|
EVENTS
Sportsman of the Year
Heisman Trophy
Swimsuit 2001
CENTERS
Fantasy Central
Inside Game
Video Plus
Statitudes
Your Turn
Message Boards
Email Newsletters
Golf Guide
Cities
CNNSI.com GROUP
Sports Illustrated
Life of Reilly
SI Women
SI for Kids
Press Room
TBS/TNT Sports
CNN Languages
COMMERCE
SI Customer Service
SI Media Kits
Get into College
Sports Memorabilia
TeamStore
|  |
2001 Fearless Forecast
Posted: Monday January 22, 2001 4:53 PM
NAPLES, Fla. -- After two weeks of searching, I have finally found my crystal ball. The forecast for the 2001 season may be as surprising as the first two weeks just transpired on tour. Here is what I foresee:
While the victories posted by Se Ri Pak and Sophie Gustafson were not that startling, the fact that Karrie Webb didn't win either of the first two events was a little astonishing. Webb did finish second at the Subaru Memorial of Naples, but this could be a new trend in 2001. After posting 13 wins in two season, look for Webb to come back down to earth. She is planning to take a big chunk of time off during the spring, and because of the layoff she will only win twice this season.
| |
| THE SHAG BAG |
| Seventeen-year-old Catherine Cartwright made her professional debut at the Subaru Memorial of Naples. The lanky blonde, who could pass for Jill McGill's little sister, made the cut but found the first week on the job tough; she finished tied for 65th. "I know I'm not going to set the world on fire, but I know that I am good for my age," said Cartwright, who graduated from high school Jan. 12 and will play the Futures Tour this season. ... While Cartwright was a deserving sponsor exemption, Jen Hanna should have been one, too. After nearly winning the event in 2000, the former Furman University standout never made it past the putting green, since she was mysteriously denied an invite. ... During the offseason Juli Inkster stayed busy coaching her daughters' basketball teams, but that didn't seem to affect her game. The newest Hall of Famer finished tied for fifth in her first event of the season. ... Rookie Angela Stanford earned her first professional paycheck, but she would have liked to skip the ninth hole on Saturday. The former TCU All-American made a 9 on the par-4 No. 9, dropping her out of contention. ... Winner Sophie Gustafson, who stutters, didn't have any problem asking how much money she made last week. The $150,000 payday vaulted her to the top of the LPGA money list. Se Ri Pak pulled out of the event on Tuesday because of a flu bug that she caught during her season-opening victory at the YourLife Vitamins LPGA Classic. ... Kelli Kuehne shot a first-round 66 thanks in part to her mother, Pam, who had to ship overnight an old set of clubs to Kuehne from Dallas. ... Suzanne Strudwick appeared to make the cut, which fell at exactly 70 players, but realized that she signed an incorrect first-round scorecard. When she found the error on Saturday morning, she took the honorable route and DQ'd herself. Unfortunately, that didn't help the nine players who would have made the cut had Strudwick noticed the mistake a day earlier. | | While Annika Sorenstam has been Webb's closest competitor the past few years, that honor will shift to Gustafson and Lorie Kane.
Gustafson, who has won three times in the last nine months, is one of the purest ballstrikers on tour at the moment. The 26-year-old has suffered from a stuttering problem all her life, but she sings like Celine Dion. So look for her to make a few more victory speeches -- including at a major championship -- accompanied by a five-piece band (to make her feel more comfortable).
After finally notching her long-awaited first tour victory last year, Kane lost her lovable loser tag. She has now won three times and is gunning for Webb. The Canadian's week-in, week-out consistency will be the reason she usurps Webb as Player of the Year. If the race is close coming down the stretch, the hockey-loving Kane could always crosscheck the Aussie off her perch.
As for Sorenstam, since she qualified for the Hall of Fame last year, she has been thinking more about starting a family. That will happen this year. Sorenstam and husband David Esch will have a baby -- twin girls, in fact. The daughters will inherit that silky smooth swing and one day be Aree and Naree Wongluekiets' biggest rivals.
With Webb and Sorenstam no longer hogging all of the titles, the LPGA will see a record number of first-time winners.
After becoming the star of the Solheim Cup last year, Carin Koch is finally ready to bust out of her Swedish cocoon. She has six second-place finishes in her seven-year career, but expect her to lift the veil and end her bridesmaid role.
Scotland's Catriona Matthew will also find the winner's circle, thanks to the Solheim Cup. Matthew, known on tour as "Bean," was mysteriously left off the team and will use the snub as motivation to get her first W.
Another first-time winner will be Leta Lindley. The former CNNSI.com diary writer, who already plays with six different woods, will remove the remaining irons from her bag, dropping her 9-iron for a 23-wood, and finally erase the bad memories of losing the 1997 McDonald's LPGA Championship in a playoff.
While most expect Cristie Kerr to break through, I say not so quick. The best player on tour without a win will be stuck, like peanut butter on the roof of your mouth, with that sobriquet for another year. She has the talent and the ability, but a few close calls will cause her to lose some confidence. Kerr will also become Kane's best friend as Kerr searches for an answer to her winless ways.
None of the first-time winners will be rookies; this year's class might be the least heralded in four seasons. While Koreans have dominated the Rookie of the Year race the past three seasons, a couple of Australians look to take the crown in 2001. Michelle Ellis and Tammie Durdin are the best this class has to offer, and they should wage an interesting battle for top newcomer.
The tour is in for some other interesting turns of events. Grace Park, who recently signed with Artists Management Group (run by Hollywood mogul Michael Ovitz), will land a movie deal to star in an action thriller with Brad Pitt. Commissioner Ty Votaw will announce the tour's newest event -- to be played in Guatemala. Nancy Lopez will finish second at the U.S. Open and retire, fed up with never winning the crown jewel of women's golf. Former volleyball player Gabrielle Reece will go to Q school in the fall and fail to get her card -- but look good trying. Laura Davies will bet $100,000 on number 13 on the roulette wheel in Atlantic City, win, then take the money and sponsor an event.
As the ball gets cloudy I do see others -- like Dottie Pepper, Meg Mallon and Pat Hurst -- continuing their winning ways. But that's nothing new.
The theme of 2001? To expect the unexpected, and be prepared for anything to happen.
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.
|
Copyright © 2001
CNN/Sports Illustrated
An AOL Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.
|
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
|
|
