Here are a few Women's Open news picks courtesy of GolfObserver.com:
What was your favorite—or least favorite—moment of the 2007 U.S. Women's Open?
Pine Needles has hosted the U.S. Women's Open three times since 1996 and, Cristie Kerr, only 29 years old, has appeared in all of them. She was the low amateur in 1996 at age 18 and finished in a tie for fourth in 2001. So Kerr was not the least bit surprised when she won on Sunday at Pine Needles, firing a 1-under-par 70 to claim her first U.S. Open title and first major championship.
"I just knew I was going to win," said Kerr, who finished at 5-under-par 279 overall, two strokes clear of Lorena Ochoa and Angela Park. "I know that's kind of odd to say, but I just knew it.
"Everything this year has been pointing to this tournament," Kerr continued. "Whatever it took I was going to win this tournament. I hit it crooked, but I made putts from everywhere. I would have made longer ones if I had to."
Kerr said there was something "magical" the moment she stepped on the Pine Needles grounds this week.
"It's just a special place to come to play golf," said Kerr, who joins LPGA Hall of Famers Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb as major champions at Pine Needles. "I've always loved the layout of this golf course. It fits my eye. I'm comfortable here. Peggy Kirk Bell and her involvement in the course and the tournament is just so special."
Kerr struggled out of the box this year on the LPGA Tour, cracking the top 10 just once and missing the cut three times in her first eight events. But in her three tournaments prior to the U.S. Open, she finished third, tied for 18th and fourth. In the McDonald's LPGA Championship, contested three weeks ago, Kerr shot a final-round 6-under-par 66 to vault into 18th. Still, Kerr admits her swing didn't feel good at all this week. She was coming up out of her posture and hitting a lot balls to the right. "I was trying to fix it all the way through 18," said Kerr, who still hit 11 of 14 fairways on Sunday.
When Kerr needed a big shot on Sunday, she was able to produce. On the most difficult hole this week, the par-4 14th, Kerr "striped" her drive and stuck a 4-iron from 190 yards, leaving a 15-footer for birdie which she converted to take a one-shot lead over Ochoa at the time. Kerr never looked back.
"I kind of hit it where I needed to hit it," said Kerr. "You've got to be able to win in all different kinds of ways. You can't always win when you're playing perfectly. I was able to muddle this one out."
Though her swing was less than reliable all week, her putter was as good as gold. That's no big surprise: Kerr led the LPGA in putts per greens in regulation last year and is among the leaders in that statistic each year. She required only 13 putts on the back nine Sunday, just as she did Saturday. Not coincidentally, Kerr was a cumulative 2-under par on the back nine over the final two rounds, while Ochoa was 1-over par.
"I probably haven't given enough credit to how I hit the ball, because I did hit a lot of greens this week. But putting absolutely saved me," Kerr said. "Those putts that go in at crucial times, people don't understand how big they are."
Lorena Ochoa is only 26 years old, but the "When will you win your first major?" questions are now reaching Phil Mickelson-like proportions after her second-place finish in the U.S. Women's Open Sunday. It took "Lefty" 46 tries before he broke through at the 2004 Masters. Ochoa is now 0 for 23, halfway to Mickelson's number. It just seems like a lot more.
"I'm doing okay," the world's No. 1-ranked player said after posting an even-par 71 and 3-under-281 total on Sunday, two shots short of Cristie Kerr. "I've been in worse places. It hurts. But I did everything I could. I tried really hard every day, every shot. It just didn't happen for me."
Ochoa had another excellent opportunity on Sunday at Pine Needles to exorcise her major demons, but was snake-bitten once again on the back nine. There were no quadruple bogeys, like the one on the 18th hole at Cherry Hills two years ago at the U.S. Open, but there were some ill-timed shots. The biggest blow came on the par-4, 440-yard 17th hole, when Ochoa pulled her tee shot left into a fairway bunker. Rather than lay up from 210 yards with her second shot, Ochoa chose to go for the green with a 5-wood and wound up topping the ball, advancing it about 70 yards into some deep fairway rough. After hitting an excellent third shot to within 15 feet, she missed the par attempt to fall two shots behind Kerr.
"I was one shot behind and I needed to put it close and give myself a chance to at least make a par," said Ochoa. "I was really quick with my hands and I hit it over the top. Just a bad swing."
Ochoa had missed only eight greens in regulation through the first three rounds, but missed nine on Sunday and failed to take advantage of the two par 5s on the back nine, despite her considerable length advantage over Kerr and fellow playing partner Morgan Pressel. Her second and final birdie of the day came on the short par-3 third hole, which all three players in the final group birdied. Ochoa then reeled off 13 consecutive pars before her bogey on the 17th.
She was unable to hit the fairway on her last five tee shots. The turning point, Ochoa said, came on the par-5 15th when she drove into a fairway bunker down the left side. This came after Kerr birdied the difficult par-4 14th hole, breaking a deadlock at 4 under which started when Kerr bogeyed the 8th hole.
"It would have been a good chance to reach the green in two and put the pressure on Cristie," said Ochoa. "And the tee shot on 17...I lost my grip. The club got loose in my hands on the downswing."
