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 But most notably, perhaps, is the impact the event has had on women's professional golf. "I've always thought the [Women's] U.S. Open is the event, but I'd say the [Kraft Nabisco] helped put the LPGA out there as much as anything else," said Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club's Sandra Palmer, who won the tournament in 1975. Two people were pivotal in that growth: David Foster, the CEO of Colgate, the event's first sponsor; and Dinah Shore, whom Foster recruited as celebrity host before the first event. Foster's efforts to promote the tournament, which included flying players such as Palmer around the world to compete in special events, and Shore's telegenic personality helped the tournament survive, prosper and attain major status in 1983. And it was all a mistake. "When David Foster asked Dinah to be the host for this event, she thought it was a tennis tournament and said yes immediately," Palmer said. "She had never played golf. But she quickly learned once she realized she was hosting a golf tournament." Score one for communication errors. The noted TV and recording artist's involvement helped the event get great exposure and draw big names to the pro-am. In 1982, it became the first LPGA event to receive four days of network coverage. Picking 10 notable achievements in the 37-year history of the tournament isn't easy. For every one that made it, there's one that didn't, such as Nancy Lopez's then-course-record 64 in 1981 that enabled her to overcome a three-shot deficit in the final round to win. But we had to make the cut somewhere. 1973: A legend's final bow By 1973, Mickey Wright had already established herself as one of the finest female golfers of the 20th century. She'd won 81 professional tournaments, including 14 majors, and was chosen as the Associated Press's Female Athlete of the Year in 1963 and 1964. In 1969, Wright semi-retired from the tour. But in 1973 she showed up to play what was then the Colgate Dinah Shore. She trailed Joyce Kazmierski by four shots heading into the final round, but her 68 produced a two-stroke victory. It was the San Diego native's 82nd, and last, victory of her illustrious career. "I think everyone was surprised when we found she had entered because she hadn't played many tournaments," Sandra Palmer said about Wright. "But she had been working with Johnny Revolta a lot, who was a great teacher whose specialty was the short game. And she won that tournament after coming out of a retirement situation, which was huge." 1984: No first-year jitters Future Hall-of-Famer Amy Alcott won the event in 1983, which wasn't a huge surprise because she had already won 16 times on tour. That wasn't the case in 1984, when Juli Inkster stole the show. Though Inkster had qualified for the LPGA in August 1983 and had one victory under her belt, technically she remained a rookie. But she became the biggest new name in women's golf by winning the Nabisco Dinah Shore in a sudden-death playoff with Pat Bradley. Inkster, who shot a 68 to force the tie, would win another major that year (du Maurier Classic) en route to claiming the LPGA Rookie of the Year title. 1991: Third time's the charm There wasn't a bigger name in women's golf in the 1980s than Alcott, who won Kraft Nabisco titles in 1983 and 1988. But by 1991, she wasn't the dominant force she used to be.That changed for one week in March, when Alcott's four-round score of 273 broke her own tournament record and led to an eight-stroke victory over Dottie Mochrie. It was Alcott's final victory on the LPGA Tour and the 29th of her career. 1997: Comeback King Betsy King won the Kraft Nabisco in 1987 and 1990 when she was easily cruising to victories. But her career hit a pothole in 1997. She missed eight cuts and finished 45th on the money list. That changed with a magical week in the desert, when she won the Kraft Nabisco for her 31st victory on the LPGA Tour. King, Alcott and Annika Sorenstam are the only three-time winners in the event's history. "You look at any golf tour and you'll see that certain players do really well on certain courses," said tournament director Terry Wilcox. "They just have a certain feel for a particular course that might fit their style of play, or their mental picture of a course. In other words, they just feel comfortable." 1999: Red-hot Pepper Dottie Pepper's four-round total of 269 shattered the event's scoring record and came within two strokes of tying the LPGA record for lowest score in a major. Pepper's score was assisted by the great variable at the Kraft Nabisco: the wind, or lack thereof. "If you get a day or two of wind, the low score can jump up to 70 or 71, while on a perfect day your low score is 66 or 67," Wilcox said. "And, most years, we'll have at least one day where the conditions get pretty windy. But if I remember correctly, there was great weather all four days in 1999." 2000: Down Under on top Australia's Karrie Webb dominated the 2000 event, leading wire to wire en route to a 10-stroke victory, the largest margin in the tournament's history. Leading Pepper by eight strokes heading into the final round, Webb saved her most dramatic shot for the last frame: an ace on the 170-yard, par-3 fifth hole. A two-putt on the 18th prevented her from winning by more than 10. To put Webb's performance in perspective, only one other event winner, Annika Sorenstam, who won by eight strokes in 2005, has had a margin of victory greater than five shots. 2001-2005: Strokes of genius No player dominated the LPGA like Annika Sorenstam in the first years of the 21st century, and no player has dominated the Kraft Nabisco in a five-year period like the Swedish sensation. She won three times and finished second another year between '01 and '05. "She was obviously the hottest player on the tour, and her accomplishments were being compared to Tiger at the point," Wilcox said. "So there was a lot of attention on her every time she played here." Sorenstam's victory in 2001 started her assault on the LPGA's majors. It was her first major victory since 1996, but she'd win seven more over the next six years, including victories at the Kraft Nabisco in 2003 and 2005. 2004: Grace under pressure Wilcox calls the finish of the 2004 tournament the most thrilling he can recall. Grace Park led by two strokes heading into the final hole, but Aree Song holed a 30-foot eagle putt to tie. Unperturbed, Park lined up a 6-foot birdie putt and drained it, giving her the victory. It was the first time since 1994 that the tournament had been decided on a birdie putt. 2006: The roller coaster Lorena Ochoa played flawlessly over the first two rounds, setting a tournament record of 62 in the first round and a 36-hole record of 133. But Karrie Webb proved to be the real story. Though she began the final round seven strokes behind Ochoa, Webb charged hard Sunday and capped her round with a hole-out for eagle from the 18th fairway. A scintillating 7-under 65 gave her the early clubhouse lead at 9-under par. When the final group reached No. 18, Natalie Gulbis and Michelle Wie were 8 under, and Ochoa was 7 under. Wie and Gulbis each failed to make birdie and tie the leader, but Ochoa passed both of them by sinking an eight-foot putt for eagle to force a sudden-death playoff with Webb. The momentum from Webb's holed approach carried over, as the Aussie birdied the first playoff hole - again the 18th - to keep Ochoa out of the winner's circle. 2007: Teen power Morgan Pressel began the final round tied for ninth and, after shooting a 69, walked off the 18th green trailing by three strokes. So how did Pressel become the youngest player to ever win an LPGA major? Because her competition came apart down the stretch. Se Ri Pak, who led by three shots after the front nine, bogeyed five of her last six holes. Suzann Pettersen, who led by four with four holes to play, bogeyed 15 and 17 and made a double bogey on 16. Pettersen and Catriona Matthew could have forced a playoff on the final hole, but they missed birdie putts, meaning Pressel - at 18 years, 10 months and 9 days - was the champion. |
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