LPGA tee up for major precursor at Wegmans Rochester

BY Bruce Young | LPGA Tour | 2004 Wegmans Rochester LPGA | Preview | 24 Jun 2004

With just one more week before the third major of the LPGA season, the US Women’s Open, the tour’s stars are out in force for this week’s Wegmans Rochester LPGA event in Rochester, New York.

Only Karrie Webb, who is a two time winner here in Rochester and Christie Kerr are missing from those who would automatically be considered the leading favourites for next week’s US Open in Massachusetts.

Rachel Teske is the defending champion but she will need to lift her current form if she is to contend this week. In ten starts this season on the LPGA Tour, Teske has recorded just one top ten and it will take a major turnaround for her to successfully defend her title. Still, returning to the scene of triumph and success is often just the boost an out of form player needs to get back on track.

Lorena Ochoa and Grace Park, two of the more dominant players this season, finished second and third respectively here last year and given current form are expected to feature on Sunday as will Annika Sorenstam who is playing here for the first time in many years. Sorenstam is coming off her brilliant McDonalds LPGA Championship win and will challenge at some stage during the week, if not at the business end.

Se Ri Pak and Juli Inkster, who have both played well here at times, will also likely feature. Meg Mallon appears to be getting close to a win and she has regularly played well here winning in 2000. Mallon has played well in recent events and another win in this event would not surprise.

The brilliant rookies are also here including Shi Hyun Ahn and Stacey Prammanasudh, and with both playing very well at present and Ahn looking more and more like the successor to Se Ri Pak and Grace Park as the next best Korean golfer, then she has a chance in this field to win her first event on the LPGA Tour in the US. Ahn qualified for the LPGA Tour by winning a co-sanctioned event in Korea late last year.

While the players above will all have good chances most attention this week will focus on the appearance of the brilliant 17-year-old Paul Creamer who last week finished second to Christie Kerr in New Jersey. Still an amateur, Creamer is playing here on invite.

The event is being played over the Robert Trent Jones designed Locust Hill Country Club.

Australians aside from Teske to line up are Wendy Doolan, Katherine Hull, Shani Waugh, Michelle Ellis, Carmen Hajjar, Loraine Lambert, Mardi Lunn, Karen Pearce, Joanne Mills and Nadina Taylor.

The event is worth US$1,500,000.