The Shag Bag

In Memoriam: Renay Appleby, wife of Tour player Stuart Appleby, died on July 23 after being struck by a car in London. She was 25. The Applebys were getting out of a taxi at Waterloo Station to board a train for Paris when Renay was hit. "She was a bubbly, bright person who could get on with anyone," says fellow Australian Craig Parry.

Royal Subject: As 17-year-old Justin Rose prepped for his pro debut at last week's Dutch Open, Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson said, "Justin is extremely focused at such a young age. I think he and Tiger [Woods] could become great friends—or adversaries." Rose shot 77-65 to miss the cut by a shot. The winner, Australia's Stephen Leaney, dedicated his victory to Renay Appleby.

Stock Par Racing: Dave Stockton Jr. played Pleasant Valley Country Club during the CVS Charity Classic while his father fought fierce Riviera in the U.S. Senior Open. "He didn't want to bet," Stockton Jr. said of the weekly $5-a-day bet he makes with his dad, "but I said, 'Hey, we play tough courses every week.' " The Stocktons finished tied for seventh in the CVS and sixth at the Senior Open. Junior won $43,650 from the tournament and $20 from Dad.

Uh-Oh: James Oh, a 16-year-old from Lakewood, Calif., was trying to lag a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill. It went in, and Oh topped Aaron Baddeley one-up in the U.S. Junior.

Wright On: Ben Wright has joined the syndicated TV show Golf 2000 with Peter Jacobsen. Starting on Sept. 14, Wright will air his views in two-minute segments called "Quite Wright."

Grip It and Wonk It: The New Republic, which calls itself the in-flight magazine of Air Force One, grapples with golf in its Aug. 3 issue. In a piece titled "The Golfing of America," Scott Stossel calls the handicapping system a "socialist device" and concludes that the game "is beginning to look more like America: diverse, multicultural and largely middle class."

A Leg Up: Lorie Kane is considered the LPGA's main Canadian patriot, but countrywoman Gail Graham has a maple leaf tattooed on her right hip.

What a Croc: The tale of a golfer who became a reptile's lunch has been swimming the Net lately. Ol' Mose, a leathery resident of The Breakers Hotel golf course in Palm Beach, Fla., supposedly ate a player on the 7th hole. The purported proof: a photo of a crocodile with its belly cut open to reveal a human arm. The Breakers has received more than 100 croc calls in the past two weeks, but a hotel spokeswoman says there are no crocodiles in Palm Beach and no water on the 7th hole.

Pak to the Wall: Upon hearing how ESPN's Kenny Mayne uses her name to describe home runs, the LPGA rookie did a Mark McGwire impression on the practice green at the Giant Eagle Classic last week Swinging her putter in the air, she shouted, "Seeee Riii Pak!" Said Pak before bagging her fourth win of '98, "I think I could hit a home run if I tried."