`LPGA begins Friday`

Top field on hand at Giant Eagle Classic

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AMONG LEADING CONTENDERS ARE SORENSTAM, PAK

WARREN — If the 1998 Giant Eagle LPGA Classic is worried about living up to last year’s event, it certainly isn’t showing it.

It is, however, a difficult task to create higher drama than the Sunday finale last year. Local favorite Tammie Green and long-hitting Brit Laura Davies battled in a five-hole playoff and Green prevailed in the eagle-fest to the obvious delight of the partisan crowd.

So what will happen this year when the $800,000 event begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning at Avalon Lakes Golf Course?

As it has been in the past, the tournament is anybody’s to win. And this year, it may be even more up in the air as a host of top professionals begin battle for the $120,000 first-place prize.

The ’98 Classic boasts what is generally believed to be the strongest field in its history. Four of the top five and 13 of the top 20 money winners are here, topped by Annika Sorenstam ($661,724) and rookie sensation Se Ri Pak ($648,211). Also entered are Liselotte Neumann ($601,610) and Karrie Webb ($481,001), third and fifth, respectively, on the money list. Only No. 4 Donna Andrews decided not to come out of the top five.

A two-time major champion and winner of three events so far this year, the 20-year-old South Korean Pak may draw the biggest galleries of the week. Even though she has been in the United States a short time her play has led fans to label her the Tiger Woods of the LPGA. That moniker is somewhat unfair, the shy McDonald’s LPGA Championship and U.S. Open winner just wants to be mentioned first.

“This year is really, really special,” Pak said. “I don’t know much about this country. Every week is different, different golf course, different condition. Every week I do my best and I get better and better.”

Sorenstam has blistered the tour since she first came here from Sweden in 1993. In that time span, Sorenstam has posted two major victories and has won three times so far in ’98, posting 11 top 10 finishes in 13 starts. She won last week’s event, the JAL Big Apple Classic, where she finished at 19-under.

Michelle McGann, who won the Giant Eagle in 1995 and ’96, has struggled so far this season. But a return to a course she is obviously familiar with could propel her from a mediocre year to a successful one that she hopes will be highlighted by a berth on the Solheim Cup team. And of course, there is Green, who also won this event when it was known as the Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic in 1994. Green has won the tournament twice in five appearances and has earned $223,109 in the process.

“It feels great to be back,” Green said. “Any time you come back to a place you’ve done well, you expect yourself to do well. It’s fun to do well in front of family and friends. Last year I wasn’t able to fully appreciate what transpired at the playoff. To beat Laura Davies, who was at the top of the world, will be a highlight of my career. I was able to de-fend my turf, so to speak.”

Along with other big-name players such as Dottie Pepper, Danielle Ammaccapane, Nancy Lopez and Vicki Goetze-Ackermann, several players are looking to make a name for themselves this week. One such player is touted rookie Kelly Kuehne, who has found her first season on tour to be a rocky one. Kuehne, who played at last year’s Greenville Business and Industrial Day at Greenville Country Club, has missed the cut in 10 of the 16 events she’s entered.

She failed to make it to the weekend in her first seven events and posted a tie for 25th at the Mercury Titleholders as her best finish. She’s won just $19,823.

The general consensus is that a well-known player will come out on top come Sunday. And most likely, the tournament will go to extra holes. There have been playoffs in five of the first seven events.

Even Pak, who seemingly has all the confidence of a naive young player, is realistic. “Media say, ‘Oh, you can win every week.’ But golf is difficult,” Pak said. “I want to win every week but (there is) not too much pressure.”

If Pak is oblivious to the pressure, it will come in handy from the start. Friday’s featured pairing includes Pak, Sorenstam and Webb. The trio tees off No. 1 at 12:10.

ä At virtually every site throughout the season the LPGA and host sites hold special events lead-ing into actual tournament play on the weekend. The Giant Eagle LPGA Classic is no different.

On Tuesday, six of the longest professional hitters on tour and six local amateurs participated in the Schwebel’s long drive contest.

Pros Caroline Blaylock (322 yards), Annette Deluca (308) and Wendy Doolan (302) made it to the finals with their drives, outdistancing Kim Shipman (289), Cristie Kerr (284) and Leigh Ann Mills (278).

As she did in Round 1, Blaylock topped the field with a drive of 317 yards. Deluca was second at 308 and Doolan was third at 302.

Erica Blinzley led the amateurs with a drive of 260, outdistancing runner-up Julie Yuhasz (246) and third-place finisher Jodie Damioli (240).

Blinzley defended her title, which she won last year with a drive of 265 yards. Hermitage’s Mar-ilyn Woods, who placed second last year, was fourth at 227. Linda Muckleroy (212) and Bella Panici (207) rounded out the field.

ä Another highlight of Tuesday was the Butler Wick & Co. Shoot-out that featured five teams of two professionals going after a $4,000 first-place prize.

The team of Danielle Ammaccapane and Deb Richard won the four-hole event and the cash to go with it.

Was it an ominous sign that the team of defending champion Tammie Green and rookie sensa-tion Se Ri Pak finished fifth after being eliminated on the first hole?

Giant Eagle announced Wednesday morning that it has signed on to be title sponsor of the tournament through the year 2001.

The tournament will be broadcast to over 52 million homes this year as ESPN 2 takes over for The Golf Channel, which broadcast the event last year.

The network will certainly be delighted with Friday’s pairings going off the No. 1 tee. At noon, defending champion Tammie Green, Alicia Dibos and Kelly Robbins tee off. They are followed at 12:10 by Pak, Sorenstam and Karrie Webb.

At 12:20, the always popular Nancy Lopez starts with Amy Fruhwirth and Eva Dallof. And at 12:30, Dottie Pepper, Susie Redman and Colleen Walker tee off.

ESPN 2 will. broadcast Friday and Saturday from 2-4 p.m. and Sunday from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

The event’s broadcast by ESPN 2 is not the only new feature to this year’s tournament. A new skybox now looms over the No. 9 green. And for the players, the purse has risen from $600,000 to $800,000.

And, perhaps the best proof as to how much the tournament has grown, the number of corporate tents has risen from 11 to 17.

The tournament’s official website is www.lpgaclassic.com. It is updated frequently with press conferences, up-to-date scores and other tournament information.

Tickets are still available at the gate and are $15 for one-day passes good Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

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Updated July 22, 1998
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