The Ladies Professional Golfing Association (LPGA) announced Rolex as this year’s winner of the LPGA’s Commissioner’s award for its role in the development of women’s golf. The award was present by LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan, in a glittering ceremony, graced by golfing greats, dignitaries, celebrities, partners and officials.

The Commissioner’s award recognizes contributions made by people and organizations in the development of the women’s game, and whose association with the game has been characterized by remarkable poise and dignity. Rolex Watches has contributed to the game immensely over the period of thirty years, and has played a major part in taking the game one step further.  The other recipients of the Commissioner’s award include Karsten and Lousie Solheim, Jamie Farr, the LPGA founders and Herb Lotman and Frank Quinn.

Speaking at the ceremony, Commissioner Mike Whan said that they were glad to have the unwavering support of Rolex over all these years.   According to him, Rolex Watches sets the standard for matchless efficiency and functionality and their association with the LPGA was good for the game.  He also said that the LPGA was committed to furthering the association for many more years.

Rolex has been associated with the women’s game since the last thirty years and has played a crucial role in the development of golfing legends like Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa. The game of golf involves precision shot making and perseverance in the face of adversity. Champions golfers like Annika Sorenstam had the ability to remain cool under pressure. This ability to take on the vicissitudes of the game head on separated her from the journeymen golfers who tend to crumble under pressure. Rolex Watches captures this very essence of a champion golfer in its collection of wristwatches and timepieces. Each wristwatch is exquisitely crafted and featuring unmatched functionality and elegance.

Rolex, the Official Timepiece of the LPGA, has partnered the game of golf for the last 30 years. It has also played a vital role in the development of young talent; so necessary to take the game forward. Some of its initiatives include the Rolex Player of the Year Award, the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award, the Ellen Griffin Rolex Award and the Rolex First-Time Winner award.

Jean-Noel Bioul, Rolex SA, said the award was high honor for Rolex as it had a lot of respect for the LPGA and its achievement on and off the golf course. According to him, Rolex took pride in its association with the LPGA tour and looked forward to many more years with the women’s tour.  As of now, Rolex supports five major women’s professional golf tour including the Ladies Professional Golfing Association (LPGA), Ladies European Tour (LET), Korea Ladies Professional Golfing Association (KLPGA), Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPGA) as well as the Ladies Golf Union (LGU).

Eric Lamaze, Olympic show jumping champion, won the marathon, four way, $350,000  Rolex Grand Prix show jumping competition at Aachen, beating rival Pius Schwizer by a  mere 0.2 seconds. The courageous show jumper had to negotiate the pain barrier, courtesy a broken left foot, on his way to the title. The competition featured some of the big names in the world of show jumping like Eric Lamaze (Hickstead), Schwizer (Carlina) and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (Shutterfly). However it was the Spaniard Sergio Alvarez Moya, ranked 71, who proved to be a surprise package.

Eric Lamaze’s victory had shades of Bobby Baun; Baun is remembered even today for the goal he scored in the 1964 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings, despite playing with a broken leg.  Eric Lamaze sustained the injury with two rounds to go in the competition. However, he successfully managed to negotiate the pain barrier and the subsequent jump-off to win the competition.  Speaking to the press after the win, he said that the bone would heal within two weeks, and he would be ready for the next round of the competition. According to him the treatment was the most aggressive approach available and would expedite the healing process.

Reminiscing the course of events that led to the accident, Lamaze, 42, remembers hearing a crack and felt a pain shooting up his legs after landing a jump. Further investigation revealed that the bone had broken clean. However, Lamaze and his partner, Hickstead carried on, completing the next two rounds, and finally defeating Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer in a jump-off.

The course designed by renowned designer Frank Rothenberger challenged the participants to the hilt. Alzarez Moya was one of the few, who found the course to his liking finishing third place overall. Laura Bechtolsheimer became the first British dressage rider to win a class at Aachen in more than a decade. Earlier she finished with 77.29 points in the principal Grand Prix to finish third behind Dutch sensation Edward Gal and Adelinde Cornellisen.

Eric Lamaze has several good results of late including a win an ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Calgary’s Spruce Meadows on July 10. The results have helped him ascend to the number one position in the Rolex World Rider Rankings.

