The women slated to face off at the Tournament of Champions at Grand National golf course in Opelika-Auburn, Alabama, include potential winners from top to bottom. But two words best describe the frontrunners for this tourney: foreign and fantastic. South Korea's Se Ri Pak has stormed to the top of the tour in 1998. A rookie, she nonetheless captured two of the season's majors, including the U.S, Women's Open.
Sweden's Annika Sorenstam, Breitling Fake 1997 Rolex Player of the Year, has carried her winning ways into 1998. Look out, too, for Australian Karrie Webb, who captured last year's Vare Trophy by posting a mind-boggling, sub-par 70-the lowest annual scoring average ever recorded in the award's history.
A couple of other hot Swedes, Liselotte Neumann and Helen Alfredsson, have both shot their way to multiple trophies this year. And you can never discount Britain's Laura Davies. Known for her prodigious drives, she possesses a gambler's go-for-it attitude.
But plenty of Southern-based contenders will tee it up in October. Always the sentimental favorite, Nancy Lopez has rededicated herself to the game for which she set an otherworldly standardnine wins, five in a row-as a rookie 20 years ago. Last year she topped the leader board at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship and put on a sterling display of golf before finishing an agonizing second in the U.S. Women's Open, proving she still has the desire and the ability to contend. Now living in Georgia with husband Ray Knight and their three daughters, she should feel plenty comfortable on the Lake Course. "Southern hospitality really is true," she says. "I love it. I love living in Albany."
Donna Andrews, who represents North Carolina's Resorts of Pinehurst may be the Southerner to beat. Displaying awesome accuracy off the tee and an affinity for birdies, by mid-August this year she had scored 45 out of 67 rounds under par, posted 12 out of 19 top-10 finishes, and shot her way to fourth place on the money list. "I'm a die-hard, all-around Fendi Bags Replica athlete," declares Donna. "My true love now is horseback riding. I've become a country girl at heart," she says of the farm life she shares with husband John Reeves. Considering her year, odds are good that this champion will be in the last group come Sunday.
Long-hitting Floridian Michelle McGann leaped directly from high school to the LPGA Tour 10 years ago. With a little advice from stars such as JoAnn Carner and the strong support of her family, she improved yearly. With two wins in 1995, three in 1996, and two more in 1997, Michelle has established a reputation as flashy as her looks. Recipient of this year's LPGA Good Samaritan award, she directed the extra cash into the tournament she founded to raise money for the Diabetes Research Institute. When she's not on the links, she's been devoting spare time to pottery. But there's no doubt she'll be fired up when she comes to the first tee. "Being the winner of the Tournament of Champions is a great title to have," she declares.
Another Floridian, Dale Eggeling started this year off right when she birdied the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win the Los Angeles Women's Championship in February. That jumpstarted what has become one of the best of her 22 years on tour. When she's not golfing, this intense competitor trains her beloved Thoroughbreds or drag races with her husband. You can be sure Dale is looking to accelerate past her rivals for a shot at the Tournament of Champions title. "I can't wait," she says. "This is like our end-of-the-year reward for winning."
Always a crowd pleaser, the irrepressible Dottie Pepper joined the Tour in 1987, and over the past decade has amassed 14 career victories. Week after week, Dottie appears on leader boards, her competitive fires burning as brightly as ever as she drives toward her ultimate goal-The Hall of Fame. In her off time, she enjoys the Jimmy Choo Replica Handbags domestic side of life at her Glassy Mountain, South Carolina, home. In October, though, she will head for the Tournament of Champions with her husband and sometimes caddy, Ralph Scarinzi, and their black Chow Chow, Furman. "Any kind of event where you've had to earn your way in," she says, "is always special in its own right."
Barb Mucha continued her string of even-year championships when she captured this year's Sara Lee Classic on the second play-off hole. An Ohio native now living in Orlando, she has focused this year on the mental aspects of the game, and the strategy clearly is working. "I think about being a top-IO player every week, then I try to go out and play that way." Barb, ready to make a run at No. 1, is sure to bring her best shots along with her tough-minded competitiveness to the Tournament of Champions.
Routine and consistency are the hallmarks of the golf played by Californiaborn Rosie Jones. Nine times a winner on the Tour, she practices constantly. Her daily regimen has kept her in or near the top 10 in most every tournament. She's a repeat winner, too, having taken the LPGA Coming Classic in both 1996 and 1997. A sparkly-eyed brunette, she balances golf with crafts projects and gardening when at home in Atlanta. Back on the links, though, Rosie ranks in the top 10 for this year's sand saves. And that may well be the most important statistic of all, for Grand National's Lake Course boasts a full 50 bunkers.