The annual Kitchen Creek Ladies Open tomorrow should be an interesting 18 holes as defending champ Christin Thomson faces a handful of contenders looking to snap her two-year reign.
While Thomson, who fired a nine-over par 81 to win last year, has been looking to improve her game in out-of-town junior tournaments over the years, she still sees the need to stay sharp at home.
“It’s not one of my toughest tournaments,” the four-time junior national competitor admitted. “But I’d say there’s always the pressure to do well on your home course.
Joining Thomson in the field of 60 will be locals Megan Ross, who finished third overall last year, Laureen Hill, and Carol Livingston, as well as Cindy Stoeckman of Baudette.
“I’d say it’s the equivalent of [last weekend’s men’s] Classic,” said associate club pro Glen Mills due to the influx of golfers who make the trip here from Thunder Bay, Dryden, and Minnesota.
The tourney will begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m., with the winner receiving a ladies’ driver worth $300 -$400 and, perhaps more importantly, bragging rights for the year.
“The actual prize is secondary,” noted Livingston, who won this event once in 1988, with her closest finish since coming in a playoff loss to Eadie Stevenson in 1997.
“I think if a person golfs better and on a higher level, the fact of winning is more important than the prize,” she reasoned.
Livingston admitted she’s not on the top of her game coming into the weekend.
“I haven’t been playing much. It’s the old snowball effect, don’t play much, don’t play well, and if you don’t play well, chances are you won’t get out much,” she said.
“But I’ll just go out there and have fun. I hope it’ll to be a good competition.”
But Thomson said even playing on a regular basis doesn’t guarantee a strong outing come tournament time.
“The course can be tough sometimes. I have my few holes that can cause me problems,” she remarked.
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