 |
 |
|
Sponsored by: Houser Auto Group |
 |
|
|
Hilary Lunke came up the 18th fairway at the Orchards Golf Club and received warm applause from the gallery.
[07/05/04]
Nobody likes traffic jams except the USGA.The reason the United States Golf Association is infatuated with what everybody else despises is because it tells the people who run the U.S. Women's Open something is right.
[07/05/04]
From well before the first tee-off Thursday at the U.S. Women's Open, the question hung out there: Who was the better amateur, Michelle Wie or Paula Creamer?
[07/05/04]
Annika Sorenstam followed Sunday's game plan to a tee. Her plan of picking up her intensity on the back nine just wasn't enough to win the U.S. Women's Open at the Orchards Golf Club.
[07/05/04]
With the 2004 U.S. Women's Open completed, David Fay, the executive director of the United States Golf Association, gave the Orchards Golf Club and western Massachusetts high marks for their efforts as the championship's host.
[07/05/04]
A fifth-year pro with one victory held onto the lead atthe U.S. Women's Open Saturday and faces the challenge of holding offformer champions Meg Mallon and Annika Sorenstam on Sunday. Jennifer Rosales, the 25-year-old eccentric Filipino, shot a 2-under 69in the third round Saturday at the Orchards Golf Club.
[07/03/04]
There's nothing like a Friday at the U.S. Women's Open for 25-year-old Jennifer Rosales.
[07/03/04]
Brittany Lincicome's fairy tale ended as Jennifer Rosales led a collection of professionals who surged past the Florida teenager Friday in the second round of the U.S. Women's Open at the Orchards Golf Club at Mount Holyoke College.
[07/03/04]
Annika Sorenstam was relieved after her second round Friday in the U.S. Women's Open at the Orchards Golf Club.
[07/03/04]
Michelle Wie had trouble with the 16th hole at the Orchards Golf Club. So much so it turned an outstanding round into a good round.
[07/03/04]
The back nine that treated 18-year-old amateur Brittany Lincicome so well Thursday - and helped her to the first-round lead - took the favor back Friday in the second round of the U.S. Women's Open at the Orchards Golf Club.
[07/03/04]
A year ago, Angela Stanford made it all the way to Monday at the U.S. Women's Open as she finished second in a three-way playoff for the championship.
[07/03/04]
Golfers are supposed to be patient and golf fans will need to exercise some of the same as they park their cars and catch shuttle buses this weekend for the 59th US Women's Open at the Orchards Golf Club on the campus of Mount Holyoke College.
[07/03/04]
The considerable rain that fell Thursday afternoon and again overnight Thursday softened the course at the Orchards Golf Club and considerably changed how the players attacked it at the U.S. Women's Open Friday.
[07/03/04]
When the U.S. Women's Open scoreboards changed around the Orchards Golf Club at about noon Thursday, fans around the course did a double take and wondered two things:
Does that really say 5 under par? And who is Lincicome?
[07/02/04]
Teenage amateur Brittany Lincicome is in the lead with a record day. Annika Sorenstam is lurking. Michelle Wie made her presence felt.
[07/02/04]
SOUTH HADLEY - If not for the fifth hole, Michele Wie would be among the U.S. Women's Open leaders. If not for the ninth, she'd be at risk of missing the cut.
[07/02/04]
Just six holes earlier it didn't seem possible, but defending U.S. Women's Open champion Hilary Lunke made the leader board just as she lined up a chip from the 15th rough Thursday in the championship's first round at the Orchards Golf Club.
[07/02/04]
After struggling through injuries, including one that forced her to withdraw from this week's U.S. Women's Open at the Orchards Golf Club, Dottie Pepper announced Thursday that she will retire at the end of the season.
[07/02/04]
Playing 18 holes sounds easy. If you're in good shape ,a good walk on the course is no problem.
[07/02/04]
Teenage amateur Brittany Lincicome is in the lead with a record day. Annika Sorenstam is lurking. Michelle Wie made her presence felt.
[07/01/04]
Michelle Wie played 18 holes on Monday. Annika Sorenstam waited until Tuesday afternoon to play a full round. Grace Park played the back nine Monday and Tuesday and the front nine Wednesday.
[07/01/04]
SOUTH HADLEYWho are you rooting for?
Sportswriters are asked this question a lot at sporting events. My answer rarely changes.
[07/01/04]
SOUTH HADLEY
Virada Nirapathpongporn sat on a golf cart with her caddie Wednesday and chatted about the Orchards Golf Club.
