By Dave Shedloski

Edina, Minn. – With an eye toward unmistakable historical juxtaposition and the promise Friday holds, the second round of the 63^rd U.S. Women’s Open at Interlachen Country Club might be the most meaningful in women’s golf this year.

Unless plans change, emotions overrule intellect and the seas part, this U.S. Open could be the most unique in decades. But the principles who can make it so must display a higher level of proficiency than they managed on Thursday at intriguing Interlachen.

Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa and Michelle Wie are arguably the three biggest names in the women’s game. This Open is likely to be the last in which they will clash, because Sorenstam, one of the most dominant players in the game’s long history – be it on the men’s or women’s side – is retiring at year’s end. The three-time U.S. Open champion, doesn’t have it in her anymore to keep chasing championship titles after collecting 72 to date, including three this year.

Now No. 2 in the world ranking behind the impeccably talented and stylistic Lorena Ochoa, Sorenstam finds herself eight behind leaders Ji Young Oh and Pat Hurst, whom Sorenstam dispatched in a playoff two years ago at Newport Country Club for her third Open crown.

Ochoa seemed stuck in second gear as well Thursday, needing three late birdies to lift her to level-par 73.

Then there’s Wie, the one-time prodigy who is on the rebound after a dismal injury-plagued 2007 season. The teen from Honolulu, who still draws huge galleries, ruined an otherwise decent round with a quintuple-bogey 9 on the par-4 ninth hole and carded an 81.

There is not mistaking that this year’s championship, to some degree, features a potential parallel storyline and dynamic as the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills in Denver. In that epic championship, an old lion, Ben Hogan, squared off against the established leader in the game, Arnold Palmer, with a young, talented upstart in the mix, Jack Nicklaus.

It would be poetic and sweet to see the three female leads of somewhat similar position in the golfing strata vie for this week’s crown. But that will take some doing. Two of them will have to play appreciably better simply to make sure they can qualify for the weekend. This is especially true for Wie, who only two years ago tied for third at Newport.

Sorenstam can’t play much better tee to green, but needs putting to complement her efforts.

Ochoa, the No. 1 player in the world who has six victories this year and tied for second last year at Pine Needles, came in as the pre-championship favorite, a situation that, frankly, she relished.

"I like it. Good thing it's me. I like that position," said Ochoa, 26. "It's a process; it took me a few years to be where I am today. And I feel comfortable. I said this before, you never need to feel too comfortable or too happy that you are there because there is always going to be so many good players behind you that are trying to catch you."

But now she must do some catching up. But she doesn’t face nearly the challenge of the other two lead characters, who sounded like two sides of the same record – or DVD in this day and age.

"I’ve got a plan figured out. I know how to play this golf course," said Sorenstam, 37. "I’ve got to stick with it, stay patient, and … just a putt or two here or there, it would be a different story."

"I had a couple of bad holes, but I'm more than confident that I can spring back [Friday] and shoot a low score [Friday], because look how many iron shots I hit close today," Wie, 18, said, fighting to look on the bright side. "I left at least four or five birdie putts out. I'm feeling very confident about my game right now, and it's very refreshing that … very frustrating my score isn't showing it."

The women’s game has seen an uptick in interest in recent years and Tiger Woods can’t take credit for that. Neither can the three aforementioned by themselves. But they are the main players and, this week, the main actors in the last act of a potentially riveting drama.

There’s a script they need to follow, however, one written 48 years ago in Colorado, one in which Palmer emerged with the title while Hogan and Nicklaus were the primary rivals in hot pursuit.

Friday’s round will determine if similar circumstances can emerge. An opportunity like this won’t come again.

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