Southern California's No. 1 Source for Golf
STROKE OF THE DAY |
"Golf is a game whose aim it is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose." |
-Winston Churchill |
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF
CALENDAR
People
|
||||
 “It is certainly one of the things that people most remember about us,” said tournament director Terry Wilcox. Though the “Ladies of the Lake” tradition started 20 years ago, it hasn’t been a continuous ritual. Amy Alcott launched it in 1988 by celebrating her second victory with a watery leap. “That took everyone by surprise,” Wilcox recalled. But that was nothing compared to the surprise in store in 1991. Though the tradition hadn’t yet caught on, Shore was planning on joining Alcott if she won again. “She had told me earlier in the week that if Amy won she was going to jump into the pond, but to tell you the truth I didn’t believe her,” Wilcox said. “She was more than 70 at the time and the pond really wasn’t all that clean, what with ducks and fish and algae. But she did it.” The next champion to take the dive was Donna Andrews in 1994, who did so in memory of Shore, who died a few weeks before that year’s event. The next year, Donna Bowen jumped and every champion since has followed suit. Some of the years have been more memorable than others. In 1998, Pat Hurst, who couldn’t swim, waded into ankle-deep water. In 2000, Karrie Webb was joined by pop superstar Celine Dion. In 2005, Annika Sorenstam commemorated her third victory by inviting her sister, mother and caddie for a four-person dive. In 2006, tournament officials created a self-contained pond within the pond. Poppie’s Pond, named after Wilcox, who is called Poppie by his grandchildren, is more of a swimming pool, with a concrete-lined bottom. It’s continually skimmed and fresh water is pumped in and filtered. Kraft Nabisco ChampionshipWhen: March 31-April 6.Where: Dinah Shore Tournament Course, Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage. Course: 6,579 yards, par 72. Purse: $2 million ($300,000 to the winner). Tickets: $20 Thursday-Friday, $30 Saturday-Sunday in advance; $25 and $35 at the gate. Pavilion tickets and clubhouse badges also available. Spectator information: Grandstands are on holes 1, 9, 17 and 18. Seating is first-come, first-serve. No cameras allowed during Thursday-Sunday playing rounds. Coolers, backpacks, large bags, memorabilia and cell phones also are prohibited. Celebrity pro-am: Tuesday and Wednesday. Confirmed celebrities include Norm Crosby, Cheech Marin, Carlton Fisk and Brooks Robinson. Last year: Morgan Pressel, 18, became the youngest major winner in LPGA history. Storylines:• Lorena Ochoa will be shooting for her second major victory after winning her first last year at the Ricoh Women’s British Open. • Annika Sorenstam, who won the season-opening SBS Open for her 70th LPGA Tour title, will be seeking her record fourth Kraft Nabisco title. • No Michelle Wie this year. She didn’t qualify and isn’t eligible for an exemption. More information: Call (760) 324-4546 or visit kncgolf.com. |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This Article
