If your Labor Day weekend plans include a round or two (and whose doesn't?), then be a part of the first  Patriot Golf Day taking place Saturday, September 1. A joint venture between the PGA of America and the USGA,  approximately 3,000 courses around the country will collect money that day to benefit American service men and women.  All you have to do is pay an additional $1 to your regular green fee. Private courses will solicit donations from members.

The event was created by PGA Professional Dan Rooney of Stillwater, Okla., who is raising the funds for the Fallen Heroes Foundation, which provides financial and emotional support to the families of those  killed or injured in the line of military duty, and works with the Wounded Warriors program. The foundation is also working on providing full scholarships to children who have lost a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan. Rooney served two tours of duty in Iraq as an F-16 fighter pilot. You can learn more about him in this August 2007 Golf Digest article.

To learn more about the program or to locate a participating golf course near you, visit the Play Golf America Web site. It's a great way to honor and support our military men and women as we celebrate the end of summer.

I've noticed a new trend emerging among collegiate and young amateur golfers: listening to music during practice sessions. Although I love working on my game, I have to admit that two-hour sessions on the range by myself can get a bit lonely and (I know I shouldn't admit this) boring. That's why many of us depend on our iPods for company. With low music in the background, long practice sessions can be fun. As a 22-year-old who's half-Cuban, I like listening to Latin music and hip-hop, but the beauty of it is that you can listen to whatever you think will get you enthusiastic about practicing. You can also listen to hymns and songs that calm you or help you focus.

The thing that annoys me, though, are the dangling wires. When they get in the way of my swing I often end up ripping the earphones out of my ears. Ouch!

iXoundwear, a company that makes hats, caps and visors specifically for iPod Nanos and iPod Shuffles, has the answer. You simply coil the wires around the provided plastic stick, which forks on both ends. You insert that into the appropriate slot, which sits to the left of the slot designated for the iPod. It's simple and effectively eliminates any trace of dangling wires. And the hats are stylish and come in various colors, so you can look cool and practice wire-free at the same time.

Try it. You might even realize how exciting two-hour practices on the range by yourself can be.

A mountain-top view of the Annika course at Mission Hills.

This week, I'm on a not-so-ordinary business jaunt to Asia. As host of The Golf Channel's Golf With Style: Global Challenge (my other side gig), I've had the privilege of visiting some of the most fantastic golf destinations in the world, but this one surely takes the cake.

Located two hours north of Hong Kong, in the Shenzhen region of southern China, the Mission Hills Resort is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest golf club in the world. Stretching across an area of 50 square miles, this massive compound features 12 courses designed by golf luminaries from all five continents, including America's Jack Nicklaus, Fiji's Vijay Singh, Australia's Greg Norman, South Africa's Ernie Els and Sweden's Annika Sorenstam. Everything is super-sized here, including the 250,000 square-foot club house, the 51-court floodlit tennis center, the 10,000-deep staff (which includes 2,000 caddies—all females between the ages of 18 and 25), the 64-bay driving range and the 9,300 square-foot pro shop. (Which, by the way, is full of delectable golf apparel by posh brands from every corner of the world. I plan to spend every penny of my per diem there before my trip is over—food be damned.)   

Golf is a new sport to this country, and it's a sport that the Chinese have fallen for hard and fast. Cindy Reid, former pro at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, FL, and a Golf For Women Top 50 Teacher, has opened up a new golf academy at Mission Hills and is in the midst of staffing it with up to 200 teachers. "Within an hour and a half of this resort, there's the equivalent of the population of the entire U.S.," she says. "I'm booked solid and they can't get enough." Reid is so happy with her newfound homeland that she plans to spend at least a decade here, opening at least two more golf academies.

I'm still taking it all in. My trip is short—we're here for six days—but I'm fascinated with the prospect of coming back and playing every one of the spectacular courses. It would take almost two weeks, if I played 18 holes a day. And that would still leave time for at least one 90-minute deep tissue massage a day (which, at $40 a pop, wouldn't break my bank) in one of the resort's three top-notch spas, as well as lots of shopping and fancy dining. The food here is delicious and the service so impeccable it makes you blush. I've never truly known what it feels like to be treated like a queen before. Now I do. Maybe Reid has the right idea.

The bevy of Mission Hills caddies that greeted us at our arrival.

The Mission Hills clubhouse lobby. That's me way in the distance, in front of  the 15-foot flower arrangement.

Mission Hills Academy creator Cindy Reid.

I recently cut off all of my hair. Well...a good portion of it. I was so sick of dealing with damaged, split ends every morning (and the fact that I had been eyeing the new "Katie Holmes" inverted bob haircut didn't hurt either) that I had my stylist chop off about eight inches of what I now refer to as dead weight. Over time, wearing a cap out on the course and the constant dry-out from the sun had left my hair really unhealthy and the simple task of running a comb through it became a struggle.

Fortunately, I found a product that will keep my new, fresh cut rid of split ends. Joico's K-PAK Split End Mender ($15) is delightful and truly keeps its promise! It contains antioxidants, fatty acids and botanical moisturizers to keep strands nourished as well as a patented Keratin Silicone Complex that locks the moisture in and seals the cuticles. Add a little of the lotion through towel dried hair and style as usual- you will see and feel a difference.

Congratulations to Annika Sorenstam and Mike McGee, who announced their engagement Saturday morning on Annika's Web site. The couple have been dating for two years.

