The world?s best female golfers will arrive in Havre de Grace in less than a month. From June 2 to 8, the McDonald?s LPGA Championship will be at Bulle Rock for the fourth consecutive year, as the world?s best female golfers try to solve the Pete Dye-designed course, rated among the mid-Atlantic?s best public courses. General manager Rick Rounsaville will oversee the course for the event.
With less than a month before Bulle Rock?s biggest event of the year, how is the course playing?
The golf course is fabulous. We had, last year, our best conditions ever. We came out of the box very good this year. The comments from the players have been very, very good. We had a dry April, but with rains the last two weekends, everything [around the course has bloomed].
Are there any changes to the course for this year’s tournament?
The only change we did on the physical golf course was enlarge a couple tee [boxes] on the 18th hole. A couple tees will be bigger, and they?ll go backa tee and play 18 a little bit longer. From the tournament standpoint, that?s the only change. It?ll go from 388 [yards] to probably 410 [yards].
Annika Sorenstam has won the tournament three times, including at Bulle Rock in 2005. But she announced she?s retiring at the end of the season. How important is her playing in your event?
I think she?s a tremendous draw. The year before, you’ve got two things going now. She?s started to play well again, and obviously if she?s going to retire, it’ll be the last time here. The other part of that is, Lorena [Ochoa] has the opportunity to win all four majors, and I?m sure that?s a goal of hers now. Having won the [Kraft Nabisco Championship], this is the second leg.