Show Jumping requires perfect co-ordination between man and beast. A champion show jumper is blessed with a keen sense of timing, which is called upon during the show jumping events. Rolex Watches encapsulates this spirit of perfection; every watch an epitome of perfection and timeless elegance.

The Rolex Osprey Cup, scheduled for mid October, promises high voltage sailing action spread over three days. The tournament will be studded with some of the most talented women yachtswomen like defending Rolex Osprey Cup Champion and 2008 Olympian Giluia Conti (Toscolano Maderno, Italy), 2008 Olympian Anne-Claire Le Berre (Brest, FRA), US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics members Anna Tunicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) Molly Vandemoer (Redwood City, Calif.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), world’s 1 ranked match racer Lucy MacGregor, and ISAF Rolex Sailor of the Year Claire Leroy (Nantes, FRA).

The Rolex Osprey Cup will be held immediately after the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship at the New York Yacht Club. The event becomes important because many teams will be hoping to use it as a springboard for the 2012 Olympics in England.  Pat Seidenspinner, principal race officer and co-chair with Tom Farquhar, said that the interest in the sport is at an all time high now and it is only going to get all the more interesting in the future.   She also said that in order to encourage spectator participation the race would be held near to the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier, which would afford prime viewing location for the tourist.

The format of the Rolex Osprey Cup consists of double round robin, knockouts, semi-final and final rounds scheduled at the end of the round robins. The winners win be awarded in a glittering ceremony at the Regatta Dinner.

The Rolex Osprey Cup was founded in 1996 and ever since then it has become one of the premier-most sailing competition for women. Recognizing the importance of the event, Rolex Watch U.S.A became the title sponsor in the year 2000. The competition is held each year in the middle of October, when it was cancelled because of the Rolex ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship.

Since 1958, when Rolex Watch U.S.A presented timepieces for the America’s Cup, Rolex has been constantly encouraging off shore sailing, competitive sailing, U.S Sailing championship, disabled sailing, and elite athlete preparation. Sailing is a highly specialized sport, involving endless patience and perseverance in the face of adversity. Rolex Watches encapsulates this never say die attitude of the sailor; each time piece a matchless blend of craftsmanship and elegance.

The Rolex Osprey Cup is a part of the Rolex Yachting Portfolio that includes 20 world class events spread across the globe. Some of the famous events include the Rolex Miami OCR, New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, Rolex Fastnet Race, Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, Rolex Big Boat Series, Rolex US-IRC National Championship, Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship and Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Korean Golfer, Jiyai Shin climbed three places to top the Rolex Women’s Golf Ranking, dethroning Ai Miyazato, who had held the number one position for exactly one week. The Korean golfer aggregated 639.37 points from 60 events giving an average of 10.66, just ahead of Japanese, Ai Miyazato, who aggregated 563.88 from 55 games.

Rolex Ranking is the most comprehensive ranking system in women’s golf starting out in the year 2004, when Annika Sorenstam was adjudged as the No. 1 ranked player in women’s golf. The Rolex Ranking system is sanctioned and recognized by the five majors on the women’s golf tour: Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA); Ladies European Tour (LET); Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association of Japan (JLPGA); Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA); and the Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG), as well as the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU), which administers the RICOH Women’s British Open.

The Rolex Ranking system is calculated over a two year basis with greater importance given to the current year, especially the 13 preceding months. The Rolex Ranking points are important because they are used as eligibility criteria for entering various tournaments like HSBC Women’s Champions, Kraft Nabisco Championship, Evian Masters, RICOH Women’s British Open and the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

The Rolex Ranking system has seen many upheavals recently with Jiyai Shin, Ai Miyazato, Cristie Kerr and Suzann Pettersen staking their claims to the number one position. Due to this intense competition the N0.1 Rolex Ranking position has passed from one golfer to the other, with little separating the top golfer from the rest. However, this was not always so; especially, during the days of Annika Sorenstam and Loren Ochoa. The two titans of the game had a stranglehold over the game and this showed in the Rolex Ranking Points. The two dominated the game at various points, with Annika Sorenstam dominating the game for five years followed by Loren Ochoa’s dominance for the next four years. However, after Lorena Ochoa retired many upcoming young golfers came up; all of them staking a claim to the number one spot.