McGee described the proposal in a press release announcing the engagement: "I've been carrying the ring around for a week, and it just seemed like the right time this morning. She was relaxing peacefully at home with her cats and I know that’s when she is most content."

“We were having a nice morning and he completely caught me off guard with the question," Annika wrote on her Web site. "Ironically, it was exactly two years ago that we spent our first weekend together. I am very excited about our future and could not be happier." 

No wedding date has been set yet.

It will be the second marriage for Annika, who started dating McGee shortly after she divorced David Esch in August, 2005 after eight years of marriage. McGee is the son of golfer Jerry McGee and has served as Managing Director for Annika's businesses since December 2006, when he relocated to Orlando, Fla.

It's been a tough year for Annika, so I'm happy for her! Share your good wishes for the couple by posting a comment below.

New York City really does have it all; even a center where golfers can hone their games. As an avid golfer who was afraid of becoming a hacker after working full-time in Manhattan, I became desperate to maintain my game. Thank goodness I found Drive 495.

Don and Joe Saladino created the $4 million golf gym in May, 2006. Don, 30, is a former personal trainer, and Joe, 27, is a golf professional who has competed all over the world. They've combined their talents to create the city's first fitness center designed exclusively for golfers. Along with their staff of professional golf teachers and trainers—many of who have PhD's and publications—the brothers integrate golf training and workouts that are tailored specifically to your game.

Located in a two-story loft on 495 Broadway in SoHo, Manhattan, Drive 495 is hardly noticeable from the outside. Once inside, however, golfers become transported to a wonderland that fuses fitness with swing technique.

The 7,000-square-foot gym has the latest Life Fitness equipment, such as various weight machines, a full weight rack, multiple cardio machines and stretching cages.What's just as stunning is how beautiful and ultra-modern everything is. Created by Handel Architects, who designed the interiors of the Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons Hotel, the 15,000-square-foot space has 15-foot high ceilings, large windows, fabulous views, several flat-screen plasma televisions and stylish locker rooms equipped with steam rooms, Egyptian cotton towels, large showers and a full range of high-end toiletries by Fresh.

Oh, and did mention that there are five hitting areas (two downstairs and three upstairs) where golfers can play over 40 virtual golf courses, such as Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Casa de Campo? After each stroke the real-time 6-Degrees of Motion Capture System simulators generate a message that shows you ball and clubhead speed, how far the ball went, the clubhead's path before and after impact and other helpful stats. The sound of virtual birds singing in the trees and water splashing from the waterfall make the experience feel spookishly real.

Although the sleek gym and extensive health and juice bar take your breath away as you walk out of the elevator, everything at Drive 495 revolves around the AIM 3-D golf motion sensor system (the same one used in golf video games). I've been taking lessons with Pedro Benenati since June, but yesterday I got to try out the 3-D system for the first time. It's the same one used by the famed Titleist Performance Institute in California, and it has four sensors that measure the kinematic sequence of your golf swing. After strapping the sensors to my club, my hand, my pelvis and my chest (see picture above), Joe captured about six swings I took with my driver onto his laptop. Afterward, Joe and I went downstairs where he analyzed my strength and flexibility. While I aced most of the test, we came to the conclusion that I need to work on gaining flexibility in my upper body, especially on my left side. Consequently, my arms work independently from the rest of my body because my torso isn't flexible enough to get back in the correct position. This is precisely what Pedro and I have been trying to correct for two months now, and it's a problem I've been struggling with for years.

After returning upstairs and analyzing the 3-D image of my swing, Joe showed me a few exercises I can easily do at home without any equipment. Moreover, he's going to e-mail me a personalized workout regimen that'll help my torso become more flexible, improve my game and reduce my risk of injury.

Part fitness center, part golf center, Drive 495 is designed around improving your body to play better. It's a specialized fitness facility aimed exclusively at urban golfers. Now, that's pretty awesome.

Like many golf fans, I've always been curious about life on the professional Tour. I remember my fascination devouring the best-sellers A Good Walk Spoiled and Q School Confidential. Now we finally have a peek into the ladies tour with the Rookie Blogs on LPGA.com. There are 18 players currently contributing and there are many interesting posts. For example, Charlotte Mayorkas, who notched two wins on the Futures tour last year, revealed the role host families play in the lives of many players as they travel on the road (she's pictured on the left with her host "parents" standing behind her and her caddie). Mayorkas writes:

"I typically arrive a few days before the start of a tournament to get acclimated and to meet my host family. Greeted at the door with big smiles, I am frequently served with a sit-down home cooked meal. The families provide me with sleeping accommodations, the use of their washer and dryer and kitchen for the week, tell me where the best place is to have my oil changed or car washed, and introduce me to all the great local restaurants and historical points of interest. Some families invite me to go grocery shopping with them while others open up their refrigerators to me, or make space for the food I pick up at the store. There's not a lot of extra time for me to volunteer to do chores, but I try to do the dishes and always tidy up after myself. Some families host one golfer while others host more than one. Not all of my second families play golf. Some are diehards like myself while others have never touched a club in their life. Some families watch me practice while others just follow me during tournament rounds."

She goes on to detail some of the interesting family members she has stayed with, as well as some memorable side trips on her blog. I love these insights and hope to highlight a new post from one of the rookies each week through the end of the season. If you'd like to learn more about these first-year players, Check out the 2007 rookie blogs and share your favorite posts in our comments area.

