CJ NINE BRIDGES CLASSIC 

AND

MIZUNO CLASSIC

My player this week is Jill McGill

Prelude: Stayed a few extra days in Augusta then headed for Cleveland. 

Needed to chill out a bit and the weather here is suitable for the task. Haven't been this cold for some time but it's nice to see the Fall colors emanate throughout the countryside.

Finally got around to changing my wireless provider from Sprint to Verizon. Just too many areas Sprint lacks coverage. I went with the Samsung a670 from Radio Shack. I originally opted for the LG 6000, better reviews than the Samsung, but thought it was a bit small, not built as sturdy and had trouble reading the key pad. Had no problem returning it just as Radio Shack promised. I also liked the voice activated direct dialing feature of the Samsung. Just say the number and after confirmation, it dials it for you.

Got a call from one of my old bosses, Donna White. We worked together back in the 80's and managed to get a couple wins together. One of her protégés, Natalie Tucker, needed a looper for Q-School and Donna lined me up. Guess I'll be going to the "fifth major". Natalie must hit the cover off of it cause Donna said she was headed for the National Long Drive contest. She also played in this year's BMO finishing tied for 71st. Should be an interesting week in Daytona. Will keep you posted.

It's Tuesday and my passport hasn't been returned from IMG. They were coordinating the player-caddie visas and apparently lost my return address. A quick call resulted in in a promise for a next day delivery.

Since I don't have a chance to review my mail in a timely manner, an unwelcome surprise awaited. In an envelope from my bank was a bounced check from Il Mi Chung, my bag in Columbus. Must have been an honest mistake. I remember her having two different check books and probably drew from the wrong account. Will probably see her in Korea to straighten everything out.

It's Thursday, two days to go till lift off. Passport arrived yesterday and all is well. Now it's time to start packing. Knowing I have everything needed, since I drove to most events, was reassuring but flying is another story. I'm checking everything  twice but the possibility of missing something is inevitable.

The weather may be real nasty. The Internet forecast looks reasonable as far as temperatures but the wind will be wicked!. Jill advised me to take plenty of warm duds just in case.

This will be my last entry till I return to the good ol' USA. I can't update without my laptop and a connection will be unavailable. Picked up a few extras like a book of crossword puzzles and some toiletries then packed up. It was truly amazing how much I stuffed into the two bags I'm taking. Hearing stories of lost luggage, I made sure to put everything that will get me through a few days into my carry-on which is actually larger than my checked bag. Along with a small backpack, I should be covered.

Since Osaka is the port of entry when we play Japan I opted to fly there first, stay over, then onto Jeju on Monday. The players get their hotel comped both weeks but the caddies are on their own. At $145 per night in Jeju and $111 in Japan I had to go a different route. Angela Stanford's caddie, Tom Borwick, has an ex in Korea who apparently made a few calls and found a reasonable hotel within a 5 minute walk to the player's abode. Japan was taken care of by Motion's fiancé who is Japanese. I hate to leave hotel reservations to someone else but finding one through the Internet put me well out of my price range.

Got an email from Jill and she said she's never hit it better. Maybe the time off did the trick. Wish me luck. Will update "Larry's great adventure" when I return. Adios.

Korea

Sunday: Took the 1:25 flight on Northwest from Cleveland to Osaka with a connection in Detroit. Detroit must be a main embarkation/debarkation point for travel to the Orient. Thought the 13 and 1/2 hour flight was going to be a lonely excursion but as I was settling in, a rap on the head from behind found me face to face with Woody Woodard, Ji-Yeon Lee's caddy. He departed from Corning NY and was sitting a couple rows from the rear. We managed to shift a few other travelers around and sat together in the last two starboard seats on our Jumbo 747. This made the trip much easier to endure.

Landed at the Kansai Airport in Osaka which is a true marvel of engineering. While debarking, we spotted Janice Moodie's looper Irish Johnny. He was about 20 rows ahead but we never ventured that far so he remained unnoticed.

My travel garb is a tee shirt, fleece jacket, shorts and rain pants. I like the latter cause it affords the option to strip off the pants if you need to cool down. This is what I did in the airport and soon became the object of a few stares. Apparently shorts are frowned upon for some reason and I soon discovered that out of all the people in this humongous edifice I was the loner in short pants! Didn't phase me a bit though. In fact, I took it as badge of "American in your face ism" and wore them proudly.

