Will Ochoa make it six at Safeway Classic?
BY Bruce Young | LPGA Tour | 2007 Safeway Classic | Preview | 23 Aug 2007
The 54 hole Safeway Classic in Oregon has the LPGA Tour on West Coast for the first time since the Kraft Nabisco Championship in late March with Pat Hurst defending a title she won by one shot over Kim Saiki and Jeong Jang last year.
The Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland plays host to this event for the 16th consecutive occasion with the game’s hottest player, Lorena Ochoa, looking to continue her amazing run of form and perhaps win her sixth event of the 2007 LPGA season.
Columbia Edgewater Country Club’s layout was originally built in 1925 and designed by A.V. Macan but underwent a major redesign by Arthur Hills in 2002. It now measures 6327 yards for this event and carries a par of 72.
Ochoa has not won this event previously and in fact did not play last year but she is in such hot form right now that it would be hard to imagine her not being in the hunt on Sunday.
Paula Creamer chased Ochoa every step of the way last week in Canada and they might just quinella the event again although, Jeong Jang, who was runner up in 2006 and has been inside the top ten in five of her last seven starts this season, has a great chance to topple the two favourites.
Karrie Webb is struggling to find the sort of form that her early season events in Australia suggested she might maintain this season. A second round of 64 last week in Canada however suggest that better tournaments may not be too far away.
Juli Inkster is a previous winner of the event and has often played well on other occasions when in Portland. The 47-year-old is playing reasonably well at present and has some chance as does another of the more established players on the LPGA, Laura Diaz.
Diaz finished runner up in Sweden a couple of weeks ago and last week in Canada again performed well. It has been nearly five years since Diaz has won but she seems to be playing near her best once again and if that is the case she might have some chance this week.
Rachel Hetherington, Lindsey Wright, Wendy Doolan, Katherine Hull and Michelle Ellis make up the Australian challenge.
