INSIDE THE ROPES Notes from Squaw Creek

Parking change: Due to the extremely wet conditions, the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic is changing the location of its free public parking lots. All public parking now will be at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport, just two miles north of Squaw Creek Country Club on Route 193. Free shuttles will run to and from the airport from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. beginning today and for the remainder of the tournament week. Signs will be posted directing people to the public parking areas.
Six more dropouts: Six more golfers pulled out of the tournament on Tuesday, raising the total to seven. Soo Young Kim withdrew on Monday and she was followed by Jane Crafter, Cathy Johnston-Forbes, Cristie Kerr, Emily Klein, Soo Young Moon and Sunny Lee. Lee had just been named to replace Kim on Monday. Getting into the field were Kim Freeman, Leigh Ann Mills, Lori Atsedes, Ashley Winn, Liz Earley and Mayumi Nakajima.
Return appearance: This year's Giant Eagle field is quite similar to last year's field. Going into Wednesday 99 players in this year's field competed in last year's tournament.
Guest appearance: Ellen Tressel, wife of former Youngstown State and current Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, was a special guest of Butler Wick for their annual Shootout. Tressel and WYTV's Bob Hannon were the course commentators for the Shootout on Tuesday at Squaw Creek.
Coming Thursday: The LPGA's leading money winner, Annika Sorenstam, is scheduled to arrive sometime Thursday evening. Sorenstam is coming off back-to-back victories at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic and last week at the McDonald's LPGA Championship when she beat Grace Park in a one-hole sudden-death playoff.
Welcome home: There are seven native Ohioans on the LPGA Tour this season and six of them will participate in the Giant Eagle Classic this week. They include two-time defending champion Tammie Green from Somerset, Kelly Cap of Boardman, Marianne Morris of Middletown, Barb Mucha of Parma Heights, Kristal Parker-Manzo of Columbus and Michele Redman of Zanesville. The only one missing is Susie Parry, a Salem native.