Han Proving Hard to Beat

1 Who’s hot: Hee-Won Han, with two victories and a second in her last four starts.... Wendy Ward, making a strong bid for a berth on the Solheim Cup team. Ward was in the hunt at the Weetabix Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes until a final-round 76.... Michele Redman (seventh at the Evian Masters in France, third at the Wendy’s Championship in Ohio.)

*

2 Who’s not: U.S. Women’s Open champ Hilary Lunke (64th in France, missed cuts at the Open and in Ohio).... Angela Stanford, who lost the 18-hole playoff to Lunke. Stanford shot an 85 on the final day at Royal Lytham, tying for 64th, then missed the cut in Ohio.

*

3 Biggest surprises: Korean rookie Young-A Yang, who finished 24th at the Open, and 24th in Ohio.

*

4 Biggest disappointments: Laura Diaz, still without a victory this year. Diaz was supposed to be a star. Not yet, at least.... Beth Bauer, last year’s rookie of the year, who placed near the bottom of the pack in the Open and in Ohio.

*

5 Best round: Juli Inkster’s final-round 65 in the Evian Masters in France. A day earlier, Inkster had shot a 64 to get into contention.... Ward’s 63 on Sunday that put her in the playoff with Han.

*

6 Worst round: Kelli Kuehne’s closing 83 in the British Open. At the start of the final round, Kuehne was only five shots out of the lead. She finished in a tie for 46th, 16 shots behind Annika Sorenstam.... Heather Bowie, with a 79 on the same day, dropping to 19th.

*

7 Best shot under pressure: Sorenstam’s drive on the 72nd hole at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, knocking it to within 115 yards of the green. If not for a poor second shot on the final hole of the U.S. Open, Sorenstam likely would have captured three majors in 2003.... Han’s 25-foot birdie putt to beat Ward on the third playoff hole in Ohio. Han had squandered a three-stroke advantage on the back nine.

*

8 Worst shot under pressure: Se Ri Pak’s tee shot with a three-wood on the same hole at the Open. The ball landed in a bunker, leading to a bogey.

*

9 Coming attractions: The Solheim Cup on September 12-14 at Barseback Golf and Country Club in Sweden. Captain Patty Sheehan will field a veteran group led by Inkster, Rosie Jones and Beth Daniel, all in their 40s.... Although she is not an LPGA member yet, Michelle Wie’s appearance in the men’s Nationwide event in Idaho a week later.

Michael Arkush

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

LPGA Money Leaders

*--* Name Tourn Money 1. Annika Sorenstam...12 $1,497,622 2. Grace Park...17 1,009,009 3. Se Ri Pak...15 960,958 4. Juli Inkster...16 953,502 5. Hee-Won Han...18 818,230 6. Lorena Ochoa...15 705,113 7. Rosie Jones...13 668,826 8. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc...14 654,572 9. Hilary Lunke...17 604,346 10. Rachel Teske...18 598,168 11. Angela Stanford...15 566,044 12. Beth Daniel...14 548,354 13. Lorie Kane...18 523,905 14. Karrie Webb...14 477,813 15. Cristie Kerr...16 455,759

*--*

LPGA Tour at a Glance

RESULTS

*--* Date Tournament Winner Jan. 25-26 Conagra Foods Skins Game Karrie Webb March 13-16 Welch’s/Fry’s Championship Wendy Doolan March 20-23 Ping Banner Health Se Ri Pak March 27-30 Kraft Nabisco Championship Patricia Meunier-Lebouc April 4-6 Office Depot Championship Annika Sorenstam April 17-19 Takefuji Classic Candie Kung April 25-27 Chick-fil-A Charity Se Ri Pak Championship May 1-4 Michelob Light Open Grace Park May 8-11 Asahi Ryokuken International Rosie Jones Championship May 22-25 Corning Classic Juli Inkster May 30-June 1 Kellogg-Keebler Classic Annika Sorenstam June 5-8 McDonald’s LPGA Championship Annika Sorenstam June 13-15 Giant Eagle LPGA Classic Rachel Teske June 19-22 Wegmans Rochester LPGA Rachel Teske June 27-29 ShopRite LPGA Classic Angela Stanford July 3-6 U.S. Women’s Open Hilary Lunke July 10-13 BMO Financial Group Canadian Beth Daniel Women’s Open July 17-20 Sybase Big Apple Classic Hee-Won Han June 23-26 Evian Masters Juli Inkster July 31-Aug. 3 Weetabix Women’s British Open Annika Sorenstam Aug. 8-10 Wendy’s Championship for Hee-Won Han Children

*--*

UPCOMING EVENTS

*--* Date Tournament Site Today-Sunday Jamie Farr Kroger Classic Highland Meadows GC, Sylvania, Ohio Aug. 21-24 Wachovia Classic Berkleigh CC, Kutztown, Pa Aug. 28-31 State Farm Classic The Rail GC, Springfield, Ill Sept. 5-7 Williams Championship Tulsa CC, Tulsa, Okla Sept. 12-14 The Solheim Cup Barseback, Malmo, Sweden Sept. 18-21 To be determined Sept. 26-28 Safeway Classic Columbia Edgewater CC, Portland, Ore Oct. 2-5 Long’s Drugs Challenge Twelve Bridges CC, Lincoln, Calif Oct. 9-12 Samsung World Championship TPC at The Woodlands, Woodlands, Texas Oct. 16-19 Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Nine Bridges GC, Jeju, Korea Oct. 31-Nov. 2 To be determined Nov. 7-9 Mizuno Classic Otsu-Shi, Shiga, Japan Nov. 13-16 Mobile LPGA Tournament of Champions Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Magnolia Grove, Mobile, Ala Nov. 20-23 Tyco/ADT Championship Trump International GC, West Palm Beach, Fla

*--*