Rebounding Strong After Slow Starts

Southern Pines, N.C. – "It’s how you get through it that makes you as a player." So said Michelle Wie after opening the 62^nd U.S. Open Thursday with an 82, 11 over par, at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.

The teenager from Hawaii was referring to her recent struggles. Thursday’s round on a steamy morning was her 21^st in a row in which she failed to break par.

Suzann Pettersen started her day seven over through her first six holes but righted the ship. (Fred Vuich/USGA)

But she just might as well have been speaking for many in the field who found the going rough at a Pine Needles layout that is intrinsically more difficult than what they encountered in the 2001 Open contested here. Getting through it and hanging tough and assiduously clinging to any remnants of patience were the keys to the day. And they will be even more important Friday as players vie to make the cut or get into contention while not knowing how much golf they will play. That’s thanks to Thursday’s three-plus hour delay due to weather that has thrown the schedule into disarray.

Of course, sometimes it takes a while before the patience takes hold.

Kellie Kuehne was cruising along Thursday at even par, then made back-to-back double bogeys at seven and eight. "I went from even par to four over in a matter of about 20 minutes. That’s not a very productive 20 minutes," said Kuehne, a former U.S. Amateur champion.

Her reaction to the missteps. "I kicked my bag, got mad, almost broke my toe."

But she didn’t lose her head. "I played the hardest holes on the golf course very well, so that’s certainly encouraging. From where I was, three over is pretty good."

There were other stories like that. Amateur Mina Harigae went out in 41. She came home in 31 with four 3s and four birdies on her second nine. That 72 looks awful good going into Friday, and other players should take note of it, especially as the course gets more firm and dry and difficult.

Smaller rallies also were pulled off Thursday by two of the favorites, the major championship winners this year, Morgan Pressel and Suzann Pettersen. Pressel, the Kraft Nabisco champ, rebounded from an opening 37 to shoot even-par 71. Pettersen suffered a disastrous start, going 7 over after six holes, but rallied with a 33 to post a 76.

"I felt like walking off the golf course at one point," said Pettersen, who won the LPGA McDonald’s Championship earlier this month.

Fortunately, she kept going, and got rewarded by making a strong finish once she acclimated herself to the speed of the greens. "I figured I had to make something at some point," she said. "I just really fought and fought, and I never stopped, and that’s what this tournament is about is your ability to hang in there."

It’s also about learning to accept the bad with the good. Lorena Ochoa, the top-ranked women’s player, scored an eagle on the par-4 14^th that put her two under par, but she gave it back three holes later when she hit out of bounds on the way to a double bogey.

"I love to play and I tried to make birdies all the time, and I tried to play smart," Ochoa said. "And I think that the difference for sure is that you need to be more patient than any other golf tournament … instead of getting upset or mad.

"There’s not much you can do in the first couple days," she added. "Just being in good position and don’t get too far behind. My idea is to be in good position for Sunday."