In 1982, PGA caddy Judd Silverman was on a self-imposed mission to bring an LPGA tournament to Ohio. With the okay from former LPGA commissioner John Laupheimer, Silverman contacted several sponsors and Jamie Farr who lent his name and secured celebrities for the inaugural event.
Farr is still getting the celebs to attend. This year’s Dana Celebrity/LPGA Challenge on July 5th and the National City Celebrity Pro-Am on July 6th features celebrities Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, formerly of the Buffalo Bills. The Beach Boys are providing the “Good Vibrations” at the Gala Dinner.
However it’s the golfers who will take center stage this week. Meg Mallon hopes to defend her victory at the par-71, 6,408-yard Highland Meadows Golf Club. It was a close one for Mallon but she persevered with a one-stroke margin over Se Ri Pak and Karen Stupples. Pak will be in attendance; Stupples will not.
Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lang are also in the final field. Both amateurs recently tied for second place in an amazing bid to capture the U.S. Women’s Open. The unlikely winner of the Open, Birdie Kim, is paired with Meg Mallon at the tenth tee.
Right after Birdie tees off, the unique pairing of Christina Kim and Paula Creamer should delight the audience. Kim and Creamer dueled it out at the Sybase Classic before Creamer closed the door on Sunday during a torrential downpour. It would be fun to see “the Pink Panther” win the trophy at a tournament which features her namesake but don’t count out the cheeky Kim. Once Christina gets in her groove she knows how to take the lead. Unfortunately, on the other hand, she also blows up easily so it’s important that she checks her impatience at the front gate.
The next grouping at the tenth features Natalie Gulbis and Marisa Baena. Gulbis is really turning on the heat this year on tour with six top-ten finishes. The crowd should see Baena with an ear-to-ear grin. The Columbian import just cleaned house at last week’s HSBC Women’s Match-Play Tournament defeating Gulbis in first-round action and securing the grand prize of $500,000.
Back in 1984 the first tournament purse was only $175,000 but has swelled to $1.2 million and was recently voted fifth favorite of all the tour stops. Children’s charities in Ohio and Michigan also benefit and millions have been donated since the tournament’s humble beginnings.
ESPN2 will televise the Owens Corning Classic July 8th and 9th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm and on July 10th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm ET.