Golf is game that requires a high degree of precision shot making along with the ability to withstand pressure at all times. The top golfers are supreme athletes with the ability to change gears at will; this special quality separates them from the journeymen golfers. Rolex Watches encapsulates this ability to perform under pressure time after time, without compromising on quality. Each Rolex Watch and timepiece is exquisitely crafted; a unique combination of timeless elegance and matchless functionality.

Rolex Watches has always been associated with remarkable instances of human endurance in the field of sports, arts and adventure. Sir Edmund Hillary, Chuck Yeager, Roger Federer are some luminous names who have been associated with the Swiss Watchmaker at some point or the other.

Rolex watches has also partnered remarkable expeditions that have considerably broadened our horizons. One such expedition took place 50 years ago when Rolex partnered the Trieste and its crew in its journey to the very bottom of the Challenger Deep. The Trieste was manned by US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss Oceanographer Jacques Piccard. The Trieste had a specially designed Rolex watch strapped on the outside of the Swiss designed submarine. The Swiss watchmakers had made sure that the watch would be able to withstand the pressure-estimated to be 8 tones per square inch-at a depth of over 10,900 meters.

When the Trieste and its crew emerged, after completing the two hours mission, the Rolex Deep Sea Special was found to be in perfect condition. Jacques Piccard sent a telegram to the headquarters of the Swiss watchmaker, which said that the Rolex Deep Sea Special worked perfectly at a depth of 11000 feet.

Trieste’s journey to the bottom of the Challenger Deep gave valuable insight to Oceanographers and scientist. The record for the deepest underwater exploration stands till date, constituting an important milestone in underwater exploration. The exploration revealed the secrets of the ocean which had remained hidden till then. Using special lights designed for deep water exploration the Trieste discovered the presence of marine life in inhospitable conditions; scientist had speculated whether marine life was possible in the absence of light. The discovery stunned the scientists the world over and contributed to an increased awareness of the ocean and the need to preserve it.

The successful stint below the ocean made Rolex the watch of choice for the US Naval School for Deep Sea Divers and for the US Navy’s SEA-LAB program. The program helped Rolex fine tune its technology and led to the development of the Rolex Sea Dweller in 1967.

Rolex Watches has always been in the forefront of developing water resistant technology. It has been associated with remarkable feats in the world of sailing, diving and other water sports. It has partnered some of the most hazardous expeditions to the very bottom of the ocean, collecting invaluable data about oceanic life, and helping humankind in its understanding of the mysteries of the ocean. This greater understanding has led to harmonization of man with nature; leading to preservation of marine life.

Emily Tubert, Rolex Junior All American, announced her presence in the world of junior golf by finishing second at the McArthur Towel & Sports Future Legend. The 18 year old, a Burroughs graduate, has had a busy summer, with her itinerary taking her to furthest nook and corners of the country, in search of experience and ranking points. Her recent performance signals the coming of age of this precocious talent, who dreams of making it big in the world of professional golf.

The tournament, held at the Legend at Bristlecone in Hartland, Wisconsin, is an open tournament conducted by the American Junior Golf Association. The tournament is a perfect stepping stone for budding golfers, looking forward to making a career in the world of professional golf. Emily Tubert shot rounds of 75, 76 and 70 on her way to a score of 221, finishing seven shots behind winner, Alex Stewart of Peoria, Arizona, who had rounds of 73, 68, 73, finishing with a score of 214.

Emily Tubert, who will be playing for the University of Arkansas in the fall, said that the performance was a good morale booster, coming as it did after a grueling summer, where she spent most of her time learning the ropes and the intricacies of the sport.

Golf is a high precision sport where even the slightest mistake is punished severely by the course that is unforgiving to careless mistakes. This is one sport where you can be on cloud nine one moment and brought down to earth the very next moment, courtesy some carelessness that crept in so surreptitiously, that you hardly noticed. A top golfer is an epitome of concentration, ability to withstand pressure and the ability to take the highs and low with equanimity. These qualities and load of talent is what differentiates a champion from the stragglers of the game.

Rolex Watches captures the very essence of a champion golfer with each watch an epitome of grace, elegance and unmatched functionality.

Emily Tubert, speaking to the press said that it was nice to finish second in her last AJGA event. Commenting on her summer, she said that it was tough playing among the seasoned professionals. According, to her it felt good coming to a smaller event and finish well.