Ochoa's 24th attempt for that elusive major will come next month (Aug. 2-5) at St Andrews. Kerr, who ironically won her first major title on Sunday, believes Ochoa won't have to wait too long for hers.
"Going head to head with Lorena and beating her, it's really special," said Kerr. "I mean, she's going to win plenty of tournaments and plenty of major championships."
An LPGA star won her first major Sunday, but it wasn't the player everyone was expecting. Floridian Cristie Kerr, struggling with her swing for all 18 holes but riding a hot putter, shot a 1-under par 70 to capture the 62nd U.S. Women's Open championship at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.
Kerr pulled away from Lorena Ochoa with a 15-foot birdie putt on the difficult par-4 14th hole, bringing her total to 5-under par, and never looked back to become the second American to win a major on the LPGA Tour this season. Morgan Pressel, who played with Kerr in the final group on Sunday, won the Kraft Nabisco for her first major back in April. Ochoa (71) finished in a two-way tie for second with 36-hole leader Angela Park (70) of Brazil at 3-under par.
Kerr, who turned professional out of high school in 1996 and finished as the low amateur in the U.S. Open that year--coincidentally, at Pine Needles--had her sights set on winning this tournament for a very long time.
"It's been a dream of mine every since I was a little girl," said Kerr, who recorded her 10th LPGA Tour victory. "Practicing six-foot putts, and holing them to win the U.S. Open. It's amazing."
Kerr, who needed only 24 putts in the third round, had 29 on Sunday, none more important than the birdie putt on 14.
"I ended up hitting an unbelievable shot (a 4-iron from 190 yards) and making an unbelievable putt," said Kerr. "My putting absolutely saved me [this week]. It kept the momentum going. I can't remember a week where I've walked in more putts from 5, 6, 7, 8 feet. Just like Jack Nicklaus, knowing they're in."
The world's No. 1-ranked player, Ochoa fell short again in her quest for her first major title. Ochoa made a crucial bogey on the par-4 17th hole, and couldn't recover to run her major-less streak to 23. The 26-year-old from Mexico pulled her tee shot left into a fairway bunker, and, rather than lay up from 210 yards, chose to go for the green with a fairway wood. Ochoa topped her bunker shot, however, about 70 yards, and then couldn't convert from 15 feet for par after hitting her approach left of the flag. The bogey dropped Ochoa two shots behind Kerr with one to play, a deficit which proved insurmountable.
Ochoa, one shot back after Kerr's birdie on 14, made a crucial par save on the par-5 15th hole to remain one back of Kerr and keep her hopes alive. Ochoa's second shot from a fairway bunker flew way right and landed on some pine needles, 130 yards from the hole. She then ran her third shot over the back of the green and after putting the ball from the fringe, sank an 8-footer for par. Ochoa, despite holding a considerable advantage off the tee over her playing partners Kerr and Morgan Pressel, could not take advantage of the two par-5s on the back, finishing them at even par.
Kerr's birdie on 14 broke a five-hole deadlock between her and Ochoa at 4 under. Up to that point, neither player wanted to grab the reins and take command of this championship. Meanwhile, Park crept into the mix with birdies on the 12th and 15th holes to join Ochoa at 4 under. But Park made back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes before birdieing 18 to finish at 3 under.
NOTES: Five-time major champion Se Ri Pak had the low final round with a 3-under 68. It was Pak's second consecutive 68, vaulting her into a tie for fourth place at 2-under par. ...Defending champion Annika Sorenstam, just two shots off the lead after an opening-round 70, had a disappointing weekend, finishing 8-over par overall and in a tie for 32nd place. Sorenstam, who won her second of three U.S. Open championships at Pine Needles in 1996, couldn't rebound from a second-round 77, in which she was 3 over on the par-5s. It was Sorenstam's third tournament back since missing seven weeks of action with a ruptured disk in her neck. ...Duke University's Jennie Lee and Korea's Jennifer Song tied for low amateur honors at 10-under par. Lee, who lost to Pressel in the quarterfinals of the 2005 U.S. Women's Amateur, fired a final-round 74 while Song shot 76.
The leaders are through nine holes in the final round of the U.S. Women's Open, with Lorena Ochoa and Cristie Kerr sharing the lead at 4-under par. Angela Park and Jiyai Shin are two shots back at 2 under, while Kraft Nabisco champion Morgan Pressel is three back at 1 under.
Ochoa, however, is in trouble on the par-5 10th hole, having hit her tee shot in the trees. Kerr also found trouble off the tee and had to punch out.
None of the leaders were able to take advantage of the easier front nine at Pine Needles. Only Ochoa was under par, with birdies on the 1st and 3rd holes with a lone bogey sandwiched in-between on 2. All three players in the final pairing--Ochoa, Kerr and Pressel--birdied the short par-3, 132-yard 3rd hole. Ochoa nearly rolled in her tee shot for a hole-in-one when her ball hit the slope to the right of the hole and fed down to about 18 inches. Pressel's tee shot nearly flew in the hole and came to rest 8 feet by the pin, and Kerr's tee shot landed farthest away, 10 feet below the hole.
Ochoa may have the edge down the stretch. She is even par on the back nine through three rounds while Kerr is 2-over par.
