LPGA NOTEBOOK Giant Eagle Classic

Lopez out: Nancy Lopez, a LPGA Hall of Fame member and the 1993 champion of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic, will be unable to honor her commitment to play in this year's event. Lopez told the tournament Tuesday that her father was to have surgery today and that she felt it was her place to be at his side. Lopez has not been playing much or well this season. She has played in only nine events and has missed the cut five times with a best finish of tied for 63rd in the Nabisco Championships.
Out and in: Two players were added to the field Tuesday. Terry-Jo Myers and Suzy Green were the late additions. With Lopez bowing out and former Salem native Susie Redman also pulling out Tuesday, the field remains at 134 golfers.
Mom's on tour: There are 32 LPGA golfers on this year's tour who are mothers. They represent 53 children, many who travel with them from tournament to tournament. Twelve of those moms are playing this week in the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. The list is led by veteran Laura Baugh, who has seven children, while the other moms in the field are Danielle Ammaccapane, Dawn Coe-Jones, Dale Eggling, Tammie Green, Pat Hurst, Cathy Johnson-Forbes, Terry-Jo Myers, Julie Piers, Laurie Rinker-Graham and Lenore Rittenhouse. Lopez and Redman are also mothers.
Early finish: It could be an early finish to the tournament on Sunday if reports out of the LPGA office are correct. Because of next week's Weetabix Women's British Open in England, an LPGA major event, there are many professionals who have to catch early airplanes here to get overseas for next week. The LPGA is expected to start Sunday's final round earlier than usual and play in threesomes instead of twosomes. ESPN2, which is televising all three rounds of the tournament, will tape the finish and then show it later Sunday afternoon.
-- Pete Mollica