Canned Corning

This week's announcement that the Corning Classic would cease to exist beyond 2009, after 31 years, really hit home. As the 1981 New York State Women's Amateur champion, I was invited to the amateur qualifier for the '82 Corning Classic, and although I did not make the field, I was so taken by the event that two weeks later I bought a bus ticket and returned as a volunteer standard-bearer. A year later I qualified for the event—my first LPGA start—passing on my senior prom to play. Although I missed the cut, the experience reinforced my goal of becoming an LPGA pro. Friendships were forged that week that I still maintain, and one of the great regrets of my career was that I never won at Corning. I'll be the lead analyst on this year's TV coverage, and it probably won't come without a tear or two. It's sad to think of this event as being too small for the LPGA's grand global plan. To me, events that are the heartbeat of a town will always be the LPGA's strong suit. It's a link to the tour's history that will be sorely missed.