OK, batter up! It’s day one of the LPGA. Cool, humid, cloudy with scattered showers.

The course has been tuned. Not to Pebble Beach standards, but it is a tighter and more difficult Locust Hill. Precision and consistency will be rewarded.

Let’s hope Paula Creamer’s hand is well, because she will have a shot at the title.

ThePCreamer My tee time today is 916 with Juli and Jiyai. Hope the rain holds off in the morning. Golf course is going to be VERY wet. Come out to watch

ThePCreamer Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! happy Birthday to Juli Inkster Happy Birthday to you!! Happy 50th. Glad i can spend it with u!

Kstupples Heading for course, got sherri + @SophieGustafson today

natalie_gulbis First round of the LPGA Championship here in Rochester NY

Brittany1golf Happy birthday to miss Juli Inkster . Hope she has a great day today

minaharigae Rain and chance of tstorms this morning but all clear for the afternoon? Isn’t that reversed? Oh well I’m not complaining I’m ready to go!

Some shots from yesterday, pro-am rained out. Click for a larger image.

Twitter talk from this morning and yesterday:

1. suzannpettersen Iam paired with Cristie Kerr and fellow nike player Amanda Blumenhurst tomorrow. At least i dont have to worry about what to wear!!
2. natalie_gulbis Practice day. It’s sunny and no clouds. Only played one hole in the pro am yesterday.
3. natalie_gulbis Weather delay for pro am. In playing with guys from Anheuser Busch
4. suzannpettersen i will be paired with Hunter Mahan!!!!! 
5. Meredith_DuncanPlaying oakmont today!!! 
6. MariaJoUribegood morning!! practice round at wegmans lpga great course and tournament. Cant wait to start it but dont want it to end. love it here

Paychex Shoot Out

Finishing in first place was Nicole Jeray’s team made up of Alie Ince (Fairport), Sara Quinn (Mercy) and Gabrielle Sacheli (Pittsford) with a 74 over nine holes.

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Pro-Am a thrill for Rochester-area golfers

“This was the best day of golf of my life,” said Hamilton, a data accuracy consultant for Equal Measure, which contracts with Wegmans. “The course is beautiful and the pro (Jean Bartholomew) was so welcoming and helpful. It’s beautiful, just a beautiful day. I never thought I would be on the tee with the Rolex clock. It was the best day of golf ever.”

Many of the participants, both amateur and professional, echoed Hamilton’s sentiments. The team of pro Sarah Jane Smith and amateurs Dave Fagner, Ron Indovina, Tom Mulvehill and Don Reeve had even more reason to be cheerful after posting a winning score of 54 net in the five-person scramble format.

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Is Michelle Wie’s career finally on course?

However, potential doesn’t mean a thing in golf. No matter how great everyone thinks you’re going to be, you still have to get that little dimpled ball into that tiny hole. As the years passed, and the pressure and expectations mounted on the can’t-miss-kid, that became increasingly difficult to do.

Finally, at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, it all came together for Wie as she outlasted Paula Creamer, and the tournament’s namesake, for a two-stroke victory.

Rochester, NY — June 1, 2010 – The LPGA Championship Presented by Wegmans announced plans today to honor Betsy Rawls during the LPGA Major Championship. A member of the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame, Betsy Rawls is the winner of 55 LPGA events, including eight major championships (four US Women’s Open titles, two LPGA Championships and two Western Opens). Following her playing career, Betsy served as the Executive Director of the McDonalds LPGA Championship, raising record charity amounts for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Betsy will participate in opening ceremonies on Thursday.

Additionally, two LPGA and World Hall Fame Members and Rochester Champions have entered the LPGA Championship Presented by Wegmans field and will compete in June at Locust Hill Country Club.

Patty Sheehan is a four-time champion of the Rochester LPGA tournament and a three-time winner of the LPGA Championship. She has been a member of six U.S. Solheim Cup Teams over the years. Patty won back-to-back Rochester tournaments in 1989 and 1990. She has recorded 35 victories on the LPGA Tour. Patty was inducted into the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame in 1993.

Nancy Lopez is a three-time winner of the Rochester LPGA event and the LPGA Championship, winning both events in 1978. Nancy also won back-to-back Rochester tournaments in 1980 and 1981. Nancy, a 48-time winner on Tour was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987. Nancy is a past participant and U.S. Solheim Cup Captain. Nancy has returned over the years to play in the Rochester LPGA Tournament. This will be the first time she has returned to play in the LPGA Championship in Rochester.

Patty and Nancy feel right at home when playing at Locust Hill Country Club. Both continue to be Rochester favorites even today. “Its going to be great fun to watch two past Rochester LPGA Champions tee it up at LHCC especially on this major championship course. We know our Rochester fans will come out and cheer for them once again”, stated Jerry Stahl, Tournament Co-Chairman.

Check the website for a listing of events and tee times. Tournament passes are still available and can be purchased at any Wegmans service desk, on line at www.wegmanslpga.org or by calling 585-427-7100.

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Locust Hill makes history as site of LPGA’s most coveted crown

Tournament officials of the Wegmans LPGA are keenly aware that they operate one of the most successful events on the LPGA Tour, and have done so for the better part of 33 years.

But there is no denying that things are going to be a little different, and the stakes are going to be precipitously higher, this week at Locust Hill CC.

It may be for only this one year, but Wegmans is the presenting sponsor, and Locust Hill is the site of the tour’s most prestigious tournament, the LPGA Championship.

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Locust Hill course gets challenging makeover for LPGA Championship

In preparation for the LPGA Championship, Locust Hill greens superintendent Rick Slattery met with LPGA officials in March and mapped out a plan to toughen the course.

Length was added, but only about 140 yards, which isn’t a whole lot over 18 holes. The only significant changes are a 30-yard addition at both the first and 10th holes, and about 20 yards at No. 3.

More importantly, 10 fairways were narrowed. That, in combination with all the trees on the property, long and lush rough, and speedy sloped greens, will put a heavy emphasis on driving accuracy.

Local high school female golfers pair with LPGA pros in a nine hole best ball shootout.