Posted by Michelle on Jun 30, 2007 in Hayley, More Family
Hayley and my folks were interviewed at the U.S. Women’s Open by the Wilmington Star News and Hayley made the newspaper!! I posted the full article and bolded the parts about Hayley and my parents.
Click here to see the article on the Wilmington Star News website or read it below:
Golf, fans and good times meet at Southern Pines
By Dan Spears
and Brian Mull,
dan.spears@starnewsonline.com
Southern Pines | Turning the dogleg corner of the fairway, the typical USGA championship scene is in front of the players.
A green surrounded by large grandstands on three sides. White corporate tents rising out of the sky in the background. Fans cramming every nook and cranny of the green, while thousands more parade in and out the main entrance in the distance.
At Pine Needles this year for the U.S. Women’s Open, there is an added feature: the 15th tee.
Because of the resort’s tight layout surrounding the 18th green, the tournament’s main hub of activity is behind the 14th green and spills out to the southwest corner of the property.
But the large crowds remain the same. Women in sun dresses sip mixed drinks in the shade. Teenagers in flip-flops. Two men in “Redneck Yacht Club” T-shirts on the way to a sunburn while enjoying what is clearly not their first beer of the day – at 11:30 a.m.
Chapel Hill resident Gordon Perry, a PGA teaching pro (“now retired,” he added with a knowing nod), his wife, JoAnne, and granddaughter Hayley Hillison had just settled into a shady spot just off the 15th tee.
“We’ve been coming year after year,” Gordon said. “Coming in at No. 1 is more impressive.”
The Perrys said they had found their spot for the day, which was just fine with 9-year-old Hayley, who took her first golf lesson last week.
“I hit it about 100 yards,” Hayley said. “I think it’s pretty cool to watch them. It’s my first time.”
And in the end, even at the far reaches of the course, it’s about the golf. Annika Sorenstam’s putt for par drew the largest ovation.
“I’m coming to watch Michelle Wie,” Hayley said matter-of-factly. “And I came to watch the girl in the pink. But I can’t remember her name right now.” (It’s Paula Creamer.)
Strange company
Candie Kung owns the same oversized staff bag as most of the other tour professionals. Hers, however, has the most intriguing sponsor.
In broad letters down the side is a plug for Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers. It’s on the bag strap as well.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Kung is a friend of Tom Hicks, who owns the Rangers and Dallas Stars of the NHL. Hicks sponsors all of Kung’s travel expenses in exchange for his teams’ names on her bag and clothing.
I’m sorry, who?
Every year at an Open, a name pops onto the leaderboard that sends the media scrambling for its bio book.
This year, it’s Kris Tamulis.
She hit 13 greens in regulation and made only one bogey Friday afternoon in an even-par round that left her at 1-over par for the tournament and in the hunt for a stunning first LPGA title.
“I think U.S. Opens kind of set up good for me because I just hit it down the fairway and then I hit it in the middle of the green and I make a putt every once in awhile,” Tamulis said.
She was a three-time all-ACC performer at Florida State, but she has good vibes in the Sandhills, making the semifinals of the 2003 North and South after her senior season with the Seminoles.
She also, apparently, is a jokester – including whistling and Golden Girls reruns in her list of hobbies.
Because they shoot the lowest scores
There are 35 South Korean golfers in the field this week.
In-Bee Park, the leader in the clubhouse at even-par 142, has an American flag beside her name. However, she grew up in South Korea and moved to the U.S. with her family when she was 12 years old to concentrate on golf.
Park, whose first name means “queen of virtue” in Korean, said she began playing the game in 1998, at age 10, inspired by Se Ri Pak’s victory in the Women’s Open. She said many of her friends also took up the sport around the same time.
She’s also tired of answering the question of why the Korean golfers are so good.
“I don’t know,” Park said. “I guess they work really hard, maybe it’s in their blood.”
Tags: family, in the news, sports
Posted by Michelle on Jun 27, 2007 in Hayley
Hayley was over at golf camp this week at Lochmere CC and had so much fun we bought her a set of clubs (pink of course).
I had to drag her off the course each day and she still wanted to play in the backyard at home – where she hit one shot up the hill, over the fence and about two yards from the neighbors’ breakfast nook window.
She is off to the LPGA US Women’s Open tomorrow with Michelle’s folks.
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Tags: fun, photos, sports
Posted by Michelle on Jun 19, 2007 in Hayley
I’ll be adding more to the folder as the meets continue but I’ve got posted photos from the practice meet and the first season meet of Hayley – these are just Hayley ones not the ones I shoot for the team.
At the first season meet, there were some the older swimmers in her age group that were out of town so Hayley swam in the main races (you either swim in main races or heats in each age group, Hayley is 9-10). She was on two third place relays. The Devil Rays won 303 to 195!
She also just learned to dive after working on it all last summer and the first month of this one. We are so proud of her!
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Tags: photos, sports
Posted by Michelle on Jun 17, 2007 in Hayley
Spring soccer season ended a month ago but I’ve finally got all the ones of Hayley pulled out and posted. This was the last season with the Stargazers team as they are all going their separate ways after five outdoor seasons and several indoor groups.
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Tags: photos, sports
Posted by Michelle on Jun 12, 2007 in Hayley, Michelle
Crashed after the swim meet and a new hair cut. I’ll post some photos from the Saturday swim meet soon but we have a second meet tonight (Tuesday) so I’ll just post them all together.
I like this in B&W more.
New shorter hair – easier for riding and swim team.
Tags: photos, sports
Posted by Michelle on Jun 7, 2007 in Hayley, Jeff, Michelle
On Friday nights, we have pizza at the pool as a fundraiser for the swim team. This week was the first night and it was a MADHOUSE. The kids had a blast and it was like a pizza/pool frenzy.
Tags: fun, photos
Posted by Michelle on Jun 3, 2007 in Hayley
Hayley is riding at a new stable that is fantastic. Really great teachers and facility, not to mention this stable much closer. They said she is a natural and she is really picking up more of the style of competition based equestrian stuff.
(2008 update: Trademark Stables was a great barn until they moved. At that point, we were unable to get an instructor for months on end, despite being paid up in advance. Three times we complained, twice we had new instructors contact us to get things started only to never follow up again. It was unacceptable and we left for another barn. I liked the people at Trademark but I’d be 100% sure they can schedule you for lessons and I wouldn’t pay a quarter in advance.)
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Posted by Michelle on Jun 2, 2007 in Hayley
Hayley turned nine and we had a big ole party! We never thought almost everyone we invited would say yes so it turned into a huge party and we rented out an awesome gym for the event – foam pits, trampolines and lots of fun games and activities… plus pizza and cupcakes for 26 kids and tons of parents and family!
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Tags: birthday, friends, fun, photos
Posted by Michelle on Jun 2, 2007 in Hayley, Jeff, Michelle
We went to lunch Sunday with Andrea & Mark and Sara, Mike and baby Landon. It was so much fun, we’ve missed seeing them and Hayley has been dying to hold Landon.
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Posted by Michelle on Jun 1, 2007 in Michelle
Yes, I got pink and blonde highlights. And yes, I love them. I promised I’d snap some of my hair, so here are some side view ones I took on my cell phone’s camera. I have tons of other photos to post from events so bear with me and I’ll get them up!
Tags: photos
