The Shag Bag

Site Lines: The PGA of America announced last week that the Ryder Cup, which the U.S. hosts every four years, will be held at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., in 2003. It will be the first Ryder Cup for Oakland Hills, site of six U.S. Opens. Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, a course the PGA owns, will host the 2007 Ryder Cup. Medinah, near Chicago, gets the Cup in 2011. The association has also tabbed sites for future PGA Championships: Valhalla in 2000 and 2004; Atlanta Athletic Club in 2001; Hazeltine National, near Minneapolis, in 2002; Oak Hill, in Rochester, N.Y., in 2003; The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., in 2005; and Medinah in 2006.

Senior Setback: Chi Chi Rodriguez, an inveterate smoker who used to tell reporters he followed a "red-meat diet," suffered what he called a mild heart attack before last week's Raley's Gold Rush Classic in El Dorado Hills, Calif. "I was too stubborn to think I could have a heart attack," Rodriguez said after undergoing angioplasty at Sacramento's Sutter Memorial Hospital on Oct. 13. Fans signed a giant get-well card for Rodriguez, who turns 63 this week and vows a quick return to action. Gold Rush winner Dana Quigley said, "Remember, Chi Chi, the Senior tour doesn't work without you."

Tell It to Chi Chi: Golf nut Bryant Gumbel (left) marked his 50th birthday last month with a two-day hackathon at Metedeconk National Golf Club in Jackson, N.J. After each round Gumbel and eight pals including Matt Lauer "retired to a rambling house," Gumbel says, "where we solved the world's problems, smoked cigars and played poker. Yeah, the testosterone was flowing, but we avoided red meat. We had our cholesterol to think about."

Char for the Course: A golfer ignited a 25-acre brushfire last week at Hidden Valley Golf Course in Norco, Calif., by striking a spark with his titanium driver. Norco fire chief Peter Bryan says the player won't face charges.

New Blood: Callaway CEO Donald Dye stepped down last week but will continue as a consultant to his replacement, 79-year-old company founder Ely Callaway.

Se Ri, Pack: On Oct. 27, Se Ri Pak will be cheered by thousands as a parade leads her from the Seoul airport to Korea's presidential palace, where she'll be President Kim Dae Jung's guest. On the 28th, Pak will be feted in Daejun, her hometown. On the 29th, at a golf tournament created in her honor, she'll join pro-am partner Kim Chong-Pil, the Korean prime minister.

Not to Be: Among the casualties of the first stage of this year's PGA Tour Q school was the pride of Littleton, Colo., Greg Shakespeare.