(December 4, 2002)                                                                                          Hot News Main Page

Women Set To Make PGA History

HARTFORD, CT (December 4, 2002) Making history and hopefully a difference were just too much for Suzy Whaley to pass up.

For Whaley, being a pioneer and inspiration far outweighed any embarrassment from the high scores she might shoot.

In late July at the TPC at River Highlands in Cromwell, Whaley will walk to the tee for the opening round of the 52nd Greater Hartford Open as the first woman to qualify for a PGA Tour event.

Whaley, the first-year head pro at Blue Fox Run Golf Club in Avon, will compete against defending champion Phil Mickelson, the world's No. 2 ranked player, and 154 other men. Her husband, Bill, is the general manager and director of golf at the TPC.

"A lot of things and time went into the decision," Whaley said before a Golf World magazine cover shoot in Orlando, Fla. She was posing with five other women including LPGA superstar Annika Sorenstam and Martha Burk, chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations, which is challenging Augusta National's policy of no female members.

"I'm making history, and I think it's extremely special anytime you can say that," said Whaley, who said Burk congratulated her on her decision. "I spoke to a lot of people who I respect, and they were all extremely supportive. I love golf, and this gives me an opportunity to play at a competitive level I've had the opportunity to play at before. I'm really looking forward to it, and I think it's exciting."

Whaley, 36, qualified for the GHO when she rallied to win the Connecticut Section PGA Championship Sept. 17. She could have waited until a week before the GHO, which will be July 24-27, to make her decision.

She said her sounding board included her husband and parents, officials from PGA of America, the Connecticut Section PGA and PGA Tour, her first golf pro, Joe Tesori, and sports psychologist Dr. Richard Coop, whom she worked with in her playing days at the University of North Carolina.

"It was a difficult decision initially because I was so caught up in performance that I was looking to plot a little on how exciting and how huge an opportunity it was," Whaley said. "But once I sat down and thought about it, talked to people I really respect and realized how much support I truly have, it was an easy decision.

"Being historic is important to me, but I think I'm more excited to go out and play, enjoy it and savor the moment. It's about the process, and I don't think you get many moments that can compare to this, and I hope to really enjoy the next seven months and live it as it's coming."

Babe Didrikson Zaharias, an LPGA Hall of Famer, missed the cut in the 1938 Los Angeles Open, shooting 84-81. But she was invited to play, while Whaley earned her spot.

Whaley, who made her decision in early November, said Tuesday she didn't want to become "a referendum on women's golf" since she will have to play the same course as the men (6,820 yards) at the GHO.

When she won the PGA Section Championship at Ellington Ridge Country Club, she played at about 90 percent of the distance the men played - 6,143 yards to 6,843 the first 36 holes, and 6,214 yards to 6,938 the final round. She shot 11-under-par 211 to beat Bob Mucha by two.

"I want golf to be known as a game to be enjoyed by all," Whaley said. "I didn't want to add fuel to the fire that I couldn't play at a competitive level at that yardage [for men], so that was a negative. But the positives definitely outweigh the negatives of what my performance may or may not be.

"The course is a lot longer than I'm used to playing, but I'm just going to do the best I possibly can."

Whaley played four years at North Carolina and was on the LPGA Tour in 1990 and 1993. She then worked for four years at Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield before coming to Blue Fox Run.

Earlier this year, Whaley became the first woman to qualify for the PGA of America's Club Professional Championship and the Challenge Cup Matches, which pit the Connecticut Section PGA against the Connecticut State Golf Association. She also won her third consecutive Connecticut Women's Open and the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Championship for the first time.

The latter qualified her for the 2003 LPGA Championship at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Del. Whaley said she will try to gain sponsor's exemptions into LPGA events before the GHO. "The more I can play and be inside the ropes, the more comfortable I'll be," said Whaley, who received more than 200 phone calls Tuesday.

Whaley, who grew up in Syracuse, N.Y., lives in Farmington with her husband and two daughters, Jennifer, 8, and Kelly, 5.

Cindy Demma, chairwoman of the 2003 GHO, said she felt a special connection with Whaley and was looking at what Whaley could bring to the tournament.

"We're extremely excited, and I'm personally psyched being a woman and her being the first woman to [qualify for] a tour event," said Demma, the third woman to chair the GHO.

GHO tournament director Dan Baker called the decision "terrific." "We anticipate tremendous media exposure because it's an international story," Baker said.

PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Jim Awtrey, who has known Whaley for years, supported her decision.

"Suzy Whaley is a great PGA of America member, club professional, mother and representative of the game and our association," Awtrey said.

PGA Tour spokesman Bob Combs said Whaley had informed the tour of her decision.

[Souce: Bruce Berlet, The Hartford Courant]