 |
| In the twilight of her career, Meg Mallon feels the game is in good hands with all the talented players coming through the ranks. (John Mummert/USGA) |
By Erica Goodman, USGA
Bethlehem, Pa. – When the spotlight descends on golf’s young and rising stars, the game’s seasoned competitors quietly follow their old routines in the shadows, for they are cool experts.
Laura Davies. Juli Inkster. Meg Mallon. Karrie Webb.
Unfortunately, their names may be unrecognizable to the awe-struck children vying for autographs these stars’ under-30 counterparts. Although the veterans don’t receive as much attention as they did in their younger days, their accomplishments will survive long beyond this year’s final round at the 64th U.S. Women’s Open at Saucon Valley Country Club.
Shared among these four remarkable women are seven U.S. Women’s Open victories, two Hall of Fame inductions, 105 LPGA Tour wins and a combined 91 years of professional golf experience. With decorated careers that could make any professional envious, Davies, Inkster, Mallon and Webb keep coming back for more.
The fans, said the 46-year-old Mallon, keep her going. Yet the two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion, who accomplished those titles more than a decade apart, is taking it a day at a time.
“I have had a wonderful time with a great career,” said the Ocean Ridge, Fla., resident. “After every year, I re-evaluate to see if I can go back out there.”
Lucky for many fans, Mallon is fully exempt for the championship through 2014. That is if she chooses to continue competing.
Still, being sandwiched between two notable generations of female golfers has been a rewarding experience.
“When I started, it was the greatest era of women’s golf,” said Mallon. At that time, the Super Six – Amy Alcott, Pat Bradley, Beth Daniel, Betsy King, Nancy Lopez, Patty Sheehan – dominated the tour. “It’s no secret the best players were the hardest workers. They elevated the game.”
Mallon is no stranger to hard work. It took her three attempts to earn her LPGA Tour card in 1987. She has since produced 18 LPGA victories and eight appearances on the U.S. Solheim Cup team. Perhaps her trust in her more youthful competitors is due to her own determined spirit.
“The game is in good hands with these young players,” said the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup co-captain with a smile.
Davies, 45, earned her 24th Women’s Open appearance through a special exemption granted by the USGA. The 1987 champion carded the first birdie of the week at the par-5 first hole and finished with a respectable 1-over-par 72 in the first round.
“It’s just lovely to be here and have a chance to play the great golf courses in America,” said Davies, who had planned to go through sectional qualifying on June 15 before getting the call from the USGA.
Still, her sights are set higher.
“I need a major win to get in the Hall of Fame, so I’m trying to do a lot of stuff in one week,” said Davies, who beat JoAnne Gunderson Carner and Ayako Okamoto in a playoff at Plainfield (N.J.) Country Club to win the ’87 Women’s Open. “The more times you play in these events, the better chance you have.”
Of this group of chiseled veterans, Davies is the only one without multiple Women’s Open wins.
With a career Grand Slam on her résumé and a Hall of Fame plaque hanging in St. Augustine, Fla., the Australian-born Webb arguably has some of the best numbers of the group. At 34, Webb is quick to remind you that she is closer to her rookie year than retirement. Earlier this year, she claimed the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International at Papago Golf Course and three years ago she won the Kraft Nabisco Championship with a memorable hole-out for an eagle-3 at the 72nd hole.
“I’m only 34,” said the 36-time LPGA Tour winner with a wry smile. “I think people think I am older and on my way out. I’m still getting out there and improving.”
At 49, Inkster is the veteran of the group. She won the first of her five USGA championships 29 years ago at the U.S. Women’s Amateur. It would be the first of three consecutive victories, a feat that only three other players had ever accomplished, and only Tiger Woods has since produced on the men’s side.
The second Hall of Fame member of the group has a unique connection to the rising generation. Two teenage daughters, Hayley and Cori, give Inkster ample experience working with players who were still a glimmer in their mother’s eye when she joined the LPGA. At 19 and 15, Hayley and Cori are still older than many of the amateur players in the field.
Nevertheless, the beauty of golf is that these four modern-day legends can continue to compete alongside the new generation of female golfers. While that internal clock ticks down on the careers for the Fantastic Four, there’s possibly enough time remaining for history to repeat itself.
Erica Goodman is a third-year fellow in the USGA’s Grants and Fellowship program in Colorado Springs, Colo. E-mail her with questions or comments at egoodman@usga.org.
