LPGA NOTES: Kerr finds incentive in event's future

By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: May 10, 2009

SLIDESHOW:

Michelob Ultra action - Saturday

MORE:

• Saturday surge at Kingsmill by Wright and Kerr

• WOODY: No head games for free-swinging Kerr

• LPGA Notes: Kerr finds incentive in event's future

• Michelob Ultra Open scoreboard

• Michelob Ultra Open Sunday tee times

EXTRAS

• Michelob Ultra Open (official site)

• Golf at Kingsmill Resort

Kerr finds incentive in event's future

Third-round co-leader Cristie Kerr said the Michelob Ultra Open's uncertain future is a source of powerful motivation. The contract between sponsor Anheuser-Busch and the LPGA expires at the conclusion of this weekend's event.

Said Kerr: "I just said to myself, 'Let me just put on the best show that I can this week and hopefully [Anheuser-Busch and new owner InBev] will see the value and will see it's so worth it."

Things going right for Hanna-Williams

Twelve golfers played better than Allison Hanna-Williams this week, but none played more golf or more meaningful golf.

A week ago, Hanna-Williams entered the final round of the Texas Hill Country Classic on the Duramed Futures Tour in contention to win. She also was in a hurry. She had a reservation on a 4:40 p.m. flight from San Antonio to Norfolk.

She won the tournament, finished the trophy ceremony around 3:30, made her flight and was in her hotel room by 12:30 a.m. She slept five hours, then played in the one-round qualifier for one of two spots in the Michelob Ultra Open.

She won, and things just keep getting better. Now, she is 6-under par and tied for 13th. She was 7-under until a bogey on No. 16. Had she saved par, she would be tied for 10th.

She's not complaining.

If she finishes in the top 10, she will not have to qualify for the next tournament, the Sybase Classic in Clifton, N.J.

You thought 'Friends' lacked educational value

Minea Blomqvist is a native of Finland, but her command of the English language is impressive.

"In Finland, we start learning English when we are 9 years old," she said. "And, we hear English on the television shows.

Blomqvist said her two favorite American shows were "Friends" and "The Bold and the Beautiful."

What's in a name? These folks know

Players arriving at the River Course's No. 1 tee and its No. 9 and No. 18 greens are introduced to fans by dapper tournament volunteers dressed in blazers, Payne Stewart-style knickers and Panama hats. These volunteers face a sometimes-daunting challenge: mastering the ever-increasing array of foreign names on the LPGA roster.

"The LPGA gives us a list with spellings and phonetic pronunciations of all the names," said Bob Lee, an 83-year-old from Williamsburg who was working the No. 9 green yesterday. Said Frank Coffman, a 70-year-old from Williamsburg: "There's a little pressure, definitely. No matter how much you study, you still might make a mistake -- which you hate to do, because you know how important it is to them."

Both men have served as volunteers since the PGA was Kingsmill's pro golf tenant. Coffman answered immediately when asked if any name has been particularly difficult for him. "Virada Nirapathpongporn," he said. "She's not here this week."

Castrale delighted to assist First Tee

Nicole Castrale, one of the heroines of the U.S. team's victory in the 2007 Solheim Cup competition, will conduct a clinic tomorrow at First Tee Chesterfield in conjunction with the Ukrop's First Tee Tournament. Her presentation is expected to begin around 12:15 p.m. and run for about an hour.

First Tee "is such a great program," Castrale said. "Anything we can do for those kids to help them on their way up, to help achieve their dreams the way somebody once helped us, I think we need to do it." -- Vic Dorr Jr. and Paul Woody