Women's majors face identity crisis

The size of the gallery and the size of the check were the only things that distinguished the U.S Women's Open from any other stop on the LPGA Tour.

After finishing two rounds at Old Waverly Golf Club, Kelli Kuehne was mildly surprised by her score of 9-under 135, especially since it wasn't even leading the tournament.

"This is the U.S. Open," she said. ``Par is a prized possession, birdie is like a bonus and bogey is to be expected."

Not at Old Waverly.

That Juli Inkster won with 19 birdies and only three bogeys for 72 holes should not take away from what she accomplished. She was a great champion and next in line for the Hall of Fame. Her chief challenger was Kuehne, a feisty, 22-year-old Texan destined to be a star.

But women's golf needed more than what Old Waverly could offer.

In what should be the toughest test in golf, Inkster became the third champion in the past four years to set some kind of scoring record in the Women's Open.

Annika Sorenstam won with a 272 at Pine Needles in 1996. Alison Nicholas won at Pumpkin Ridge a year later with a score of 10-under. Inkster matched Sorenstam's score and shattered Nicholas' record in relation to par.

Blame unseasonably cool weather in May for keeping the rough so low that players didn't think twice about pulling a fairway metal. Blame two days of rain for making the green soft enough to make a 5-iron approach drop and stop.

Still, one USGA official predicted a month earlier that the women would "eat that place up." And Inkster realized after two practice rounds that under par would win.

The scoring and the style of play reflected the State Farm Rail Classic instead of the one tournament could set itself apart from what has otherwise become an identity crisis among the four majors in women's golf.

The LPGA Championship is in three weeks. It has the second-highest purse in women's golf ($1.4 million) and is the second-longest running event on the LPGA Tour behind the U.S. Open. Still, it's hard to take a major seriously when it has a title sponsor (McDonald's).

The first major of the year is named after a sponsor and an entertainer, although that can be excused for the Nabisco Dinah Shore.

The Dinah, the youngest of the four majors, started in 1983 and is critical to the LPGA. Eight tour events have food-related sponsors, and no doubt several of those were spawned by CEOs who discovered women's golf during the pro-am festivities.

Plus, it has a signature celebration of the winner taking a plunge into the lake in front of the 18th green (even Pat Hurst, who can't swim, got in up to her knees). The trouble is, no one sees it. The Dinah always goes up against The Players Championship. If that's not enough, the Final Four is the same weekend.

The fourth major may have more than an identity crisis on its hands. For those Americans who thought du Maurier was a French settler, it actually is a popular cigarette brand in Canada -- one reason why the tournament is on its last leg.

Because of legislation in Canada that will severely limit tobacco sponsorship after 2000 and eliminate it after 2003, there is no guarantee du Maurier will be able to put up the money for what has been a major championship since 1979.

The most likely replacement would be the Women's British Open, which was played at Royal Lytham & St. Annes last year and goes to Royal Birkdale next year. And that might be enough to replace the U.S. Women's Open as the "toughest test in golf."

With Old Waverly behind it, the Women's Open will have more problems next year when it is played the same week as the men's British Open. The date might make NBC happy since it will have the only live golf in the afternoon (and won't have to worry about Tiger Woods winning the Memorial).

But will anyone else notice? Will anyone care?

"Will we be on the cover of major publications? Probably not," said David Fay, executive director of the USGA. "But in terms of trying to attract more fans, it may be that the viewing audience is greater because nothing compelling is running against it."

The USGA and LPGA Tour are talking about a perennial date for the Women's Open, just as the men always end their U.S. Open on Father's Day. Look for that date to be the Fourth of July weekend.

That would rule out the Deep South, such as Old Waverly, which might not be a bad idea, anyway.

AP