Ambition Takes Over


Lang ready To Challenge For Title Again


By Alex Miceli

Kingsmill, Va. -- When Brittany Lang saw her opportunity to win the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open vanquished by Birdie Kim’s miraculous bunker shot on the 72nd hole, she was surprised as anyone else, but content with her week at Cherry Hills Country Club.

After all, who wouldn’t be if they had come within a whisker of joining Catherine Lacoste as the only amateurs to win the championship?

Brittany Lang got a leg up on this year's field after getting in some playing time at Newport Country Club. (USGA Photo Archives)
It was the vision of youth, the view of a golfer who probably has many more opportunities on the horizon in terms of contending at majors.

“A lot of confidence, definitely, and just a lot of experience,” said Lang of her tie for second with fellow amateur Morgan Pressel, two strokes behind Kim.  “It was fun playing with a lot of new players, and just getting experience with the crowds and everything like that.”

That was almost a year ago.  Since then Lang has turned pro and earned $132,837 through eight LPGA Tour events, including an eighth-place tie at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the season.

It’s validated her step of turning pro sooner than she anticipated.

“I definitely want to win at least one tournament this year and the rookie class is so strong, so being Rookie of the Year would be a great accomplishment,” said Lang.

At No. 21 on the LPGA Money List, Lang is headed in the right direction. But like all golfers, she has areas that require improvement. Her putting game would be a start.

Watching others on the tour led her to the realization that she’ll need to do a better job of cleaning up on the greens.

“Girls out here make birdies upon birdies,” said Lang.  “So yeah, I was telling my brother that the other day.  I think I shot 67 this year, but nothing lower than that.  And if you’re going to win, you have to shoot some low scores.”

One event where low scores generally are not the norm is the Women’s Open.  Kim won last year’s championship at 3 over par on an unforgiving Cherry Hills layout.

“The [Women’s] Open, you’re not shooting like 20 under par,” said Lang.  “And I think that I play better when you don’t have to make a bunch of birdies. Right now I’m still getting used to it. At tournaments like where Lorena (Ochoa) is shooting 25 under I haven’t been competing.”

Lang’s strengths fit Open venues, long off the tee, fairly accurate and because of her high fade, many of her approaches can hold firm greens. While her high fade may seem to be a problem, Lang quickly points out that she grew up in Texas where the wind blows and that she is more than capable of playing in blustery conditions. That’s good news because these types of conditions are expected at Newport (R.I.) Country Club, where wind is the major defense of the classic, links-style course.

Lang played Newport twice last summer while visiting her boyfriend’s parents in Rhode Island, which could be valuable preparation for a week that is generally jam-packed with distractions.

But for now Lang continues to focus on that week’s event, waiting patiently for her next major championship, only the fourth of her fledgling career. Yet she can draw on her 2005 performance as she readies her game for Newport C.C.

“That was probably the most fun I ever had on a course because there was so many fans out there,” said Lang. “It was awesome. Eighteen is just filled with grandstands and I thought that was so fun.”

If everything falls in place, like it did last year at Cherry Hills, Lang just may revisit that ‘fun’ place again.

Alex Miceli is a freelance writer whose work has appeared previously on www.uswomensopen.com.