John Davis' column in this morning's Arizona Republic reports on the preparations at Papago for the LPGA.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/golf/articles/2009/03/18/20090318spt-lpgapapago.htmlPapago all set for LPGA next week
by John Davis - Mar. 18, 2009 04:53 PM
The Arizona Republic
The browns are turning green.
Tournament structures have risen from the ground.
Some LPGA Tour pros have been getting a close-up look at Papago Golf Course and they like what they see.
The refurbished Phoenix municipal course has come a long way in the six weeks since it was chosen as the new site of the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International tournament, which will be played next week.
"Six weeks ago, virtually everything was brown," said Tom Maletis, president of Tournament Golf Foundation, which runs the event. "The greens weren't green, the trees hadn't started to leaf out yet and there were no structures in place.
"All of that has changed. It's been a very big challenge considering the time frame, but we feel good about how we've met that as far as everything outside the ropes."
Inside the ropes, Valley resident Louise Friberg of Sweden thinks tour players are going to enjoy the challenges Papago offers.
Friberg, who is defending her title this week in the MasterCard Classic in Mexico, has played Papago three times over the past month and said its maturity has been impressive.
"I know it used to be one of the top public courses in Arizona back in the day, which is what they have tried to re-create, and I think they're on the right track," Friberg said. "With the difference I've seen over the past four weeks, by the time the tournament starts, I think it's going to be great.
"I didn't play it before (it was refurbished), but I think it's a fun track that definitely has some challenges. It's a course that has some options in how to set it up and how to play it, and that appeals to golfers."
Friberg is one of about a dozen tour players who have teed it up at Papago since it was named the site of the event that was played the past five years at Superstition Mountain Country Club in Gold Canyon.
Others, who are not competing this week in Mexico, are expected to get their first look at Papago later this week, including Michelle Wie.
Wie, 19, is in her first year as an LPGA pro and next week will mark the first time as a pro that she will play in the same event as top-ranked Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, who is the two-time defending champion.
The Phoenix event will be the first on the tour this year to be played on the U.S. mainland and has received commitments from all of the top 100 players on last year's money list.
"The field is really impressive, and I think they have a pretty good understanding of our situation here as far as the amenities and so on," Maletis said.
"I think the big thing to players is the quality of the course, and the routing of Papago is just great. There are some wonderful golf holes and I really think the players are going to love it. Our only concern has been the condition because of its newness, but I think we have a pretty good handle on that at this point."
For the tournament, the two nine-hole segments will be reversed, so the ninth hole, with water running down the right side of the fairway and green, will play as No. 18.
Billy Bell Jr., the original designer, whose other layouts include Torrey Pines in San Diego, suggested at times that the two nines at Papago could be flip-flopped. Both start with a par-5 hole. The course will be set up to play at 6,711 yards.
Bleachers and corporate tents have been constructed beside and behind the ninth green. Other structures have been raised for media and hospitality areas, along with a temporary locker room for players.
Greens, which are surfaced with a Bermuda hybrid, were not overseeded and figure to be firm for the tournament, although agreeable weather has helped with their grow-in.
"It's new. That what it comes down to, and the greens are what you expect from new greens," said tour official Allison Akin, who was at Papago this week helping set up the course.
"They're pretty firm, and not as fast as some of our courses, but they're good. When you consider the short notice, I think what they've been able to do here is pretty impressive, and if Mother Nature continues to work with us, we're going to be in good shape."