Columnist Ron Kantowski: LPGA event fun, healthy

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.

Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

If "golf is a good walk spoiled," then it can be assumed Mark Twain never envisioned following the LPGA Tour around Las Vegas Country Club on an April afternoon.

Unless you were wearing a hairpiece when the wind kicked up on the backside during the first round of the Takefuji Classic, LVCC might have been the ideal place to spend a pleasant Thursday.

In contrast to our PGA event based at the all-terrain TPC Summerlin, you only needed walking shoes -- not hiking boots -- to follow the ladies. LVCC is flatter than Britney Spears' tummy, making it easy on gallery members -- as well as paunchy sports writers -- who cared to chase after a favorite player, or get a feel for the ups-and-downs that comprise a typical round on tour.

And not to beat a wounded horse, but it was nice to watch only the pros hit, rather than bank presidents and insurance salesmen. That's what the gallery must endure for the first three days of our PGA event, owing to its revenue-raising, pro-am format.

The Takefuji Classic also had a pro-am, only it was the day before the tournament started. It didn't count in the standings. Outside of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where celebrities such as Bill Murray and Clint Eastwood tee it up with the male touring pros, that's the way it should be.

With only three players per group at LVCC, mine comprised of Hall of Famer Betsy King, eventual winner Candie Kung and Jackie Gallagher-Smith finished their round in less time than it takes to watch a NASCAR race.

Now that's saying something.

The guy carrying the scoreboard would have felt like Dr. Seuss: "King, Kang, Kung."

And just think if those three were to play with an amateur partner, and former baseball slugger anted up for the honor.

Their foursome would have been King, Kang, Kung and Kong (as in King Kong, Kingman's nickname).

According to the UNLV basketball media guide, the last time that happened was 1982-83.

Too bad for UNLV fans, coaches and teammates that his game was no better than Chevy Impala caliber.

There were 10,159 "tickets out" for Sunday's Gladiators-Orlando Predators game in Florida, which sounds like a decent number of ... well, tickets out, on an Easter Sunday afternoon.

Of course, if it were 10,159 "tickets used" instead of "tickets out," it would be that much more impressive.