Initiations Different For Women’s Open Rookies

Southern Pines, N.C. – Kelli Kuehne’s U.S. Women’s Open indoctrination was as humbling as it was humorous.

Kuehne, then 17, arrived at Indianwood Golf and Country Club as the reigning U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and heavy on hubris. She put her name on the Monday practice round list aside Dale Eggling, Donna Andrews and Dottie Pepper.

"I was waiting on the tee, 10 minutes before my [starting] time like a good little soldier," said Kuehne. "They walked up, didn’t even look at me, hit their tee shots and then started walking down the fairway. Donna Andrews looked back and asked, ‘Are you supposed to be playing with us?’

"I said, ‘I thought I was.’ And she was like ‘Well, then, c’mon.’ "

Kuehne shot 74-80 and wasn’t around for the weekend. At that point, she realized the enormity of playing in a U.S. Women’s Open.

"Overwhelming," said Kuehne, who added the 1995 and ’96 U.S. Women’s Amateur titles before turning professional.

Mina Harigae, on the 12th fairway Thursday, started with a shaky 41 on her first nine before recording a 31 coming in. (Fred Vuich/USGA)

Playing the first one, as 43 players are doing this week, has a way of suffocating competitors if they succumb to the magnitude of the championship. This competition is as mentally examining as physically punishing.

Sixteen-year-old amateur Courtney Ellenbogan, of Blacksburg, Va., has no previous frame of reference. So she is taking the approach that this championship is no different than, say, oh, an American Junior Golf Association event.

"Mostly I tried to take this tournament the way I would any other tournament, and go through the same routines and focus in the same way that I do for all of my other tournaments," said Ellenbogan, who shot a 3-over-par 74 in the first round Thursday. "I was just trying not to get over excited and stay with my game."

Suzann Pettersen (5-over 76), Michelle Wie (82) and Karrie Webb (83) would easily have traded first-round scorecards with Ellenbogan.

Even Ashley Prange, 25, of Noblesville, Ind., who played collegiately up the road at the University of North Carolina, would like to swap her Open debut of 9-over 80.

"I kinda got U.S. Opened you could say," said Prange, who gained national fame by winning The Golf Channel’s Big Break V: Hawaii.

Ashley Prange tries to will her ball into the hole on No. 12 Thursday. (John Mummert/USGA)

Then there is Kelly Cavanaugh. A second-year player on the Duramed Futures Tour, the 24 year old from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., appeared nonplussed by the atmosphere and her 74.

"I’ll take it," she said, "but I could have played better today."

Cavanaugh, with no professional wins on her resumé, expressed no reason why she could not win this week. Someone has to, so why not?

"I felt coming in here that I can play with the best players in the world, so I wasn’t nervous about that," said Cavanaugh. "It’s just a matter if I brought my game here."

Helping ease Cavanaugh’s nerves was the wisdom that conditions could only be so bad. After all, on the first hole of her LPGA Tour debut last year, she posted an 11.

"So I’ve had my meltdown," she cracked.

Fellow competitor Maria Kostina, 24, a native of Nakhabino, Russia, was not as fortunate. Her 18-over 89 featured nine bogeys, two double bogeys and a 10 on the par-4 17th hole.

"I’ll be honest with you," said Kostina. "I was nervous."

Who could blame her or any of the other Women’s Open rookies? After all, this is biggest and most prestigious championship in women’s golf.

Stuart Hall is a writer for the Golf Press Association whose work has appeared previously on uswomensopen.com.