[ TAKEFUJI CLASSIC ]
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Grande Dames The LPGA's opening act tomorrow was exciting enough, what with the world's best player among the 132 golfers in the $900,000 Takefuji Classic field. Annika Sorenstam creates a buzz whatever fairway she roams.
The LPGA will open its season at
Waikoloa with some of the
biggest names in the gameBy Paul Arnett
parnett@starbulletin.comBut after a little digging yesterday by members of the LPGA staff, they discovered that Honolulu's Michelle Wie was already making a little history of her own. At age 12, she is the youngest golfer ever to qualify for an LPGA event.
"She's not the youngest ever to compete in an event," LPGA media relations coordinator Debbie Eareckson said Monday night. "Beverly Klass holds that distinction."
At age 10, Klass competed in four events on the LPGA Tour in 1967. Her best finish was 44th at the Lady Carling Open. But she didn't have to qualify, giving way to Wie in this category of firsts.
Wie set the mark on a windy Monday, birdieing the last hole to secure the final spot in the field. She is now the youngest ever to qualify for an LPGA event. The previous record was held by current LPGA Tour rookie Natalie Gulbis, who qualified for the 1997 Longs Drugs Challenge at the age of 14.
Gulbis shot rounds of 81-84 and missed the cut. In 2001, Morgan Pressell was the youngest player in USGA history, at age 13, to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open through the USGA's sectional qualifying system. Pressell missed the cut after rounds of 77-77.
Wie said Monday one of her main goals this week was to make the 36-hole cut, and while it's nice to make a little history, playing well would bring her even more satisfaction.
"It's very exciting to play in this tournament, especially because it's in Hawaii," Wie said. "I'm just going to go out and try my best. The conditions were tough for the qualifying round. Hopefully, it won't be as windy."
If Wie does survive Friday's cut, she will be the youngest ever to do so. At age 13, Aree Wongluekiet carded rounds of 75-71 to make the cut at the 2000 Nabisco Championship. She entered the tournament, with her twin sister Naree, by virtue of a sponsors exemption.
The LPGA will open its season with the 2002 Takefuji Classic at the Waikoloa Beach Course on the Big Island. Last year, defending champion Lorie Kane fired a blistering 6-under 66 to finish at 205, two strokes ahead of Annika Sorenstam, at the Kona Country Club. TAKEFUJI CLASSIC
When: Tomorrow through Saturday
Where: Waikoloa's Beach Course
Par: 35-35--70
Defending champion: Lorie Kane
Field: 132
Purse: $900,000
Format: 54-hole stroke play
Television: The Golf Channel, noon-2:30 p.m., all three rounds, replayed at 5 p.m.
Tickets: $15
Information: (808) 886-6210
Not that Sorenstam and the rest of the field will cut Wie any slack, far from it. This is the first full-field event of the 2002 season and most of the golfers will be trying to find their way as well through the difficult Waikoloa Beach Course. Not that long at 6,164 yards, the par-70 course can be difficult if you stray from the fairways and land in the lava.
Wie suffered 10 penalty strokes on Monday en route to her round of 83. Today is the pro-am with the first round in the 54-hole event set to begin at 7 a.m. tomorrow to accommodate a national broadcast on The Golf Channel. The round is expected to end by 2:30 p.m. local time.
Defending champion Lorie Kane, who finished fourth on the money list in 2001, can only hope she is near the top of the leaderboard after the opening 18 holes. It took Kane numerous tries to get her first win since joining the tour in 1996. She had 14 Top 10 finishes last year alone.
"I didn't think about winning the tournament until my last shot on 18," Kane said. "I'd been close before and hadn't managed a win. It was a big relief to get that first victory. Hopefully, I can come out this week and play well. I've never been a defending champion before."
Kane will have plenty of winners trying to take her crown in the event that pays $135,000 to the victor. Chief among them is Sorenstam, who is coming off a thrilling win over chief rival Karrie Webb at the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia last weekend.
KIP AOKI / KAOKI@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Beach Course at Waikoloa will host the 2002 Takefuji Classic. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, there are 76 sand bunkers and three lakes in the par-70 layout, which has tight, gently rolling fairways, elevated tees and lava -- lots of lava.
Sorenstam won eight events last year and finished in the Top 10 in 20 of 26 tournaments. She became the first woman to fire a 59 in an LPGA event at Moon Valley Country Club in Phoenix, and won the 2000 Takefuji Classic in a playoff with Webb.
Webb was trying to win the Ladies Masters for a record fifth time, but lost in a four-hole playoff to Sorenstam, who felt Webb's pain, but still was happy with the win.
"I knew how much it would mean for Karrie to win and win five in a row and make history," said Sorenstam, who is ranked No. 1 in the world. "I wouldn't say I'm apologetic, but I understand how much it would mean to her. When you come into a playoff and for the fourth time, it's a bit of luck and this time it was my turn."
Sorenstam lost here to Kane by two shots last year. She hopes to have a change of fortune this week and begin the 2002 season the way she ended 2001 -- on a hot streak.
"I always enjoy coming to Hawaii," Sorenstam said. "Playing there is a good way to start the year. It should be a lot of fun to get going again."
THE ONES TO WATCH
Julie Inkster
Rookie year: August 1983
Status: Exempt
Career wins (last): 26 (2001)
Majors won: 6
Career-low round: 64
Career earnings: $6,512,487
LPGA career holes-in-one: 1
Playoff record: 6-2
International wins: 1
Source: LPGA
Annika Sorenstam
Rookie year: 1994
Status: Exempt
Career wins (last): 31 (2001)
Majors won: 3
Career-low round: 59
Career earnings: $8,306,464
LPGA career holes-in-one: 2
Playoff record: 10-3
International wins: 7
Source: LPGA
Grace Park
Rookie year: 2000
Status: Exempt
Career wins (last): 2 (2001)
Majors won: none
Career-low round: 66
Career earnings: $873,725
LPGA career holes-in-one: 0
Playoff record: 0-0
International wins: 0
Source: LPGA
Dorothy Delasin
Rookie year: 2000
Status: Exempt
Career wins (last): 3 (2001)
Majors won: None
Career-low round: 65
Career earnings: $959,554
LPGA career holes-in-one: 1
Playoff record: 1-0
International wins: 0
Source: LPGA