As first reported on PerezHilton.com, Caddyshack actor Bill Murray accomplished a first for Swedish police blotters when he was arrested early Sunday morning for driving a golf cart under the influence down the streets of central Stockholm. In town to play the pro-am at the European Tour's Scandinavian Masters, hosted by his good buddy Jesper Parnevik, Murray more than fulfilled his duty as the token high-profile celeb. All week long, the actor (who said he had never been to Sweden before) entertained corporate sponsors and audience members during the day at Arlandastad Golf Club; at night, he lived it up Stockholm style. Unfortunately, someone neglected to tell Murray about Sweden's strict DUI laws. With a legal blood-alcohol limit of 0.02 percent, you can't drink more than half a beer before breaking the law, and the penalties are heavy. DUI carries heavy fines and possible jail time, depending on the alcohol level, and an automatic loss of your driver's license.   

Murray was stopped driving a golf cart at a slow pace through central Stockholm (a sight "never before seen" by the local police), which in itself is not a breach of the law (golf carts are still fairly new to Sweden — only a handful of courses use them — and they are all registered vehicles with regular license plates). But the police officers smelled alcohol on his breath and asked him to take a Breathalyzer test. When he refused (citing American legislature), they booked him and administered a blood test, the results of which will be returned within 14 days. After signing a document admitting guilt, Murray was released and has since left Sweden, but if he is deemed to have driven under the influence after the blood work comes back, he will face a hefty fine and possible restriction from driving in Sweden again. Which may not be a bad idea anyway.

Last week, on my way back to the office after a meeting, I discovered an old fashioned apothecary, Cambridge Chemists, on Manhattan's Upper East Side. While I perused the vast selection of La Roche Posay sunscreens and other "difficult to locate" European items, the owner entertained me with tales of his store. Valued for their variety, and quality, of products, Cambridge Chemists welcomes suggestions and requests from their customers on what products they should get to stock on their shelves. According to the owner, among his elite clientele was Jackie Onassis, a customer since 1984. One day she came in and laid a tube of cream on the counter and said, "I am tired of 'schlepping' bottles of this hand cream back from London to all of my Manhattan friends." If he would carry it, she would send all of her friends here for it. The cream, Innoxa One & All Hand and Nail Cream has been selling off his shelves ever since. He handed me a bottle and promised to make me a believer.

One week later and he succeeded. Normally my hands are bit dry and have their fair share of calluses (thanks to regular golf lessons)-- but the greaseless, fragrance free cream has really done wonders. My hands are softer and smoother. I understand why it flies off his shelves- I've already talked two friends into picking up their own bottles (they were using all of mine!).

It's not often in golf I see my first name online without my byline attached to it, so it was with particular interest that I followed Alena Sharp's play last week in the Canadian Open. I wanted to learn more about my namesake,  so I found her official Web site. I enjoyed her "Sharp Facts" page (this Canuck loves Kelly Clarkson and hockey as much as golf) and reading her post from yesterday as she finished tied for 10th:

"The fans out in Edmonton were great and walking up 18 both Saturday and Sunday gave me goose bumps as I could feel the country really supporting me...Going to enjoy the moment and finally get to drink the bottle of champagne that has been sitting in my fridge waiting for my first top 10 since I got my full exempt card.  Man, it's going to taste good!"

I bet! I then browsed a few more player sites and found these interesting nuggets:

Suzann Pettersen was pleased with her 10th-place finish as well: "I am happy with the result. I did not manage to bring it all out, but looking back a couple weeks, and now ahead, it is good. SAS Masters in Oslo coming up should be a lot of fun."

I also learned champion Lorena Ochoa is a Canadian fan as well: Her site lists her "favorite vacation spot outside Mexico" as  "Whistler, B.C., Canada."

Interested in learning more about your own favorite big-name players, such as Annika or Natalie? There's a full listing of official player sites on the LPGA Web site. And if you have a favorite player or fan site you'd like to name, share it with us!

Last weekend my twin sister, Kira, and I were playing at Birdwood Golf Course in Charlottesville, Virginia (we were on the women's golf team at the University of Virginia, and Kira's now a first year medical student there).  After putting out on the ninth hole Kira said she'd be happy throwing in the towel and calling it a day. I said, "No way! Golf is an 18-hole sport. No ifs, ands or buts." To which she replied, "Why? Why do we even play 18 holes? Where did that number even come from?'

After trying to defend the tradition of the game by saying things like, "Well, uh, it just is," I realized I had no idea why we play 18 holes. So I became Google-crazed and here's what I found:

The first golf courses in the world, which were concentrated in Scotland, ranged from having 5-24 holes. In 1744, Leith Links, in Edinburgh, Scotland, held the world's first recorded golf competition. And it only had 5 holes. And in 1746 the Old Course at St. Andrews, which resided on a strip of land along the sea, had 12 holes. Golfers played the holes out and came back in, playing a total of 22 holes.

The standardization of an 18-hole golf course, as with most golf traditions, can be traced back to the Old Course at St. Andrews. It wasn't until 1764, when several holes on St. Andrews were considered too short and were combined, that it was reduced to nine holes, meaning golfers played a total of 18 holes.

