the 2006 Movistar Panamá Championship are arriving in Panama to get ready to play the tournament. Around 100 golfers arrived in Panama and some visited the facilities of the Club of Golf of Panama to check out the course. This tournament kicks off the 17th season of the Nationwide Tour, which many consider to be the primary breeding ground for future PGA players. There will be 132 players in the field, including 27 who have won PGA events such as Steve Pate, Beck Chip, Notah Begay III.

/noticias.info/ The 17th Nationwide Tour season will get under way this coming week as the third annual Movistar Panama Championship tees it up at the Panama Golf Club. The season-opening event for the third consecutive season, the Movistar Panama Championship will offer a $550,000 purse with $99,000 going to the winner. Vance Veazey won last year’s tournament and it helped propel him to a fine season in which he finished 17th on the money list and advanced to the PGA TOUR. In fact, four of the top-5 finishers here last year—Veazey, Shane Bertsch, Jon Mills and Camilo Villegas -- finished in the Top 20 on the money list and all are playing on the PGA TOUR this year.

The season-opening 2006 Movistar Panama Championship golf tournament will be held in Panama from Jan. 26-29. The total purse for this event is $550,000, and it will be played at the Panama Golf Club in Panama City, Panama. Last year Vance Veazey shot -8 to win. For the complete 2006 Nationwide Tour Schedule: http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/schedules/h See also: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/10000

The Panama Senior Golf Association will be holding their November monthly tournament on Wendnesday, 16 November 2005 at the Summit Golf Resort. They will begin play at 8:00 AM with a shotgun start. The number of golfers will be limited to 84 for this tournament, and there are already more than 40 signed up, so you might want to consider contacting one of the event's organizers to secure your playing position. Anyone who wishes to become a member of the Panama Senior Golf Association can pay their $25 annual membership fee at the tournament, and the membership will be valid through December of 2006. Checks for membership fees should be made payable to Roberto Vallarino.