Sunday: Arrived on time and settled in just before the heavy stuff hit. An inch and a quarter of rain, reminiscent of the deluge in Arkansas, pelted the area.

Monday: Was on the course by eight and the lack of Koreans was unusual. In turn, this was excellent as it takes a good, uninterrupted four hours or more to thoroughly examine a new track. Yesterday's precip was in addition to the three quarters of an inch from Saturday and left the turf super soggy.

This was billed as a Scottish type lay-out but visions of St. Andrews were quickly dashed. Mounds and pot-bunkers abound but the sod-wall variety are non-existent. An exit towards the green, albeit maybe not all the way, is available. The greens are slopped severely in many cases with two, three or more quadrants for available pin positions.

• Bye-bye: Over a million dollars in earnings, a U.S. Open trophy on her mantel and a slot on the Solheim Cup team was not enough for Cristie Kerr to keep her looper on the bag. Heard they split up after the trip to Sweden.

• A day late ... With two weeks off and caddies chomping at the bit to get going once more, the Sunday prior to the event is an opportune time to be done with your homework but only if the yardage book is ready. Like many times before though, George Lucas comes up short and the books weren't ready till Monday morning. He does a great job in most cases but his failure to understand the need for expedient delivery in situations like these is mind boggling.

• Justice served: Stopped in my favorite store, a Wal-Mart Supercenter, and thought the local proletariat (three to be exact) were demonstrating via sandwich-board laden picketers, but I rushed to judgment. A closer look revealed it was punishment dished out for attempted "five finger discounts".  It read;  I AM A THIEF! I STOLE FROM THIS STORE.

Tuesday: We were on the course by seven to beat the heat and done by eleven-thirty. Chowed-down in player hospitality on a BBQ feast then practiced a bit. I then took one last trip out to the seventeenth to double-check the yardage and my day was done.

• Give her a break: Former LPGA pro and now caddie, Ellie Gibson, has auditioned for the next Big Break extravaganza. A variety of shots with a few different sticks was the criteria to demonstrate her ability

Wednesday: Met Dina for lunch then hit the range. Didn't take long to poop her out before heading home. Speaking of lunch, the Southern hospitality continues with more down-home eats on the menu. This time it was a seafood theme with shrimp, crawfish and the like on the menu. Yum!

• Creepy critters: Fornicating love bugs, mole crickets, fire ants and a parking lot full of grasshoppers are some of the nuisances we have to contend with this week. Hope they've run out of petulant pests.

• Oh Canada ... Lisa Walters (former Canadian LPGA pro) is working for Nancy Scranton this week and is paired with A. J. Eathorne and Dawn Coe-Jones who are also from our neighbor to the North. Funny thing is, they played their practice round together. Ya, I think the fix was in?

• Ten seconds of my life I'll never get back: Was channel surfing the other day and recognized a familiar face on The Golf Channel. It was Christina Kim getting a foot bath and massage.

• In the pipeline? The latest speculation has the HSBC Match Play event reverting to stroke play and held in Singapore after the first two Hawaii tournaments.

• The snag: Heard John Killeen is the cadero now working for Cristie Kerr.

• What a contrast: This by far, is one of the finest practice facilities I've ever seen. A huge range that may be accessed from any direction complimented by multiple practice greens puts other venues like Corning to shame. The question is, would I be willing to exchange the upstate New York experience for this Southern super-site? NEVER! Corning rules!

• Looking back: While reminiscing over last week's qualifier, another example, and quite a glaring one indeed, regarding the lack of an objective evaluation of one's game was uttered by our playing companion after missing the cut. She shot a total of thirty-two over par finishing last and, after exiting the scoring area, looked her caddie dead in the eye and said "I think I'll go back to my old set of irons". What? This girl had so many cranial gyrations during her swing I thought she was a bobble-head doll! Most of her shots were drop-kicks. Nothing like delving in delusion when your career is on the line.

Thursday: Thunderstorms dance all around us but never disrupted play. A fifteen minute delay on the first tee due to pokey play did have us finishing in the dark though. Shot even.

• Another one hangs it up? Barb Mucha said this will probably her last event. Maybe a guest appearance in Phoenix next year but that's about it.

Friday: Off early and beat the heat. Shot another even par round.

• Way to finish: "Mooch" rapped up her twenty-two year LPGA career with a birdie on her final hole but Dina got in one last dig taking her for seven bucks on side bets (just to make it interesting). Another chapter in her life begins and I'm sure well wishes exude from all who've crossed her path.

It's pay-up time.

• Put it on herself: After a bird on our first hole, ala yesterday, Dina referred to her running wager with Kelli Kuehne pointing out that "Maybe it won't take me eight holes to make another one" as in the first round. Well, eight holes later we finally made another one.

Saturday: Putting woes have plagued Dina for awhile and today was no exception. Shot +4 and dropped back in the pack. It took a grueling five and a half hours to get it around and was painful to experience since we had three fast players.

• Not so sweet Charlotte: This was the first time we've played with Charlotte Mayorkas and it was not a pleasure. Things were fine till her game went South and the F-bombs started flying. A hefty fine needs to be assessed  to commence an attitude adjustment.

Since I'm discussing the attributes of Miss Charlotte, a close look at her equipment discovers a disgustingly filthy arrangement of adornments. Along with the rattiest Green Bay Packer head cover that still was capable of staying on the driver and bag that resembles a discarded item from a garage sale, her personal towel looks as if it has not been touched by soap and water for the entire season. A microscopic analysis may discover a unique strain of Ebola virus or some other loathsome organism waiting to pounce on mankind with a vengeance.

• Take a hike! Things are pretty spread out here so cart rides are offered from the clubhouse to the range. Dina and I exited the dining sanctuary yesterday and hopped on a buggy only to be rebuffed with a "This is for players and caddies only" admonishment. Dina was so taken aback she jumped on another cart and I followed. The bag was still in the trunk so I guess that's the only thing that distinguishes us from the ordinary folk.

• Right back at ya b**ch! Mikaela Parmlid is known to be among the slowest out here and one of the most timed individuals for slow play, so when realizing their group was behind yesterday, thought she would get in a preemptive strike on one of her playing partners. After reproaching the assumptive sluggish contestant, she was bombarded with a retort of "F**ck off!" Not exactly daddy's little girls are they?

• New LPGA dress code? Shear white shorts and no under-drawers, ya got a love it.

Sunday: Another endless round which didn't help when players need to catch their flights. Shot +7.

• Final thoughts: Lousy spectator course and the sparse gallery confirmed it; the hospitality and food provided was unmatched ranking among the best; a boring course to play with many indistinguishable holes; and you have to wonder, Navistar is based in Illinois so why play here?