And in 1858, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews formally declared that one round of 18 holes comprised an official match. Realizing that the R&A was the rule-making organization for the sport, other courses conformed, and by the 1870s 18 holes became the standard length of a golf course.

While this is the most factually plausible reason explaining why we play 18 holes, I happen to like another story I read: it takes precisely 18 shots to down a fifth of scotch—one shot per hole. Maybe that’s why we should play 18 instead of nine.

No fewer than 45 of the top-50 LPGA Tour money leaders have descended on beautiful Alberta, Canada, this week for the 2007 CN Canadian Women’s Open at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, Alta. Why the rush north? While jaw-dropping nature, maple syrup and Tim Hortons doughnuts may be part of the draw for some, I have a feeling the impending Solheim Cup matches are the more pressing issue for a number of yanks. U.S. Solheim Cup candidates have two more tournaments at which to strut their stuff before the 2007 team is set. Right now, the players in 8th through 15th place in the Cup rankings (Brittany Lincicome, Angela Stanford, Sherri Steinhauer, Nicole Castrale, Brittany Lang, Christina Kim, Laura Diaz and Meaghan Francella) are all in place in the Canadian Rockies to battle it out for a spot on the 12-woman roster (the top 10 point-getters after next week's Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi are automatically in, in addition to which captain Betsy King gets two captain's picks). In other words, it's crunch time.

If I were Captain King, I'd be licking my chops. No matter how this pans out, the American team will be stacked, and heavily favored to win the 10th installment of the Solheim Cup next month in Halmstad, Sweden. I know there are "No applauds in the press box," as my two work husbands Bomb & Gouge always say, but I will still be waving my European flag, even if I won't clap. I'm just not sure it'll be enough this time...

Even for players not involved in the Solheim Cup points race, motivation should be in no short supply at this week's Canadian Open. The purse is a hefty $2,250,000 (though unfortunately not in Canadian dollars), the season-ending ADT Championship is around the corner (also requiring precious points), and, whether they admit it or not, another shot at beating Michelle Wie is probably carrot enough. Eh?   

A two-shotgun corporate outing spoiled any chance I had to play the Old Course at St Andrews the day after the RICOH Women's British Open, but I was fortunate enough to play the New Course. "The New" actually isn't so new. It was opened in April of 1895 due to the increasing demand for golf at St Andrews, and was designed by an Edinburgh civil engineer named B Hall Blyth, with the help of "Old" Tom Morris.

The course is sandwiched between the Old Course and the Jubilee Course, and while it doesn't share the history or prestige of the Old Course, or a many greens and fairways, it is quite a formidable challenge. Some Royal and Ancient Golf Club members will tell you it's a more difficult test than the Old Course, but what I enjoyed most about it, besides the fast-paced play (my foursome, which included frequent Golf for Women contributor Tom Mackin, former Golf Magazine Editor-in-Chief George Peper, and author Malcolm Campbell, got around in 3-1/2 hours), were the views I had of the fairways and greens. When I walked the Old Course with Morgan Pressel during her practice round the Tuesday of the Women's Open championship, I was startled by the number of blind tee shots and approaches there were. Nearly every hole on the front nine had them, and if it weren't for the TV towers, the players would have had nothing to aim at. I have to say, I'd probably have a more difficult time with the Old Course simply because of the number of blind shots. I like to see where I'm going, even if all I can see are bunkers and gorse.

I managed to avoid every bunker on the New Course and shot a 95, despite a four-putt on the decisive hole and several topped hybrid shots. (Much easier to hit an iron off those hard, tight fairway lies than a wood or hybrid, I quickly discovered.) I think a lot of it had to do with the pace of play, but I'm also much more comfortable hitting to a flag that I can see.

Granted, I still dream of one day playing the Old Course. Where else can you have a 200-foot putt for birdie or par? And the opening and closing holes are the best in golf.

And, if you're really desperate enough to play the "Old" without a tee time, you can...from the "New." Just aim well left or hit a few big hooks off the first couple of holes and you'll be playing the Old. Too bad I can't hit a hook anymore.

(NOTE: There are six public courses at St Andrews Links, including the "Old" and "New" courses. Go to www.standrews.org.uk/ for more information. A seventh course, The Castle Course, should be ready for play in 2008. Located just two miles from the Old Course, it is being designed by Bandon Dunes creator David McLay Kidd.)

Robin Roberts' recent battle with breast cancer is a topic close to our hearts here at GFW, and something we devote space to each year in our September/October issue. We found some terrific Pink Ribbon products for you to purchase to help support the cause, and we just found out about a new promotion we wanted to share with you: Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment are offering 12 popular chick flicks wrapped in distinct pink packaging for a "DVDs for the Cure" promotion starting September 18. They sent along this funny golf-related video clip from one the movies, "There's Something About Mary." Watch the clip and learn about the other movies included in the promotion. It's a great way to add to your video library and fight breast cancer! And if you've come across any other Pink Ribbon products of mention, share them with us by posting a comment below.

I have always been above average; my entire life I have vacillated between slightly above and grotesquely beyond the average weight for my height. I am convinced that I came out of the womb overweight (has anyone heard of the fat gene? I think I got two!) All kidding aside I probably spend as much time obsessing about  my weight as Sergio Garcia spends thinking about his putting. Obviously it’s not helping either one of us.  And if you're one of the countless American women who has scoured the racks of your local department store in search of that elusive size 16 trouser and come up dry, it won't surprise you to note that the plus size market is the biggest untapped market in the fashion industry. And if there's slim pickings at the mall, chances are they're even slimmer at your local pro shop.

