LPGA Notebook : Mesa Verde Negotiating With Tour Officials for Event in 1990

Next year, Orange County could have two LPGA events. Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa is negotiating a contract with the women’s pro tour to return there in April 1990. Mesa Verde was home to the LPGA’s Uniden tournament from 1984-86.

“It’s not definite yet,” Art Schilling, Mesa Verde’s golf professional, said Friday.

Mesa Verde’s members are completing questionnaires about the tournament this week, and the club’s board is expected to vote to accept the tournament next week.

The LPGA’s Nippon Travel-MSB tournament has a three-year contract at Los Coyotes in Buena Park.

Prize money for the Mesa Verde tournament could be as much as half a million dollars.

“It will be one of the larger purses on the tour,” Schilling said.

The LPGA currently has six events with purses of $500,000: The Jamaica tournament, the Dinah Shore, the LPGA Championship, the du Maurier, (the McDonald’s event and the Mazda Japan.

There is an open date in April 1990, which the proposed tournament could fill, because the AI Star/Centinela Hospital tournament, held the past two years at Rancho Park Golf Club in Los Angeles, decided last month not to renew its contract with the LPGA.

Neither Centinela officials nor the LPGA would answer specific questions about why the tournament was not renewed.

Centinela’s contract prohibited the LPGA from having other tournaments in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

But Los Coyotes is only three miles from the Los Angeles County line.

LPGA Commissioner William Blue was asked this week whether anyone at Centinela had expressed unhappiness with the scheduling of a tournament at Los Coyotes, and if that had an impact on the decision.

“That is between the LPGA and Centinela,” Blue said.

Centinela spokesman Julius Mason, reading from a prepared statement, said Thursday, “Our contract was up and we decided not to renew.”

When the Centinela Hospital decided not to renew its contract with the LPGA, the players lost more than a tournament.

They also lost the use of a mobile fitness trailer that the hospital brought to tournament sites. In addition to fitness equipment, two physical therapists were available for the players.

Last week was the last time the trailer was on tour.

“We’ll miss it a lot,” said Dale Eggeling Thursday, reflecting the players’ view. “It was nice having something right at the golf course. We can always use fitness centers nearby, but that’s a pain.”

Loretta Alderete of San Clemente trimmed three shots off par Friday, shooting a 69 to leave her at one-over par after 36 holes.

Alderete is in her fourth season on the LPGA tour and her best finish is a tie for 14th in 1988 at Portland. Her best finishes this year were ties for 37th place at the Crestar tournament at Virginia in May and the Pat Bradley tournament in North Carolina.