Young guns aiming high

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(Jon Clements/For the Examiner)
Morgan Pressel, 19, is part of the youth movement in the LPGA which also includes Lorena Ochoa, 25, Paula Creamer, 20, and Michelle Wie, 17.

Havre de Grace, Md. (Map, News) - “These girls rock.” That’s the LPGA slogan used to promote its golfers, but a more appropriate catch phrase might be “These Kids Rock.”

As interest in the LPGA has grown in recent years, much of it stems from the crop of young guns that have blazed to the forefront. When the McDonald’s LPGA Championship teed off in Havre de Grace Thursday, the tour’s top five money leaders were 28 or younger, and nine of the top 10 have played fewer than six full seasons on tour.

Annika Sorenstam is still a household name, but the 36-year-old Swede is being joined by the likes of Lorena Ochoa, 25, Paula Creamer, 20, Morgan Pressel, 19, and Michelle Wie, 17, in the national women’s golf consciousness.

“We are in a very different place, a very different membership than we were even five years ago,” said LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens.

The LPGA has always grown around its players. Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez, 50, believes the tour is set up for an extended period of growth.

“We have top competitors that are young and will keep this tour going,” said Lopez, a 30-year tour veteran. “They are great players now, but they are going to get better as the years go on. We have a very strong tour for the next 20 years.”

With her first major win in the Kraft Nabisco Championship on April 1, Pressel is the only player on tour with a shot at winning a 2007 grand slam. After shooting a 4-under-par 68 in Thursday’s first round, she’s off to a good start to win her second.

“Is [the grand slam] the main focus on my mind? No,” Pressel said. “I want to win this tournament either way.”

Still a teenager, Pressel carries herself like an old pro and recognizes that the contributions from all the young golfers on tour are helping the sport.

“All the other young Americans [are] playing very well out here,” Pressel said. “Nicole Castrale winning last week, Paula has won and Brittany [Lincicome], and all the other Americans are well out here. As a group, we can all inspire maybe another generation of great players.”

While good golf, charisma and fan friendliness have always been the best combination to attract the fans, Wie blends raw talent with controversy that intrigues fans. She has yet to win a LPGA event, but she is constantly one of the most talked about and watched young golfers on the tour. From her decision to turn pro to her attempts at playing on the men’s tour to last week’s controversial withdrawal from the Ginn Tribute, Wie finds a way to be the center of attention.

“It’s a tough crowd,” Wie said of the fanfare.

Wie, like Pressel and the other young golfers, is placing importance on patience.

“I’m only human,” Wie said. “I need experience, and it’s only going to take time.”

THE YOUNG GUNS

» Lorena Ochoa: Ochoa, 25, the top-ranked golfer in the world, is leading the tour’s money list at $1,200,982.

» Morgan Pressel: At 19, Pressel won her first major at the Kraft Nabisco in April. She is seventh on the money list.

» Paula Creamer: As a rookie in 2005, Creamer tied for third with Laura Davies at the LPGA Championship. The 20-year-old has one win and six top-10 finishes in 10 starts this year.

» Nicole Castrale: Before her win at the Ginn Tribute last week, the highest Castrale, 28, had finished in an LPGA event was a third-place tie.

SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY

EMAIL STORY

PRINT STORY

55 days ago: Tantallon hopes to catch the wave in P.G. County

62 days ago: Many are called, few chosen

65 days ago: Fairways, greens pave the way for Orchin

69 days ago: A coming of age story for Argyle

70 days ago: McCarthy chooses wisely

75 days ago: Mulieri finds that you can come home again

76 days ago: In an old place, Parrish to break new ground

79 days ago: Ireland’s Own

82 days ago: Welcome to the Sweet life

83 days ago: Two, four, six, eight