Now, thanks to the ultimate equalizer, the world wide web, we can shop in the comfort our own homes. We can leave behind the awkward assistance of well-meaning (OR NOT SO WELL-MEANING) salespeople, sit back and just wait for the UPS truck to deliver our loot.

One of my favorite Web sites is lanebryant.com. They offer reasonably priced basics along with pieces that reflect the latest fashion trends. Once you've picked out a pair of tartan Bermuda shorts, you can also check out Lane Bryant's denim fit website, rightfit.com -- because even skinny minnies have a hard time finding the right jeans!

Another Web site I love is rebeccaanddrew.com. Rebecca & Drew Manufacturing specialize in button down shirts.They developed an exclusive pattern-making/sizing formula called TrioFit. Simply stated, TrioFit is a sizing system based on three basic measurements of a woman’s body: The chest circumference, bra cup size and torso height. Determining how these measurements SHOULD combine in shirt making gave them the ability to create a standardized sizing system that allows for the manufacture of properly fitting ready-to-wear shirts that suit women with different heights and bra sizes, ranging from 32A to 38DD. In other words, you can say good-bye to that awful pulling and gapping that happens when you put on a button-down.

If you're looking for cute golf clothes, check out Hana Studio; think Versace, but for the golf course, or Bette & Court, sporty and functional, both available at ladygolf.com. Lady Golf is a high end golf boutique that also offers the most eclectic and fashionable golf merchandise thanks to the keen eye of the owner, Karen Cantrell. Once you get on the site be sure to check out Karen's Corner and of course the tantalizing shoe section.

If your golf style is more classic and sophisticated lizgolf.com offers a good selection of timeless pieces. If country club chic is more your speed the offerings at polo.com should do the trick.

Some of my other favorite websites include gap.com, bananarepublic.com, nordstrom.com and jcrew.com because they offer a generous selection of plus size fashions.

So tell me: what's your favorite "plus size" website? What has your experience been trying to find a fun golf wardrobe? Do you have any horror stories or advice for making shopping the web more fun?

Have fun shopping and be sure to check out next week's golf course style make-overs!

The 107th U.S. Women's Amateur, arguably the most prestigious women's amateur tournament, is being played this week at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana. The tournament is so big that nearly 1,000 entries were submitted this year and the Golf Channel is offering 15 hours of televised coverage.

It used to be that grown-up women owned this title. Over the years, players such as Carol Semple Thompson, Beth Daniel and Pat Hurst won...when they were in their 20s.

But the last dozen winners of the event have been younger than 20 because the Women's Amateur has increasingly been attracting younger players: Kimberly Kim, of Hilo, Hawaii, won last year at the ripe old age of 14; and the average age of the field in 2004 was 22.1, which has gone down to 20.49 this year.

I talked this morning to Ryan Herrington, a senior writer for Golf World who is covering the event this year and reporting daily on his Golf Digest blog, and he said this tournament is starting to look more like the Girls' Junior.

The lone senior of the 156 players who entered the tournament, 55-year-old Carolyn Creekmore, shot 77-83 to miss the cut by nine strokes. On Monday she was paired with Victoria Park, who is 40 years her junior. But she seems to enjoy competing against the young guns. She told the Indianapolis Star, "My feeling is that the future is in good hands. I love coming to this tournament and seeing these youngsters hit it."

For the first time since 1895 a 12-year-old made the cut and qualified for the first round of matches. But here's the kicker: two 12-year-olds, Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Florida and Pearl Jin of San Gabriel, California made it to Wednesday's matches and competed against each other today in the second round (Thompson won 5&4).

After Tuesday's 36-hole cut, only one mid-amateur, 26-year-old German Katharina Schallenberg, made it to the first round of matches yesterday. But 20-year-old Duke Junior Jennie Lee defeated her 3 and 1, making 21-year-old Margaret Shirley the oldest player remaining. (By the way, all three Blue Devils who made it to match play—Amanda Blumenherst, Jennie Lee and Rebecca Kim—won the first round.)

An amazing quarter of today's second-round matches feature high-school golfers going head-to-head, which is more than ever before.

This means that the average age of those who remain in the second round of match play is just over 17. Sheesh! These girls won't even be able to vote in next year's presidential election.

Her caddie has disappeared, so two-time LPGA Tour winner Carin Koch has enlisted golf.se, a Swedish golf magazine website, to help her find a looper for Sunday's round of the Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika at Barseback CC just north of Malmo. Koch's regular caddie Chris Birdseye was supposed to join his boss in St. Andrews for the Ricoh Women's British Open and follow her to Sweden for her friend Sorenstam's LET event, but he failed to show up in Scotland and has not been heard from since. Koch's husband Stefan, who has served as her caddie on and off in the past, was happy to put on a bib and fill in for his wife's runaway employee, but since the Kochs' eldest son Oliver is scheduled to begin third grade at his school in Scottsdale on Monday, Stefan has to fly out on Sunday, leaving Koch without a caddie for the final round of the tournament (provided she makes the cut, which, after shooting -1 in today's first round and sharing 7th place, is very likely). Svensk Golf (Sweden's largest golf magazine) to the rescue. In what must be an LPGA first, the magazine has launched a reader competition on its website to find Koch a one-day replacement. When asked what criteria Koch has for a caddie, she said, "Well, he has to be good-looking..." and then added, "All kidding aside, it would be good if he or she knew something about caddieing." Our own Dave Allen, a big Koch fan, is vacationing in Ireland this week. I'm sure he'd be happy to take the short hop to Malmo and help out...

