Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 8, 1994 TAG: 9408080004
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HOT SPRINGS LENGTH: Medium
In what many are calling the strongest field in history, 147 of the world's best women's golfers tee off today at The Homestead Rresort's renowned Cascades course.
In addition to including virtually every top eligible American player, the field has been bolstered by the addition of all eight members of the Great Britain-Ireland team that retained the Curtis Cup last week.
"It's going to be a really strong field, especially with the GBI members from the Curtis Cup over here," said Jill McGill, the 22-year-old defending champion. "There is a ton of good players in this tournament. There are so many strong golfers, it can be anybody's week. It just depends on who's on their game."
It will be the final amateur appearance for top Americans McGill, of Denver, Colo., and Californian Emilee Klein. Both already have announced plans to turn professional after this tournament.
"It would be nice to win this again before going out," said McGill, who recently graduated from Southern California.
"Winning last year did so much for my career. It afforded me a lot of opportunities that may not have come my way. It couldn't have happened at a better time, with one year left in school before going pro."i
The field will be pared to the low 64 players in 36 holes of qualifying held today and Tuesday. Match play begins Wednesday and concludes Saturday with a 36-hole final. McGill comes to Hot Springs on a roll, winning the U.S. Women's Public Links Championship last month.
"I'm playing very well," she said. "The first order of business is to get through qualifying, then see what happens from there."
Besides McGill and Klein, other top American hopes include 1993 runner-up Sarah Ingram of Nashville, Tenn., 1973 winner Carol Semple Thompson and Californian Heidi Voorhees, who finished second in the Public Links to former USC teammate McGill.
The local favorite will no doubt be 18-year-old Lee Shirley of Salem, who earned a spot in the field in a qualifier two weeks ago in Bethesda, Md. Shirley, who is heading to North Carolina on a golf scholarship later this month, said she has only one goal - to make the low 64 and qualify for match play.
"I'm playing as well as I have in a long time," said Shirley, who goes off at 9:05 this morning. "But face it, I've never gone against this kind of competition. It's going to be a great experience for me no matter what happens.
Shirley is one of three Virginians in the field. Chris Epperly of Virginia Beach and Arantxa Sison of Arlington are the others.
SAND BLASTS: Besides Thompson, the only other former champion in the field is three-time winner Anne Sander of Santa Barbara, Calif., who won in 1958, '61 and '63. ... The tournament will give the American Curtis Cuppers a shot a revenge. The Great Britain-Ireland team tied the U.S. 9-9 to retain the Curtis Cup. ... Besides McGill, Thompson Klein and Ingram, other U.S. Curtis Cup contestants in the field include Wendy Kaupp, Ellen Port, Stephanie Sparks and '94 NCAA runner-up Wendy Ward. ... Scotland's Janice Moodie, 21, is considered the top threat among foreigners. ... The tournament, the sixth United States Golf Association championship to be held at the Cascades, is open to spectators, free of charge.
by CNB