Whaley Steals Spotlight From Kim

Mi-Hyun Kim had the hot putter Thursday in the LPGA Big Apple Classic at New Rochelle, N.Y. Suzy Whaley had the fan support.

Kim made four birdie putts of 15 feet or longer in a five-under-par 66 that gave her a one-stroke lead over Liz Earley and Silvia Cavalleri. Eight players were another shot back.

But it was Whaley’s 69 that drew the most attention at Wykagyl Country Club.

The 36-year-old teaching pro from Avon, Conn., qualified last September for next week’s Greater Hartford Open on the PGA Tour. She’s using a sponsor’s exemption at this LPGA event to get ready for her date with the men.

Whaley, who will play in a PGA event two months after Annika Sorenstam missed the cut in the Colonial, said the support didn’t stop there.

“Everyone was wishing me luck. I heard a lot of ‘You go, girl,’ ” she said, laughing. “You can never hear that enough. I play better with people getting involved. I like to interact with the crowd.”

This is the fourth LPGA event this year for Whaley, who played on the tour for a couple of years in the early 1990s. She missed two cuts and tied for 50th in her other starts, a far cry from her opening round here.

The group at 68 included Beth Daniel, who won the Canadian Women’s Open last week to became at 46 the oldest winner in LPGA history.

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Steve Lowery shot an eight-under 64 and held a two-shot lead after the first round of the B.C. Open at Endicott, N.Y.

Lowery, who missed eight cuts in 18 events this year, led Barry Cheesman, John Maginnes, Alex Cejka and Harrison Frazar.

Senior Players Championship winner Craig Stadler, 19-year-old Ty Tryon and Nationwide Tour player Jim McGovern were among 15 players another shot back at five under.

Conditions on the narrow 6,974-yard En-Joie Golf Club course were nearly ideal, and the players took advantage -- more than 50 broke 70.