Pressel says she'll be back if tourney is

7/7/2009

In between two second-place finishes at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, Morgan Pressel skipped the tournament in 2008, instead accepting an appearance fee at an event in Ireland.

She doesn't want to skip it again.

"This is a great tournament," said Pressel, who was runner-up to Eunjung Yi on Sunday at Highland Meadows Golf Club. "The fans are so supportive. We're grateful to be here."

Pressel considers the area a second home because several members of her extended family live in southeast Michigan. She knows the future of the Farr Classic is up in the air, though, because its contract with the LPGA has expired.

"I certainly hope we can come back," Pressel said. "It would be disappointing to not come back, with my family here and being so close to where I spent so much time as a kid."

While she and the rest of the LPGA wait to hear the Farr's fate, Pressel is pleased with the way her golf game is heading. The week prior to the Farr she finished tied for 15th at the Wegmans LPGA, a result that is misleading because she played in the final group but faltered in inclement weather. The $126,385 second-place check she left Toledo with nearly doubled her total prize money for the year.

The timing couldn't be better for Pressel's improved game, as the tour prepares for this week's U.S. Women's Open at Saucon Valley in Bethlehem, Pa.

"It's a little bit of everything,"

Pressel said of her play. "I am hitting the ball more solidly, making more putts. I am just more comfortable with my game all-around.

"I've played maybe the best since I've been on tour. The last two weeks I've had very few mistakes. That bodes well for a USGA golf course."

Pressel, a 21-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., was disappointed to finish second again after finishing just behind Se Ri Pak in 2007 at the Farr. She planned to savor her second top-10 finish of the season, though.

"It's great to be right there at the end," Pressel said. "There's about 142 other girls that wish they could have been there this weekend. To put myself in that position was great."

Contact Maureen Fulton at:

mfulton@theblade.com

or 419-724-6160.