Are you afraid of a little water? As I was staring out the window during my painfully slow train ride to work this morning (the New York transit system was brought to its knees overnight by a tornado-riddled storm that dumped almost three inches of rain on the city and flooded all tunnels and roads), my thoughts drifted to a round of golf I played two weekends ago in the pouring rain. Normally, I would have pulled the covers over my head and stayed in bed on a day such as that, but my golf-crazed boyfriend was anxious to test out some swing changes, and, frankly, the rain wasn't coming down hard, just steady.

So we set out for what turned into one of the most fun rounds I've played in a long time—even though the rain never let up. We had the entire course to ourselves, and thanks to the wet conditions, we were sticking shots close to pins like it was going out of style. Sure, there was mud to deal with now and then, and the halfway house was all closed up so we couldn't get any hot dogs, but we had good rain gear on and carried umbrellas so we stayed pretty dry and the actual golf was never compromised—quite the opposite. I was amazed to find the course completely deserted. We could have played five balls each if we wanted to (instead, we stuck to two—there was, after all, golf on TV to catch before the day was over).

The whole experience got me thinking: why don't people play more rain golf in the summer? If you're properly dressed, it's a pretty ideal situation. No waiting, no stress, and your shots are easier to find because the ground is softer.

If you're a water-shy golfer, I'd love to hear why. And the answer better be more profound than "I hate wet socks."

Do you have a friend who constantly nags and hounds everyone in their foursome to wear sunscreen? That would be me (and by the way…those are good friends to keep around!). Unfortunately, I didn’t take my own advice last weekend during a girls’ getaway trip to the Jersey Shore. I started out on the right foot when I applied a broad spectrum SPF 45…but I waited too long (more than a few hours) before reapplying my second coat. Come Monday morning at the office, I was looking quite red (lobster red to be exact) and boy did my associates give me a hard time about it.

Luckily, a friend let me borrow her Banana Boat UltraMist™ Aloe After Sun Continuous Spray Gel and now I am a total convert. The spray has a 360 nozzle that could reach my sore back and tingling calves and it felt cool against my skin. Not only did the aloe take the red out of the burn in half the time it normally takes to heal, it also kept me cool and comfortable, easing the pain during that awful itchy stage (you know, the stage where you’re skin is just dying to dry out and peel). I went through two cans in five days and my skin healed in record time and in one piece!

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--When Lorena Ochoa arrived in St Andrews last Sunday night, she and her brother immediately drove to the 18th green of the Old Course. It was midnight, but the 18th green and fairway were fully illuminated by a full moon. The image was as crystal clear as the one she had in her head at that moment, that come a week later, she would be hoisting a trophy at that very same location.

"I wanted to win this tournament so bad," Ochoa said Sunday after cruising to a four-stroke victory at the RICOH Women's British Open for her first major championship. "Any thoughts I had, they were very positive and very clear to me. I saw myself on the 18th green lifting the trophy, and it's almost something that you already believe."

The 25-year-old Mexican can believe it now. Ochoa led wire to wire and closed with a 74 for a 5-under-par 287 total, good for a four-stroke victory over Korea's Jee Young Lee (71) and Sweden's Maria Hjorth (71). Ochoa, whose 67 on Thursday tied for the low round of the week, entered the final round with a six-shot lead and was never threatened. The final four-shot margin was the closest anyone came to Ochoa on a cold, damp day at St Andrews, a sharp contrast to the dry, windy conditions players faced on Saturday.

"Today was tough," said Ochoa, who went out in 34 and went as low as 8 under before posting three bogeys on the back nine. "I like the wind, it's no problem. But when it gets cold, I don't like that. A little rain, the golf club slips. Things just start changing but I was able to have control and I was able to manage myself. It was important to get a few birdies on the front and it made things a lot easier on the back."

The only time Ochoa faced any real danger Sunday came on the par-5 17th Road Hole, which Germany's Martina Eberl took a 10 on earlier in the day. Ochoa's second shot came out low and found a pot bunker short and left of the green. After hitting out sideways, Ochoa got a fortuitous bounce on her fourth shot and pitched the ball on the green to safety. She two-putted for bogey there, a bogey she would later describe as her best ever.

After Ochoa hit her tee shot in the middle of the fairway on the par-4 18th, she knew she had the tournament won.  Ochoa two-putted for a par and was lifted off the ground by her English caddie, David Brooker. Shortly afterward, she was greeted by her father Javier and a lot of champagne.

Ochoa, who now owns four victories this season and 13 for her career, met one goal earlier this year by overtaking Annika Sorenstam for the No. 1 world ranking. Now that she owns a major, there's little doubt that we've entered the Era of Ochoa in women's golf.

"This is my fifth year on tour and my first time ranked No. 1 in the world," said Ochoa. "And there were a lot of people saying that I wasn't good enough or that I couldn't win a major. Or asking when I'm going to win a major. And I understood very well because I hadn't won one. It's a big step forward. I did it and there's no more to say."

