Terry Gilliam, Associated Press
	Focus, focus, focus ... snooze:Southern California's Irene Cho takes a moment to get some rest on the 13th tee during the practice round of the NCAA women's Division I golf championship on Monday, May 22, 2006, at Ohio State's Scarlet Course in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Lipouts Next on the tee Birdies & Bogeys

With music from his iPod pumping in his ears, Brian Cooper will be playing golf tomorrow at Quicksilver Golf Club, his heart a little heavy but his soul dancing with excitement.

Cooper, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., will be playing in the Quicksilver Golf Classic Presented by Ameriprise Financial, a 72-hole Hooters Tour event with a $150,000 purse and $24,000 first prize.

It is a big deal for Cooper, 39, who normally plays on the Grey Goose mini-tour in Arizona.

Not only is the Hooters Tour a notch above the competition Cooper typically faces in the desert, but, more important, it is a chance for him to return home and play in front of his family and friends.

"I don't care if I shoot 80-80," said Cooper, who grew up in McKeesport and formerly worked at Hickory Heights Golf Club. "I'm thrilled to death to get back here and play."

Cooper received a sponsors exemption to play in the tournament, which begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday at the course that once played host to Hogan Tour and Senior PGA Tour events. He is excited about the opportunity as much as he is excited about his game, which is beginning to show signs of life after working with teaching pro Mike LaBauve at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale.

Last week, Cooper shot 68 in a U.S. Open local qualifier at Southern Dunes in Phoenix and advanced to a 36-hole sectional qualifier June 5 in Columbus, Ohio -- the first time he has advanced that far in Open qualifying.

"Everything just started to click," Cooper said. "All of a sudden, everything started going whoosh-whoosh-whoosh, right where I was aiming."

Cooper, though, will be a little somber tomorrow when he tees off at 9:18 a.m. His father, Frank, the person who got him started playing golf, won't be there. He died three years ago in March, at age 69, from cancer.

"But he'll be with me," Cooper said. "I think of him every time I play on the first tee, say a little something to him."

Cooper has found a lot of other support in Scottsdale, particularly from his financial sponsor and friend -- former Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Mark Grace.

They became friends several years ago when Cooper was a caddie at a Scottsdale-area club. They began playing golf together and Grace liked the talent and determination he saw in Cooper. Grace asked him why he doesn't play in more competitive events and Cooper said because he doesn't have enough money.

"You do now," Grace told him, and Cooper has been backed financially since then by the former baseball star.

"We're friends and I learn so much from him because he's been there, he knows what he's talking about," Cooper said. "He's a great guy and he has really helped me with my focus and determination."

That's one of the reasons Cooper wears an iPod when he plays: To concentrate on what he's doing.

That, though, may be a little difficult while he's back home.

Trivia question
Who was the first player to reach $1 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour? Answer at end.

Locals compete
Oakmont pro Bob Ford, part-time Champions Tour player Roy Vucinich and former Montour Country Club pro John Mazza are in the field for the 67th Senior PGA Championship that begins tomorrow at Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, Okla.

Each qualified for the tournament by finishing in the top 35 of last year's Senior Club Pro Championship.

This is the third year in a row Ford is playing. He was given a sponsors exemption in 2004 at Valhalla because he turned 50 after the qualifying tournament. Last year, he qualified to play at Laurel Valley and shot four 74s to finish tied for 40th at 8-over 296.

Ford finished third in the Senior CPC qualifier to gain the field at Oak Tree, which played host to the 1988 PGA Championship.

"And they got the Ocean Course next year," Ford said, referring to the site of the Senior PGA Championship in 2007. "That will be a blast."

Difficult decision
Jim Cichra did not enter last week's U.S. Open local qualifier at Quicksilver, even though he has advanced to the sectional qualifier several times when playing there.

But Cichra, manager/instructor at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center golf dome, will be at Quicksilver tomorrow for the first round of the Quicksilver Golf Classic, a 72-hole Hooters Tour event. Cichra received a sponsors exemption to play in the tournament.

Cichra opted to skip the local U.S. Open qualifier because, even if he advanced, he would not have played in the sectional qualifier in either Rockville, Md., or Columbus, Ohio. The sectional is scheduled for June 5, the same day as the start of the 36-hole Tri-State Open.

"Why should I go to the sectional and get my head handed to me there when maybe I can do some damage in the Tri-State Open?" Cichra said.

Curiously, Cichra was doing some of his own damage in a 2003 sectional qualifier at Kirtland Country Club in Ohio when he shot 69 to lead after one round of the 36-hole qualifier. One of the players in the field was Chad Campbell, who shot 67 in the second round to grab the lone qualifying spot for the Open.

Quotable
Thomas Bjorn of Denmark on the Carton House Golf Club course where he won the Irish Open: "You know, we didn't see much of it this week. We tried to see it through an umbrella."

Dissa and data
The third Crisis Center North charity tournament is June 9 at Pittsburgh North in Gibsonia. Entry is $85 and includes lunch. Proceeds benefit the Crisis Center North, a domestic violence counseling and educational resource center. Call, 412-364-6728.

The American Junior Golf Association tournament July 11-13 at the Chestnut Ridge resort in Blairsville has been renamed the Smithfield Junior Classic.

Myrtle Beach, S.C., has been selected No. 1 among "America's Greatest Golf-Home Towns" by Golf Digest magazine. The rating is based, among others, on number of quality courses, weather and cost of living.

A Phil Ritson-Mel Sole Golf School has opened at Quicksilver in Midway. Visit the Web site, ritson-sole.com, or call, 724-796-1811.

Trivia answer
Arnold Palmer was the first to do it, and he reached the figure in 1967 in his 13th season on the PGA Tour.