In the event our national champion isn't decided after 72 holes later today, there will not be an 18-hole Monday playoff as there has been in years past at the U.S. Women's Open. The USGA adopted a new playoff format this year, scrapping the 18-hole playoff for a three-hole aggregate total immediately following the end of regulation play. If the players are still tied after three holes, extra holes will be played until a deadlock is broken.
Entering this afternoon's final round at Pine Needles, Cristie Kerr (-4) leads Lorena Ochoa, Morgan Pressel and Jiyai Shin by one shot. Angela Park is two shots back.
Last year at Newport (R.I.) Country Club, an 18-hole playoff was needed to decide a winner, with Annika Sorenstam defeating Pat Hurst by four strokes for her third U.S. Open championship. There have been 10 Monday playoffs in the 61-year-old history of the U.S. Women's Open, the most memorable occurring in 1998 at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wisc., when two holes of sudden death were needed to decide a classic duel between LPGA rookie Se Ri Pak and amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn. On the 20th hole of the day, Pak drained a 15-footer for birdie to collect her second major championship. The 92-hole tournament was the longest in women's professional golf history.
The men's U.S. Open remains the only championship in golf that is still decided by an 18-hole playoff.
Cristie Kerr needed just 24 putts to complete a 5-under-par 66 this morning and take a one-shot lead after 54 holes in the U.S. Women's Open championship. Kerr is at 4-under overall, one shot ahead of Lorena Ochoa (68), Morgan Pressel (69) and Jiyai Shin (71) in what is shaping up to be a compelling final round at Pine Needles later today.
Second-round leader Angela Park (74) is two shots back.
Ochoa, the world's No. 1-ranked player, will join Kerr and Pressel in the final pairing early this afternoon at 12:45 p.m. Ochoa was tied with Kerr heading into the par-4 18th hole but three-putted from 20 feet. The native of Guadalajara, Mexico, hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation and at one point had a streak of 24 consecutive greens hit before she found the greenside bunker with her approach shot on the difficult par-4 14th hole. Not surprisingly, Ochoa bogeyed that hole to fall to 4-under at the time. Ochoa, Kerr and Pressel all bogeyed the 14th hole this morning, when third-round play resumed after being suspended at 8:05 p.m. Saturday night due to darkness. Heavy rains pelted the Southern Pines area shortly after play was called, soaking the course and making the rough near impossible to hit out of this morning.
Kerr, whose previous low round at the U.S. Open was a 69 at Pine Needles in 2001, hit only 11 of 18 greens (61 percent) but was rescued by her putter. So was Pressel, who, after finding the rough on 18 and blasting out 40 yards short of the green, made a par-saving 18-footer on the 18th hole to remain at 3 under and join the final pairing.
Both Kerr and Ochoa, who has 12 LPGA Tour wins to her credit, including last week's Wegmans LPGA in Rochester, are seeking their first major championship. Pressel, who turned 19 on May 23, is looking to add a second this year. Pressel became the youngest major champion in the history of the LPGA on April 1st when she rallied from four shots back on the back nine to win the Kraft Nabisco.
"It's always good to be in the last group," Ochoa said Saturday night. "I have good momentum right now and I'm going to make sure I continue that."
Without question, Ochoa faces the most pressure of the three players in the final group. While Kerr, too, has yet to win a major, Ochoa is expected to win to validate her No. 1 world ranking. Her best previous finish in a U.S. Open was a tie for sixth at Cherry Hills in 2005. That was also her most disappointing major moment: Ochoa was in the lead before she dunked her tee shot in the water on the 18th hole and made triple bogey. She finished three shots back of eventual winner Birdie Kim. Ochoa also lost a sudden death playoff to Karrie Webb at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco.
"I feel prepared to win a major," said Ochoa. "I've been working really hard and giving myself chances. Tomorrow (Sunday) is going to be a special day. I'm going to take one step at a time and really concentrate on what I'm doing, one hole at a time, like I always try to play the major championships. But for sure it's going to be a big day for me."
Cristie Kerr's lowest round in a U.S. Open (69) came at Pine Needles in 2001. She's looking to do that several shots better in the third round of this year's 62nd U.S. Women's Open championship. Kerr, six shots back of Angela Park entering Saturday's third round, shot a front-nine 31 and was 5-under par on the day through 13 holes when play was suspended due to darkness.
Kerr came out firing with birdies on hole Nos. 2, 4, 5 and 7 and added a birdie on the par-4 11th to move into a three-way tie for second place at 4-under par with Mexico's Lorena Ochoa (-4 thru 11 holes) and second-round leader Park (+1 thru 10 holes). They're all chasing Korea's Ji-Yai Shin (-1 thru 10), who birdied her final hole of the day, the par-5 10th hole, to take sole ownership of the lead. Shin is playing in only her third LPGA event and second major. She finished in a tie for 15th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Ochoa, seeking her first major championship to validate her No. 1 world ranking, also made her charge on the easier front nine at Pine Needles, birdieing holes 1, 3 and 9. She also birdied the 10th hole.
Two shots back of the leader was Nabisco champion Morgan Pressel (-3 thru 11 holes). Paraguay's Julieta Granada (+1 thru 11 holes) was three shots back.
