Hokie Dokey
ON JUNE 23 DrewWeaver, 20, became the first American to win the British Amateur since 1979when he defeated Tim Stuart of Australia 2 and 1 at Royal Lytham and St. Annesin Lancashire, England. Weaver (below), a junior at Virginia Tech, was 100yards away from entering the school's Norris Hall on April 16 when Seung-HuiCho opened fire, killing 33 people. At Royal Lytham, Weaver had a patch on hisbag that read: virginia tech remembers 4/16/07. Meanwhile, Jay Sigel, the lastAmerican to win the British Amateur, tied for eighth at the Bank of AmericaChampionship. A celebrated amateur, Sigel also won two U.S.-Am and three Mid-Amtitles. In 1994 he joined the Champions tour, on which he has won eight times."It's great to see one of our top players in the event and to see him do sowell," Sigel says of Weaver's win.
WHEN MICHELLE WIEpulled out of the John Deere Classic the event lost a bit of buzz, buttournament director Clair Peterson understands. "I think she made the rightdecision," he says. So who will take Wie's place? Peterson already had 30requests for an exemption, and another 20 arrived in the days after Wie's WD.Peterson says that "our event has a history of giving good young players ashot." Although teenager MacKinzie Kline is playing in the pro-am, Petersonsays, "I can guarantee you that none of the people on our list arewomen."
IT'LL BE an oddfeeling for Morgan Pressel when she returns to Pine Needles this week for theU.S. Women's Open. Pressel last played the course in 2001, when at age 13 yearsand eight days she became the youngest person to qualify for the event. Thatwas also the only time her mother, Kathy, who died of breast cancer in 2003,saw Morgan play on the LPGA tour. Besides dealing with the memories of hermother, Pressel will lose her record, since 12-year, four-month and 18-day-oldAlexis Thompson is set to tee it up. . . . Thompson's brother Nick tied forninth at the Nationwide tour's Knoxville Open, moving to second on the moneylist and assuring himself a PGA Tour card for next year. . . . Greg and LauraNorman announced that they have settled their divorce. . . . Navy grad BillyHurley, 25, is shipping out. Hurley had sought permission to continue playingpro golf, arguing that the visibility he provided would do the Navy more goodthan a traditional assignment. But after two years teaching economics at theacademy while also playing, Hurley was ordered to report to the destroyer USSChung-Hoon at Pearl Harbor. In seven starts on the PGA Tour, Hurley made thecut twice. He was one for three on the Nationwide tour.
SUGGESTED WOODSBABY NAME Sam Alexis. (Congrats!)
For AlanShipnuck's Hot or Not column, go to GOLF.com.
"Let her paint your fingernails pink." --MYSHOT, PAGE G16
KEY STAT
1
Playoff wins by Lorena Ochoa in five tries.
One Shot with Jim Furyk
One course you'd play over and over
Winged Foot.
One mulligan you'd like
Masters, 1998, 15th fairway. I hit it into the water and lost by two shots.
One shot you can't top
The putt on 18 to win the U.S. Open at Olympia Fields.
One great attribute
Even-tempered.
One thing you'd change about yourself
More patience.
One thing people would be surprised to know aboutyou
I'm not as serious as I look, except for golf.
One superpower you'd like to have
Climbing buildings, like Spider-Man.
One person you wouldn't be here without
My dad, who's my only coach, and my wife.
One PGA Tour perk you love
Being treated like a king every single week.
One thing Tiger has that you'd like
I'd say his hair, but he's getting bald like I am.
PHOTO
DEWITT JONES III (FIRE)
FIRE ALARM On Sunday, golfers at Lake Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., finished up as a forest fire loomed. Only two hours old then, the blaze had torched 2,500 acres and 250 houses by Monday afternoon.
TWO PHOTOS
RICHARD HEATHCOTE/GETTY IMAGES (WEAVER); AL TIELEMANS (FURYK)