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--The Road Hole just claimed its first victim. Germany's Martina Eberl just took a 10 on the par-5 17th hole. "Nice double-par," said frequent Golf for Women contributor Tom Mackin.

The pin placement is brutal today, tucked just over the Road Bunker. It will be interesting to see how Lorena Ochoa plays the hole in about an hour or so with the big lead. The smart play is to hit it on the front-right portion of the green and three-putt for par. ABC television commentator Judy Rankin says you can also play your second shot long and left of the green, and chip your third shot on.

LOW AMATEURS: Amateur Sally Watson of Scotland birdied her first four holes on Sunday and shot level par (73) to finish the tournament at 12-over par. The low amateur was England's Melissa Reid, who fired a 1-under-par 72 and finished 4 over for the tournament. "I played with Cristie Kerr yesterday and with Annika Sorenstam in a practice round, so I have had a great chance to see some of the best players up close," said Reid. "I don't hit it any different to these girls. It's just the mental toughness. Cristie wasn't at her best but she grinded it out and got the best score she could. That's the difference. They hold it together a lot better than me. It's a great learning experience."

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--Count Judy Rankin as one of the hundreds rooting for a Lorena Ochoa victory today in the RICOH Women's British Open.

"Is there anyone who doesn't want Lorena to win?" the ABC commentator and LPGA legend asked while we were grabbing lunch in the media center dining lounge. "I don't think there's another player at the top of their sport like her. Annika is certainly gracious and a great champion, but she doesn't have the magnetism that Lorena has. She's very special."

Ochoa is inching ever closer to her first major championship. She's 2-under par on the day through nine holes on the Old Course at St Andrews, having just birdied from long range on the par-4 9th hole. Ochoa, who had a six-shot lead at the start of the day, hasn't lost a stroke off her lead. Korea's Jee Young Lee (-2 through nine holes) is in second place, six shots back, while Sweden's Linda Wessberg and Maria Hjorth and American Reilley Rankin are all at 1 under par, seven strokes back.

Scotland's Mhairi McKay and Japan's Miki Saiki share the low round of the day at 5-under-par 67.

ST ANDREWS, Scotland--LPGA Founding Member and Hall of Famer Louise Suggs joked that it's the most she's ever heard Betsy King talk. King, the U.S. Solheim Cup captain, met with the media for nearly a half hour Sunday morning at the RICOH Women's British Open, and, among other things, spoke of the difficult task that lies ahead of the U.S. team as it prepares for the biennial trans-Atlantic competition next month in Sweden.

Since its inception in 1990, the U.S. leads Europe 6-3, but the Americans have won only once on foreign soil--a 17-11 victory in Wales in 1996. Europe has never won on U.S. turf, making the visitors 1-8 in this matchplay team competition. This year's Solheim Cup will take place Sept. 14-16 at Halmstad Golfklubb in Halmstad, Sweden.

"It's going to be a great challenge," said King. "The European team will be strong and I think everyone knows about the challenge of playing in Europe. Hopefully, our players will be up to it. We're going to have to play our very best to have an opportunity to win."

King will take a group of seven American players to Halmstad for a practice round tomorrow. The group includes U.S. Women's Open champion Cristie Kerr, Stacy Prammanasudh, Brittany Lincicome, three-time British Open champ Sherri Steinhauer, Brittany Lang, Nicole Castrale and Angela Stanford. King invited the top 12 point-getters in the U.S. team standings after the McDonald's LPGA Championship in June. Of the seven playing Halmstad on Monday, only Kerr, Prammanasudh and Lincicome are virtual locks for the team. Stanford is currently ninth in the standings, Steinhauer 10th, Castrale 11th and Lang 12th.

The top 10 point-getters and two captain's picks will make up the U.S. squad, which is looking to defend the title it reclaimed from Europe with its 15-1/2-12-1/2 win at Crooked Stick in 2005. U.S. players have two more LPGA events to earn points, at the CN Canadian Women's Open in two weeks and the Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi the following week.

"I thought it was better to keep the group smaller," said King of the seven players she'll be taking to Sweden tomorrow. "Just because you don't go to Sweden doesn't mean you don't have a chance to make the team. I don't think it's that way at all."

King, who played in the first five Solheim Cups, posting a mark of 7-6-2, has either had dinner or met individually with most of the players in contention for the 12 spots. King said she expects to have a difficult time making her two captain's choices.

"I think it depends who the final 10 are," King said. "If we have a lot of experience, I might go with someone who has not played before. But if I feel like we need more experience, having played on past Solheims will probably be a factor. Best-case scenario, you'd like it to be a very clean process. But I don't think it's going to work that way."

King told a story about how she was left off the 2000 squad at Loch Lomond in Scotland, despite two  wins on the LPGA Tour that year.

"Maybe I didn't play quite as well toward the end of the year, so I'm not sure that was the reasoning in the selection," said King. "As it turned out, the U.S. didn't play well and the weather was bad, and I was kind of glad I wasn't there."

King is excited about the young, exuberant makeup of the U.S. squad, which figures to feature Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and Morgan Pressel. Pressel, this year's Kraft Nabisco champion, will be making her first Solheim appearance while Creamer and Gulbis will be appearing in their second. The two made quite the impression in their debut performances two years ago at Crooked Stick: Creamer led the Americans with 3-1/2 points while Gulbis earned 3 points. The two squads were even heading into singles play on Sunday, but the U.S. took control, winning the first five singles matches to pull away. Creamer spearheaded the effort, birdieing six of her first nine holes to set a Solheim Cup nine-hole scoring record of 30.

