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Season-ending awards
Although no big TV show accompanies this announcement (we are under negotiations), here are the second annual CNNSI.com Inside the LPGA awards. Best Player: After being snubbed for this award last year, Karrie Webb said earning it was her No. 1 goal in 2000. By winning seven times, including two major championships, Webb had the LPGA's greatest season in 20 years. Unfortunately, this award will not get her into the Hall of Fame any quicker. Best Caddie: Also snubbed last year, Evan Minster, Webb's caddie, wins this season's title. Minster is one of the hardest workers on the tour. On Sunday mornings, way before his tee time, he can be seen surveying the course and checking the pin placements to give his player, like she needs it, any extra advantage. Runner-up: Danny Sharp for still having hair when his boss, Lorie Kane, captured her first LPGA title. Comeback Player: While Nancy Scranton deserves some consideration after fighting back from shoulder surgery, Annika Sorenstam gets the nod here. Sorenstam recovered from a case of frustration. After finishing fourth on the money list in 1999 and losing many tournaments down the stretch, Sorenstam retooled her game and looks ready to challenge Webb in 2001. Biggest Disappointment: After winning three times in 1999, Sweden's Maria Hjorth looked ready to break through and become the next great player from her homeland. But 2000 was quite cruel to Hjorth. After losing to Scranton in a playoff in the Naples Memorial, the first tournament of the year, Hjorth had only one other top-10 finish and fell to 50th on the money list. Biggest Surprise: The Rookie of the Year race had the most surprising finish. But was it more surprising to see Grace Park not win the award or to see Dorothy Delasin sneak up and take the honor? Runner-up: Europe wins the Solheim Cup. Most Improved: While Shani Waugh or Leta Lindley might be deserving, this year's honor goes to commissioner Ty Votaw. And, no, this isn't for his golf game, which by the way still stinks. After garnering the Worst Quote and Worst Interview awards last season, Votaw has kept reporters awake, had some interesting and funny quotes, and made a few good decisions. Best Candidate for Commissioner: Sorenstam. At the Wegman's Rochester International, she staged a protest on the putting green demanding that the clean-and-place rule to be invoked. In a precedent-setting move, the tour decided to let the players wipe their balls even though the final round had already started. Best Tournament: The Dinah Shore Championship. Despite the name change, Webb's victory, in one of the few tournaments that had eluded her, and 13-year-old Aree Wongluekiet's play in the final group will be remembered for some time. Worst Tournament: The Giant Eagle Classic. Because Avalon Lakes, the host club, looked like it was hosting a mud-bogging contest and not a golf tournament. Next year the tour is moving to a yet-to-be-determined course. Most Improved Tournament: The Michelob Light Classic. A change of venue made the difference. Gone were the stuck-up snobs, in their place were laid-back, warm Midwesterners who were even willing to haul the players' bags from the parking lot. Best Interviewee: For the second straight year, England's Laura Davies grabs this award. Her explanation that getting laser-eye surgery the same week as the L.A. Women's Championships was no big deal was not just well-detailed but made me want to go get my eyes done. And then she went out and won the tournament. Worst Interviewee: Every time Korea's Mi Hyun Kim comes into the media room she requests a translator, even though she speaks better English than Se Ri Pak. The most frustrating part is when she rambles on for minutes before the translator gives a simple, one-sentence answer like, "She felt good today." Best Quote: "If it wasn't for the American tour, they would be packing groceries somewhere, because you can't make a nickel on that tour. The only tournaments that have any purses over there are LPGA-sanctioned."
Worst Quote: "Maybe now I just won't be so hard on my mom and dad when they call for money."
Best Shot: On the final hole of the Firstar Classic, Webb holed a 9-iron from 131 yards to momentarily tie Sorenstam and send the Dayton, Ohio, crowd into a frenzy. Worst Shot: At the same Firstar Classic, Webb took a swipe at the sand at the eighth green while her ball was still in the bunker. The result was a two-shot penalty which essentially cost her the tournament. Most Memorable Moment: A week after winning her first tournament, Kane couldn't hold back tears as she made the final putt in the history of the du Maurier Classic. Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section, is a longtime caddie on the LPGA Tour. Click here to send him a question or comment.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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