Lunke Responds to Doubters

If Hilary Lunke was a surprise winner in last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, it would be just as surprising if she came through again this weekend, when she defends her title at Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass.

Lunke, 25, who earned a master’s degree in sociology at Stanford, probably could use it to figure out the ramifications of what has happened since her victory a year ago at Pumpkin Ridge in North Plains, Ore. She was the first sectional qualifier to win the Open and hadn’t been better than 15th in any other tournament.

Good thing Lunke has her title, because it has been rough going since. The Open was her only top-10 finish of the year.

This year, Lunke has missed the cut six times in 11 tournaments and has made only one since May 9. She is 110th on the money list with $25,430, and her best result is a tie for 36th at the Chick-fil-A, the first weekend of May.

“I don’t really feel like I need to validate it, but at the same time, obviously, it would be nice to have a couple of top finishes to just kind of seal the deal so that nobody is questioning it,” she said.

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Tiger Woods is back this week at the Western Open, after a disappointing tie for 17th at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. But in advance of his return, Woods delivered a message.

In the forum he prefers, his website, Woods said he was “disappointed” that his former swing coach, Butch Harmon, went public with comments about their split and his swing. Woods said Wednesday at the Western Open that he had telephoned Harmon and talked about the issue, saying he felt better about it than before.

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The three-year deal Annika Sorenstam signed with ADT Security Services seems to indicate she’s going to be playing some golf and isn’t as close to retiring as she has been hinting.

As part of her deal, Sorenstam will play in November against male pros in the ADT Golf Skills, a taped feature for NBC at Trump International in Palm Beach, Fla., against Nick Faldo, Peter Jacobsen, Nick Price and last year’s winner, former major leaguer Mark McGwire, who just turned down a sponsor’s invitation to play in the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic next week.

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Dana Quigley is about to reach a milestone next week at the Ford Senior Players Championship -- playing in his 250th consecutive event for which he has been eligible.

Quigley says his streak is nothing compared with ballplayer Cal Ripken’s consecutive games streak of 2,632. “It’s been over seven years for me now ... but what Ripken did is far superior. I just go out and play golf every day. It doesn’t feel like I have an obligation to play, like you would in team sports. It doesn’t feel like a chore for me.”

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She’s a calendar veteran now, but 21-year-old Natalie Gulbis’ second-edition calendar, for 2005, has the combination of two record-setting features -- it’s a 16-month calendar, and she is stretched out in a floral bikini on the cover.

Said Gulbis, whose best 2004 finish is a tie for 12th at the Chick-fil-A: “I really wanted to show a side of myself not often seen on the golf course.”

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There’s a revolving-booth policy at ABC, where Corey Pavin worked the Booz Allen tournament last week as a guest commentator. Pavin got lukewarm reviews. He said he found it “pretty tricky,” having to learn when it was his turn to say something.

This week, it’s Paul Azinger’s turn to say something when he steps in as ABC’s guest commentator at the Western Open.

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Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo opens today, designed by Casey O’Callaghan with input from Tom Lehman, who played in a ceremonial grand opening Tuesday -- and had a hole in one at the 231-yard fourth hole.

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Jim Brown, Isaac Curtis, Tommy Davis, Eric Dickerson, Mike Garrett, Willie Gault, Napoleon McCallum, Barbara McNair, Carlos Palomino, Dave Parker, Byron Scott and Fred Williamson are among the celebrities expected to play in the Leon Owens Foundation tournament, July 18-19 at Coyote Hills Country Club in Fullerton. Details: (310) 855-0172.

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Kemp Richardson, Mike Kranz and Mike Miles will be inducted into the Long Beach Golf Hall of Fame, July 25 at Eldorado Golf Course.