Takefuji Classic no guarantee to come back after this year

Adam Candee

Monday, April 11, 2005 | 9:16 a.m.

Say hello to the LPGA Takefuji Classic today and be prepared to wave goodbye to it by the end of the week.

The LPGA's latest foray into Las Vegas, the Takefuji will complete the final year of a three-year contract with this week's tournament that begins Thursday at Las Vegas Country Club. Tournament director Ava Kawana said that even at this late date, she does not know if Takefuji, the Japan-based title sponsor, plans to keep the tournament in town.

"We're trying to push as hard as we can right now," Kawana said of getting a decision. "Takefuji has not indicated that it doesn't want to (come back)."

Practice rounds begin today and continue tomorrow. The pro-am is scheduled for Wednesday and the 54-hole tournament starts Thursday. LPGA events normally begin on Friday, but the Takefuji begins early because of the TV broadcast to Japan, which is a day ahead of the United States.

Takefuji has already moved once in the six-year history of the tournament, coming to Las Vegas from Hawaii in 2003. Las Vegas has not been a successful LPGA stop in the past, as 12 different incarnations of a ladies' professional tournament have come and gone in the past 42 years. None has survived more than five years.

The first year of the Takefuji was a success, in large part because of the presence of Annika Sorenstam. Warming up for her appearance in a PGA tour event at Colonial in Texas, Sorenstam played in Las Vegas and made a stirring final-day charge to finish tied for second.

Sorenstam will not play in Las Vegas this year, nor will the other huge draw in women's golf, 15-year-old phenom Michelle Wie. Without Sorenstam or Wie, the Takefuji field again becomes a group of solid players recognizable to golf diehards, but one that looks like most every other nondescript tournament on the circuit.

Nine of the top 10 female players on this year's money list are entered in Las Vegas, including defending champion Cristie Kerr and future Hall of Fame player Karrie Webb.

Kerr won last year's tournament in a battle of attrition, outlasting Seol An Jon in a seven-hole playoff after faltering in the final few holes of regulation. The two played through nasty wind and rain before Kerr finally made par at No. 16 to earn the win.

Her Takefuji win helped spur Kerr, 27, to a breakout year that included three victories and more than $1 million in earnings, good for fifth on the money list.

"I think I have a lot more confidence that I can compete and win tournaments instead of just competing," Kerr said. "There is an advantage after having won in different situations that help me to recognize opportunities to succeed."

Those opportunities appear to be enhanced by the absence of Sorenstam. Her eight-stroke victory two weeks ago at the Kraft Nabisco, the first major of the year in women's golf, was Sorenstam's fifth consecutive win dating back to last season.

In an Annika-free zone, Kerr said, some players see a chance to win that may not otherwise be there.

"It may change a little bit for certain players more than others," Kerr said. "As a competitor, you want to test yourself against the best and win. That is the ultimate rush in our sport.

"Annika is the best now and I look forward to that challenge and I think she would say she performs better when challenged."

The long layoff after Sorenstam's blowout win could make it tough for players to get started again in Las Vegas.

"It's a bit more difficult to get back into competition after any layoff, especially after a major," Kerr said. "There will be some rust, which may take nine holes to shake off. Sometimes the downtime gives us a chance to work on things, but it's hard to replace competition."