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Annika Sorenstam may be the face of women’s golf, but don’t be surprised if you start seeing Erika Blasberg’s face a lot in the years to come. Blasberg, a 21-year-old Corona resident, is everything the LPGA Tour is looking for. She’s young, fresh, vibrant, intelligent, attractive and, most important, she has game. The tour rookie and former University of Arizona star is among a new generation of players making a huge splash in women’s golf. Blasberg joins Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Lorena Ochoa, Candie Kung, Christie Kerr, Birdie Kim, Michelle Wie and many others as the most exciting contingent of young golfers the tour has ever seen. While Southern California has a hand in the trend, it’s not as much as people think, considering the strength of junior golf in the region. “There really aren’t as many Southern Californians as you would first imagine on tour,” Blasberg said. “We have such great junior programs and there are so many great golfers from here that you’d think more would turn professional. But maybe it’s harder to play golf in other parts of the country or the world than Southern California, and maybe that makes people in other places more competitive and prone to turn professional. But I’m really not sure why.” That doesn’t mean there aren’t great young golfers from Southern California on the LPGA Tour and the Futures Tour. Take Kung. Sixth on the money list as of mid-August, the former Fountain Valley resident joined the LPGA Tour in 2002 and made a huge impression, finishing fourth in the Weetabix Women’s British Open. Kung, 24, won three times in 2003 and posted 10 top-10 finishes last year. Another LPGA champion with Southern California connections is Jennifer Rosales, a 27-year-old Rowland Heights resident. The USC graduate has won twice on tour and was 26th on the money list as of mid-August. Two Southern Californians are in their rookie seasons on the LPGA Tour: Beth Allen, a 23-year-old Ojai native and San Diego resident who was an honorable mention All-American last year at Cal State Northridge, and UCLA graduate Hana Kim, who turned 23 in August. There are other Southern Californians with sterling amateur credentials on the Futures Tour. Topping the list is Temecula resident Charlotte Mayorkas, who, in only seven events, is seventh on the rookie money list. Maryorkas, who turns 22 this month, attended UCLA where she was a three-time NCAA All-American and set the school’s scoring record for 18 holes (65) and 54 holes (207). Also in her first year on the Futures Tour is Kim Kouwabunpat, a 23-year-old Chino native and Upland resident. The Stanford graduate was the school’s most valuable player last year and was a semifinalist in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in 1996. Becky Lucidi, a 25-year-old Poway resident, joined the Futures Tour last year. The USC graduate won the 2002 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and was a first-team All-American twice. Nicole Castrale was fourth on the Futures Tour’s money list as of mid-August. The 26-year-old Glendale native and Palm Desert resident won the 1997 Southern California Golf Association high school state championship. N |
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