LPGA stars light up Day 1

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2010 (5849 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The stars were out early at St. Charles Country Club, giving the CN Canadian Women’s Open some buzz, even on tournament Monday.

The US$2.25 million LPGA Tour event doesn’t officially start until Thursday morning, but numerous big names were either on the course or on St. Charles’ practice range.

Phenom Michelle Wie rolled in about noon to register. Wie then went for a session on the putting green before moving over to the range to hit some balls.

Defending champion Suzann Pettersen was also present near mid-day and spent a good amount of her practice time Monday on the short-game area set up for the players at and around the green of the club’s Woods (west) Nine, which is not being used for the competition this week.

And the popular Christina Kim, attired in some sensational purples on Monday, was the first pro off the tee in the women’s pro-am.

She and 23 other LPGA pros spent the afternoon with their amateur partners in a women-only event.

The amateurs paid $6,000 per foursome to participate in Sunday and Monday night parties, for registration gifts and of course, the chance to play and hang out with an LPGA pro.

Former No.1-ranked amateur Alexis Thompson, who turned pro in June, was also busy on the range Monday. The 15-year-old was granted an exemption to the Open by Golf Canada.

Making late-day appearances at St. Charles were 2010 U.S. Open champ Paula Creamer, who was busy working on her putting, and Canadian veteran Lorie Kane and young Australian Anna Rawson.

Rawson, Brittany Lincicome and former LPGA winner, St. Charles member and Manitoba Amateur champ Gail Graham will give a free junior clinic today at St. Charles’ range at 1 p.m.

Today’s action at St. Charles also features a day full of practice rounds, plus on a day when children are admitted free as well as the adults that accompany them, the national junior skills competition finals take place at the course’s short-game area to the west of the clubhouse.

Monday, the LPGA released its weekly Rolex Rankings and Safeway Classic champion Ai Miyazato of Japan moved from second to first, supplanting American Cristie Kerr atop the women’s world rankings.

Kerr was tied for second last week near Portland, Ore., and though she dropped one spot, is still within half-a-point per week in the points-per-tournament average that’s used to determine the rankings.

Pettersen moved up to third this week after finishing tied for fourth at the Safeway.

Last year’s Canadian Open champion in Calgary has had quite a 2010. She has no wins, but now has nine top-10 finishes, eight of those top-fives.

Her finish in Oregon might have been better still had she not gone three-over on her first 11 holes of the tournament. Pettersen finished eight under, just three behind Miyazato.

But with her strong finishing kick, Pettersen leap-frogged Korea’s Jiyai Shin, who fell to fourth. Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, who has won two of the LPGA’s four major championships this season, remains in fifth spot and likely still within striking distance of the top spot this week.

Another blustery day is expected today at St. Charles but the longer-range weather forecast is much improved starting Wednesday, with warmth and sunshine projected for competition days.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

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DON’T FORGET 1969

 Our list of top golf events staged in Winnipeg, published last Saturday, overlooked one tournament. The LPGA’s Tournament of Champs was staged in August 1969, at Glendale. The $20,000 title was won by Carol Mann.

GREENS SHIFT INTO OPEN GEAR

 Greens this week at St. Charles Country Club are quicker than members normally see. Course superintendent Kerry Watkins has the putting surfaces on the MacKenzie (north) and Ross (south) Nines running at 11 to 11.5 feet on the stimpmeter.