|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Players first hurt, now try to heal
PORTLAND, Ore. -- On a flight from Dallas to Portland Monday night, LPGA rookie Angela Stanford watched the Kevin Costner movie about the Bay of Pigs attack, Thirteen Days, via DVD on her laptop computer. Little did she know that less than 12 hours later, America actually would come under attack. "It's kind of eerie to think about what happened now," said Stanford, "One minute you're watching a movie, and then it actually happens. It's just unbelievable." Even though its players are 3,000 miles away from the World Trade Center, Tuesday's events have made an impact on the LPGA Tour. Early Tuesday morning Jenny Lidback already was up watching the news. "It was horrifying," said Lidback, who watched the second plane crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center live. "I couldn't believe I was watching it all unfold right in front of my eyes live on TV." Korea's Se Ri Pak was asleep when her caddie, Colin Cann, called to tell her what had happened. Pak quickly tried to contact her sister, Yoo Ri Pak, who is attending fashion school in Manhattan. "I heard and called my sister, but the phone wouldn't work," said Pak, whose sister was thankfully not hurt. "It was crazy for a while." Players tried to prepare for this week's Safeway Classic, but their thoughts were with the victims. During a practice round Tuesday, Penny Hammel and Leigh Ann Mills stood for several minutes in the fairway of the 18th hole watching the CNN feed on the Jumbotron. On the range at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, less than 1,000 yards from a shutdown Portland airport, players answered calls on their cell phones from loved ones, who were checking to make sure they were safe. Then just after noon, two F-15 fighter planes patrolling the air space buzzed the golf course. Everyone stopped, stared into the sky, and followed the flight path. "It was like the scene in the movie Pearl Harbor when the boys are playing baseball and the Japanese planes go by," said Jill McGill. "It was like time was standing still." Later Tuesday afternoon, players held a vigil in the bleachers on the 18th green. While Siew-Ai Lim said a prayer, Wendy Ward covered her face in anguish and rookie Jennifer Hubbard sat with her hands clenched together. Her eyes were shut so tight it was if she didn't want to open them again. Tears flowed steadily down every face as Suzanne Strudwick lead the group in reading Psalms 23. An hour later, 90 players met in the clubhouse to discuss the day's events. They talked about all of the possibilities -- from cancelling the tournament altogether, to postponing it, to playing and donating the purse. Everyone echoed the same sentiment. "Whatever we do, we must do united," said Deb Richard. As of Wednesday afternoon, only 24 players had not registered for the tournament. Only three -- Dawn Coe-Jones, who was in Tampa, Fla.; Carin Koch, who was flying from Sweden; and Sherri Turner -- had withdrawn. Laura Davies, who wasn't scheduled to play, was in the air Tuesday morning flying to South Carolina to visit her father when her plane was forced to turn around and go back to London's Heathrow Airport. Davies actually was briefed on what had transpired by England's Prince Edward, who was aboard the flight. LPGA officials called every tour member Tuesday morning and all were accounted for. Some, however, found themselves stranded due to the FAA shutdown of all domestic flights. Four players -- Dina and Danielle Ammaccapane, A.J. Eathorne and Lisa Kiggens -- were supposed to fly in from Phoenix Tuesday afternoon. Not knowing when the ban on air travel would be lifted, they hopped in a van and drove the 1,200 miles to Portland. They arrived late Wednesday afternoon, just after the LPGA announced that the tournament would go on. The Tour will honor Friday's national day of remembrance, then play a 36-hole event Saturday and Sunday. Players plan to show their respects by wearing black ribbons and black clothing. "Even though we are going on with the tournament, we want everyone to know we are concerned," said LPGA president Gail Graham. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families." 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.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
