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Local golfers learn from pros Photo by Drew Fleming LPGA pro Cindy Flom hits a shot at Quail Point Golf Course Monday as Phoenix High School players Haley Young, left, and Kim Russell, right, look on. Flom and Amy Benz were in Medford Monday to put on golf clinics. LPGA players Benz, Flom put on clinics By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Two Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour players were in Medford Monday to give clinics to local female players. LPGA tour players Amy Benz and Cindy Flom are in Oregon to play in the LPGA Safeway Classic Friday through Sunday at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland. The pros used Monday as a welcome day off, but spent part of the day teaching Rogue Valley females the proper fundamentals of the game and giving them tips on how to lower their scores quickly. "Amy is so easy to work with," said Lani Fujitsuba, a Southern Oregon University professor, who was at Cedar Links Golf Course in Medford for the fourth straight year to learn under Benz. "She makes it easy and fun to learn." Meanwhile, Flom, a five-time winner on the LPGA tour who won those events under the name of Cindy Rarick, was at Quail Point Golf Course tutoring members of the course's women's club and high school-age golfers. She stayed with her uncle and aunt, Lloyd and Donna Flom, who are Rogue Valley Manor residents. "She (Flom) is real nice and encouraging as a teacher," said Heidi Durden, 18, a senior at St. Mary's High of Medford. "She encouraged us to stay with golf." "Even when we hit bad shots, she would tell us not to worry about it and that we had good swings, or that we did something positive," said Katie Johnson, 18., a senior at St. Mary's. "She said we all had good swings." "Her game is so much mor consistent than ours," said Ellen Dow, a junior at Ashland High. "Seeing her, now we know what we have to work on." Flom said she enjoyed her visit to Quail Point and her stay with her aunt. "I really like it here," said Flom. "It's nice to be able to relax and see my aunt and uncle." "My husband and I saw Cindy win three of her tournaments," said Donna Flom. `We're close to her. We don't get to see her play now (in person), but we keep track of her when she's playing." Flom played in a nine-hole scramble tournament with the high school girls Monday afternoon. "It's fun to get to meet young girls and be encouraging to them about golf," said Flom. "I didn't start playing golf until I was 15 years old, and I emphasize that to young girls starting out. "Golf can be a game for a lifetime for young girls who start out in the sport early," said Flom. "They can play the game the rest of their lives, or they can try to use it to get a college education. Or they can pursue it as a profession like I did." Flom, 40, won five LPGA tournaments while she was known as Cindy Rarick from 1987-91. She won the 1987 Tsumura Hawaiian Open at the Turtle Bay Hilton course; the 1987 Corning Classic; 1989 Chrysler Classic; 1990 Planters Pat Bradley Classic, and the '91 Northgate Compact Classic. She said her success as a touring professional was interrupted for a few years when she went through a divorce. "I feel like I'm finally back on track," said Flom. "It's taken a while for me to get used to traveling by myself and making a lot of my own arrangements. But I still like to travel and I love to play. "I think I have five or six good years of golf left in me," says Flom. "I hope I do because I'm not ready to give it up. I think my game is still solid, and I love to play." Flom, who grew up and played high school golf for a boys team in Tucson, Ariz., still lives in Tucson. "Most of my family lives there, and it's where I want to be when I'm not playing," says Flom. "I'm comfortable there." She recently finished third in the British Open LPGA event, earning a paycheck of more than $50,000 while reaffirming her will and confidence to move on to more success. She has won just under $2 million in her career. "I finished third with a set of replacement clubs," says Flom. "My clubs were stolen before the tournament. I used some used Callaway irons that I borrowed, a Bertha Callaway driver and a cracked fairway wood." After missing the cut by one shot in the Safeco Classic last week in Seattle, she says she hopes to play better and get in three rounds in the Safeway Classic at Columbia Edgewater this weekend. "My game is good right now," says Flom. "I'm hitting the ball well and I'm confident." Benz, 37, worked with approximately 40 Rogue Valley women Monday morning in a clinic. In the afternoon, she worked with many members of the Rogue Valley LPGA Girls Golf Club, which is directed by Cedar Links Golf Course assistant professional Peggy Atwood. All proceeds from the clinics went to the local chapter of the LPGA Girls Golf Club. "I learned not to bring the club up so high when I take it back," said Chelsie O'Neill, 10, of Medford. "She (Benz) made it easy for me to make the change." "I appreciated the effort Amy made when she took time from her busy schedule to come and teach us," said Kerry Sullivan, 15 of Medford. "This is my fourth year with Amy," said Callee Goin of Central Point. "I've lowered my scores down from the 120s to the mid-80s. " "She taught me to put the ball further up in my stance," said Stephanie Baker of Central Point. "That helped me to not hit the ground so much and hit the ball easier." "I don't really consider myself a teacher," said Benz. "I'm a player. But I can look at basic things and help them." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.