|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Charting history
LINCOLN, Calif. -- You could say that Annika Sorenstam's strive for five last week at the Long's Drug Challenge came up a little short and a little wet. In an attempt to become the first LPGA player since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win five consecutive tournaments, the Swede ran into a fierce competitor she had no control over -- Mother Nature. After shooting an opening-round 71, Sorenstam didn't panic about being seven shots behind leader Se Ri Pak. But on Friday, after an all-night torrential downpour hit Northern California, Sorenstam's outlook changed. As the rain kept falling through the morning, all she could do was hope that the 72-hole event would be just that, 72 holes. But that turned out not to be the case.
As the terrible weather continued, Friday's round was cancelled and the tournament was shortened to 54 holes. As the greens turned into puddles, the LPGA Tour was made out to be some sort of villain. Sorenstam, along with some members of the media, felt the tour was cheating her out of a chance to make history. "I think the decision was made a little prematurely," Sorenstam said. But the tournament organizers pulled the plug on the round only after much deliberation. It was a painstaking process that included the top brass from the LPGA, the players and the sponsors. To help you understand, here is a timeline detailing that events of last Friday: Friday, April 20 (Pacific Time) 6:00 a.m.: Sorenstam wakes up, looks out the window, and sees her worst nightmare -- rain. Her 8:40 tee time will most likely be delayed. 6:30 a.m.: LPGA Tour rules officials arrive at the Twelve Bridges Country Club. 6:35 a.m.: The course's maintenance crew are unable to cut six of the greens. They inform tour officials that they will need at least a half hour after the skies clear to get the course ready. 6:45 a.m.: Tour officials meet with tournament director Brian Flajole, the rest of the tournament organizers and the course greenskeeper. They discuss the weather forecast, which is gloomy at best, and announce a one-hour delay. 6:50 a.m.: Jim Haley, the lead official last week, calls Barb Trammell, VP of tournament operations for the LPGA, who is home in Nashville. Haley informs Trammell of the weather delay and hints that there is a good possibility that the entire second round may be washed out. 6:55 a.m.: Trammell calls LPGA commissioner Ty Votaw to tell him about the forecast and the looming cancellation. 7:00 a.m.: Sorenstam calls the course to confirm that there is a one-hour delay. 7:15 a.m.: Se Ri Pak receives a phone call from her trusty caddie Colin Cann, who informs her of the delay. 7:30 a.m.: Tour officials meet with Mike McCellan, the mobile weather representative on site. McCellan gives them the bad news that once the "cell" that is causing the rain passes through, there might only be a two-hour window of clear skies before the next storm rolls in. . 7:35 a.m.: Tour rules officials inform the players that the delay is now two hours. 7:45 a.m.: Tour officials meet again with Flajole, who would like to finish the complete 72-hole event, even if that means playing on Monday. Haley informs him that the only way to finish on Monday is if the leaders get in at least nine holes on Sunday. 8:00 a.m.: Sorenstam calls the course, again, to find out that there is now a three-hour delay. 9:00 a.m.: Tour officials, Flajole and McCellan meet to discuss their options. Haley tells Flajole the only way to get 72 holes in is to play at least half the second round on Friday. Flajole, worried about upsetting players and never getting another strong field, agrees to 54 holes. 10:05 a.m.: With no sunshine in sight, the day is officially called a washout and the tournament is shortened to 54 holes. The tour made this decision based on precedent. In the past, events have reverted to 54 holes, including one major championship, the 1996 McDonald's LPGA Championship. Since the tour already plays a third of its events with 54 holes, this has never been a big deal. The last time the LPGA cut an event to 54 holes was last year at the Big Apple Classic, which, by the way, Sorenstam was leading when the decision was made and went on to win the tournaments. I didn't hear any complaints then. 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.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