After checking in to the Ramada, we hooked up with a few more loopers at the Lone Star Pub. A little bit of Texas situated on a back street about 2 blocks down the road. Six of us sat around downing a few brews and telling war stories. The waiter was really into us since he had a chance to practice his English. After calling it a night, I settled in with my supplied robe, slippers and a cup of green tea. When in Japan do as the Japanese do.

Monday: This was pretty much a lost day. I arrived after three, hooked up with Tom Borwick my Korean speaking hotel connection, checked in and dined on Korean barbeque. Plenty of food but the side dishes were a little suspect. Especially the crunchy little fish complete with eye balls attached. Had to give it a try though, but seconds were out of the question.

A trip to the E-Mart followed dinner. The E-Mart is comprised of six stories of shopping from a grocery below ground level to a food court on top and everything in between. Sam Walton would have been proud.

Tuesday: Woke at 3:00 AM. The time change caught up to me and would plague my existence the full two weeks of the trip. In fact, sleep would be a rare commodity for days at a time. Since I was up, a World Series game caught my attention on the tube but unfortunately it was the Korean World Series! The Lions battled the Unicorns in a 12 inning thriller only to be called a tie! I assumed they play to a maximum time limit and all their hard work went for naught. They had to replay the game later.

Walked the course in frigid conditions. Cold and windy but I came prepared. I was dressed like Nanouk of the North but was warm as toast. Horror stories of the horrendous conditions two years ago made me wary so I wore it all.

Jill arrived as I finished. She putted a little and headed for a massage to assuage the travel kinks. This regiment would be the standard routine for most of the week.

Wednesday:  The weather turned placid so we played a mid-morning match with Kim Saiki, the loser paying for the caddie's lunch. Jill took the early lead including an eagle on a par 4 but Kim fought back and was the eventual winner.

Thursday: Woke at 12:00 AM! Nuff said. 

The weather kept getting better. We played early so it was still a bit cool but I wound up carrying all the warm clothes within a few holes.

Most of the greens are severely tiered so the after round practice was putting oriented. This paid off  with a super performance of long putting by Jill during the tournament.

Determined to cure my dysfunctional sleeping pattern, I planned to stay up all day then retire at my normal bed time. I walked the streets of Jeju including an interesting stop at the Dongmoon Market. In the Korean realm of foodstuffs, if you can eat it, they had it. Fruits and veggies abound but the most interesting was a vast array of sea creatures. I must admit, I had to hold my breath walking by. 

Ran into Jill and friends heading to dinner and decided to tag along. Pizza Hut was the destination and was surprisingly good by all accounts. At this point I was really wired. I felt my eyes were popping out of head and seemed not to blink for 15 minutes straight. This was to become my undoing. 

I over did it. I was so jacked up, getting to sleep was now impossible. AAARGH!

Friday: Finally the first round begins. Another gorgeous day and Jill capped it off with  bogie free round of 5 under.

Breakfast and lunch were provided for players and caddies at no cost, after an initial snafu that had caddies paying $27 per meal which was corrected by The Comish, and we took advantage. It was buffet style with all the dishes labeled. We all know the difficulty with the letter "L" in the Asian culture and this  was glaringly evident with the label on the cracked lobster. It read "Cracked Robster"! We all had a chuckle over that one.

Saturday:  Another perfect day. Managed a respectable 2 under but a bogie on the very reachable par five 18th left a bad taste in our mouths.

An announcement on the first tee reminds spectators to turn off cell phones, stay outside the ropes and not to take photos while players are lining up or making a stroke. Yes, cameras are allowed. We were paired with one of the local favorites, Grace Park, and the gallery was formidable. Well, there should have been on more rule stating "If you wish to disregard the previous rules go right ahead!" because this is we had to deal with all day. Add in the crowd dispersing immediately after Grace putts out made it an interesting day. 

I forgot to mention a 45 minute bus ride is necessary to and from the course and the ride back was quite enlightening. Dorothy Delasin and Christina Kim were dispensing port-to-let stories with rapid fire. The most embarrassing and disgusting topped the agenda. This was brought about by the fact that many of the public johns are "squatters". That is, no seat. Just a hole that you squatted over and did your business. Needless to say, some people's aim misses the target which creates one hell of a foul and nauseating mess. There was no exception on the golf course. Give me a throne any day.

