Thursday Pro/Am At The ShopRite Classic
Having never attended a Pro/Am at any event, the Atlantic City Golfer decided to give it a whirl. The only preconceived notions of a Pro/Am come from the numerous events seen on TV where famous individuals from entertainment pair up with the golf pros. The Pebble Beach Pro/Am with Bill Murray lighting up the course with his humor and talent. However, the miracle of television allows for selected scenes from the tournament and a complete perspective of the event is never really apparent. Most amateur golfers at these events just suck, or maybe it seems more so because of the quality of the LPGA Pros.
After taking the pilgrimage to the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Thursday, the first hole seemed a great place to start. Teeing off was Nina Reis with her foursome.
There were several unique elements that had never crossed the ACGolfer's mind. The first was that the LPGA Pros walked while the Amateurs had the option of riding. While gazing around the course, not all Amateurs rode, but many did. The second element that actually made sense was that the LPGA Pros always hit last. This just made logical sense.
What clearly stuck out the most was the amount of cigarette and cigar smoke that Nina had to endure. There seems to be only two kinds of smokers; those who are conscientious of their smoke and those who aren't. Nina's group was the latter. As a smoker, the ACGolfer is in the first group. Watching this spectacle was an embarrassment to smokers everywhere.
That said, she played like a champ and ultimately took her group to the Thursday winner's circle. It was a pleasure to watch.
After following Nina for nine holes, I moved over to the practice range where the opportunity was had to watch some the LPGA's finest practice in every conceivable fashion. The ladies had free run of Seaview's range and no spot was left ungraced. They were hitting in every direction, over each other and at every conceivable target they could find. A real highlight was watching the young, rising star Morgan Pressel practice. It was an unusual style that would surprise most, but during her first round yesterday with an opening 5 under par, it is a style that seems to work.
After taking the pilgrimage to the ShopRite LPGA Classic on Thursday, the first hole seemed a great place to start. Teeing off was Nina Reis with her foursome.
There were several unique elements that had never crossed the ACGolfer's mind. The first was that the LPGA Pros walked while the Amateurs had the option of riding. While gazing around the course, not all Amateurs rode, but many did. The second element that actually made sense was that the LPGA Pros always hit last. This just made logical sense.
What clearly stuck out the most was the amount of cigarette and cigar smoke that Nina had to endure. There seems to be only two kinds of smokers; those who are conscientious of their smoke and those who aren't. Nina's group was the latter. As a smoker, the ACGolfer is in the first group. Watching this spectacle was an embarrassment to smokers everywhere.
That said, she played like a champ and ultimately took her group to the Thursday winner's circle. It was a pleasure to watch.
After following Nina for nine holes, I moved over to the practice range where the opportunity was had to watch some the LPGA's finest practice in every conceivable fashion. The ladies had free run of Seaview's range and no spot was left ungraced. They were hitting in every direction, over each other and at every conceivable target they could find. A real highlight was watching the young, rising star Morgan Pressel practice. It was an unusual style that would surprise most, but during her first round yesterday with an opening 5 under par, it is a style that seems to work.
Thursday Pro/Am At The ShopRite Classic
posted by JB at 10:23 AM 