The third round will resume tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m., with the fourth and final round scheduled to begin at approximately 10:45 a.m. Once again, players will go off both tees (1 and 10). Isolated thunderstorms are in the forecast for Sunday morning, although the storms predicted for Saturday stayed away for the first time all week. Play had been suspended twice on Friday because of dangerous weather, pushing the third round back to 3:40 p.m. on Saturday.
Kerr has nine LPGA Tour wins on her resume, but none in 2007. She has been playing well of late, however, posting a third-place finish at the Ginn Tribute earlier this month and a fourth at last week's Wegmans LPGA. Ochoa is coming off a win at Wegmans, her third of the season and 12th career LPGA victory overall. Ochoa is trying to shed the label as the "Best Player Not to Have Won a Major" this week. She nearly captured that elusive major two years ago at Cherry Hills, but made a triple-bogey 8 on her final hole to finish three shots back of eventual winner Birdie Kim. Ochoa also lost in a sudden-death playoff to Karrie Webb at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco.
In her pre-tournament press conference this week, Michelle Wie said she was perfectly capable of making her own decisions and that ultimately, her decision to play this week, despite an injured wrist, was hers.
If that's the case, then Michelle really has only one decision to make right now, and that's to put the wrist on ice for awhile. Take a break, Michelle. Forget about the Ricoh Women's British Open next month and let your wrist and wounded psyche heal. Start thinking about your class schedule at Stanford, and not breaking 80.
For the second time this month, Wie WD'd from a tournament due to her injured left wrist, which she fractured back in January. Wie hit two shots on the 1st hole of the U.S. Open championship Saturday, her tenth hole of the day, and then told playing partners Christina Kim and Natalie Gulbis "no mas." At the time of her withdrawal, the 17-year-old was 6-over par on the day and 17-over par overall (through 27 holes), invoking memories of her controversial withdrawal at the Ginn Tribute hosted by Annika Sorenstam earlier this month. In that event, Wie was 14 over after 16 holes and dangerously close to shooting 88, which would have made her ineligible for the rest of the LPGA season. She didn't make any friends or alleviate the skepticism surrounding her withdrawal at Ginn by showing up the next day in Maryland to practice for the following week's McDonald's LPGA Championship.
In fairness to Wie, she definitely appeared to hurt the wrist Saturday. After "tweaking" it on the 17th tee, she drew a nasty lie in the rough off the fairway on 18. Upon hitting her second shot, she immediately pulled her left hand off the club and began shaking her wrist. Not long afterwards, a medic appeared and began massaging Wie's wrist as she walked toward the 18th green. About 10 minutes later, after snap-hooking her drive on No. 1, she withdrew.
Wie, looking teary-eyed at her press conference, says she will head to Florida in the coming days to have her wrist examined, and then will re-evaluate her playing schedule. As of now, the plan is to play the Evian Masters in France in late July, and then head to the British Open, which is being played at historic St Andrews for the first time. But for Wie, the decision should be easy. Skip them both.
It's obvious her wrist hasn't healed, and what's worse is her game has completely deteriorated to the point she has a hard time breaking 80. That can't do much for her confidence. Or her future. Wie hasn't broken par for 22 consecutive rounds. In five LPGA rounds this season, she's averaging 78 strokes. In addition to the 82 she shot in the first round on Thursday, she carded an 83 in the third round of the McDonald's LPGA Championship (which she finished dead last in, by 10 strokes).
It looked like she was headed for her third 80-plus score in four rounds before she withdrew Saturday.
These scores are shocking, considering Wie was tied for the lead after three rounds in this very same championship a year ago in Rhode Island, and at Cherry Hills two years ago. In four previous U.S. Open appearances, Wie's worst finish was a tie for 39th. A final-round 82 at Cherry Hills was the only real blip on her U.S. Open resume.
Wie still draws the largest galleries--there were at least 2,000 spectators following her on Saturday when there might have been 100 watching second-round leader Angela Park a few holes earlier--but most are there to see if she can break 80. They're not there to witness her once-tremendous talent. Golf Digest Senior Writer Ron Sirak called it the NASCAR-viewing mentality: People are watching Wie to see her wreck.
"It's really a shame," said Gary Gilchrist, who coached Wie between the ages of 12 and 14, when Wie first blossomed on the scene and came to be known as the Big Wie-sy. "They've taken her natural ability away. When she was 13, she was swinging beautifully, much better than she is now. It doesn't get much better than that. She's been hitting it poorly for a year now."
Wie left Gilchrist for David Leadbetter three years ago, and has been in high demand recently for analysis of Wie's swing as Leadbetter has been fairly mum about her struggles. Wie's swing is much more compact now than it used to be, says Gilchrist, and her tempo is quicker. Too quick, he says.
"Her full swing is three-quarters now," said Gilchrist, who coaches McDonald's LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen. "There's too much lift in her backswing and not enough body turn, so there's no time to hit the ball. It's very handsy. She needs to have more feel to her swing if she wants to get it back."
Wie is an amazing talent and the LPGA Tour, in particular, needs her back. But not this way. Not when she's struggling to break 80 and all the focus on her is negative. Whoever is making the decisions, whether it's really Michelle or it's her father, B.J., or someone else in the Wie camp, they need to start making better decisions right now. They can start by giving her some time off. If they don't, we might not see Wie at the top of the leaderboard again anytime soon at the U.S. Open, and that would be a shame.
