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Friday, March 3, 2000

Associated Press
Karrie Webb hits her second shot on the 12th hole
during the Takefuji Classic yesterday.

Big Island puts
LPGA stars in
a good mood

Webb, Sorenstam open
with 68s and trail front-runner
Moodie by one after the first
round of the Takefuji Classic

Top 5 money winners here
Takefuji Classic first round leaders

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

KAILUA-KONA -- If you stare at the Takefuji Classic leader board for too long you might go blind.

With the first round of the $800,000 scribbled on the scorecard, the brightest stars of the LPGA Tour are clustered so close together, it's hard to predict who will burn the longest.

Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam have won 36 LPGA events between them over the last seven years. They played in the same group yesterday and today, and if the fates allow, they'll be walking side-by-side for 18 more tomorrow to determine who is the true leader of the LPGA's brat pack.

They are two of four golfers who are tied for second with 4-under 68s. Joining them in the chase of front-runner Janice Moodie are Jill McGill and Chris Johnson. Late in the day, Moodie slipped past this fearsome foursome with a 5-under 67.

Like McGill, Moodie is poised to challenge the likes of Webb and Sorenstam. The San Jose State graduate, who hails from Glascow, Scotland, finished second at the Australian Ladies Masters as a rookie in 1999.

McGill's best finish since joining the Tour in 1996 is a tie for fourth, but you get the feeling she is just a putt away from finding the winner's circle herself.

When asked what it would take to whip Webb, McGill replied, "There's no Tonya (Harding) in me. No one's going to whack Webb in the middle of her golf swing.''

When told she had a pretty nasty left hook, McGill replied, "Which one?''

Ouch.

"All I know is Karrie is at the top of her game,'' McGill said. "She sets the standard really high, which is the way it should be. Karrie is a great player, but it's all a rotation. It will be someone else's turn and you just hope it's your turn sooner or later.''

Associated Press
Annika Sorenstam watches her
tee shot on No. 10 yesterday.

Moodie is another one of the young guns taking over the tour. She played in Australia over the weekend. She left on Monday and arrived in Honolulu Sunday night.

Moodie said she slept well, flew over to the Big Island on Monday just in time to lay in the sun. She played a little golf on Tuesday, but was back at the pool that afternoon. Ain't life grand?

"You just have to let your body recuperate," Moodie said. "There's no sense coming out and hitting balls if you're exhausted. When I was in college, the trip from San Francisco to Scotland was 12 hours. So, traveling for me is no big deal. I mean, it is a big deal. You have to rest. But I guess I've learned to trick my body."

She tricked the Kona Country Club ocean course as well. Moodie managed six birdies and one bogey to put herself in a good position to land that first win. But there are plenty of good golfers within shouting distance of the Scottish lass.

Fellow Emerald Isle resident Laura Davies is just two strokes back at 69. Davies is one of seven golfers who finished 3-under for the day. So did other notables like Grace Park and Lorie Kane.

Kane was Webb's third victim this year at last week's Australian Ladies Masters. The Canadian had her first win well within her grasp, only to lose sight of it thanks to the finish by Webb.

The one-stroke victory was the third in as many events for the 26-year-old Aussie this season. Last year, she won six LPGA tournaments, including the du Maurier Classic, her first major championship.

Much like PGA Tour counterpart Tiger Woods, Webb expects to win every time she steps on the course.

"She is playing with so much confidence," said Sorenstam, who knows what it's like to walk in Webb's shoes. In the 1990s, Webb won 16 times. Sorenstam managed 18 victories, but only two last year.

"When she's standing over the golf ball, she believes it's going in," Sorenstam said. "She was making putts from everywhere. For me, I had an off-year in 1999. But Karrie had a lot to do with that."

The Webb master enjoyed going spike-to-spike with Sorenstam during yesterday's opening 18 holes. And it's likely this dynamic duo will push each other today as well.

But at this point, if Webb is close going into tomorrow's final round, it's lights out for everyone else.

"I've been playing very consistently," Webb said.

"This is only my fourth tournament this year and already I'm feeling very comfortable on the golf course. Everything seems to be paying off. I'm hitting the ball well and making a lot of putts."

