PAKIN' EM IN: U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN SETS NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD

          Sunday's final round of the U.S. Women's Open drew a
     "throng" of 24,000 to the Blackwolf Run course in Kohler,
     WI, boosting the event's four-day attendance total to
     115,000 and breaking the previous attendance record of
     109,482 set last year (Tom Flaherty, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL
     SENTINEL, 7/6).  The merchandise tent at the Women's Open
     "nearly sold out Sunday," and opened early Monday morning to
     sell the "remaining few items" (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/6).  A
     gallery of more than 8,000 attended yesterday's 18-hole
     playoff between Se Ri Pak and Jenny Chuasiriporn, which was
     won by Pak (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 7/7).  The USGA charged a $10
     admission fee for yesterday's playoff, and granted free
     admission to fans under the age of 17 (THE DAILY).  
          EQUAL PAY & PLAY: USA TODAY's Christine Brennan, on the
     disparity between the purses of the U.S. Open and the U.S.
     Women's Open: "There could be no better way for the USGA to
     show how much it wants to encourage the participation of
     girls and women in golf than to unilaterally declare the
     prize money will be equal for the men's and women's Opens
     next year" (USA TODAY, 7/7).  In D.C., Tony Kornheiser
     writes that yesterday's playoff "capped a four-day run of
     women in sports only a fool would ignore.  Everywhere you
     turned this weekend there were female athletes on
     television" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/7).          
          NOTE: Last weekend's Greater Hartford Open (GHO) drew a
     total attendance of 245,000, down from last year's record
     attendance total of 260,000 (HARTFORD COURANT, 7/6).