Sunday: If I thought the fans were undisciplined yesterday, playing with Se Ri Pak and  Shi Hyun Ahn was a real trip. The whooping and hollering was incessant especially when Ahn started reeling off a bunch of birds. She was giving Grace a run and the crowd responded but a bogie on 18 knocked her out of a tie for 2nd and spoiled a primo round.

Se Ri got away with one on the ninth hole. It's a reachable par 5 but her tee ball sailed over the right bunker, hit the cart path and bounded into the trees. We proceeded to our shots and watched as Se Ri searched for her ball. With so many people lining the fairway we assumed  she would have little trouble in her hunt. After a couple minutes it was evident she needed help so we all joined in. We must have found a dozen balls but not Se Ri's. She decided to call for a ruling and kept looking. Finally someone found it 30 yards back from our initial  search area. After returning to our ball we realized we were searching for at least 10 minutes. If you know the rules, 5 minutes is all you are allowed even if you find your ball. Se Ri had to go back and re-tee with a stroke penalty. Unfortunately, no one had started timing and in an effort to avoid an international incident, we waved off the approaching official and let Se Ri play her shot. Without proof it would have been futile. She made bogie and saving the extra shot seemed of little consequence.

Jill played steady all day but couldn't make up any ground due to a lack of birds. Finally, sneaking one in on the 17th and a super sandy on the 18th had us finishing with back-to-back birds and a tie for 7th. Well done Jill! 

I had a 6:30 flight back to Osaka and had to miss the annual Halloween party held at the players hotel. But you need not fear, I gave my camera to another cadero and pictures are on their way. Look in the "What's New" section on my home page next week.

Japan

Monday: Spent the night at the same Ramada and decided to take the train with Audrey and Mark to Otsu-Seta though Kyoto. I was originally scheduled to meet the players flight and take the bus but Jill suggested I go in early to walk the course.

What everyone said was an easy to follow plan, buying tickets, figuring out the schedules and switching trains turned out to be quite an endeavor. I'm glad I had help to stave off panic mode.

We managed to find our way to Otsu-Seta and grabbed a cab to the host hotel The Prince. After checking if the course was open and available to us we grabbed another taxi to the course. Well all that planning was for naught. The course was closed due to amateur play and yardage books were given to players only. A $35 train ride coupled with $30 each for the taxis and we wound up with buttcus!

Not being able to afford staying at the Prince, Mark and I headed for my hotel, The City Hotel DIC. Not the best on the block but at about $45 per night, much more affordable than the Prince. It was a 15 walk back, so the shuttles to the course were within easy reach. In between lies all the eating and shopping establishments with a Starbucks the central meeting point. Mark didn't have a reservation and was the point man for 5-6 others looking for rooms. Thinking there were plenty of  rooms for the week available, he did laundry in the lone washer and dryer at the hotel, which took upwards of 3 hours due to a pathetic dryer, then headed back to the Prince to find his compadres. He returned later only to realize that there was only one room open and for tonight only! After checking in, he was off to find another hotel.

Tuesday: Received some disheartening  news. While waiting for the flight from Jeju to Osaka on Monday, Vicki Goetz-Ackerman got her purse lifted while on an Internet terminal. It was right beside her, but when your concentration is focused else ware even what you think is the safest place is vulnerable. They found the purse in the rest room with cash and credit cards absent. At least her passport and checks, in another compartment, were sparred.

On a lighter note, Lori Kane decided to withdraw some Yen through an ATM in Japan and confused the exchange rate with Korea's. In Korea you move the decimal points three places left and Japan only two to get a rough figure on the exchange. For example, 10000 Won (Korean) is only$10 after moving the decimal points. Ergo 10000 Yen (Japanese) is $100. Well Lori, needing to withdraw only $100, entered 100000 Yen and wound up withdrawing $1000! She took it lightheartedly and became "the bank" for the other players.

Getting back to golf, we played a nine hole match partnering with  Natalie Gulbis vs. Kim Saiki and Stacy Prammanasudh. It was even after nine and one extra hole kept it that way. Kim And Natalie called it a day and we followed 3 holes later.

