Windy Day Affects Scores; Lopez Says So Long
By Ken Klavon, USGA
Hutchinson, Kan. – On a wind-filled day at the Women’s Open,
Nancy Lopez bid farewell, two-time defending champ Karrie Webb
missed the cut and no one emerged as a clear-cut favorite.
Like a car stuck in reverse, scores dropped faster than a meteor
Friday thanks to blustery conditions at Prairie Dunes. Laura
Diaz, Juli Inkster and Annika Sorenstam share the top of the
leaderboard at 1-under-par 139. Australian Shani Waugh swapped
places with Sorenstam from the first round after firing a 3-over
73 to fall even.
Sixty-nine players made the cut, which was set at 9 over 149.
Only four players – Joanne Morley, Michele Redman, Karen Stupples
and
 |
Annika Sorenstam watches a putt during
Friday's action.
(Pam Murphy/USGA) |
Sorenstam – posted numbers in the red. The talk afterward focused
mainly on the weather, although it was again hot and sunny.
A majority of the field had said they were in between clubs
most of the day.
At No. 10, a short par 3, Pearl Sinn pulled off the ball four
times on the teeing ground just to get different readings from
her caddie. Then on No. 18, Diaz thought she had played her
approach perfectly, as it hopped 10 yards prior the hole before
bouncing like a superball and rolling off the back of the green.
Not only was the wind swirling but the course was hardening,
too.
"It’s tough out there," said Inkster.
"Today was really tough," said Waugh.
"It was tough," said Sorenstam.
Sense a pattern here?
Starting on the back nine in the afternoon, Inkster watched
as her 3 under dissipated faster than water in a desert. By
her fourth hole she was even par. She remained even until four
holes later, birdieng the 500-yard par-5 17th, an
uphill 500-yard par 5 that has a right sloping green.
"I just figured, ‘I have a lot of holes left to get back
in the red,’" said Inkster.
Never panicking, Inkster pressed forward and got back to 3
under with two holes left. She bogeyed both of them to fall
back. However, there was a sense her confidence took a hit.
"It was kind of a disappointing finish for how I fought
back," said Inkster, licking a red popsicle. "I’m
going to figure out a strategy after talking to you guys."
Lurking and playing in Inkster’s group, Sorenstam came alive
on No. 6 (372-yard par 4) with a birdie. She birdied again,
and suddenly she was tied for the lead.
On her finishing hole, she blew a chance to grab the outright
lead when her 3-foot offering skipped out. Showing little reaction,
Sorenstam calmly tapped in.
"I was playing the inside right and the ball hit something
and jumped left off the face [of the hole]," said Sorenstam,
who hit 92.9 percent of her fairways and made four birdies against
three bogeys. "I’m not complaining; it’s the first two
days."
 |
|
Laura Diaz is still in
the lead at 1 under. (Pam Murphy/USGA)
|
Of the leaders, only Diaz came out strong. Starting on the
10th hole, she birdied to go 4 under. Eventually
she, too, would fall victim to the wind, bogeying three of the
next five holes.
Diaz’s greens in regulation (27.8 percent) and fairways hit
(just half) suffered by comparison to the first round.
"It’s important to remember that you’ll get bounces and
you’ll get bad bounces," said Diaz. "You take the
good with the bad."
For the first time in three years, a new champion will emerge.
That’s because Webb shot a 3-over 73, which pushed her score
to 12-over 152 for the championship. The last champion to miss
a cut was Alison Nicholas in 1998. On a personal level, Webb’s
streak of making Open cuts stopped at six.
"I’d have to dig so far into my subconscious to find blame,"
said Webb. "I’ve always done well under pressure. That
was the biggest shock yesterday."
With Thursday’s 9-over score, Webb tied a dubious career mark.
The only other time she had shot 9 over was at the 1997 LPGA
Championship. She also tied a Women’s Open record for the worst
start by a champion, knotting Susie Maxwell Berning’s 1972 mark
at the Country Club of Rochester.
Making just one birdie heading into the second round, Webb
set a goal of even par Friday. She didn’t card any birdies and
had three bogeys. She was attempting to become the first player
since Willie Anderson in the early 1900s to win three Opens
in a row.
"This wasn’t a very good couple of days," she said.
In all probability, Nancy Lopez made her final Open appearance.
She announced earlier this season that she will be leaving the
LPGA Tour.
She crawled to a 20-over 160 and missed the cut. As she walked
up the 18th fairway, playing partner and two-time
Open champion Patty Sheehan gave her a hug and told Lopez she
"had a great time playing with me," said Lopez.
The gallery, those in the grandstands, gave her a raucous standing
ovation. Lopez reached the green, pulled off her visor and took
a bow. When she sank a 3-foot putt for par, Sheehan embraced
her. So did Betsy King. It was a hall of fame moment by three
LPGA Hall of Famers.
Making her way to the scoring area, her eyes welled up.
"I know walking up the 18th was going to be tough for
me because I knew that I won't be doing that anymore,"
said Lopez. "I’m so grateful to the fans. That made me
emotional. I want to thank the fans for all the support over
the years.
"I have to say thank God for what I’ve experienced and
what I’ve been able to accomplish, and it’s time to go take
care of my kids and my husband."
The highlight of her second round came at the 321-yard par-4
third hole that is a dogleg left, in which she birdied. Although
she wished she would have performed better, Lopez was looking
forward to coming back to Prairie Dunes under different conditions.
"I’d like to come back and I’d like to play it with my
husband," she said of mate and former major league baseball
player Ray Knight. "I know I can beat him on it."
Beating the field for a time, Waugh sat at 3 under until the
11th hole. She fell to even par on No. 16, but seem
satisfied with her spot in fourth place.
"If you said even par for both days, I would have grabbed
it with both hands," said Waugh.
Redman, coming into the Open making seven consecutive cuts
– an active record shared with Rosie Jones – used a roller-coaster
round to get back even, earning six birdies to five bogeys.
It is Redman’s 11th Open, as she has never placed
higher than seventh. Jones also made her eighth straight cut
with an 8-over 148.
Going off the first tee, Redman took three birdies on the front
nine. She finally got back to even on No. 17.
"You have to think what you’re going to do with the ball
before you hit it," said Redman.
Said Stephanie Keever, who shot 1 over for a 3-over 143 total:
"If the wind continues to blow, like it did in the practice
rounds, it’s one of the most difficult courses ever."
Ken Klavon is the USGA Web Editor. E-mail him at kklavon@usga.org.
