Posted on: Friday, August 2, 2002

Many skipping LPGA stop

Associated Press

Juli Inkster would have preferred to spend this week at home with her family. Or maybe even in Scotland, battling horizontal rain and cold temperatures while she prepared for next week's Weetabix Women's British Open.

Driven by the responsibility of supporting a fledgling tournament with a powerful sponsor, the reigning U.S. Open champion stayed behind to play in the Wendy's Championship for Children at Dublin, Ohio.

Only two other players in the top 10 in the money rankings — and nine others in the top 25 — are also in the 144-player field of the 54-hole tournament that begins today.

The field includes 12-year-old amateur Michelle Wie of Honolulu, who won her way in with a 1-under-par 71 in Monday's qualifier.

"I'm trying to help out a little bit," said Inkster, a member of the tour's executive board. "Wendy's is such a great sponsor. It's such a great corporation. It's just a bad time, you know. Most of the European girls head home."

Annika Sorenstam won the Wendy's when it was played under a different name just two years ago. She skipped the event to go to Scotland to prepare for the Open at Turnberry next week, as did other marquee players such as Se Ri Pak, Laura Diaz, Karrie Webb and Kelly Robbins.

Wendy Ward said she would have played in the tournament even if she hadn't won it last year.

"I like to play the week before a major," she said.

Ward set an LPGA record a year ago for a three-round event when she shot 65-62-68 for a 21-under score of 195.

Since then, however, the tournament has shifted from New Albany Country Club to Tartan Fields Golf Club.

Ward said she felt a bit cheated because she wouldn't be returning to the same venue where she won a year ago. She said that would make it all the more satisfying if she were to win on a different track.

"In a sense, you don't feel like you're actually defending your title because you're on a different course," Ward said. "But it happens all the time. You've got another great golf course. You just take what they give you and make the best of it."

Tartan Fields, an Arnold Palmer design, has more trouble, is longer — the longest non-major on tour — and has narrower greens than New Albany did. Ward said even though the new venue looks a lot harder, sometimes looks can be deceiving.

"Out at New Albany, I didn't think the course was all that easy when I played it on Tuesday," she said. "Then you start making some putts and gaining some confidence and all of a sudden the low scores are there."

Lorie Kane, who won the inaugural Wendy's three years ago, said she had no intention of playing the tournament before she reconsidered a couple of weeks ago.

"The reason I wasn't coming was because the British is next week and I was planning to take my mom and dad over. They've never been to Scotland," Kane said. "I felt an obligation to this tournament — being a past champion — to be quite honest with you, that I needed to come and support an event that was doing everything, moving in the right direction."