Tee times for the third round of the 62nd U.S. Women's Open championship were just released. Players will be in groups of three and will go off the 1st and 10th tees beginning at 3:40 p.m.
Thirty-six hole leader Angela Park (-5) is paired with Korea's Jiyai Shin (-3) and Chinese Taipei's Amy Hung (-3) and will tee off No. 1 at 5:30 p.m.
Other notable tee times:
Angela Park will be trying to make it a South American sweep of the U.S. Open championships this weekend. Park, who hails from Brazil, shot a 2-under-par 69 Saturday morning and holds a two-shot lead after 36 holes of the U.S. Women's Open in Southern Pines, NC. Argentina's Angel Cabrera won the men's U.S. Open title two weekends ago at Oakmont CC outside Pittsburgh, holding off the world's No.-1 ranked player, Tiger Woods, and Jim Furyk by one shot.
Park, who is at 5-under 137 overall, just might have to hold off the women's top-ranked player, Lorena Ochoa, this weekend to pull off the rare South American double. Ochoa is at even par after 36 holes, five shots back.
"His name is Angel without an 'A' so it would be kind of funny to have an Angela win it," said Park, a rookie who has made only two major appearances prior to this week, missing the cut in her only U.S. Open appearance at Cherry Hills two years ago. "Standing in this position and having the opportunity to go for it and win, it's amazing."
Park, who played the back nine first Saturday, is 6-under par on the front nine over the first two rounds and 1 over on the back. She's recorded only 24 putts on the front nine over the first 36 holes.
The second round of the U.S. Women's Open is nearly complete, with first-round leader Angela Park still on top after firing a 2-under par 69 Saturday. Park, a rookie from Brazil, is at 5-under 137 on the Pine Needles layout, two shots ahead of Paraguay's Julieta Granada (69), Taiwan's Amy Hung (69) and Korea's Jiyai Shin (69). Kraft Nabisco champion Morgan Pressel (70) is alone in fifth pace at 1-under 141.
Five shots back at even par are world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa (71), In-Bee Park (73), Shiho Oyama (73), Catriona Matthew (67) and Shi Hyun Ahn. Matthew's 67 was the low round of the tournament.
The cut (low 60 players and ties, and players within 10 strokes of the lead), is expected to fall at +6. Among the notables heading home early are Michelle Wie (withdrew with wrist injury), McDonald's LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen (+7) and two-time U.S. Open champions Juli Inkster (+7) and Karrie Webb (+12). Webb rebounded nicely from an opening-round 83 by shooting an even-par 71.
Once the second round is completed and the cut established, players will go off in groups of three in the third round on tees 1 and 10 at approximately 3:30 p.m. EST, weather permitting. The rains and thunderstorms have held off until this point but are forecasted for later this afternoon in the Southern Pines area.
Michelle Wie withdrew today from the 62nd U.S. Women's Open after re-injuring her left wrist during the the second round at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. Wie called it quits after punching out from the rough with her second shot on the par-5 1st hole, her tenth of the day. She was 6-over par in her round and 17-over par overall at the time of her withdraw.
Wie said her wrist, which she fractured back in January after taking a spill jogging, was a little sore when she woke up today. She "tweaked" it on the 17th hole when her tee shot found the right rough, some 30 yards short of playing partner Christina Kim's ball. After driving into the right rough again on the 18th hole, Wie appeared to re-aggravate the wrist on her second shot, pulling her left hand off the club in her follow-through and grimacing in pain. Wie started shaking her wrist and appeared visibly upset when she called for a rules official. Soon afterwards, a medic was allowed to come out and massage Wie's wrist as she walked toward the 18th green.
After failing to get the ball up and down from the bunker on 18, she snap-hooked her tee shot off the 1st tee. It was after she blasted out of the rough that she informed playing partners' Kim and Natalie Gulbis that she was withdrawing.
"The last thing I want to do is withdraw but I have no choice," said Wie. "I haven't felt pain like that before."
Wie's next scheduled event is the Evian Masters (July 26-29 in France), but her latest withdrawal has her re-evaluating her playing schedule. She says she'll head to Florida in the coming days to have her wrist evaluated by doctors. Wie withdrew from the Ginn Tribute Hosted by Annika earlier this month, citing an injured wrist, but raised suspicions that she quit because of the LPGA Tour's 88 Rule. Wie was 14-over par through 16 holes at the time of her withdraw, just two shots short of the number. Had she shot 88, she would not have been allowed to play in another LPGA event this year.
Several weeks later, Wie finished dead last among those players making the cut at the McDonald's LPGA Championship--by 10 strokes--shooting 21-over par.
As for any skepticism surrounding her latest withdraw, Wie said, "I was in enough pain to bring tears to my eyes, and that's not easy with me.
"I definitely want to compete because that's what I love to do, but I have to think about my health now," she continued. "There are good days and bad days; today wasn't one of my best."
