Player
Diary: Nancy Lopez
Nancy
Lopez, playing in her 25th Women’s Open, was grouped
with Patty Sheehan and Betsy King in the first round. Lopez
shot an 11-over 81. She spoke to www.uswomensopen.com
about her day:
 |
| Nancy Lopez during Round One.
(Pam Murphy/USGA) |
Coming in
I felt great and was so happy to be here and playing. Going
around the course, I felt good both physically and mentally,
but it was tough out there; I scrambled all day long. It just
wasn't quite there for me.
It was certainly
windier than the morning rounds, and it felt like my group of
Patty Sheehan, Betsy King and myself were looking for balls
all day long. We just never could keep it in the fairway, even
in the short rough we were looking for them. I hit some good
shots and some not-so-good shots. But I chipped well and
got up and down quite a few times.
In my first
five holes I got up and down three times and was happy about
that. On the 15th hole, my sixth hole, the par 3, I hit my tee
shot left and I was lying on some roots. I ended up making a
double there.
While my
day didn't start going downhill at the 15th -- because
I would par the next two holes -- that was where I had some
bad luck because I was chipping and putting so well I felt like
I could still make a par from there and didn't.
I am looking
forward to tomorrow; I would like to shoot a good score before
I leave here. To do that I need to hit more fairways than today.
That is critical to scoring on this golf course, but it's been
worse than today, so on balance it was better than it has been.
My timing
is still off a little bit. I am just not consistent, and that's
what I am working toward, being more consistent.
I have tried
to find a driver that I feel comfortable with, and each time
I try a different one I have a different swing. That is
difficult to do and be consistent. I do feel good over the shot,
and I feel like I am going to hit it well but if your timing
is off it is hard to get the club back to the ball at the right
time.
I love this
course, I think it is a great golf course. I wish
my game were as sharp as I would like it to be because I would
really like to kill this course a little bit.
Looking
at tomorrow I have to shoot under par, not to make the cut,
but for me. If I shoot under par, then I would feel
better about my game. And even if I don't make the cut I will
have put a good round together.
The way
you finish every tournament helps you go to the next tournament,
so I will try as hard as I did today and never give up and would
like to shoot under par.
