McKay’s OK In First Round
By Ken Klavon, USGA
North Plains, Ore. – Mhairi McKay’s claim to fame in her short
career is that she got to know Tiger Woods pretty well while playing
at Stanford.
If she continues her sterling iron play over the next three days,
not only will she put herself on the golf map, but Woods may become
a mere afterthought. That’s because McKay posted a 5-under 66 Thursday
for a two-stroke lead in the 58th U.S. Women’s Open.
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| Playing in her second Women's Open, 15-year-old
Morgan Pressel was close to the lead until double bogeying the
18th hole. (John Mummert/USGA) |
Donna Andrews and defending champion Juli Inkster were tied for
second at 2-under 69 on the 6509-yard, par-71 Pumpkin Ridge Witch
Hollow layout. Five other players were under par, at 1 under.
Amateurs Aree Song, 17, and 15-year-old Morgan Pressel were two
of them, as they made a statement on behalf of the 14 teenagers
in the field.
The 28-year-old McKay (pronounced muh-KYE) made the front-side
turn at 1-under 35, but saved her best for last. Putting together
a five-hole birdie stretch between Nos. 11 through 15, McKay streaked
to the top of the leaderboard at 6 under.
On the back nine she parred one hole, bogeyed two others and birdied
six of her last eight. Overall, she had eight birdies.
The reason? Stellar iron play left her with short putts and just
24 on the day.
"I kept repeating good swing thoughts in my head," said
McKay.
This year McKay worked with her swing coach to revamp her style.
The results have been mixed thus far. A second-place showing in
the Kellogg Keebler Classic was followed by a missed cut at the
McDonald’s LPGA Classic and 72nd-place tie at the Giant
Eagle LPGA Classic.
Even so, the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team member (1994,
’96) prefers to focus on the present without getting too excited.
In all, she relied on her driver three times, feeling more comfortable
with a 3-wood off the tee.
"It’s Thursday," said McKay. "There’s a long way
to go."
McKay did have to make <i>some</i> putts. In the midst
of her birdie craze, she knocked a pitching wedge to 18 feet of
the hole on the par-4 13th before guiding it in. And
on No. 15, a 175-yard par 3, her 5-iron approach was left 15 feet
short of the hole before finessing that one in.
Windy yet sunny conditions in the morning saw just two players,
43-year-old Rosie Jones and Song, go 1-under par. By the afternoon,
the wind died down as the course baked. Not one hole played under
par for the day.
Inkster weathered a so-so start on the back nine, shooting even
par. On the front, three birdies against one bogey left her within
striking distance.
"It was a tough day," said Inkster. "I had all morning
to sit around. … I feel like I played the golf course the way it
was meant to be played."
One of the more surprising tales may be the re-emergence of Pressel.
Two years ago she played in the Women’s Open at Pine Needles, qualifying
as the youngest ever for the championship at age 12. The niece of
former tennis star Aaron Krickstein missed the cut with back-to-back
77s, but won over the media with her charm and wit.
This year, trying to trudge past adversity while her mother stayed
home in Florida fighting breast cancer, Pressel was 3 under until
double bogeying the par-4 ninth hole.
Song, playing in the morning, had the outright lead until bogeying
the 502-yard par-5 18th, her final hole. Her 5-iron approach
had found a drain off the left of the green, forcing her to chip
on. When she couldn’t steer in the 12-footer to save par, she grimaced.
Muddling through her first eight holes at 1 over, Song recorded
three consecutive birdies on Nos. 9 through 11 to go 2-under par
at that point.
Asked if she feels she can hang with the grizzled LPGA veterans,
Song said, "If you say so. I don’t know."
Annika Sorenstam, a two-time winner of the Women’s Open, shot 1-over
72.
She finished the round on a sour note when a 30-yard chip landed
near the first cut of grass abutting the green and wouldn’t stop
rolling.
"You have to think from start to finish," said Sorenstam.
"You have to concentrate on every shot. You can’t even breathe."
Another two-time champion, Karrie Webb, shot 7-over 78. Bogeys
on No. 9 and 11 left her dropping her head in frustration.
Tracy Hanson, 1991 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links champion,
aced the 127-yard par-3 12th hole using a pitching wedge.
Ken Klavon is the USGA Web Editor. E-mail him at kklavon@usga.org
with questions and comments.
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