Where do the pros go to fill down time during the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic?
Michelle Estill grabs her camera and heads to Toledo Botanical Garden. Pamela Kerrigan racks up reps with weights and miles on the treadmill at Wildwood Athletic Club. Kathryn Marshall relaxes with a latte in a downtown coffee shop.
For many golfers, a tour stop in Toledo isn't complete without taking in a Mud Hens game and the Toledo Zoo. Others planned special events during their stay. Lisa Kiggens, for example, has reason to spend some time shopping - for a wedding gown.
Kiggens, of Bakersfield, Calif., got engaged last weekend when her boyfriend, Robb D'amore of Corning, N.Y., popped the question with a “Will You Marry Me?” message on a scoreboard at the Wendy's Championship for Children in Dublin, Ohio.
“I never saw the board, except during replays on the news,” said Kiggens, a 10-year veteran of the Farr tournament. While in Toledo, she said she hopes to attend a Mud Hens game and has enjoyed visiting the zoo in past years.
Estill, of Scottsdale, Ariz., said she enjoys exploring Toledo Botanical Garden during down time. “Photography is my hobby and I love taking pictures there,” said the 13-year Farr tournament veteran.
Estill, who stays with a local host family, said her other local favorites include visiting the “awesome” zoo, eating at the restaurants at The Docks, watching a Mud Hens game, and visiting Tony Packo's Caf , which was made famous by Farr during his days on the former M*A*S*H television series. “I have a bun on the wall,” she said.
For many golfers, down time at the Farr tournament offers a chance to get together with friends, longtime host families, and relatives who live in the region.
Connie Ross, who traveled to Toledo with her 9-month-old son, Ethan Jacob, and her husband, Michael, a caddy for LPGA pro Ashli Bunch, said she associates going downtown to watch the fireworks with the Farr tournament, which traditionally has been held around the Fourth of July. (Dates of the LPGA event were shifted this year because the U.S. Senior Open was held June 26-29 at Inverness Club.)
“We're making up for it with one big party,” Ross said of the gathering held last night. “There are about five of us golfers who stay with two families in two homes. This year's party theme is anniversaries. My husband and I are celebrating our [first wedding] anniversary, and we're having a birthday party for [LPGA pro] Audra Burks' dog.” The Rosses were married on Aug. 10, 2002.
“I love this golf course [Highland Meadows Golf Club], and being at this tournament is like a family fun environment,” added Ross, who tied for 27th at the Farr tournament in 2001.
Clarissa Childs, of Columbia, S.C., said that while this is only her second Farr tournament, she is looking forward to visiting Fifth Third Field and seeing her grandparents, who live in Dearborn Heights, Mich., in suburban Detroit.
Dale Eggeling, of Tampa, Fla., who has only missed one Farr tournament since its inception in 1984, said she and her husband, Mike, also a professional golfer, look forward to the local tournament because it gives them a chance to dine with others who went to the same college.
“My husband and I went to the University of South Florida, and we go to dinner with other people here who went there, including Judd Silverman [Farr tournament director],” Eggeling said.
Marshall, of Dundee, Scotland, who has played in the Farr tournament since 1994, said she likes to hunt for good coffee shops while in the area.
“There's one in your [downtown] business district that is so good. I'm from Europe so I love coffee. I always order a caf latte,” she said.
Kerrigan, of Franklin, Mass., who has played in the Farr tournament for four years, said she enjoys many aspects of the Toledo area.
“I love it here. It's just the little things, like being able to work out at Wildwood [Athletic Club] - I love it there,” said Kerrigan, who also plans to see the Mud Hens play while she is in town. She said that she and other golfers also enjoy catching a movie and going to Westfield Shoppingtown Franklin Park.
Karen Pearce, of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, laughed when asked to name her favorite places or activities in the Toledo area.
“It's tricky because normally we stay at a [suite hotel] and we eat in or at a nearby place and we don't get to see anything. Because I'm from Australia, I'm not big on baseball; we enjoy cricket,” Pearce said of herself and her mother, Patricia, who caddies for her. This is Pearce's fourth time in the tournament.
Carrie Roberts, 23, who turned professional last year, said she is looking forward to exploring the Toledo area.
“This is my first time here, but the talk has been the Mud Hens. And I really want to play on Inverness,” said Roberts, of Provo, Utah.
First Published August 14, 2003, 12:20 p.m.