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| LPGA tournament won't return in 2009 By Mark Foyer [ markf@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 1:16 PM PST Paula Creamer will attempt to duplicate her LPGA Samsung World Golf Championship next year. However, she will do it at another golf course. The Ocean Course at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links will not host the tournament next September. The LPGA announced its 2009 schedule for next year. While the Samsung is scheduled for Sept. 17-20, the site has not been picked. Two officials say Half Moon Bay will not be the site. “The players loved the course,” said Half Moon Bay City Councilwoman Marina Fraser. “The spectators enjoyed themselves.” Tournament director Torrey Gane said everything that could have gone right did. However, there were many different elements that have the tournament going elsewhere. The main issue is territorial rights. The Longs Drugs Challenge is scheduled for Sept. 24-27 at Blackhawk Country Club in Danville. “It’s unfortunate that we can’t return next year,” Gane said. “We had a great experience in Half Moon Bay.” Though nothing was decided when the tournament concluded Oct. 5, the players all said they had wonderful memories of their week on the Coastside. “You couldn’t ask for a better golf course with the views and the hotel right on the 18th green,” Creamer said after winning the tournament. “So many people came out these last couple of days, even when it was raining a little bit and freezing cold and windy. It shows how much people in the Bay Area love golf.” The afterglow of the tournament was still around when Fraser and Lyn Nelson, general manager of the Half Moon Bay Golf Links, walked around for the Longs Challenge a week later. “We heard a lot of people say Half Moon Bay was great,” Fraser said. “We started to giggle.” Gane said that although the 2009 calendar is pretty much set, there is a chance another LPGA event could come to the Coastside in 2010. “The decision has nothing to do with Half Moon Bay,” Gane said. “We were very appreciative of Half Moon Bay and the support we got for the tournament.” |