The McArthur Towel & Sports Future Legends is a 54 hole tournament fielding 120 boys and girls in the age group of 12-18, coming from the length and breadth of the country.    The girls division is played out at 5,970 yards.

After four days of competitive sailing, Vela Veloce, skippered by Richard Oland, won the seventh Rolex US-IRC National Championship, 2010. The Vela Veloce beat 35 boats to the top prize in the four-leg course, characterized by windy conditions that threatened to cancel the race. However, the windy conditions gave away to better racing conditions later, allowing Richard Oland to finish the race on top. The skipper and owner of the Vela Veloce, Richard Oland was presented with a Rolex Yacht-Master at the Rolex Gala and Awards Party held at Harbor Court.

Speaking after the win, Richard Oland said that winning the competition was a tremendous experience for them. According to him, the win required lots of skill and perseverance and the team had to bring their best game in order to be competitive. Commenting on the results, he said that the racing was extremely competitive, which was proved by the fact that the boats were within 50 feet of each other at the end of the race.

The winning team was decided by a complex formula which took into consideration the time it took to cover each mile. The race was very close, with Vela Veloce beating its nearest competitor, Steve Benjamin aboard the Tripp 41 Robotic Oncology, by 13/100th of a second. Steve Benjamin winner of the IRC Class 3 said that they had been trying to win the competition for the last five years and it was only this year they had managed to post a win in the IRC 3 Class. According to the skipper, they were always in the hunt for a good finish right from the beginning of the competition.

During the course of its win, Vela Veloce notched four first places and two seconds. George Sakellaris’s Captivity came second, 10 points behind the winner. The third position was taken by the 55 footer Sforzando, which took the final day’s honor.

Rick Lyall’s Storm was declared the winner in the IRC Class 5, beating Bill Sweetser’s J/109 Rush and Robert Schwartz’s Nordlys in a closely competed race. According to the Rick Lyall, the victory was made possible because of the hard work and planning put in by the crew. He was proud of the fact that they beat Carina, winner of the Newport Bermuda Race, twice in a row: at the Annual Regatta and now at the IRC-National Champion.

Rick Lyall’s Storm lost out to Gut Feeling in the J/109 North American Championship. According to him, they were disappointed that they were not able to hold on to their title; however they were not ashamed of losing to Gut Feeling, who were manned by a superb crew of battle hardened sailors.

The Rolex Ranking for the week beginning July 19th, 2010, saw Ai Miyazato take over the number one spot from American Cristie Kerr.  With the Evian Masters just round the corner players would be looking forward to consolidating their positions on the Rolex Ranking Table.

The Evian Masters is held at the picturesque locations of Evian Masters Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France. The tournament, founded in 1994, is recognized by the Ladies European Tour; however it is not recognized as a major by the LPGA Tour. The tournament has been a part of the LPGA schedule since 2000 and is played out a week before the British Open.  The event is spread over 4 days, with 90 players competing to make the cut. Prior to 2007 the competition had 78 players competing over four days to decide the eventual winner.

The Rolex Rankings charts the progress made by the player in the golfing circuit, with the top spot bringing fame and recognition. For long, the Rolex Ranking charts were dominated by two giants of the game Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa.  However, after their retirement the top spot has seen a merry-go-around with Cristie Kerr, Ai Miyazato, and Jiyai Shin taking up the top spot at various times.

The Americans had something to cheer, following Cristie Kerr’s dramatic rise in the golfing circuit. After winning two tournaments back to back she was able to ascend to the number one position warding of the Asian challenge in the form of Ai Miyazato and Jiyai Shin. However, her reign at the top was short as the Japanese wrested back the number one position.

Ai Miyazato, born in 1985, competes in the LPGA tour and the Japanese LPGA tour and is currently the number one golfer in the world. She made her debut in the 2004 season of the JLPGA tour winning 5 tournaments.  In 2005 she combined with Rui KItada to win the Women’s World Cup in Golf and followed it with six more events, becoming the No.2 player in the world behind Yuri Fudoh.  Her victory at the Japanese Open in the year 2005 made her the youngest player to win a major.

Her success at the JLPGA tour spawned success in the LPGA tour and soon she had a win under her belt at the 2009 Evian Masters, shooting 14-under par 274 to tie with Sophie Gustafson. She really came into her own in the 2010 season winning four of the nine official tournaments and on 21st June became the No.1 golfer in the world.  She held the number one position for less than a week before she was superseded by Cristie Kerr.  On 19th July she regained the number one position warding off Cristie Kerr by mere 0.0006 average points.