---

Top 5 money winners
are here

KAILUA-KONA -- The top five money winners on the LPGA Tour are taking part in this week's inaugural $800,000 Takefuji Classic.

Karrie Webb ($225,000), Laura Davies ($167,124), Nancy Scranton ($149,708), Lorie Kane ($135,234) and Betsy King ($122,732) decided to tee it up in one of the stronger island fields in recent memory.

Webb and Davies are tied for second and third, respectively. Scranton shot an opening round 76 and is far off the pace, but Kane is tied for sixth at 69 and King is close enough at 73 to have a good chance of surviving today's cut.

"This is an outstanding field,'' Webb said. ""I think a lot of golfers wanted to come to Hawaii and see what this event was about. This is a beautiful golf course. Even if you're not having a good day, those holes down by the ocean are unbelievable.''

Webb recently tied Anna Sorenstam's record for being the fastest player to earn $200,000 after only three events. Sorenstam is not known to play in a lot of tournaments, but will compete in the next four to see if she can match swings with Webb.

This is only her second tournament of the season. She played two weeks ago at the Cup Noodles Hawaiian Open, pocketing $5,396. Sorenstam is currently No. 95 on this year's money list.

PLAYING THE BACK

The back nine was certainly a lot kinder than the front for most of the 129 golfers who teed it up yesterday at the Kona Country Club ocean course. There were 141 birdies and one eagle on the front nine and 158 birdies and one eagle on the back.

There were also 737 pars and 259 bogeys on the front, and 750 pars and 216 bogeys on the back. Grace Park was the exception that proved the rule. She shot a ho-hum 36 on the back, but a blistering 33 on the front en route to tying for sixth at 69. At one point on the front, Park birdied four consecutive holes.

The easiest hole was the par-5 second where the golfers averaged 4.868. There were 28 birdies and only nine bogeys on this 486-yard hole. The hardest was the par-4 ninth. Not only is the 375-yard hole uphill from tee to green, it's also into the wind.

Webb carded one of 54 bogeys on this hole that averaged 4.442. There were 10 birdies and 59 pars.

UH CONNECTION

Former University of Hawaii golfers Cindy Flom and Lenore Rittenhouse didn't exactly win one for the home team. Flom, who played for the Wahine from 1978-80, finished with a 1-over 73. This is her fifth tournament this year. She is No. 28 on the money list with $33,406.

Rittenhouse was Flom's teammate in 1978. The 44-year-old fired an 82 yesterday.

GINTER LATE BLOOMER

There were days when Sue Ginter wondered if the golf ball would ever roll in for her.

For more years than the University of Texas graduate cared to count, she played on the mini-tours in Europe and Asia, hoping one day her game would come together long enough for her to make it through the LPGA Tour qualifying school.

She finally made it on her ninth try in 1997.

"It's all a blur now,'' said Ginter, who conceded she considered giving up the chase. "I would play in the mini-tours during the summer and spend the winter in Florida doing odd jobs like driving a refreshment cart on area golf courses.

""But I never gave up on my dream of making it on Tour. I kept getting a little better every year. I worked on my weaknesses and improved my strengths. There were a couple of times where I almost made it through the Q-school only to come up a little short.''

Ginter appeared well on her way to being the early leader in the clubhouse during yesterday's opening round after she was 4-under through 16 holes. But a pair of bogeys did her in.

BAD START

There are plenty of members of the Japanese media here to see how sensation Akiko Fukushima matched up with the stars of the LPGA Tour. Considered the premiere player in Japan, Fukushima found herself in the same threesome as Webb and Sorenstam.

Perhaps intimidated with having to swing with the two finest players of the 1990s, Fukushima shot a 77. It was also the first time she and her sister, Hiroko, played in the same tournament.

