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LPGA players tee it up for Houston Boys & Girls Clubs / The Woodlands Villager / April 21, 2010

By Charlie Bier  

Updated: 04.21.10

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Forty-six players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association are going to tee it up in The Woodlands during the 21st annual Randalls for Kids Charity Golf Tournament.

The event, which takes place Monday at Canongate at The Woodlands, raises money for programs and operating expenses of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston. The clubs provide guidance-oriented, after-school programs for youth from ages 7 to 17.

The tournament, underwritten by Randalls, raised $247,316 in 2009, and nearly $4 million over its 20-year run.

“With the economy the way it is, we are finding more and more kids and families need our services, and to have a partner like Randalls that’s so strong, increasing their support when (securing) funding sources can be more difficult … is amazing,” said Angela Hodson, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston.

Teams will play on both the Panther Trail course and The Oaks course located at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center.

Among the LPGA Tour players scheduled to play the four-person scramble — a pro will anchor each team — are Stacy Lewis of The Woodlands and Kim Bauer of Houston. Other golfers include Angela Stanford, Hilary Lunke, Michelle McGann, Cindy Figg-Currier of Austin and Sarah Lynn Sargent.

“It’s great lineup of LPGA players that are coming in to support the event,” Hodson said.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston has 10 clubs in Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris and Waller counties.

Alan Blondin on golf: Conway native Kristy McPherson laments loss of LPGA's top player / Saturday, April 24,2010

Conway native Kristy McPherson knew Lorena Ochoa's days on the LPGA Tour were numbered, but she was hoping it would be weeks, months or years rather than actual days before she hung up her golf spikes.

Ochoa's announced exit this week marks the second time in three years the LPGA Tour is losing one of its top two players. Annika Sorenstam retired two years ago.

"We all kind of knew it," McPherson said Friday. "You could see a different Lorena out there playing. But it was a lot sooner than we thought. Any time you lose the No. 1 player it's tough for the tour. It leaves a big hole. The rest of us just have to step it up. Lorena will still be a big part of the LPGA Tour, as Annika is now, but not having her out there playing is still going to leave a big hole."

Sorenstam and Ochoa have left the tour both at relatively young ages and on top of their games to focus on other endeavors, including having families. It's an inherent issue the LPGA and its players will wrestle with forever. Though playing golf and raising a family aren't mutually exclusive, it's difficult to dedicate enough time to do both well.

"It's obviously something most of us want out here," McPherson said. "That's the biggest challenge playing the LPGA Tour and traveling so much, you're never settled and it's hard to have relationships and families. I think that's a challenge I've thought about down the road. That's a challenge women have the guys don't have, so it's a decision all of us will have to make at some point."

McPherson, like Ochoa, is 28. She'll be 29 in May. "I know eventually I want a family, but I want to play golf as well," McPherson said. "That's a decision I'm going to have to make, and I'm getting up in age so it's coming up soon, but there's a process that goes with that and you still have to meet someone first."

A number of players have returned to the tour following childbirth and played exceptionally well, most notably Nancy Lopez and Juli Inkster. Others include Pat Hurst and Laura Diaz. But family circumstances aren't always favorable for travel, and the tour's heavily international schedule doesn't help.

"You have a handful that just took enough time off to have kids then came back to playing, but they're fortunate to have their husbands in the game or around the game and can be out there," McPherson said. "You don't get too many Hall of Famers who have come back and then won a bunch of tournaments. Juli is the perfect role model for balancing her family and career."

The MOJO 6 / About Golf.com /Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Wednesday April 14, 2010

 

 

The Mojo 6, the type of tournament normally seen during the so-called "silly season" but appearing now during a gap in the LPGA Tour schedule, takes place Thursday and Friday in Jamaica. CBS will air the results May 1-2.

While the tournament is an unofficial event on the LPGA schedule (earnings don't count toward the money list; the winner is not credited with an LPGA win, and so on), it's a good chance for the tour to experiment with a new format.

That format, created by The Mojo 6 tournament organizers, is called "Raceway Golf." It involves 6-hole, points-based matches, with players picking who they want to play.

The Mojo 6 has a 16-player field. One of those players is 15-year-old amateur Mariah Stackhouse, a tournament invitee; another is LPGA rookie Bea Recari, who won a fan vote for the final spot.

At a pairings party Tuesday night, the first matchups were selected. Suzann Pettersen went first and, not surprisingly, chose to play Stackhouse. Here are the pairings for Thursday's initial 6-hole matches:

• Sophie Gustafson vs. Amanda Blumenherst
• Song-Hee Kim vs. Morgan Pressel
• Na Yeon Choi vs. Brittany Lang
• Anna Nordqvist vs. Kristy McPherson
• Yani Tseng vs. Brittany Lincicome
• Cristie Kerr vs. Beatriz Recari
• Suzann Pettersen vs. Mariah Stackhouse
• Angela Stanford vs. Christina Kim

As noted, each of the matches is only six holes in length. Over those six holes, players accrue points based on 1 point for winning a hole, a half-point for halving hole; the winner of the match gets an additional one point.

The players are then re-ranked based on points earned, with the Top 8 players getting to choose their opponents for next set of matches. On Day 1, there are three sets of 6-hole matches. At the end of Day 1, the bottom eight in points are cut.

The Top 8 move on to Day 2, continuing to play 6-hole matches but playing straight-up match play through quarterfinals, semifinals and a championship match. So Day 2 is fairly typical aside from the 6-hole length of the matches.

For more on The Mojo 6, visit the tournament Web site.

2010 Hootie and the Blowfish 'MAM' Celebrity - Pro-Am / Tuesday, April 13,2010

By Conan Gasque
Published: April 13, 2010
Updated: April 13, 2010

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH — D.J. Trahan was not among the golfers who competed in the 2010 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club this past week.

