TULSA getting ready for U.S. Open

Monday, June 11th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ As Tiger Woods, David Duval, Phil Mickelson and other golfers begin vying for a spot in the U.S. Open on Monday, the host city braced for an onslaught of an estimated 35,000 tourists.

Practice rounds for the golf tournament start at Southern Hills Country Club and the competition itself tees off Thursday.

Some local merchants are hoping to cash in, while others are just hoping to cope.

``With that many people coming, a medium-size city like ours will notice a difference,'' said local travel agent Deborah Perry, who has booked dozens of tours into Tulsa for the week.

The difference will be more traffic at the Tulsa International Airport, more traffic on Tulsa streets, crowded restaurants, no parking and no hotel vacancies.

With thousands of extra people to keep entertained, Tulsa's arts and entertainment community will be busy, too.

The American Theater Co. will present ``Wit,'' a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about a woman with terminal cancer, this weekend. For those wanting outdoor entertainment, the Juneteenth jazz festival will be set up on the historic Greenwood Avenue.

Light Opera Oklahoma will offer renditions of ``My Fair Lady'' and ``The Mikado,'' while Wonderama, a south Tulsa comedy club, has booked an act called Golf Brooks.

``Golf is funny. It can be very funny,'' said Brooks, who will perform Friday and Saturday nights. ``Especially if you're not any good at it, and most people aren't. You have to laugh about it.''

The Philbrook Museum will open a major exhibit Sunday. The works of William Morris, a northwest sculptor who works mostly with glass, have been reserved for more than three years.

``Anything that brings more people to Tulsa, will bring more people to the Philbrook,'' museum marketing director Cheryl Waldeck said.