I walked most of the course early and finished up later in the day. This track has an unique feature. Every hole has two greens. One is covered with korai grass and the other over-seeded with rye. The latter are the ones we use. The ninth hole doesn't return to the clubhouse and there is about a half mile between 11 and 12. I'm glad I didn't walk this one by myself. They would still be looking for me!

Wednesday: We played nine holes with Michelle Estill with plans on going to the monkey park in Kyoto but our practice ran long and I missed the group. The monkey park is on a  mountain were the monkeys run free among the tourists and you can feed them through a wire fence only. Any extemporaneous feeding or even starring at them is highly discouraged.

I used a pull cart for our practice, upon Jill's insistence, and was the butt of ridicule by my peers. No problemo, I gave it right back to Danny Sharp, Lori Kane's caddy, the next day. Pull carts are even allowed during the tournament, last week also, but I declined.

Eating well again this week with breakfast and lunch provided by the sponsor. The players also receive hundreds of dollars worth of chits which may be redeemed at any of the restaurants at the Prince.

Here's a sight you don't see every day. On the way back from the course we saw two little girls on unicycles. Pains me to even think about riding one of those things.

Thursday: A couple hours practice and we were done. Managed to get to the monkey park after all with a group of nine others. Jill was leading the way through the two train stations we had to traverse but getting separated wasn't a problem. How many 6 foot blondes do you find in Japan? We were too late in the day to take full advantage cause most of the critters went higher up the mountain to feed but about five remained for our enjoyment and it seemed that was plenty. We did have a blast feeding them though.

 It was a steep climb to the top of the mountain but the trip down was a breeze. We came upon a play area which included a long slide and of course, all the children in the group took their turn. The first one down gave us a show displaying quite a nice butt crack before covering up. She shall remain nameless.

After working up an appetite, finding  an ice cream parlor among the shops at the bottom of the hill was truly welcomed. This was an establishment offering a variety of sundaes made in a unique way. They made a crepe, shaped it into a cone, put corn flakes on the bottom and filled it with your choice of ice cream and toppings. Jamie Hullett chose vanilla with strawberries and chocolate and three of us followed suit. Wow! Talk about hitting the spot. Jill talked about it all the next day.

We headed back with our 6 foot beacon on point and split up at the hotel. A few of us headed for dinner at the Italian restaurant in the Parco and seemed like half the tour followed us in. This had to be the most popular spot all week offering food with which we were more familiar

Friday: It was a birdie fest but we didn't participate. Shot -1 which put us in the middle of the pack.

While making the turn, a little boy held out his arms assumingly requesting a golf ball. Always willing to oblige, Jill tossed him one. Too young to time the catch correctly, he whiffed and and got whacked above the right eye! You have to watch what you asked for.

Afterwards, I joined Michelle Estill and her caddy Jeff for a trip to Kyoto to visit a temple. After a one hour power walk we finally managed to find one, not the one we were looking for though, but Michelle was pooped and headed back. We toured till dusk and headed back.

Saturday: Played with Michiko Mitsui and Ai Miyazato. Ai is the darling of the Japanese fans. 19 years old, cute as a button , personable, speaks English and is 2nd on their money list. All the children, constantly calling out her name and waving,  just love her. To give you an idea how popular she is, we were first off the back tee and caught the last group, which included Annika, after she beaned a spectator on her opening drive. Our gallery was 5 times the size of Annika's. Unfortunately, I had the displeasure of having to call a two stroke penalty on her. Here's how it went.

It was the 3rd hole, our back nine, and Ai was on fire. Five under for the day and six for the event. Jill put her drive into the trees and had to take an unplayable, then pitched out. In the mean time, the other two players continued to the green. By the time we got there, Michiko was tapping in and Ai was about to hit her third. Now, do you remember that every hole has two greens? That's right, she was dead center on the korai green and, according to the rule sheet, must take relief. I remarked to Jill that she has to take a drop but, being about to make a double, Jill questioned my assertion. Not wanting to disturb her shot, in the event I was incorrect, I pulled out the rule sheet to double check. Too Late. The ball was in the air and I was right after all. A call to an official confirmed the penalty but, since it was not a "serious breach" of the rule, Ai did not have to replay the shot. She made a slick down-hiller to save the double. Apparently, on the Asian tour you are allowed to play off the wrong green and she never double checked. I was the only one in the group that read the rule sheet. To her credit, Ai never batted an eye. Like that one? She accepted the penalty graciously and we finished the round. Maybe this misfortune fired her up cause she blitzed the course on Sunday shooting nine under and  tied for second. Her plans are to attempt to qualify for the LPGA next season and here's one Anglo that hopes she makes it.

