A birdie's eye view

Volunteers get an insider's look at tournament

What better way to spend a spring weekend than watching three days of the best golfers in the world from the best possible vantage point for free?

This is the reality for the nearly 300 volunteers who have already signed up and the others who will join the ranks in the month leading up to the LPGA Takefuji Classic on April 14-16 at the Las Vegas Country Club.

Karan Andersen, volunteer coordinator for the three-day, 54-hole classic, is gearing up for the event, being held here for the third straight year. Andersen, who has donated her time to the classic for the last two years, pointed out the perks of volunteering.

"I think seeing the players is one of the best parts about it but getting to know other people (volunteers) is great," Andersen said. "I've met some really good people."

Andersen and Operations Director Kathy Williamson said they are happy with the number of helpers who have already signed up to work for between one and three days of the tournament. Still, they said they know how many people it really takes to pull off an event of this size and are always seeking adults ages 18 and up to assist with the many specific positions required to man a golf tournament.

"Our greatest need still is for marshals and standard bearers," Williamson said. "And there are still openings on several of our other committees. We have many volunteers returning for a third year, including groups such as First Tee of Southern Nevada, Faith Lutheran and Bishop Gorman High Schools.

"It's super because In-Bee Park, a member of the Bishop Gorman golf team, has been granted a sponsor's exemption to play as an amateur in the tournament, and the Gorman golf team, including her younger sister In-Ah, will be out there to support her. And In-Bee Park would like to see her sister walk with her group as the standard bearer."

Besides having the girls 3A and 4A state champions volunteering at the tournament and the 4A state individual champion in Park competing, the LPGA Takefuji Classic also will feature a lot of local golfing talent in Cimarron-Memorial graduate Stephanie Louden, Summerlin's Kim Saiki, Gloria Park and Henderson's Natalie Gulbis, who became the youngest player ever to qualify for an LPGA in 1997 at age 13.

Last year, when Park finished eighth, the event ended in dramatic fashion when Cristie Kerr defeated Tour rookie Seol-An Jeon in a seven-hole, 90-minute sudden-death playoff to win the event and the $165,000 first prize. Kerr will be back to try to defend her title but will have her work cut out for her as eight of the top 10 women's golfers in the world, including Laura Davies, are scheduled to compete.

"We're still waiting to hear from Annika Sorenstam," Williamson said at press time.

All that's left for Andersen and Williamson to do is recruit rest of their volunteers.

Among the many benefits the volunteers get, besides getting to watch the best women golfers in the world up close, are a daily lunch, an extra club badge -- equal to the value of a $50 ticket for each day volunteering -- and a raffle ticket for every shift worked, which goes into a big drawing at the tourney-ending volunteer raffle and party.

Andersen said she has covered all bases in her quest for volunteers.

"What I've tried to do this year is go out and talk to the women at the golf courses," she said. "That's helped. And a lot of people think that the majority of volunteers for this would be women but we probably have a bigger group of men than woman so far."

And she said she knows how integral these volunteers are.

"I think our volunteers do it because they feel they want to give something back to the community," Andersen said. "And if it weren't for the volunteers, this tournament wouldn't happen."

For more information or to volunteer, call 898-4653 or visit www.lpgatakefujiclassic.com.