LPGA notes

Players paying attention to tourney's future

The unspoken question at the seventh Michelob Ultra Open is: Will there be an eighth?

The LPGA's contract with Anheuser-Busch and Kingsmill expires at the conclusion of this year's event. Talks between the LPGA and Anheuser-Busch are expected to begin this summer. Complicating the issue are the economy and the 2008 acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by European brewing giant InBev.

LPGA Hall of Famer Karrie Webb, who won here in 2006, said the tournament's demise "would be very disappointing. If you poll the players, this would be their favorite [non-major] event, I think. Everything about it, from the course to the way we are treated to the way the community gets behind us, is great."

Said Lorena Ochoa, the world's top-ranked female golfer: "All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and stay positive and, hopefully, they'll find a way to bring it back. I'll be really sad if we lose it. It's a great tournament."

Creamer skipping Kingsmill for Japan

LPGA officials say Paula Creamer, ranked 11th on the 2009 money list, chose not to participate in this year's Michelob Ultra Open because of conflict with an event in Japan.

Health issues -- specifically, an ill-defined stomach ailment -- have accompanied Creamer, one of the tour's rising stars, throughout the young season. She addressed the matter before the April 23-26 Corona Classic in Mexico.

She told reporters her health is "really up and down. It's difficult. You know, I don't feel like I'm myself. I'm on a lot of medication, but I just have to deal with it right now. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of what's going on. It's very unfortunate, but, you know, I can't change that right now. The doctors don't know what it is yet."

Webb giving back to fans -- literally

Webb, sensitive to difficulties created by the listless economy, said she will donate 50 single-day tickets to eight LPGA events this summer -- beginning with this week's tournament. Also on Webb's list are two of the LPGA's four major championships: the McDonald's LPGA Championship (Havre de Grace, Md.) and the U.S. Women's Open (Bethlehem, Pa.).

Twenty-five individuals at each site will be given two single-day passes, permitting a guest to accompany the ticket recipient. Webb said she will work with the staff of each of the eight events to determine how best to distribute the tickets.

"Most of us know it's hard to find the extra money to come to sporting events, which sometimes can be quite costly," Webb said. "This is something I feel good about doing. It's a little bit of money out of my pocket, but I think it's well worth it."

Single-day grounds tickets this week cost $25.

Divots

If you can follow only one group today, make it the 9:05 group off the No.1 tee: Webb, Suzann Pettersen and Cristie Kerr. Each owns a victory here. . . . Kerr has more rounds in the 60s (12 in 24 rounds) than any other player in tournament history. . . . There have been four holes in one in six years (one every 2,611 par 3 holes ). Two of the four, by Juli Inkster and Sherri Turner, occurred in 2007. -- Vic Dorr Jr.