Lorie Kane winning her battles on LPGA Tour

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 10:36 a.m.

Lorie Kane didn't join the LPGA Tour until 1996, so she never had a chance to meet Heather Farr, the popular LPGA player who lost a courageous 4 1/2-year battle with cancer in 1993.

But Kane got a first-hand idea of just how much Farr meant to her peers during Kane's rookie year on tour.

"We played in Nashville two years ago and (Country Western star) Vince Gill was putting on a concert for us and the pro-am people," Kane said. "He sang a song in memory of Heather and there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

"That was my first real experience as to what Heather stood for and the impact she had on a lot of people out here."

Which may help to help explain why Kane had trouble putting into words what it meant Wednesday to receive the 1998 Heather Farr Player Award, as voted by her fellow players.

According to the LPGA Tour, the award recognizes a player who, "through her hard work, dedication and love of the game of golf, has demonstrated determination, perseverance and spirit in fulfilling her goals as a player, qualities for which Farr is so fondly remembered."

"I'm still a little dumbfounded that I have won this and the players have recognized me in this way," Kane said while preparing for today's opening round of the PageNet LPGA Tour Championship at the Desert Inn. "Words can't really express the full meaning of what it means to me.

"Unfortunately, I never knew Heather ... but if the players think I have some of her attributes, then it's a real honor to receive an award like this."

Kane, 33, didn't take the normal route to the LPGA Tour. A native of Prince Edward Island, Canada, Kane did not play collegiate golf in the United States and remained an amateur until the age of 29.

She earned her tour card in the winter of 1995 and played in nine events in 1996, returned to the qualifying tournament that winter and regained her card.

Last season, her first playing a full schedule, Kane earned more than $425,000 and qualified for the season-ending Tour Championship, where she was tied with Annika Sorenstam and Pat Hurst after 72 holes. She lost the tournament to Sorenstam when Kane missed a 5-foot putt for par on the third playoff hole.

Sore subject for Sorenstam

Charlotta Sorenstam, the younger sister of LPGA Tour star Annika Sorenstam, was to be the subject of a front-page feature story in today's Sun.

But Sorenstam, apparently tiring of answering questions about her strained relationship with her older sister, turned down the interview request.

According to an LPGA Tour official, Sorenstam is questioned about her sister in virtually every city the tour stops.

Despite LPGA Tour commissioner Jim Ritts' constant boasts that his players are the "most accessible" athletes in professional sports, the younger Sorenstam is not the only LPGA Tour regular who has stiffed the media during the LPGA Tour Championship's three-year run in Las Vegas.

Dottie Pepper alienated so many members of the local media in 1996 that a press conference scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at the Desert Inn was canceled because no media expressed interest in attending. Another reporter claimed that Helen Alfredsson also denied a request for an interview Wednesday.

Neumann to play

It was touch-and-go for a while Wednesday, but 1998 U.S. Women's Open champion Liselotte Neumann finally boarded a flight for Las Vegas to compete in the Tour Championship.

Neumann, who has been battling the flu, delayed her trip to Las Vegas and pulled out of Wednesday's pro-am. As of Wednesday morning, it was uncertain whether Neumann would be able to play in the Tour Championship and LPGA officials were trying to locate a replacement for her.

By late afternoon, however, Neumann told the tour that she felt up to making the trip from her home in Boca Raton, Fla., and would make an attempt to play this weekend.

Pro-am results

A team headed by LPGA Tour pro Lisa Hackney won Wednesday's pro-am with a net score of 52.95. Each member of the winning team -- Steve Ebsen, Mike Moes, Bob Wiltz and Mark Wittenberg -- was presented with a Waterford crystal bowl.

Montreal Expos pitcher and longtime Las Vegas resident Mike Maddux was on the second-place team, captained by pro Hiromi Kobayashi, which posted a net 54.12.

In addition to Maddux, other celebrities who took part in the pro-am included Las Vegas resident and former major leaguer Marty Barrett, Rollie Fingers and Governor Bob Miller.

Soon-to-be former UNLV head football coach Jeff Horton was scheduled to play in Charlotta Sorenstam's group, but pulled out of the event.

Pak-ing it in

After spending some time in Las Vegas since last week's Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge at Lake Las Vegas, LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year Se Ri Pak apparently has had her fill of the city's favorite pastime.

"I try to gamble," Pak said. "Actually, I don't like to gamble -- I can't win. I play blackjack and craps; I don't want to play anymore."