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McGann & Park share
first day lead
Michelle McGann and rookie
Grace Park shot 6-under-par 66s today to share the first-round lead in the Kathy
Ireland Greens.com Classic.
Peru's Jenny Lidback was
a stroke back and Cristie Kerr and Golf Today's LPGA sponsored player Karen Stupples
opened with 68s in the LPGA Tour event that resembles the PGA Tour's ``Dead Zone''
of starless tournaments following the Masters.
With the LPGA Tour's second
major, the LPGA Championship, scheduled in three weeks, several of the sport's
biggest names skipped the $750,000 event at Wachesaw Plantation.
Australian star Karrie
Webb, a four-time winner this year, is fishing during a two-week vacation at
her Florida home that ends next week. Sweden's Anika Sorenstam and England's
Laura Davies, both two-time winners, are in Sweden for the Chrysler Open.
Jim Etzel, vice president
of business development for first-time sponsor Greens.com, says the players have
difficult choices to make in their 35-week schedule.
``Tiger Woods only plays
17 or 18 events a year on the PGA,'' Etzel said. ``We hope we can do some little
things to make it more attractive to the players.''
The scene stealer so far
this week has been Ireland, the calendar girl who has spun through South Carolina
promoting her golf apparel line, her tournament, her distaste for the Confederate
flag and her love for golf.
``I just wanted to show
my daughter (18-month-old Lily) that there are role models for her out there,''
Ireland said of her LPGA involvement.
But McGann, seeking her
first victory since 1997, doesn't believe she's contending in a ``Who's that?''
event.
``We all have different
fans, people were driving in from Raleigh to see me,'' said McGann, known for
her flowery, large-brimmed hats. ``We really can't control that. I feel our tour
has a lot of strong players that people want to see.''
Park is quickly becoming
one of them. Only weeks ago, the 21-year-old former Arizona State star had missed
four cuts in her previous six tournaments and was questioning everything about
her game.
``My confidence was way
down. It had never been that low,'' she said.
But as quickly as it took
for a sweetly struck 3-wood off the 15th tee in the first round of last week's
LPGA Corning Classic to land long and straight in the fairway, Park was back
on target.
``That shot was so good,
so pure,'' she said. ``Last week, for the first time all year, I hit the ball
really well and had a lot of birdie opportunities.''
Park, leading the tour's
rookie standings, carried that into tight, tricky Wachesaw. She had a tap-in
birdie on the par-5 10th and rolled in an 8-footer for birdie two holes later.
Park moved within a stroke of McGann with another 8-foot birdie putt on the 16th
and caught her by floating a 25-yard bunker shot into the cup at No. 18.
``It's a great finish,
a great feeling to make that shot,'' said Park, who jammed her left arm in the
air after the shot went in. ``Sometimes, you just get lucky.''
McGann didn't need luck,
just a quick round in the increasing Southern temperatures - she is a diabetic
who uses an insulin pump while playing and must check her blood sugar several
times a round.
``I feel good,'' said McGann,
who tied for third three weeks ago in Nashville, Tenn. ``My health is good and
I am going to have to eat a little more tomorrow with playing in the afternoon.''
McGann, who started on
the 10th tee, made birdies putts from 10 feet or less on Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 7.
She got to 6 under with a 15-foot put for birdie on the par-3 8th.
Lidback was 6 under through
14 holes, but three-putted the par-5 17th to fall back.
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