The former Clemson standout did not receive a green jacket or even have the opportunity to land a shot on the green.

But on the day after the tournament concluded, he walked away a champion.Trahan led the six-person group that won the 16th-annual Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament at The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort and Golf.

The PGA Tour golfer and his playing partner, country music singer Steve Azar, led their group to a round of 18-under par, one stroke ahead of the field.

But for Trahan and the other pro golfers and celebrities in the tournament on Monday, winning wasn’t the main goal. The annual tournament, hosted by Hootie and the Blowfish, is about raising money for education and junior golf.

“It’s nice to come out and support an event that raises so much money for charity,” Trahan said. “These guys have been doing this for a lot of years now and have raised a lot of money for the state of South Carolina. So it’s a great event and certainly something you want to be a part of.”

Proceeds from the tournament go to the Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation, which supports the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation and children’s educational needs in South Carolina. In its history, the event has raised over $4 million for the cause.

The tournament draws some of the top names in golf and entertainment. Some of the competitors in this year’s event included former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, PGA Tour veterans Jim Furyk and John Daly, and Hollywood actor Tom Berenger.

But the field is also filled with folks who have local ties, like Bishopville native Tommy “Two-Gloves” Gainey and former Coastal Carolina golfer Dustin Johnson, who just completed the Masters.

Johnson, whose group was among five teams to tie for second at 17-under, says the tournament holds a special meaning to him because of its proximity to his Myrtle Beach home.

“Well, it’s a good chance for me to come out and play for some of my fans here in Myrtle Beach and hang out with some of my buddies,” he said. “I get a lot of support from my community and I like to give back or come out and play for them. It’s great.”

Hootie and the Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker’s group, which included Furyk, was also among those tied for second.

Rucker felt the event was successful — not because his group finished second, but because the celebrities and pro golfers showed their support.

“That’s what makes the tournament work is getting those guys to come out every year and do something special for us, and play golf and come to the parties and play the shows,” he said. “That’s what makes it special and makes people come out.”

Rucker and the other members of Hootie and the Blowfish attended USC, but they weren’t the only ones representing the Gamecocks. Former USC receiver Sterling Sharpe and 1980 Heisman Trophy winning running back George Rogers also teed off in the event. So did LPGA golfer Kristy McPherson, a Conway native who played at USC.

“It’s always a tournament and event that’s special to my heart,” she said. “It’s good to be back near home and having a good time and getting the hometown crowd and raising money for some good causes.”

Monday After the Masters / SC Now.com / Monday, April 12, 2010

Golfers steal show at Monday After the Masters / WMBF News.com /April 13, 2010

By Justin Felder - bio | email

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – Even with Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino and former world champions like professional wrestler Ric Flair, it was those who played golf for a living who got much of the attention at the 16th annual Hootie and the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am.

The event raised money for a variety of charities, all helping youngsters across South Carolina.

Each team had one professional golfer, one celebrity and several sponsors. Included among those golfers garnering a lot of attention was Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson, who traces his golf roots back to Monday After the Masters.

"I remember growing up as a little kid. I think I might've even caddied in it one time when I was younger," Johnson recalled.

 

 

 ^{Dustin Johnson}

 

 

 

^{Kristy McPherson} 

Another local product in the spotlight was Conway native Kristy McPherson, who says even though she isn't totally comfortable being called a celebrity, she's happy her career on the LPGA Tour is finally taking off.

"It's a tough road," she said. "I took the long road there, to start seeing some success on the LPGA and seeing some success out there, it's very rewarding."

As for the biggest golf name, it would probably come down to two players.

 

 

 

^{John Daly} 

 

 

^{Darius Rucker} 

John Daly, serenaded fans with a rendition of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Jim Furyk, who was teamed with tournament host Darius Rucker, was happy to get to a relaxing tournament after missing the cut at The Masters.

Furyk did look back fondly on his hole-in-one during The Masters Par 3 Contest.

"That was the only highlight of my Masters week," said Furyk. "I shot 80, 76... there wasn't a lot of highlights in there."

Furyk and Johnson's teams were two of the five teams tying for second in the tournament. The winning team was led by PGA Tour golfer D.J. Trahan. His group shot -18 for the round.

Players participate in 2010 Betty Ford Invitational Pro Am

On Monday, April 5, just a day after competing in their first major championship of the season at the Kraft Nabisco Championship,  17 Tour members participated in the 24th Annual Betty Ford Invitational Pro-Am at The Club at Morningside in Rancho Mirage, Calif. The event benefits the Financial Assistance Program at the Betty Ford Center - a non-profit, comprehensive addiction hospital.

Front Row: Liselotte Neumann, Angela Stanford, Jimin Kang, Julieta Granada, Leta Lindley, Alena Sharp, Juli Inkster
Back Row: Heather Bowie Young, Catriona Matthew, Kristy McPherson, Stacy Prammanasudh, Brittany Lincicome, Commissioner Mike Whan, Susan Ford Bales, President and Betty Ford's daughter, Michelle Ellis, Sherri Steinhauer, Nicole Castrale, Pat Hurst

(Photo courtesy of Marc Glassman Photography)

 

Players pose with Susan Ford Bales, President and Betty Ford's daughter, after she received a $10,000 donation for the Betty Ford Legacy Fund from The Val Skinner Foundation & LIFE (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) in honor of LIFE's 10-year national honorary chairman Mrs. Betty Ford. Mrs. Ford’s support and service to the women served through LIFE’s national outreach campaign, Komen on the Go and the clinical services through the LIFE Center at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is valuedby all of LIFE’s partners, participants and LPGA professionals.  They made the gift in the name of Christian J Plumeri a beloved son of one of LIFE’s supporters and friend’s Joe Plumeri.