"I didn't get to see a lot of the Solheim Cup the last time," said King, whose father passed away a week later from cancer. "But Paula obviously did very well. I picture Morgan being kind of like that. She won the U.S. Amateur, and she's done very well in match play. I hope they are all stars.

"You kind of forget when you get older just how excited you were to be part of a Solheim Cup as a player, and that's what these girls are," she continued. "Paula is asking me, 'Have you gotten all the decorations and the USA stuff [for the team locker room]?' They are just so excited to be there, and that's what makes it fun."

A scene I witnessed Sunday morning captured in a single frame the intersection of history and culture and gender at the first Women's British Open at St Andrews this week. A little before 11 a.m., I was standing on the stone terrace in front of the imposing, grey stone Royal and Ancient Golf Club, watching the twosome of Yuri Fudoh and In-Bee Park tee off. In just two hours, at 12:55 Scotland time, the tournament leader, Mexico's Lorena Ochoa would embark on her final round—and with a six shot lead—an anticipated appointment with history.

I looked behind me into the big window of the clubhouse. There, sitting in the usually all-male Members Room watching the action, was one of the LPGA Tour's founders, Louise Suggs, now in her 80s, sitting with Commissioner Carolyn Bivens and several female Tour officials. Bivens left the building a few minutes later and stopped to chat. "As we were sitting there, I said to Louise, 'Did you ever think you'd be watching the final of the Women's British Open on the Old Course from an armchair in the all-male R&A clubhouse?' Louise answered, 'Not only did I never think I'd be here seeing this, I never imagined there would be a woman player changing her baby's diaper in the locker room as there was this week."

The experience of being in St. Andrews this week to watch women professionals compete for the first time on the Old Course, the "home of golf," has been a fascinating one, full of awe and wonder and contradictions. Here are a few scenes and anecdotes that will hopefully give you a sense of the the different perspectives of the players, the women golfers of St. Andrews, and the members of the R&A.

Tuesday and Wednesday: It's a sunny, blustery day and the players are out on the course for their  practice rounds. Even as they test the shots they will need in the coming days—blind drives over huge gorse bushes,  hundred yard putts, pinpoint irons—they are giddy tourists who are stopping to snap photos of each other on the famous Swilcan Bridge. "It's amazing," gushes Cristie Kerr who I run into after her round. "To be here is such an incredible experience. Playing this course, having the R&A give women the run of the clubhouse for the first time during this tournament. They've even put plates with our names on the lockers. It feels incredible."

Friday: I ring the bell next to the red door of the St Rule Club which sits catty corner from the R&A clubhouse, just across the vast 18th green. The St Rule is one of two all-women's social and golf clubs in St Andrews, and I've made an appointment to meet some of the members to get their view on the Women's British Open and its place in history. I sit down with Marigold Spier, the club's unofficial historian, Seonain McAainsh, and Dr. Eve Soulsby. While McAinsh and Soulsby are recreational golfers, Marigold Spier was one of Scotland's top amateurs, and behind us, there are exhibits of the history of women's golf in Scotland that show her competing in various famous Scottish and European competitions. There are also photos of Annika Sorenstam and Catriona Matthew winning the famous St. Rule Trophy, a top amateur competition.

St Rule was founded in 1896, first as a social club for women who came into town to shop and who needed a place to gather and, literally, to wait for their husbands who were playing golf across the way. "Some of the members got bored and started a golfing section of the club about six months later," says Spier. "Today, golfers make up the majority of the membership. We have about 500 golfers and 300 non golfers."

They explain that St Rule has the same rights as the R&A to the Old Course and the other courses of St Andrews, which are all open to the residents of the town. I ask them what they think of the Women's British Open being played on the course, and about the fact that the R&A does not accept women members.  "Having the professinal women here is a significant event, but it's not really a breakthrough," says Spiers. "Women have played on the Old Course for more than a hundred years. There have been lots of amateur competitions here.

She adds, "They're always trying to stir [the issue] up, and we don't want it stirred up. We're very happy. We don't want to be members of the R&A. We have lots of interaction with them. We help them and they help us and it's very satisfactory to everybody."

Friday: I've arranged to borrow two "official" badges that will allow myself and writer Lauren St John (author of GFW's current story, "Pilgrimage to St Andrews") into the R&A clubhouse. Lauren, who used to cover men's golf for The Times of London, watched a female colleague, Liz Kahn, being bodily evicted from the R&A in 1990 when she dared cross the threshold of the locker room to ask for a player interview. We pass the barriers and guards and cross the threshold. I feel as if we're entering the Vatican of golf, and in many ways, we are. 

The R&A celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2004, and is the governing body for the sport for the entire world, excepting North America and Mexico. We cross the threshold and politely ask if we can have a tour. Discussion ensues, and a woman tells us that her husband, an R&A member, will put on his tie (required) and escort us round the rooms. The member, John Gibson, is lovely and knowledgeable, but I have to say the tour is oddly unsettling. It's as if we are suddenly back in the glorious days when the sun never set on the British Empire. We enter the Trophy Room and Mr. Gibson points out various Trophies in the display cases. There is The Silver Beav