Wristgate continues. Michelle Wie withdrew today from the 62nd U.S. Women's Open after re-injuring her left wrist during the course of the second round at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. Wie withdrew after punching out from the rough with her second shot on the par-5 1st hole, her tenth of the day. She was 6-over par in her round and +17 overall at the time of her withdraw.
More to come.
All the electricity surrounding the 62nd U.S. Women's Open has been up in the skies surrounding the Southern Pines area the last few days. But finally, they're getting around to playing some golf.
Second-round play resumed this morning at 7:35 a.m. after play was suspended on Friday at 5:30 p.m. with 132 players yet to complete the second round, many of which had yet to tee off. Among those players completing their second round this morning was defending champion Annika Sorenstam, who woke up early to hit just three shots--an approach to the 9th green and two putts. The three strokes completed a disappointing 77 for Sorenstam, who is 5-over par overall.
"I might go back to bed," said Sorenstam following her brief morning appearance. "I got off to a terrible start on Friday. Luckily, I bounced back and shot even par on the back. That didn't put me too far behind."
Sorenstam is currently eight shots back of the leader, Angela Park, who is 3 under after six holes this morning. Park birdied her first hole of the day, the par-5 10th, to move to 4 under, but bogeyed the 12th. Other notable scores of note this morning include Lorena Ochoa (+1 thru 3 holes), Morgan Pressel (-1 thru 4) and Michelle Wie (+2 thru 3, +13 overall). Alexis Thompson, the youngest player ever to compete in the U.S. Women's Open at age 12, shot an 11-over 82 and finished at 16 over for the tournament.
Even at 5 over, Sorenstam expects to be in the mix this weekend. A winner here at Pine Needles in 1996, Sorenstam is playing in just her third tournament since missing almost two months with a neck injury.
"I'm not too far behind, but I'm going to need two good rounds," said Sorenstam. "The good thing is that it's the U.S. Open and there are always high scores. Who knows how I'll finish by the end of the day. If you play the weekend and you play solid, who knows. I've been around long enough to know that you have to be patient."
Second-round play at the U.S. Women's Open was officially suspended at 5:30 p.m. today, with the leader, Angela Park, yet to tee off. None of the Friday afternoon pairings, which included Park, world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie, had teed off when play was halted for a second time at 3:18 p.m. because of dangerous weather in the Southern Pines area. After a more than two-hour delay, which included only a few drops or rain but plenty of lightning, play was halted for good with another line of storms expected to pass through the area at 6:30 p.m.
The second round will resume tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m., although heavy rain is forecasted overnight and into the mid-morning hours on Saturday. The hope is to get the second round completed by 3 p.m. Once the cut is established, the third round will be played in groups of three with players going off the 1st and 10th tees at 3:30.
Friday marked the fifth consecutive day, including practice rounds, that play was suspended at some point due to dangerous weather. According to Mike Davis, Senior Director of Rules and Competition for the USGA, play has never been suspended for all seven days of a USGA championship event. "So, come Sunday, we might just have a record," mused Davis.
"We most definitely will play 72 holes to decide a champion," Davis continued. "We'll go to Monday if we have to."
The clubhouse leader is In-Bee Park at even-par 142. Park shot a 2-over par 73.
McDonald's LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen got off to an inauspicious start during Thursday's opening round of the U.S. Women's Open, recording bogeys on her first six holes, including a double bogey on the par-4, 14th hole. She stood at 7-over par after six holes, but picked herself up off the canvas with four birdies on the front nine (her back nine) to finish at 5 over, still within shouting distance of the leaders.
Pettersen's Thursday comeback was a sign of her growing maturity and patience this season. The 26-year-old Norwegian lost final-round leads in back-to-back tournaments earlier this season, including a four-hole meltdown at the Kraft Nabisco Championship which cost her the season's first major. But Pettersen rebounded quickly to win her first LPGA Tour event, the Michelob ULTRA Open, three tournaments later and then added her first major title at the McDonalds LPGA Championship three weeks ago. At the McDonalds, Pettersen fired a final-round 67 to hold off a spirited charge from Karrie Webb by one stroke.
Much of the credit for Pettersen's emergence this season belongs to Golf For Women Top 50 Teachers and regular contributors Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott. Pettersen attended one of their Golf54 schools in Phoenix last year, and Nilsson and Marriott have been coaching her ever since on the mental and emotional aspects of the game (Gary Gilchrist, Michelle Wie's former swing coach, is Pettersen's instructor).
Nilsson and Marriott told me an interesting story today. They were watching a television broadcast of Saturday's third round of the McDonalds in Sweden when they noticed how tense Pettersen appeared, especially in her facial expressions. They phoned Pettersen prior to Sunday's final round and advised her to smile more inwardly on the course. This would help relax her jaw, lips and other facial features, Marriott explained, so she wouldn't be so tight in her shoulders and upper body.
Their tip worked wonders. Pettersen not only held it together down the stretch, but she recorded four birdies on her back nine against no bogeys.
So if you see Pettersen mouthing a smile during this weekend's coverage of the U.S. Open, you'll know why.
Play was suspended for the second time today at 3:18 p.m. due to dangerous weather in the area. It's the third weather delay in two days at the 62nd U.S. Women's Open, although it has yet to rain.
