1997 IN REVIEW Green needs five extra holes to win second title

Tammie Green's marathon struggle with Laura Davies marked her second area LPGA championship.
HOWLAND -- Tammie Green won her second Youngstown-Warren area LPGA championship in 1997, but it wasn't easy.
Also the 1994 champion, she had to battle England's Laura Davies for five extra holes to win the 1997 Giant Eagle LPGA Classic title, and the $90,000 first-place prize.
Green had to birdie the 17th and 18th holes in regulation to tie with Davies, who also had to overcome a two-shot lead by Brandie Burton in the final round.
An Ohio native from Somerset, Green almost won the tournament in regulation when she 'lipped' the cup on her chip shot for an eagle on the final hole.
Still tied
In the playoffs, both players went par-par-eagle-par over the first four holes.
On the fifth hole, No. 18, Davies hit her tee shot way left, while Green was perfect down the middle.
After Davies failed to hit the green on her second shot and was left with an almost impossible third shot, Green then hit a 6-iron to within 3-feet of the hole for her second eagle and the championship.
Opening round
Green and Ann Acker-Mocasko each shot course record-tying 8-under-par 64s in the opening round to hold a one-shot lead over Burton, who shot a 7-under-par 65.
Nancy Scranton was another shot back at 66, while Moira Dunn, Laura Davies and Cindy Figg-Currier all finished with 67s.
A total of 58 golfers bettered the course par-72 in the opening round.
Second round
Burton followed her opening round 65 with a 6-under-par 66 in the second round, and took a two shot lead over second-place Davies, who also had a 66.
Green was four shots back with a 135 total after shooting a second-round 71, while veteran Nancy Lopez moved back into contention with a 66 and was at 136.
It took a score of 145 or better to survive the cut, and 85 golfers qualified.
That mark was one shot short of the tournament record cut of 144.
Burton's 13-under-par 36-hole total was a tournament record, bettering the old mark of 10-under-par by Katie Peterson-Parker in 1995, and Deb Richard in 1996 by three shots.