Championship Comes Down To 36 Holes Today

By Dave Shedloski

Newport, R.I. – One of the most tedious but potentially taut and memorable final days in the history of the U.S. Women’s Open began at 6:30 a.m. EDT Sunday at Newport Country Club when 68 players embarked on a 36-hole shootout without knowing whether anyone would have any bullets left to fire at the end.

The 61^st Women’s Open is contested at medal play but will be decided by a mixture of factors: mind games and mental toughness; stamina and par saves; strokes of luck mixed with strokes of genius; good old-fashioned golf sense; and new-age workout regimens and that most primitive of human instincts, survival.

Juli Inkster finds herself in contention at the halfway point of the championship. (Steve Gibbons/USGA)

"It’s going to be a long day, there’s no doubt about it," said two-time Open champion Annika Sorenstam, who, after a par-71 effort Saturday sat at 2-under-par 140 and tied for the lead with former Kraft Nabisco champion Pat Hurst. "The key is to get some good rest and then try to save some energy between shots. I’m tired after 71 shots. [Sunday] is probably going to be double that, and that takes a lot out of you."

The field was sent off in threesomes off both tees between 6:30 and 8:31 a.m., and without being re-paired will be out again between approximately 12:15 and 2:16 p.m. Tee markers and hole locations will be altered between the third and fourth rounds.

The lead group of Sorenstam, Pat Hurst and Korea’s Shi Hyun Ahn, who is two strokes behind, began at 8:20 a.m. on the No. 1 tee. Their second round, also off the first hole, is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Each group figures to have about 45 minutes between rounds.

"It’s going to be a battle of who can be the most mentally tough out there on the golf course and have the most energy," said Paula Creamer, one of eight players within three strokes of the co-leaders.

Creamer’s thoughts were echoed by a number of players who figured that the double examination on the long and difficult Newport Country Club layout, which has been complicated by swirling winds and damp turf that makes it play even longer, will put more of a strain on brains than bodies.

One who would know is Rosie Jones, who is one of eight players in this week’s field who participated in the last 36-hole final day at the 1990 Open at Atlanta Athletic Club. Of the eight, only Jones and Sherri Turner get to try their hand at the marathon session again. Turner tied for ninth in ’90 by finishing 71-72 for a 289 total, five behind winner Betsy King. Jones shot a pair of 74s to tie for 16^th and another shot back.

"Basically, you get up and play golf all day, and there’s so much golf that it’s just difficult to factor everything into each shot you play," said Jones, 46, a 13-time LPGA winner who plans to make this Open her final competitive tournament. "[Sunday] will be even harder (than in 1990). This is not an easy walk. It’s wet and hilly and you have to pay attention to where you’re walking. Then there’s the golf itself. It’s going to be grueling."

"You hope that your workouts pay off. That’s all you can say," said Juli Inkster, who is at 1-over-par 143 and whose 70 on Saturday was the best round among the top 10 players. "But I think it’s going to be more of a mental grind than a physical grind [Sunday]."

If any set of players have an advantage on Sunday, it might those who finished in the first wave on Saturday. Players like Creamer, Inkster, Hurst and Michelle Wie, who is also 1 over par, played into early evening and were facing as little as 13 hours from the time they holed out before the third round was to begin Sunday morning. Wie, for one, didn’t finish her round until after 7 p.m. Saturday. When told of the short turnaround, she replied, "Oh, God. I better get home quick!"

"It’s going to be interesting," Wie, 16 years old and the youngest among the leaders, added. "It’s going to be a long day, but it’s going to be a fun ride."

Creamer added, "It kind of stinks having the late tee time because the bounce back is short, but you can say it’s the same for everybody."

Sorenstam wasn’t complaining about the edge, real or perceived she got from her rotation of late-early the first two rounds. She also benefited by never having to come to the course on Thursday when the early starters lingered all day waiting for the fog to clear before the round was canceled. Likewise, she slept in on Friday. Contrarily, the early first-round starters had to rise early on consecutive days. Creamer had 4:30 a.m. wake-up calls Thursday and Friday.

"I must say I’ve been lucky with the tee times this week," Sorenstam said. "To be the first one in now and have a normal day and get some more rest, I’m lucky, I really am."

Many players have covered 36 holes in a day dating back to their amateur career or their participation in the Solheim Cup. But throw in a difficult track and the pressure of trying to win a national championship, and you have a volatile mixture that is sure to take its toll on everyone.

"Thirty-six holes tomorrow; that’s a lot of golf," said Inkster. "The thing is try not to look too far ahead. [This] morning you’ve got to play like it’s a Saturday round and just get yourself in contention. Just stay mellow … and then change your clothes and pretend you’re coming out for Sunday."

Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio, whose work has appeared previously on www.uswomensopen.com.