Defending champion Annika Sorenstam was in the middle of the 9th fairway, her 18th hole of the second round, when the horn sounded. Sorenstam was coming off a birdie on the par-4 8th hole, her first since this morning when she completed her first round. Sorenstam, struggling with her ball-striking, shot a 6-over-par 42 over her first nine holes. She's at 5-over par for the tournament, and appears safe to make the weekend cut. The leader, Angela Park, is at 3 under. She was scheduled to tee off at 3:48 but that time will be pushed back yet again.
The leader in the clubhouse is In-Bee Park at even-par 142. One of six players with the last name of Park in the field, Park fired a 2-over-par 73 after an opening-round 69. Two other players, Japan's Shiho Oyama and Korea's Jee Young Lee, are also at even par through 16 holes.
Play was suspended at 1:47 p.m. this afternoon due to inclement weather in the Southern Pines area. With more thunderstorms forecasted for this afternoon, and a 70 percent chance of showers tomorrow, it looks like the 62nd version of the U.S. Women's Open may be headed to a Monday conclusion.
Leader Angela Park (-3) was scheduled to tee off this afternoon at 3:18 p.m., along with Morgan Pressel (3:51), Michelle Wie (3:51) and Lorena Ochoa (4:02). Wie is trying to break a dubious streak of 21 consecutive rounds over par in professional men's and women's events. She shot an opening-round 82 on Thursday, and is tied for 135th place overall. But with the shaky forecast, she looks to be playing on Saturday. It's unlikely that Wie, Ochoa or any of today's afternoon groupings will play more than nine holes.
But some good news to share with you: the horn just sounded, resuming play at 2:16 p.m. following a 29-minute delay.
The wheels are coming off Annika Sorenstam's bid for a second consecutive U.S. Open title. After putting the finishing touches on a 1-under-par 70 in her first round this morning, Sorenstam shot a 6-over-par 42 over the back nine at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in the second round, falling eight shots back of leader Angela Park.
Sorenstam looked to come charging out of the gates in the second round, teeing off on the par-5 10th hole (a hole she birdied on Thursday). But after missing the green with her third shot, her pitch shot rolled back to her feet. She pitched her par attempt eight feet past the hole and missed the comebacker for a double-bogey 7.
The eight-time Rolex Player of the Year nearly made it back-to-back double bogeys on the par-4 11th hole when her chip ran past the hole and off the green, but she made an 8-footer to save bogey. On the par-3 13th, Sorenstam hit her tee shot to 15 feet but missed her birdie attempt and the subsequent 3-footer for par.
Sidelined for seven weeks following the Kraft Nabisco Championship with a ruptured disk in her neck, Sorenstam appears to be tentative on the course, despite being given a clean bill of health by her doctor. She's hitting her irons left and not displaying the laser-like distance control she's known for. On the par-5 15th hole, Sorenstam's normally stellar wedge game betrayed her, as she pushed a wedge from 90 yards into the greenside bunker. She failed to get the ball up and down to go 3 over on the par 5s. On the 18th, she pulled her approach shot into the greenside bunker and made bogey to complete her first nine holes at 6 over par.
Among the leaders teeing off in the second round this morning, In-Bee Park has held steady through her first 15 holes and remains at 2 under, one shot behind Angela Park. The player making the biggest charge this morning is Korea's Jee Young Lee, who is 3-under through her first 10 holes and 2 under overall for the tournament.
Alexis Thompson, bidding to become the youngest player ever to make the cut at the U.S. Women's Open, stands at 9-over overall through her first eight holes. The 12-year-old from Coral Springs, Fla., is 4-over par on the day.
The opening round of the 62nd U.S. Women's Open is winding down this morning, with one familiar name making a move up the leader board in the early hours. Defending U.S. Open champion Annika Sorenstam birdied her second hole of the morning, the par-5 15th, en route to a 1-under par 70. Sorenstam, playing in just her third tournament following a seven-week absence for a neck injury, is just two strokes back of Angela Park (3-under 68) in her quest for a fourth U.S. Open championship.
Sorenstam was one of 78 players getting the early wake-up call this morning, with first-round play being called at 8:25 p.m. Thursday night due to darkness. The Swede will have just enough time to change and perhaps grab a bite to eat, as her second-round tee time is slated for 10:10 a.m.
Other notables completing their first rounds this morning are 12-year-old Alexis Thompson, who is 6-over par through 17 holes, and Paula Creamer, who currently is tied for 20th after a 1-over-par 72.
Creamer has a quick turnaround this morning as well, teeing off at 9:59 a.m.
Other notable second-round tee times:
Thunderstorms are expected again this afternoon, with rain showers being forecasted for tomorrow. Sunday and Monday (if necessary) look to be sunny and much cooler.
I had an opportunity last night to read the USGA's U.S. Open blog and they have been doing a stellar job of keeping fans up-to-date on the championship, especially in regard to yesterday's rain delays. Rhonda Glenn, the USGA's communication manager who has covered 30(!) Women's Opens, has been sharing her favorite memories from the championship -- a great read. Also, don't forget to check out our editors' blog this weekend, as Golf for Women senior editor Dave Allen will be blogging from Pine Needles. If there anything -- or anyone -- you want us to keep tabs on during the championship, let us know!
