EDINA, Minn. (June 27, 2008) - Minnesotans are sort of wacky. OK, forget the sort of. I say this with all appreciation. I’m staying with my version of a host family this week (more on this in a future blog) at U.S. Women’s Open rather than going the usual hotel route for example. So you know if they’re inviting me into their homes, they’re absolutely bonkers.

How out of his mind is the average guy from Minnesota? Well, no matter where he’s really from, I consider TravelGolf.com’s liberal loony professor Kiel Christianson an honorary Minnesotan. Enough said.

So it was with some surprise when I showed up for the first round of the Women’s Open Thursday and found the galleries to be golf’s version of a ghost town. If anyone could get full force behind a women’s major, you’d figure it be the unconventional folks from Minnesota. Instead with the USGA’s dream threesome of Annika Sorenstam, Paula Creamer and Suzann Pettersen playing in the afternoon, the 18th grandstand stood less than one third full.

Well today, the wacky Minnesotans arrived.

The stands at 18 were filled and the crowd had to be three or four times as large as it was on Thursday (not that you can base this on the guess work let’s-try-and-make-it-look-good attendance figures that are thrown out in this event). You could still get really good views of the action from behind the ropes unlike at even a mid level PGA Tour event. But it still was a huge improvement and a good sign for a sport that needs all of those it can get given the current climate being set from LPGA Tour headquarters.

For more on why a women’s major will never be confused with a big men’s tournament, read the full column here. For more on wacky Minnesotans, just keep reading Kiel’s blog.

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