Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 12, 1994 TAG: 9405120028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WILMINGTON, DEL. LENGTH: Medium
Lynchburg's Donna Andrews has been having too much fun on the golf course recently, and her scores show it.
Some players wilt under the pressure of trying to maintain a high quality of play after winning a major tournament.
Not Andrews.
"If anything, I've been too relaxed lately," she said. "I've been having fun the past couple weeks, but I haven't been as focused over my shots and my club selection has not been as good."
Andrews won her first major in late March, beating Laura Davies by one stroke in the Nabisco Dinah Shore. As soon as Andrews' final putt dropped, the interview requests began. They haven't stopped.
Andrews' whirlwind schedule and a lack of concentration are two reasons she was a disappointing 47th at the Sprint Championship before finishing 25th on Sunday at the Sara Lee Classic.
"It's a matter of learning the time management," the Lynchburg golfer said Wednesday. "I've never had to deal with doing press conferences every week. You've got to do it, though, because it's good for your career."
Winning another major championship wouldn't hurt, either, and that's exactly what Andrews has in mind this week. Despite a head cold and a sore throat, she's feeling good about her chances of taking home the $165,000 top prize at the transplanted LPGA Championship.
"Be wary of the sick," she said.
Andrews, No. 4 on the LPGA tour's 1994 money list, needs $30,000 to become the 44th player to reach $1 million in career winnings. She flourished six weeks ago under the strain of trying to wrap up her first major title, and she's hoping for similar results starting today.
"Once I get under pressure, I tend to concentrate more," she said.
Andrews, 27, had one victory in four years on the tour before winning in Arizona and finishing atop the leaderboard in the Dinah Shore two weeks later.
"The confidence I got in Tucson carried over at the Dinah Shore," she said.
After a four-year run at the Bethesda (Md.) Country Club, the LPGA Championship moves to the DuPont Country Club, former home of the McDonald's Championship.
"It's great that this tournament now has the stature of being a major, because I think the girls have always considered it our fifth major," said Davies, who won the McDonald's title last year.
Davies is coming off a victory in the Sara Lee Classic, her second tournament title this year, and leads the money list with $302,628.
"This year has been unbelievable," she said. "It's got to come to an end soon, I suppose, but I'm enjoying it while it's lasting."
Patty Sheehan won at Bethesda in '93, shooting a 9-under to beat Lauri Merten by a stroke. So, even though Sheehan finished sixth in the McDonald's Championship, she's considered the defending champion here.
"It's a strange and unusual situation," Sheehan said. "But I've won the LPGA three times and the McDonald's twice, so I sort of feel like a five-time champ."
The golf course was buried under a sheet of ice for much of the winter. Tournament officials made a point of hanging pictures of the frozen greens in the locker room so the players would appreciate the work involved in reviving the course.
"It's really in great shape, considering the pictures I saw when I first got here," Nancy Lopez said. "I didn't know what to expect, but they really did a great job."
by CNB