Columnist Peter Benton: Top LPGA players headed for Las Vegas

Peter Benton

Wednesday, April 9, 2003 | 9:42 a.m.

Peter Benton's golf column appears Wednesday.

The $1.1 million LPGA Takefuji Classic is scheduled for next week, April 14-19, over the demanding, par-72, 6,494-yard, Las Vegas Country Club.

Annika Sorenstam, the world's No. 1 female golfer, who picked up her first victory for 2003 with her win in last week's Office Depot tournament in Las Angeles, will be here to defend the title she won last year in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

She appears to be hitting the ball solidly and keeping it on the fairway, which is an absolute must for our event, as although the fairways at the LVCC are of generous width, the rough, though not too deep, is extraordinarily demanding.

If you are a betting person, take Sorenstam. I know there are many talented veterans and gifted young players out on tour, but she has the mindset and seems to be picking up exactly where she left off in 2002.

To refresh your memory, this sweet-swinging Swede won 11 tournaments on the LPGA Tour last year along with another couple overseas; she earned $2,863,094 which was twice as much as runner-up, Karrie Webb; 20 LPGA records were set or tied; she was the first women's Tour player to record a scoring season under 69, (68.70); and for the fifth time, won both the Vare Trophy and the Player of the Year Award.

Tickets for the Takefuji Classic are priced at $11 daily (free on Monday.) A season ground pass is $30 and a season clubhouse pass is $50. Tickets are available at all Las Vegas Golf and Tennis stores, by calling the tournament office or daily at the gate. For further information, please call (702) 898-4653.

(Takefuji is Japan's largest consumer finance company, established in 1966. It has 14 consolidated subsidiaries, 1,851 branches, employs more than 4,000 people, plus has more than 3 million customers. The name Takefuji comes from the Samuria word for strength, devotion and prosperity, and from Mount Fuji, Japan's highest and most elegant mountain, a symbol of that fascinating country.)

Topics to be covered in Roby's seminar include developing and maintaining confidence, concentration and emotional control, plus implementing new strategies to improve not only your game, but your course management.

To register, call UNLV at 895-3394.