[07/01/04]
If she doesn't win again, defending U.S. Women's Open champion Hilary Lunke admitted it may be nice when her reign comes to an end Sunday.
[07/01/04]
The United States Golf Association made one thing clear as its officials moved into town last week.
[07/01/04]
USGA Executive Director David B. Fay said Wednesday that he hasn't ruled out a return to the Orchards Golf Club for the U.S. Women's Open.
[07/01/04]
The players have seen the course and now all that's left for them is to wait for their starting time.
[06/30/04]
Annika Sorenstam bookended her first practice round at the Orchards Tuesday by proving why she is both the best and most beloved women's golfer in the world.
[06/30/04]
A man approached Rosie Jones at the Orchards Golf Club Tuesday as she practiced for the U.S. Women's Open. Like many golf fans, he'd heard that Jones, a veteran LPGA Tour player, had announced that she was gay in a first person-column published by the New York Times and he wanted to talk to her about it.
[06/30/04]
Peggy Kirk Bell jokes that she should have been born tomorrow.
The 82-year-old charter member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association would like to have had the chance to swing a golf club during a time when her talent would have been more appreciated.
[06/30/04]
It was easy to find Michelle Wie during Monday's practice round at the Orchards Golf Club. She was the one surrounded by the large crowd.
[06/29/04]
On the third hole, Tina Miller hit her second shot from the fairway with a wood. After the shot landed to the left of the green, Miller plopped another ball down, grabbed a long iron from her caddie and tried again.
[06/29/04]
What started as a little joke has now turned into a true statement.
[06/28/04]
The course
Orchards Golf Club on the campus of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley.
Par and yardage
The Orchards is set up at 6,473 yards and par is 36-35_71.
Format
The championship is stroke play over 72 holes, with the players having the 60 lowest scores (including ties) or who are within 10 strokes of the leader advancing after the first two days.
[06/28/04]
ANNIKA SORENSTAM
Height: 5 feet 6 inches
Age: 33
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Residence: Incline Village, Nev.
Education: University of Arizona
Tour status: Exempt
Rookie year: 1994
2004 earnings/rank: $1,020,213; No. 1
LPGA victories: 52
Majors won: Kraft Nabisco Championship 2001, 2002; LPGA Championship 2003, 2004; U.S. Women's Open 1995, 1996; Women's British Open 2003
[06/28/04]
Here are some other potential contenders:Sherri Steinhauer
Has won two British Opens in her 18-year career.
Stacy Prammanasudh
The 24-year-old is playing in her third U.S. Open
Becky Morgan
Ranked third on tour in driving accuracy
Jung Yeon Lee
Ranked fourth in driving distance and putting average
Karen Stupples
Won the Welch's/Fry's Championship in March
Gloria Park
Finished tied for 10th at 2003 British Open
Hee-Won Han
2001 LPGA Rolex Rookie of the Year
Catriona Matthew
Had seven top-10 finishes in 2003
Angela Stanford
Finished second at the U.S. Open in 2003
Jeong Jang
Finished tied for sixth at U.S. Open in 2003
Seol-An Jeon
Ranked second in driving accuracy
Pat Hurst
Won the 1998 Nabisco Championship
Michele Redman
Ranked 10th in scoring this year
Wendy Ward
Ranked fourth in greens hit in regulation
Lorie Kane
Has four career LPGA wins
Christina Kim
Tied for sixth on tour with 6 eagles
Wendy Doolan
Has three top-10 finishes in
nine starts
Ashli Bunch
Playing in fourth U.S. Women's Open
Vicki Goetze-Ackerman
Ranked eighth in putting average
Laura Davies
Won 1987 U.S. Women's Open
Carin Koch
Won qualifier on Monday to earn entry
Young Kim
Playing in first U.S. Women's Open
Candie Kung
Won three tournaments in 2003
Natalie Gulbis
Ranked fourth on tour with 153 birdies
Rachel Teske
Has eight career wins
Soo-Yun Kang
Ranked fifth in putting average
Dorothy Delasin
Has four career titles
Tina Barrett
Has three top-10 finishes in majors
Helen Alfredsson
Won the 1993 Nabisco Championship
Alison Nicholas
Won the 1997 U.S. Women's Open
Liselotte Neumann
Won the 1988 U.S. Women's Open
Paula Creamer
Finished second at ShopRite Classic
[06/28/04]
Rare are the times that a sport's past, present and apparent future all converge at a single event.
