July 1, 2002

DURHAM, N.C. - This week at the U.S. Women's Open, the Duke women's golf program will be well-represented with two current and two former Blue Devils vying for the prestigious title. The tournament will be played in Hutchinson, Kansas at the Prairie Dunes Country Club on July 4-7.

The current Blue Devils participating this week will be rising juniors Virada Nirapathpongporn and Leigh Anne Hardin. Nirapathpongporn qualified at the Deer Brook Golf Club in Shelby, N.C. with a 36-hole total of 144 and will mark the first time the Bangkok, Thailand native has appeared in the U.S. Open. Coming off wins at the NCAA Championship and the Women's Eastern Golf Association Championship, Nirapathpongporn will look to continue her stellar play.

For the second consecutive year, Hardin will play in the U.S. Open. The Martinsville, Ind. product, received the invitation to play after being selected to the U.S. Curtis Cup team last month. Last year, Hardin turned in rounds of 78-77 and missed the cut in her first appearance.

The two former Blue Devils competing this week are Beth Bauer and Jean Bartholomew. Bauer qualified for the U.S. Open by firing a two-round total of 148 at the Webster Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. on June 18. She currently has exempt status on the LPGA Tour as a rookie and is second in the Rolex Rookie of the Year rankings. Bauer's best finish this season was sixth at the LPGA Corning Classic.

Bartholomew qualified for the U.S. Open with a 147 and then winning in a playoff at the Blue Heron Pines Golf Club in Cologne, N.J. Her best finish at the U.S. Open was tied for 28th in 1996, prior to joining the LPGA Tour.

Bauer, a two-time NGCA All-America, left Duke after her sophomore year in 2000 to turn professional, while Bartholomew, the 1988 NCAA runner-up, graduated from Duke in 1989.

The U.S. Women's Open began play in 1946 and is the longest running event currently on the LPGA Tour. It is one of the LPGA's four major championships.

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