Rolex’s association with the game of golf began in 1967, when the company presented a Rolex Oyster Perpetual to golfing legend Arnold Palmer in order to honor his achievements in the game. This association grew over a period of time with Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus joining the pantheon of greats at the Rolex gallery.

The game of golf is a celebration of mental and physical prowess; where the golfers have to negotiate through a maze of intimidating greens, undulating landscapes and unpredictable weather conditions. The game is a supreme exercise of skill and the ability to withstand pressure under all conditions. The Swiss Watchmaker, Rolex, encapsulates all that is good in the game: pin point accuracy; the ability to withstand pressure; timeless elegance and the ability to rise above the ordinary.

Rolex has been associated with the women’s game of golf since 1980, when it started sponsoring the LPGA tour. Like other sports, golf requires the young to pick up the gauntlet and challenge the set order. Rolex recognized that the future of the sport lay in the young and started a spate of programs that aimed to celebrate the spirit of youth in all its myriad colors. Some of the programs included Rolex Player of the Year, the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year and the Rolex-First Time Winners. These are annual awards seeking to further the young and the meritorious, helping them to grab a foot hold in the game of golf.

Rolex started sponsoring several important golfing tournaments in 1978, beginning with the British Open Championship. Later it became an exclusive partner of the United States Golf Association (USGA), with exclusive rights to all events coming under its umbrella. Over the years the legendary watchmaker has developed a longstanding relationship with Royal and Ancient (R & A) Golf club of St. Andrews. In the year 2003, Rolex became a sponsor of R&A Rules of Golf and the British Golf Museum.

Rolex recognizes that the young are the future of the game of golf, explaining the 25 years it has spent investing in the American Junior Golfers Association program. It also hosts the Rolex Tournament of Champions and the Rolex Girl’s Championship. It also presents the Rolex Player of the year and sponsors the Rolex All-American Teams.

Rolex has made its presence felt in the United States through its sponsorships with the PGA tour, which conducts the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. The company became the official timekeeper of the PGA tour in 1994.

The watchmaker is the Official Timepiece in the European Tour and its matchless timepieces will be featured in tournaments throughout Asia and the rest of the world.

The US SAILING Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship Committee has invited bids for hosting training camps for female sailors participating in the 2011 Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship (IWKC). The event is scheduled to be held at the Rochester Sailing Club.

The history of women’s sailing is all about endurance and class, drawing inevitable comparisons with the legendary Swiss Watchmaker Rolex, which has been celebrated for its quality of craftsmanship and endurance. Sailing competitions were strictly off limits for women until 1985 when Rolex and the Sailing Federation combined to form the US SAILING Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship. Since then women sailors have distinguished themselves by exemplary feats of endurance at the competition.

Rolex has been associated with the Women’s Sailing competition right since its inception in 1985, providing badly needed support in those early days when sponsorships were not available and resources were thin. This support helped the game flourish over the years into what it is now when it is fit to stand on its own. However, recognizing the need to draw fresh talent at regular intervals, the organizers have come up with the Road to Rolex program that seeks to promote young talent at the sailing competition. Under this program talented young sailors are put under the tutelage of past masters like five time winner, Betsy Alison, Molly Vandemoer, and Elizabeth Kratzig.  The program is organized by US SAILING that provides coaches and training material.

Gayle Finster, Road to Rolex Coordinator, says that the clinic is open to any organization and all that is required are willing participants ready to take on the competition. According to him, participation is open to all irrespective whether they take part in the actual sailing activities at the Rolex IWKC.

The organizers hope that the idea will catch on with amateurs and professionals alike, so that each clinic will have 5-10 boats allowing for more intensive training sessions. The Road to Rolex Clinic will also feature short races at the end of the clinic, with the winning team getting a credit of $200 towards its entry fee at the Rolex IWKC.  The action begins in the month of October leading to the Rolex IWKC completion.

The Rolex IWKC is hosted at different locations each year to promote the sport. In accordance with this strategy, US SAILING would be inviting bids for hosting the tournament in 2013 and 2015. Taran Teague, official at Rolex IWKC Committee, says that selecting a host for 2013 will help the organizers see how the event is run from the very beginning.