Terrible start for Michelle Wie, who shot an opening-round 82 to sink to the bottom of the leaderboard. Another notable name at the way back of the line? Karrie Webb (yes, my pick to win the Open), who shot an 83.
World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa just eagled the par-4, 426-yard 14th hole to move to 2-under par, one shot back of leader Angela Park (-3). Park just made her first bogey of the championship on the par-4, 440-yard 17th at Pine Needles. She started the day with back-to-back-to-back birdies. The surprise of the day has to be two-time U.S. Open champion Karrie Webb, who is 12 over after 16 holes. Webb, who played the front nine first, double-bogeyed the par-4, 411-yard 6th hole to cap a string of five straight holes with at least a bogey. Webb, who finished as the runner-up to Suzann Pettersen at the McDonald's LPGA Championship three weeks ago, won by eight shots the last time the U.S. Open was held at Pine Needles in 2001.
Some other notables:
And they thought Oakmont was tough. The early tallies are in from the 62nd U.S. Women's Open and the winner is the Pine Needles golf course. Check out some of these early train wrecks:
Suzann Pettersen: +7 thru 6 holes
Karrie Webb: +4 thru 7
Michelle Wie: Ditto. +4 thru 7
Of the 78 players who teed off as of 10:20 a.m., only 17 are even or under par, including world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa (Even thru 7). The leader is Angela Park, who birdied her first three holes and is 4 under thru her first 10 holes.
World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, coming off her first sudden-death playoff win in five career attempts, tries to lift an even larger monkey off her back and capture her first major title at this week's U.S. Women's Open. Ochoa is 0 for 21 in the big events, but has finished in the top 10 in seven of her last nine major appearances and 10 of 14, including a tie for sixth at the McDonald's LPGA Championship just three weeks ago.
Perhaps Ochoa's best chance to win a major to date came at this very same championship in 2005 at Cherry Hills, when she hit her tee shot in the water on No. 18 and made a triple-bogey 8 on the par 5. (A par, it turns out later, would have put her in a playoff.)
Can she claim the championship that was almost hers two years ago and shed the label of "Best Player Never to Have Won a Major?" That, and the ongoing soap opera that is Michelle Wie's wrist, figure to steal the headlines this week at Southern Pines.
Here's a look at the contenders and several other players to watch this week.
CONTENDERS
Lorena Ochoa (Odds: 7-2)
Super Ochoa certainly has momentum on her side after rallying on Sunday from three shots down with two to play to defeat In-Kyung Kim at the Wegmans LPGA. She also has the game to win a U.S. Open, ranking first on the LPGA Tour in greens in regulation (75.7 percent) and fifth in putts per GIR (1.77 strokes per hole). If she can eliminate the occasional double- or triple-bogey that have haunted her in majors past, she will be the toast of Mexico come Sunday night.
Karrie Webb 9-2
The last time the U.S. Women's Open was held at Pine Needles, in 2001, Webb did her best Tiger Woods impersonation and ran away from the field by eight shots. She's coming in on a roll, too: If not for a remarkable back nine by Suzann Pettersen during the final round at the McDonalds, Webb's 5-under-par 67 would have been enough for her eighth major.
Annika Sorenstam 5-1
The 10-time major champion defended her U.S. Open title at Pine Needles in 1996 and is looking to repeat again this week. No one would be surprised if she did, despite being diagnosed with a ruptured disk in her neck just eight weeks ago. She finished tied for 15th at the McDonald's LPGA Championship (just her second event back) three weeks ago, and followed that up a week later by defeating Ochoa 11-7 in a Skins Game in Acapulco, Mexico. She estimates she's at about 85 percent now but that just might be good enough this week.
Suzann Pettersen 8-1
If not for a meltdown over the final three holes at the Kraft Nabisco, much of the talk this week would be about a possible Pettersen Grand Slam. She has home run power (Pettersen ranks third on the Tour in driving distance at 273.1 yards) and with the help of Wie's former swing coach, Gary Gilchrist, is becoming a major force in the women's game.
Morgan Pressel 10-1
The only thing surprising about Pressel's first major title (this year's Kraft Nabisco) was that it wasn't a U.S. Open. Ever since she qualified for the event as a 12-year-old in 2001, her name has been synonymous with the U.S. Open. She was seemingly headed for a playoff in 2005 when Birdie Kim sank that miraculous bunker shot on No. 18 at Cherry Hills. Pressel is a fighter, and if anyone can grind out 18 pars on Sunday, it's her.
OTHERS TO WATCH
Paula Creamer 12-1
Third in greens in regulation on Tour and 11th in both driving accuracy and putts per GIR. Those are the ingredients of a U.S. Open champion.
Brittany Lincicome 15-1
Defending Match Play champ seems to raise her game up another notch when the stakes are highest. Tied for second at the Kraft Nabisco and sixth at McDonald's.
Se Ri Pak 20-1
Has had a disappointing year to date, but as last year's McDonald's win proved, she's always dangerous. Has four top-5 finishes in this event, including a tie for third last year at Newport Country Club.
LONG SHOTS
Mi Hyun Kim
Stacy Prammanasudh
Cristie Kerr
Julieta Granada