---

TAKEFUJI CLASSIC

At Kailua-Kona
First round leaders, par 72

Janice Moodie 34-33--67 Chris Johnson 35-33--68 Karrie Webb 35-33--68 Annika Sorenstam 34-34--68 Jill McGill 36-32--68 Laura Davies 32-37--69 Laura Philo 36-33--69 Grace Park 33-36--69 Mhairi McKay 36-33--69 Lorie Kane 34-35--69 Jane Egan 35-34--69 Lori Atsedes 33-36--69 Michelle Estill 36-34--70 Gloria Park 36-34--70 Leigh Ann Mills 35-35--70 Emilee Klein 36-34--70 Susan Ginter 37-33--70 Marisa Baena 37-33--70 Sherri Steinhauer 36-35--71 Jane Geddes 35-36--71 Dana Dormann 36-35--71 Sara Sanders 37-34--71 Kim Saiki 36-35--71 Michelle Murphy 36-35--71 Yu Ping Lin 37-34--71 Sophie Gustafson 33-38--71 Sally Dee 35-36--71 Jenny Lidback 36-36--72 Gail Graham 38-34--72 Pat Bradley 36-36--72 Leslie Spalding 37-35--72 Alison Nicholas 38-34--72 Marnie McGuire 36-36--72 Jeong Jang 35-37--72 Pat Hurst 36-36--72 Tracy Hanson 37-35--72 Jennifer Feldott 36-36--72 Helen Dobson 36-36--72 Stefania Croce 36-36--72 Patty Sheehan 38-35--73 Deb Richard 35-38--73 Meg Mallon 36-37--73

Betsy King 37-36--73 Cathy Johnston-Forbes 35-38--73 Cindy Flom 36-37--73 Dale Eggeling 36-37--73 Nanci Bowen 36-37--73 LaRee Pearl Sugg 40-33--73 Michele Redman 36-37--73 Catrin Nilsmark 36-37--73 Natascha Fink 36-37--73 Liz Earley 36-37--73 Annette DeLuca 36-37--73 Silvia Cavalleri 34-39--73 Johanna Head 35-38--73 Barb Whitehead 38-36--74 Melissa McNamara 35-39--74 Penny Hammel 39-35--74 Melinda Daniels-Price 37-37--74 Shani Waugh 37-37--74 Jennifer Rosales 38-36--74 Karen Pearce 39-35--74 Kristal Parker 37-37--74 Vickie Odegard 39-35--74 Catriona Matthew 41-33--74 Denise Killeen 37-37--74 Vicki Goetze-Ackerman 38-36--74 Heather Daly-Donofrio 36-38--74 Eva Dahllof 39-35--74 Jean Bartholomew 36-38--74 Sherri Turner 38-37--75 Jan Stephenson 37-38--75 Susie Redman 39-36--75 Hiromi Kobayashi 37-38--75 Susan Veasey-Florin 38-37--75 Pamela Kometani 36-39--75 Joanne Morley 39-36--75 Carin Koch 35-40--75 Lisa Kiggens 38-37--75 Heather Bowie 41-34--75 Kellee Booth 36-39--75 Caroline Blaylock 36-39--75 Luciana Bemvenuti 39-36--75 Michelle Bell 39-36--75

Lori West 39-37--76 Val Skinner 38-38--76 Nancy Scranton 37-39--76 Marta Figueras-Dotti 38-38--76 Vicki Fergon 38-38--76 Fiona Pike 39-37--76 Debbi Koyama 39-37--76 Kate Golden 37-39--76 Cindy McCurdy 37-40--77 Jenny S. Park 38-39--77 Jean Zedlitz 35-42--77 Karen Stupples 36-41--77 Stephanie Sparks 36-41--77 Kathryn Marshall 40-37--77 Lisa Hackney 38-39--77 Akiko Fukushima 41-36--77 Moira Dunn 39-38--77 Audra Burks 38-39--77 Ashli Bunch 38-39--77 Patricia Baxter-Johnson 38-39--77 Amy Read 38-40--78 Katie Peterson 37-41--78 Nancy Harvey 42-36--78 Jane Crafter 41-37--78 Wendy Ward 39-39--78 Kelly Robbins 40-38--78 Oh-Yeon Kwon 40-38--78 Cristie Kerr 39-39--78 Trish Johnson 40-39--79 Amy Benz 40-39--79 Camie Hoshino 38-41--79 Caryn Wilson 39-40--79 Julie Piers 41-38--79 Jackie Gallagher-Smith 40-39--79 Lisa DePaulo 40-39--79 Tish Certo 39-40--79 Erika Wicoff 40-40--80 A.J. Eathorne 39-41--80 Diane Barnard 39-41--80 Ellie Gibson 39-42--81 Pamela Kerrigan 36-45--81 Jen Hanna 41-40--81