Player Diary: Nancy Lopez
Nancy Lopez, playing in her 25th U.S. Open, shot
a 9-over 79 to finish 20-over 160 for the championship. She
missed the cut, but she shared her thoughts with www.uswomensopen.com:
Before I came this week my husband Ray [Knight] said to enjoy
my time out here and play my best and not to worry about anything.
But my best to me is the top-10, and I don't like just playing
to miss cuts, but like I said, I love being out here.
I really loved playing this golf course, and if I can get up
there tomorrow I'd do it
 |
| Nancy Lopez follows through off the tee
on No. 10. (Pam Murphy/USGA) |
again. I have felt so frustrated the last few months, but
I felt like if I just keep working and keep trying some good
things will start happening. Sometimes when you are that frustrated
good things don't happen because your emotions control so much
of your swing and the way you feel.
My dad always taught me never to throw golf club and never
to get mad because I wasn't going to play better, and I sure
didn't want to shoot 90 if I was going to get mad, so he always
taught me to try and control myself out there. I feel real fortunate
for that advice.
There's nothing for me to get angry about. I am frustrated,
but I have been able to do something that I love and I am just
grateful for that. I felt like my emotions were under control
pretty much all day.
I know walking up to a lot of the greens there were a lot of
ovations. That was tough, but I knew I still had golf to play
so it wasn't really the end at that time so I was able to control
it.
I would have liked to have played much better this week, but
my game is just not right there right now, but I'd like to finish
strong this year. I am going to keep working on it -- my timing
is just off -- and it's not consistent and I just need to make
that consistency so that I can score well. But this golf course
is a beautiful golf course, a great test of golf and it is a
fair test of golf.
If you hit the ball in the fairway or even in the shorter rough
you are OK. If you hit it in that other stuff, you know, that's
nobody's fault but your own. But it is a great golf course.
I'd like to come back and I'd like to play it with my husband.
I know I can beat him on it.
The 18th hole was going to be tough. I knew it would be, but
today was a day of just trying to make some good swings at it
and I didn't do that very well, but I kept trying and I know
walking up the 18th was going to be tough for me because I knew
that I won't be doing that anymore.
I am just grateful so much to the fans that made me so emotional.
I would like to thank them for their support all the years that
I played this great game and it is just fun to walk up the 18th,
you have tears in your eyes.
It's a thrill to have that experience, whether you are winning
or whether you are losing. It's always a thrill to walk up 18th
and feel the love that the people have for not just for me,
but also for the LPGA.
