Golf Glance

Tuesday, June 3, 1997 | 11:32 a.m.

PGA TOUR

Kemper Open

Site: Potomac, Md.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: TPC at Avenel (7,005 yards, par 71).

Purse: $1.5 million.

Winner's Share: $270,000.

Television: CBS (Saturday, 4-6 p.m.; Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).

Last year: Steve Stricker won his first tour title, closing with a 3-under 68 for a three-stroke victory. Stricker, also the 1996 Western Open winner, had a 14-under 270 total.

Last week: Fiji's Vijay Singh won the rain-shortened Memorial at Dublin, Ohio, on Monday, finishing off a 5-under 67 for a two-stroke victory over Greg Norman and Jim Furyk. Singh had a 14-under 202 total.

Notes: Tiger Woods is skipping the tournament to prepare for next week's U.S. Open at nearby Congressional. ... John Daly is making his second tour start following a two-month layoff for alcohol rehabilitation. Daly, who had rounds of 76, 71 and 80 in the Memorial, set the tour record for driving distance in the 1991 tournament with an average of 331.4 yards for eight measured drives. ... Ed Sneed served as the player consultant on the TPC at Avenel. ... The Buick Open is June 19-22 at Harrison, N.Y.

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LPGA TOUR

Oldsmobile Classic

Site: East Lansing, Mich.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Walnut Hills Country Club (6,191 yards, par 72).

Purse: $600,000.

Winner's Share: $90,000.

Television: ESPN (Thursday-Friday, 1:30-3:30 p.m.; Saturday, 5-7 p.m.; Sunday, 4-6 p.m.).

Last year: Michelle McGann won the first of three 1996 titles, holing an 18-foot birdie putt on the third hole of a playoff with Liselotte Neumann. McGann and Neumann closed with 7-under 65s for 16-under 272 totals.

Last week: Annika Sorenstam won the Michelob Light Classic in St. Louis for her fourth victory of the year and 10th in 23 months. The Swedish star had an 11-under 277 total for a three-stroke victory over Hiromi Kobayashi.

Notes: Sorenstam, the money leader with $696,079, also won the Tournament of Champions, Hawaiian Open and Longs Drug Challenge, and took the unofficial LPGA Skins Game two weeks ago with $220,000. The two-time U.S. Open winner has nine top-10 finishes in 11 starts this year. ... Beth Daniel set the tournament record of 20-under 268 in 1994. ... The Edina Realty Classic is next week at Maple Grove, Minn., followed by the Rochester International at Pittsford, N.Y.

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SENIOR PGA TOUR

BellSouth Senior Classic at Opryland

Site: Nashville, Tenn.

Schedule: Friday-Sunday.

Course: Springhouse Golf Club (6,783 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.3 million.

Winner's Share: $195,000.

Television: NBC (Saturday, 1-3 p.m.; Sunday, 2-4 p.m.).

Last year: Japan's Isao Aoki closed with a 2-under 70 for a one-stroke victory over Graham Marsh and Jay Sigel. Aoki had a 14-under 202 total.

Last week: Gil Morgan won the Ameritech Senior Open at Long Grove, Ill., for his third senior title in eight months. The seven-time PGA Tour winner had a 6-under 210 total for a one-stroke victory over Hale Irwin.

Notes: Irwin has a tour-high four victories this year and tops the money list with $891,231. Morgan is second with $754,342. ... Lee Trevino won the inaugural tournament in 1994 with a record 17-under 199 total. ... Johnny Miller plans to make his first senior start July 25-27 in the Franklin Quest Championship at Park City, Utah. The 24-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 on April 29. ... The du Maurier Champions is next week at Etobicoke, Ontario, followed by the Nationwide Championship at Alpharetta, Ga.

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PGA EUROPEAN TOUR

European Grand Prix

Site: Hexham, England.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Slaley Hall Golf Club (7,003 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.06 million.

Winner's Share: $176,578.

Television: The Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 8-10 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-noon and 9-11 p.m.).

Last year: South Africa's Retief Goosen won the inaugural tournament for his first European tour title, closing with a par 72 for a two-stroke victory over Scotland's Ross Drummond. Goosen had an 11-under 277 total.

Last week: England's Ross McFarlane won the Deutsche Bank Open for his first tour title, finishing with a 6-under 282 total for a one-stroke victory over Sweden's Anders Forsbrand and Scotland's Gordon Brand Jr.

Notes: The tour is off next week for the U.S. Open, and resumes June 19-22 with the German Open. ... The 1996 tournament, played opposite the U.S. Open, was known as the Slaley Hall Northumberland Challenge. ... The tour's website is www.europeantour.com.

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OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Nike Tour: Knoxville Open, Thursday-Sunday, Three Ridges Golf Course, Knoxville, Tenn. (Television: The Golf Channel, Thursday-Friday, 3-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2-4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 5-7:30 p.m.).

NGA-Hooters Tour: Bud Light-Heller Ford Classic, Thursday-Sunday, El Paso Golf Club, El Paso, Ill.

Canadian Tour: Pacific Open, Thursday-Sunday, Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club, Richmond, British Columbia.

Japan PGA: JCB Classic Sendai, Thursday-Sunday, Omote-Zao Kokusai Golf Club, Shibata, Japan.

PGA European Seniors Tour: Jersey Seniors Open, Friday-Sunday, La Moye Golf Club, La Moye, Jersey.

Japan PGA Senior: TPC Starts Senior, Friday-Sunday, Narita Golf Club, Narita, Japan.

Women Professional Golfers' European Tour: Danish Open, Friday-Sunday, Vejle Golf Club, Vejle, Denmark.

Japan LPGA: Mitsubishi Electric Ladies, Friday-Sunday, Kita-Rokko Country Club, Kobe, Japan.

Futures Tour: Junior Welfare Association-Anheuser-Busch Charity Classic, Friday-Sunday, Hickory Point Golf Course, Forsyth, Ill.

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