Golf In New York City Blog

The Sybase Classic, which has been played since 1990 at Wykagyl Golf Club in New Rochelle, is relocating to the historic Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ.
The opening for the move occurred only late last year when tournament planners learned that current renovations at Wykagyl would not be finished by May.
The tournament signed a two-year contract with the club, but expectations are that it will be extended if the club finishes some renovations scheduled to begin in 2008.
“We are expecting the Sybase Classic to be at Upper Montclair for many years to come,” said tournament director Michael Ryan. “The support that we have received from the club and its members has been fantastic.”

Ryan, who was the tournament director at Wykagyl for the past two years, is very excited about the move. “I believe the tournament will really see lots of growth given the timing of the event and its close proximity to Manhattan.”
“We could have moved the tournament dates to later in the summer, but there really wasn’t anything acceptable. We love the May dates because there will be no other local professional tournaments around that time,” said Ryan.
“For years we were competing for the same ticket buyers and volunteers as the PGA Tour’s Barclays Classic and now we can move out of their shadow.”
The 72-hole tournament is scheduled for May 17-20, with various additional events planned during tournament week. Sybase will continue as the title sponsor, and Shop Rite has joined as the tournament’s presenting sponsor. Lincoln Mercury is the event’s official car. The Sheraton Meadowlands in East Rutherford will be the host hotel.
Lorena Ochoa is expected to defend her 2006 Sybase title. Following last year’s Sybase Classic, she won five additional LPGA events and swept several major LPGA honors and was voted the AP female athlete of the year.
“This will be the only full-field LPGA event in the New York metropolitan area so we are expecting a great response from the LPGA players,” said Ryan. A better idea of the tournament field will be available in a few weeks.
Amanda Blumenherst, the Duke University sophomore who won the recent UCF Invitational by a twelve-stroke margin, was given a sponsor’s exemption. It was the fifth collegiate victory for Blumenherst, who was the 2006 ACC Player and Freshman of the Year.
Upper Montclair has a long history of hosting professional golf events. It is one of the only golf courses to have hosted PGA, LPGA and Senior PGA event. Past winners at the course have included Arnold Palmer (1967), Lee Trevino (1993 and 2000), Ray Floyd (1994), and Nancy Lopez (1980).
Daily tickets can be obtained through the tournament website, www.sybaseclassic.com or calling the toll-free ticket center at (800) 444-LPGA. Single day tickets are $20, and full-week ground passes are $50. All children under 18 are admitted free.
Spectators will find Upper Montclair extremely accessible. There are seven holes within 500 yards of each other. Another spectator benefit will be parking directly at the golf course.
The tournament is also seeking additional volunteers. If you have an interest in working at the Sybase Classic presented by ShopRite, contact Julie Howell (212-841-7033).
Volunteering is a great way to get a “behind the scenes” view of the workings behind a professional golf tournament.
Watch this website for more last minute information on the tournament, the best viewing spots at Upper Montclair and some player profiles. 

Seon Hwa Lee captured her first LPGA title with a 8-under par 63 on the final round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.. The twenty-year old South Korean Lee was excited about her first LPGA win. Lee turned professional when she was 14. Defending champion Annika Sorenstam who started the final round one stroke behind Japan’s superstar, Ai Miyazato, ended the tournament in tied for second place along with Jeong Jang and Sherri Steinhauer. Miyazato was also looking for her first tour victory, but faulted on Sunday and finished well behind the leaders. Veteran player Sophie Gustafson also had a 63 on her Sunday round.

Lorena Ochoa won her second LPGA tournament of the season firing a 66 on the final day of the rain-shortened LPGA Sybase Classic at Wykagyl Country Club Course in Westchester.

“I didn’t make any bogeys and it’s a fine round when you don’t make any bogeys on a course like this,” Ochoa said after her win. “We knew the scores wouldn’t be too low and we hung around the first two days and knew we would have a chance to win the tournament.

On the back nine we hit a couple close and made the putts and then we were one shot behind and then in the lead.”
The tournament was shorted to 54-holes after torrential rains washed out play on Friday. It was only the second time in the history of the event that it had been shortened.


The 24-year old Ochoa took home $195,000 for her win, putting her in first place on the money list, ahead of Karrie Webb. It is the first time in 11 years that either Webb or Annika Sorenstam was not the leading money winner.

The Mexican-born Ochoa is playing her fourth season on the LPGA Tour after an outstanding college golf career in Arizona. She was also the LPGA Rookie of the Year in her first full year on the LPGA Tour.
Ochoa will also be playing at the upcoming ShopRite Classic in New Jersey starting June 2. It is her first appearance at that event.
Annika Sorenstam, who missed the cut last week for the first time since 2002, finished five strokes behind Ochoa. Defending champion Paula Creamer tied with Sorenstam.

A big salute goes out to former LPGA player and Golf Channel commentator Val Skinner who will be hosting the seventh annual LIFE
(LPGA Tour Pros In the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) Tournament at Ridgewood County Club next week.

Skinner raises over $500,000 each year for the
Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey making it one of the largest one-day fundraisers for breast cancer. Some $3.5 million has been raised since its inception.
One of the main objectives of the funds raised is to heighten awareness of breast cancer among young women (especially college-aged women who are unaware that breast cancer can affect them at an early age), and most importantly, to get more lives saved.
Each year, Skinner gathers 30 of the top names on the LPGA Tour to play in a wonderful pro-am at one of the top courses in the area. Some of the participating pros this year include Karrie Webb, Beth Daniel and Brittany Lang.

Skinner became personally involved in this cause several years ago when a good friend and fellow LPGA player, Heather Farr, died from the disease at age 28 in 1993.
On a personal note, I was invited to play in this event two years ago. I cannot say enough about the emotion and passion that goes into this day. Ms. Skinner is a spectacular hostess and event-presenter.

While the golf is an important part of the day, the real event lies in the emotional stories by breast cancer survivors. Having attending many fundraising outings, I can say, without reservation, this has been the most inspiring and emotion-filled day I ever spent on a golf course.
Most of the participants are there as part of a corporate sponsorship, but the foundation always needs additional support and volunteers. Anyone interested in this event is encouraged to contact the
Val Skinner Foundation in Bay Head, NJ for further information.