By Hunter Chase: Sports Editor

Jumping out of his golf car and striding into the nearly empty media center at Pine Needles Sunday, Kelly Miller had a little stake in making sure things were running smoothly at his family’s Southern Pines golfing mecca.

On the eve of the 2001 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, the normally low-key resort was bustling with workers and USGA officials and staff.

Miller, the chief operating officer at Pine Needles and general chairman for the 56th edition of the Women’s Open, was all smiles as he discussed the coming Championship week.

“Terrific, ready and raring to go,” he said. “This is exciting. Everybody is a little anxious at this point. There are always a few last-minute things. We haven’t had a lot of request for tee times today. There may be a dozen players out there today. We had six or eight play yesterday.”

Several of those players and their caddies were out on the course early Sunday, rolling balls on greens and walking off distances. Jill McGill roamed the practice green, lagging putts and getting a feel for the speed of the Open greens. Over on the first teeing area, Sweden’s Liselette Neumann embarked on an 18-hole tour minus her clubs.

Spectators milled around the area behind the Pine Needles clubhouse, enjoying the nice weather, snapping photos and discussing favorite golfers.

Chris Dalrymple and his children, Jack, 7, and Sumner, 10, were watching McGill on the practice green. Dalrymple, an excellent amateur golfer from the area, had a close-up look at the Donald Ross layout the day before.

The Southern Pines resident, who lives on the Pine Needles course and owns the Gentlemen’s Corner in Pinehurst, had shot a 71 while playing the course with Miller and several others Saturday.

“I played it yesterday,” he said. “We had a little rain delay, but the course is in perfect shape. It’s going to be a good test for the players.”

Dick Maag, with digital camera in hand, and his wife, Dorothy, stood near the practice range where several golfers were loosening up.

“I’m sending e-mail bulletins out,” he said. “I’m sending them out to people from coast-to-coast. They have to depend on my daily reports through Wednesday – then they can see things on television when ESPN takes over. Really, I have a network of about 40 or 50 people I’m sending them to, mostly family.”

Asked who they wanted to win the tournament, Dorothy said, “Julie Inkster, we hope. We like her, like the way she plays.”

Maag and his wife will be working as volunteers for the tournament, as will Joe and Maureen Tansey of Whispering Pines.

Walking past the first fairway where he and his wife will be working gallery control for the next week, Joe Tansey said he missed the 1996 Open at Pine Needles, but was excited about being here for this one. He also had his eye on a favorite golfer.

“I’d like to see Donna Andrews do well,” he said, “She’s a local person, lives here in Southern Pines. I’d really like to see her do well in this tournament.”

Back at the practice range, Tony Prohaska and his wife, Kui Wang, were watching the players strike balls. Prohaska said his wife had just started playing golf recently.

“My wife is watching the swings,” the Cary resident said. “You really do get a sense about timing and balance in the swing, much more over strength.”

And just like the early-arriving competitors, the two were also in town to get a sense of the course and the venue.

“We’re golf fans,” he said. “We thought we would come down and see the place. We thought it would be an easy way to get in and see so that when we watch it on television next week, we’ll be familiar with what they’re talking about.