But beginning today, the Orchards Golf Club on the campus of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley will become the center of the women's golf world for the 59th U.S. Women's Open.
A field of 156 players, more than 100,000 anticipated spectators and two television networks will be on hand for the third of four majors in women's golf this year. It is the event's fourth appearance in Massachusetts and the first since 1984, when Salem Country Club in Peabody hosted the event.
[06/28/04]
Do yourself a favor and set Thursday morning aside. Go into work late or simply take the day off. Head to the opening round of the U.S. Women's Open at the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley bright and early.
[06/26/04]
When her 15-foot birdie putt fell on the final hole of the 18-hole playoff round at last year's U.S. Women's Open in North Plains, Ore., Hilary Lunke forever changed the dreams of the tournament's qualifiers.
[06/25/04]
As a 3-year old, Bill Rosenblum took his first golf swings at the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley.
[06/25/04]
With the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley closed to regular play through the completion of next week's U.S. Women's Open, its members are keeping their games sharp at other courses.
[06/24/04]
The number of girls playing high school golf in western Massachusetts would barely fill out a basketball roster.
[06/23/04]
Hugh Barrett loves the game of golf, and when the U.S. Women's Open comes to the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley in a few weeks, he will be doing more than watching.
Barrett, a Springfield resident, is one of about 2,600 volunteers who make the Open viable, according to Cheryle Simon, volunteer coordinator for Bruno Event Team, the Birmingham, Ala., company that is managing the event for the United States Golf Association.
[06/22/04]
The golfers won't tee up for real until July 1, but the U.S. Women's Open at The Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley becomes a spectator event beginning Monday.
[06/22/04]
Don't get confused by the seemingly open fairways. Don't be confused by the impression that the green looks like it's only 140 yards away. Put it simply - don't be confused by the Orchards Golf Club. This 82-year-old course is tough - real tough as I found out when I played where the U.S. Women's Open will be held July 1 to 4.
[06/18/04]
Please excuse J.P. Dardenne if he's a little excited about the U.S. Women's Open. It's being played in his backyard. Dardenne grew up about a mile from the Orchards Golf Club where the national championship of women's golf will be held July 1 to 4. At first, the 32-year-old couldn't quite fathom that the Orchards would be suitable for the tournament.
[06/18/04]
Landscape architect Steven Prothers, whose sunburned face is shaded by a cap sporting the U.S. Women's Open logo, shouts to his crew to add more mulch to a section of grass outside a bleachers area.
[06/16/04]
IT'S 10:58 a.m. May 23 at Crestview Country Club in Agawam as an official calls the names of Shawn Durocher's threesome for their 10:54 tee time. Four minutes behind is not unusual for a local qualifying round of the U.S. Women's Open where 81 golfers of a wide skill range take to an unfamiliar course.
Durocher, an Amherst native and head golf coach at Mount Holyoke College, is vying for one of the 29 spots that will send her on to the sectional round June 21 in Egg Harbor, N. J., and from there to the 2004 U.S. Women's Open Championship being held July 1 to 4 on Mount Holyoke's home turf, The Orchards Golf Course in South Hadley. It will feature 156 players, including some of the top names in women's golf like Annika Sorenstam, Julie Inkster and Michelle Wie.
[06/16/04]
The U.S Women's Open, to be held at The Orchards Golf Club June 28-July 4, is a costly undertaking, both for the local community, and for the United States Golf Association (USGA), the Far Hills, N.J.-based nonprofit organization that conducts the event.
[06/16/04]
Local officials and staff of the United States Golf Association have been working for two years on the logistics of the 2004 U.S. Women's Open Championship to be held starting late this month at the Orchards Golf Club.
[06/09/04]
Officials in this town of 17,000, where next month more than 100,000 people are expected to flock for the U.S. Open Women's Golf tournament, could take a page from the books of Hutchinson, Kan., or North Plains, Ore.
[06/01/04]
When Hilary Lunke won the U.S. Women's Open championship last year, her phone rang constantly. Everybody wanted time with the unknown champion and her husband caddie Tylar.
[05/25/04]
The U.S. Women's Open has added one of the most popular players in the country - even though she's still in ninth grade. Michelle Wie, the 14-year-old golfing sensation, was granted a special exemption to play in the national championship for women's golf July 1 to 4 at the Orchards Golf Club just north of Mount Holyoke College on Route 116.
[05/25/04]
