The 63^rd U.S. Women’s Open coming to Interlachen Country Club in Edina from June 23-29 is expected to sell-out the final two days for the first time in the event’s history, according to Dave Mona.  He and wife Linda are volunteer co-chairs for the USGA national championship tournament along with Bob and Virginia Carlson.

Ticket sales are ahead of any past opens and it’s expected that capacity crowds of 22,500 will attend each day of the Saturday and Sunday finals at Interlachen, Mona said. The tournament will have about 15 hours of national TV coverage provided by ESPN and NBC.

Mona said that among the players who will be here competing for the approximately $3 million in prize money are Annika Sorenstam, Juli Inkster, Paula Creamer, Suzann Pettersen and Edina’s Hilary Lunke.  Mona said teenage sensation Michelle Wie is the player event organizers “receive the most questions about” but it’s not certain at this time whether she will qualify for the tournament.

Changes will be made to the course including reversal of the front and back nines.  Interlachen’s signature hole is No. 9 and as No. 18 “will photograph beautifully” for TV, Mona said.  Other course changes will include faster greens, longer roughs and some narrower fairways.

Mona said the USGA wants to stage its opens at historic venues like Interlachen, the site of the 1930 men’s U.S. Open where Bobby Jones won a championship.  USGA officials have been impressed with ticket sales, corporate sales and volunteer enthusiasm.  Over 3,000 volunteers have registered and they pay $100 in return for some privileges including meals.

Marketing for the event will be timed to coincide with next month’s Masters.  Event information is available at www.2008uswomensopen.com.

Comments Welcome

Late last week Twins general manager Billy Smith said “we’ve got a good bullpen.”  He singled out spring training performances by bullpen pitchers Joe Nathan and Denny Reyes.  He said Jesse Crain, coming back from shoulder surgery, has been “fantastic.”

The Twins announced yesterday they have optioned left-handed pitcher Glen Perkins to their Triple A Rochester farm team.  In seven spring appearances (two starts), Perkins was 1-2, with a 7.50 ERA, allowing 19 hits with four walks and six strikeouts.

Gopher football coach Tim Brewster isn’t pleased with a new NCAA rule that prohibits head coaches from visiting high schools during the spring recruiting evaluation period.  “That’s a disappointing rule change, particularly for me,” he said.  “I enjoy being out so much.  It limits my effectiveness. …”

Brewster thinks the rule was pushed through by coaches who aren’t ambitious evaluators and that the policy may be changed next year.

He and his family moved into their home in a western Minneapolis suburb late last week.  Brewster had been living in an apartment in St. Paul.

Brewster, whose Gophers begin spring practice on Thursday, said he expects nine of the 11 Big Ten Conference teams to run spread offenses this fall.  Iowa and Wisconsin are the two programs that won’t.

Vikings’ coach Brad Childress heads for the NFL owners meetings in West Palm Beach next week.  Childress said he and Viking owner Zygi Wilf typically talk a couple of times per week but declined to identify the topics.

The Metrodome will be the site of first and second round NCAA® Division I men’s basketball games on Friday, March 20, and Sunday, March 22, 2009. Ticket packages go on sale today and are priced at $192 and $147.  Both ticket packages include four games on March 20 and two games on March 22.  Fans interested in purchasing tickets may do so online at www.ncaa.com/tickets.

The 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker award are Nathan Gerbe, Boston College; Ryan Jones, Miami University; Lee Jubinville, Princeton; Simon Lambert, RIT; Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, North Dakota; Ryan Lasch, St. Cloud State; Jeff Lerg, Michigan State; T.J. Oshie, North Dakota; Kevin Porter, Michigan; and Kevin Regan, New Hampshire. The public can vote for candidates to determine college hockey’s top player from now through March 30 by visiting www.hobeybaker.com.  Fans’ votes account for one percent of the total ballot, with the balance determined by a selection committee of 25 members from across the country.  Three final candidates will be announced April 2 with the winner revealed April 11 on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. Minneapolis time.

Comments Welcome

Brad Childress, 51, is one of those adventurous guys who doesn’t want to reach the end of his life and lament a lot of things he wanted to do.  The Vikings’ coach told Sports Headliners yesterday he will fly with the Navy’s Blue Angels in Duluth in July and thereby check off another item on his “bucket list.”

Childress said he started with about 50 items on his want-to-do list and has completed “32 or 33” including parachuting out of an airplane.  Also on the list is a visit to the moon, if the trip is available and not too costly.

For now, however, Childress has most of his focus on the Vikings.  “I can’t think of anything I would rather be doing,” he said.

The Vikings gave him his first NFL head coaching opportunity two years ago and he’s produced records of 6-10 and 8-8.  While saying it’s always a “tough discussion” to define what fans’ expectations should be for the next season, he’s anticipating having “the best” of his three teams this fall.

That optimism is based on such factors, Childress said, of how the offensive and defensive lines have improved, plus added experience for younger players and the anticipation of upgrading the talent pool through off-season free agent acquisitions.   The Vikings, of course, have the 17^th pick in the first round of the April college draft and figure to improve even more.

Childress said he would “take darn near any position” with the 17^th pick including a running pick.  That was a way of stating he believes it’s a “mistake” to blindly draft for need, instead of using a value philosophy that says choose the best player available.

Comments Welcome