Player to Watch : Ginn Frizz - Brief Article

NAME: Stewart Ginn.

AGE: 51.

HOME BASE: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

MALAYSIA? "Good golf courses, good weather. It's close to where I've been playing: Japan, Thailand, Australia, the Philippines. "

JUST ASK VIJAY: "Some places I stayed in Asia were basically on a porch with a net over you and a pail of water for bathing."

HOW HE GOT THERE: Grew up next to Royal Melbourne Golf Club and became a caddie there at age 10. Turned professional at 20. Has won 17 tournaments, including the Tasmanian and Indian Opens and the Golf Digest Japan Championship.

HOW HE GOT HERE: Tied for second at the 2000 Senior PGA Tour Q school. "I wanted to come to the U.S. in 1975, but my peers back home talked me out of it. The money wasn't that good and they said, 'You're not ready.' Then the kids came along [four children, now grown] and other things in life."

HEADLINE WRITER'S DREAM: Ginn wins Martini International (1974).

SO FAR: Plays the senior tour in five-week installments, followed by a week at home. The trip involves a 22-hour plane ride each way. "It is a hassle, but you put it in your head that [the flights] are part of your job. I'd hate to think how many passports I've gone through."

SO GOOD: Ranks 27th on the money list ($271,275). Best finish: Fourth at the BellSouth Senior Classic. "I'm learning what ticks. Playing three rounds with no cut is more of a sprint. I have to re-computer my head for that. If I putt well when I'm driving well, I've got a chance. Get it to under 75 putts for a 54-hole tournament and you're there."

ANOTHER AUSSIE'S VIEW: "He's a good, steady competitor," says Bruce Dev-lin. "It's not easy to get in the top 31 [fully exempt], but I'd expect him to stay in the top 50, which would get him in 25 to 30 tournaments next year."

THE JERRY GARCIA HAIR: "Where I'm from, we don't judge people by appearances. I'm not changing mine. I have had some chats with the boys and they've offered me a few bucks to get it cut, but why change at 50? My hair is me. And no, I've never been a hippie."

NAME: Kellee Booth.

AGE: 24.

FAMILY TEE: Mom is Jane Bastanchury Booth, a top-flight amateur and captain of the 2000 U.S. Curtis Cup team. Mom and Dad, Michael, first took Kellee to the course when she was 3. "Golf suited me," Kellee says. "I couldn't get the knack of hitting a moving ball." First shot par for nine holes at age 11.

TRACK RECORD: 26 junior titles, including the 1993 U.S. Girls' Junior. Two-time Curtis Cup player, with 4-0 record in 1998.

OFF TO THE RACES: Finished first at 1999 LPGA Qualifying School. She attributes record seven-stroke margin to good putting and good ball striking. "I also played consistent golf." As a tour rookie, her goal is to finish in the top 30 on the money list.

SMARTY PANTS: Was a three-time Academic All-American at Arizona State, where she played on three NCAA championship teams. "I worked hard on my studies at college. Often it was a choice between practicing and school when I had a long paper to complete." Graduated magna cum laude in 1998. "She was the true scholar-athlete and the most consistent player ever at ASU," says Linda Vollstedt, Booth's college coach.

FINISHING SCHOOL: Booth waited a year after college before turning pro, compiling an impressive list of amateur victories-Women's Western, South-Atlantic Ladies, PING/ASU and Jones/Doherty. Finished '99 as the No. 1-ranked amateur and won the first Nancy Lopez award for the world's most outstanding female amateur golfer.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Booth is philosophical about never winning the U.S. Women's Amateur. Best finish: semifinalist in '99. "It was disappointing, but anything can happen in match play."

ADVANCED STUDIES: A southern California native, she currently lives in Rancho Santa Margarita, near longtime teacher, Tom Sargent. She stays in touch with him while on tour by e-mailing sequences of her swing, a la Karrie Webb's work with her Aussie teacher.

THE WEBB FACTOR: "Karrie, like the Wongluekiets in junior golf, is boosting the level of play on the LPGA Tour. We have to work harder to stay competitive."

Topsy Siderowf

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