Historic Decision Will Have to Wait

Suzy Whaley, a teaching pro in Connecticut who became the first woman to qualify to play in a PGA Tour event, now must decide whether she will follow the encouragement of the tour, her family and fellow competitors and play in next summer’s Greater Hartford Open.

“I’m not going to make up my mind for a while. I have until 2003,” Whaley said Wednesday. “I need to be doing it for the right reasons for me. When I play I want to be competitive. It would be an insult for me to even think I could beat Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson.”

As one of two women in the 90-player, three-round Connecticut sectional event, Whaley played a course 6,239 yards in length, compared to 6,938 for the men. If she chooses to compete in next summer’s PGA event, she would receive no such advantage.

“I’m worried about the yardage,” Whaley, 35, said. “That would put me at an unbelievable disadvantage. That’s one of my biggest concerns.”