Getting back to us, Jill hit the wall and her putter went South. After a month off, she had settled in with no desire to make this trip in the first place. Last week was a bonus.

In the "I still don't know the rules" department; Reilley Rankin took an unauthorized cart ride on Friday between holes one and two. She was told by her playing partners that it wasn't allowed but she failed to call an official and was disqualified after signing her card. This was an unique situation with transportation of the "golf bag only" was allowed but not player or caddie. It was clearly stated on the rule sheet with no ambiguity. There's that pesky rule sheet again!

In the "know what's in your bag" department; Natalie Gulbis has a distinct ritual when she's ticked off. Grabbing her glove above the thumb, she rips straight down and dismembers the poor thing. She performed this unusual rite on Saturday and her caddie Greg cracked up. "What are you laughing at?" Natalie demanded. "That was your last glove." Greg responded. It seems Natalie left all her new gloves in the hotel room and the bag was empty. After unloading it's contents onto the fairway confirming the missing gloves, Natalie conceded her error and played on. 

In the "keep your hands where they belong" department; Grace Park hit her tee ball in the trees on one hole and was precariously next to a dead branch. Dave, her caddie, tried to persuade Grace to move the impediment but she refused. Only needing to advance the ball about 40 yards she saw no reason to take the chance. After going back and forth on the subject she walked to the fairway to inspect the landing area. In the mean time, knowing he was correct, Dave decided to move the branch. Oops! Down the hill the ball came. Add one and replace the ball. This is the type of thing that may get you axed but, after winning last week, all was forgiven.

A bad day of golf does not dissuade a good day of shopping. I tagged along as Jill hit the Seibu and Parco department stores. Stocking stuffers were on the agenda for her nieces and Jill did not disappoint. Three loafs of fresh baked melon bread topped off our excursion. They were being baked out front of the Parco in a portable oven and Jill was first in line. Unfortunately, she couldn't wait for the cool down and tried to grab one of the still steaming delicacies. Ouch! No harm done though.

Ken Struckman, AKA Rollo, was here working for Sew Ai and is a regular at Starbucks. It seems the same girl always waited on him, and being quite a looker, Rollo wanted to impress her with a few words of Japanese. After receiving his mocha something or other one day, he blurted out origami! This is the art or process of folding paper into shapes representing flowers and birds. What he meant to say was arigato which is thank you. Rollo sure knows how to impress the ladies.

Sunday: We started off poorly being two over early. But Jill was resolute to shoot under today and came back with a -3 for the day. Kudos for not giving up.

I took one last trip to the Parco. Tee shirt logos seem to get lost in translation here and one I saw falls into that category. A young man was wearing a bright red shirt with bold block yellow letters stating "F---K Ken" on the front and "Pizza of Death" on the back. Go figure.

Tonight was the annual get-together at the bar atop the Prince Hotel. Everyone throws there leftover chits into a pile and the drinks start flowing. Sam brought along a pair of nipple enhancers she picked up at a novelty store and a few players gave them a try. Quite a conversation piece if I say so myself.

A group of middle aged Japanese strolled in and it seemed I was the center of their attention. Twice during the evening a few of them came over and had their picture taken with me. Now everyone was getting into the act trying to profess that I was the LPGA Commissioner! I think that idea was lost in translation though. Whomever they thought I was will never be known.

I left early, having to catch the 5:15 AM bus to the airport but I heard the party proceeded to the karaoke bar. Sorry I missed that one.

All in all, I'm glad I took my first trip to the Orient. Besides being profitable, it was interesting being immersed into a different culture. Would I ever do this by myself? No way! But with friends, I'm ready to pack my bags.

Next stop The ADT. I'll try to work TV but I heard they changed networks and it may be difficult finding a job. I'll spend the next couple weeks at The Nerd's abode in Hobe Sound then on to Q-School.