GREATER HARTFORD OPEN Suzy Whaley ready to play in PGA event

She is supported by defending champion Phil Mickelson.
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) -- After months of interviews and public appearances, Suzy Whaley is ready to just play golf.
The 36-year-old teaching pro, the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA Tour event, will get her wish when she tees off in the Greater Hartford Open this afternoon.
"The hardest part of this week is getting ready for it," Whaley said. "Being here is the enjoyable part."
Whaley, the pro at Blue Fox Run in Avon, qualified by winning the Connecticut PGA section in September. She was hitting from the shorter women's tees then, but when she tees off in the last group for the first round of the GHO she will be playing the full 6,820-yard distance at the TPC at River Highlands.
She is not expected to make the cut -- or even get as close as Annika Sorenstam did in May when she accepted a sponsor's exemption to play against the men in the Colonial. Still, Whaley says nothing can diminish the experience.
"It's the opportunity of a lifetime. I refuse to let it be anything else but that," she said.
Draws large gallery
Whaley's pro-am round, shortened to nine holes because of intermittent rain on Wednesday, drew the largest galleries of the day. Fans wore green "Fore Suzy" buttons, a fund-raiser for the March of Dimes, and Whaley posed for photos and signed autographs after several holes.
Whaley, who will play with Anthony Painter and Akio Sadakata in the first two rounds, has the support of a number of pros including two-time defending champion Phil Mickelson.
"Let's just have fun with it," Mickelson said. "I don't think that we should worry about how she plays, or what her score is. I think that we should just cherish the fact that she qualified and enjoy the fact that this is a unique circumstance on tour."
While Whaley chases history, Mickelson is looking for his first win since last year's GHO.
"It brings back some very fond memories," Mickelson said. "It also provides an opportunity to get things turned around for this year as opposed to feeling pressure to try to win a three-peat."
Mickelson is coming off a tie for 59th at the British Open. His best showing since last year's victory was a third place at the Masters in April and he hasn't had a top 10 finish since.
"I really haven't put myself in contention this year. I want to just start playing better as opposed to worrying about the result," he said.
Mickelson faces some tough competition from Kenny Perry, who has won three of his last five tournaments. Before 2002, Perry had won a total of four in his 17 years on tour.
"I always knew I could win. I felt very comfortable about my golf game," Perry said. "It's just why now all of a sudden, I don't know."
British Open winner Ben Curtis withdrew from the tournament Tuesday, citing fatigue and a need to spend time with his family in Ohio. The major was the tour rookie's first win.
"That's a life-altering experience for him," Perry said. "It would have been difficult for him to come here and be prepared mentally to play."
Whaley's appearance has increased media interest in the tournament, one of seven on tour in need of a title sponsor.
Tournament in trouble
Tournament officials managed to draw about $4 million from state and local sponsors to keep the 52-year-old tournament afloat for at least one more year. A deal with a major sponsor is expected to be announced today at the course by PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem.
Whaley, the mother of two young girls, is no stranger to the TPC at River Highlands. Her husband, Bill Whaley, is the course's general manager and director of golf. That familiarity could help Whaley when she attempts to maintain her daily routine.
"I'll take it easy, get my kids off to camp," she said. "The more normal things I can do, the better it will be."