Hur looking for title defense at LPGA Safeway

M.J. Hur during the Evian Masters.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – M.J. Hur was surprised at how quickly things changed for her after winning last year’s Safeway Classic.

Just a few days later, at the Canadian Women’s Open, fans in the gallery were congratulating the South Korean golfer and asking for her autograph. It simply didn’t occur to Hur that she was a known commodity.

It was Hur’s first win on the LPGA Tour, and only since. She beat Suzann Pettersen with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff at the tournament west of Portland. Michele Redman was eliminated on the first extra hole.

This year’s Safeway Classic starts Friday at the 6,546-yard, par-72 Ghost Creek Course at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, about a 20-minute drive from Portland. It is the tournament’s second year on the course after 19 years at Columbia Edgewater County Club.