Round One Over
8:10 a.m. - Play has concluded for the day at the 2009 U.S. Women's Open. Just five players managed to break par on the third-longest course in championship history, with Na Yeon Choi, 21, of Korea leading the way with a 3-under 68. Nice rounds by amateurs Alexis Thompson, Jessica Korda and newly minted U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links titlist Jennifer Song. The 14-year-old Thompson, the 2008 U.S. Girls' Junior champion, led the way with an even-par 71. Korda and Song each shot 72s. Also shooting a 72 was 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur runner-up Azahara Munoz of Spain. Munoz won the 2008 NCAA Division I women's individual title. She also just led Arizona State to the 2009 NCAA team title.
Choi Nabs Overall Lead
6:46 p.m. - In just her third U.S. Women's Open, Na Yeon Choi showed the moxie of grizzled veteran. She got into the clubhouse with the outright lead, shooting 3-under 68. Choi got as low as five under through 13 holes. Cristie Kerr, Lorena Ochoa and Jean Reynolds follow at 2-under 69.
Song Withdraws
6:29 p.m. - Naree Song just withdrew due to an issue with her hip.
Burton Out
5:50 p.m. - Brandie Burton became the third player to withdraw from the Women's Open, citing back issues. Burton shot a 10-over 81 on Thursday.
Song Singing
5:40 p.m. - Newly minted U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion Jennifer Song has started her second nine with three consecutive birdies from No. 10 to get into red figures. The 19-year-old sophomore-to-be at the University of Southern California, stands at one under par, just two strokes behind leader Na Yeon Choi. Song hit 23 of 23 fairways and 25 of 30 greens in beating Kimberly Kim, 7 and 6, in the 36-hole final of the WAPL two weeks ago at Red Tail Golf Club in Devens, Mass.
Amateur Update
5:05 p.m. - A total of 28 amateurs are in the field and two of the youngest are currently leading that group. Reigning U.S. Girls' Junior champion Alexis Thompson, 14, of Coral Springs, Fla., and fellow Floridian Jessica Korda, 16, are each even par through 17 holes. Korda and Thompson are grouped together with 17-year-old Kimberly Kim, the 2006 U.S. Women's Amateur champion and a two-time U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links runner-up (2006 and 2009).
All three players are younger than two-time U.S. Women's Open champion Juli Inkster's oldest daughter, Hayley (19). And if you add up the combined ages you get 47, which is two years younger than Inkster.
Choi Slips Back
5 p.m. - Na Yeon Choi made her second bogey of the round when she missed a 6-foot par putt at No. 5 to slip back to four under. She still has a two-stroke lead.
Another Choi Birdie
4:46 p.m. - Only two players in the field have managed to birdie the second and third holes in the first round. Na Yeon Choi joined Lorena Ochoa in that feat by making a long birdie putt to get to five under par and a three-stroke lead over Ochoa, Cristie Kerr, Jean Reynolds, Brittany Lincicome and Carolina Llano. So far today, the par-4 third has yielded more double bogeys (15) than birdies (six). One player made a 10 and another had a 9.
Choi Holes Out
4:03 p.m. - Na Yeon Choi holed out for birdie from a greenside bunker at the difficult second hole to reach four under par for the second time today. The Korean owns a two-stroke lead with just seven holes remaining in her round.
Llano Getting Hot
3:58 p.m. - Carolina Llano chipped in for birdie at the par-4 14th hole to get to two under par and within two shots of leader Na Yeon Choi. Llano, a 24-year-old from Colombia, competed collegiately at Pepperdine before turning pro in 2006. Just prior to turning pro, she represented her country at the 2006 Women's World Amateur Team Championship in South Africa.
Another WD
3:56 p.m. - Seon Hwa Lee informed USGA officials that she was withdrawing from the championship due to back problems. Lee carded a 9-over 80 in the first round.
Lee Making A Run
3:15 p.m. - With a birdie at the par-4 18th hole, former USA Curtis Cup participant Jennie Lee has moved to two under par. Lee recently turned pro after graduating from Duke in May and currently competes on the Duramed Futures Tour.
Choi, Shin Start Out Hot
2:32 p.m. - Na Yeon Choi, 21, had a promising start to kick off the afternoon wave. Going off No. 10, she birdied four of her first five holes. Not to be outdone, 21-year-old Jiyai Shin started birdie-birdie-birdie. On the par-5 12th hole, she knocked in a 12-footer.
Call Reynolds A Leader
1:56 p.m. - Needing a par to cap off an impressive round, Jean Reynolds converted on the 18th green. She joined Cristie Kerr and Lorena Ochoa as the early first-round leaders, at 2-under 69.
Park Stumbles In
1:44 p.m. - After being near the lead or holding it through much of the back nine, Hee Young Park suffered a double bogey on the 17th hole and finished with a 1-under 70. She trails leaders Cristie Kerr and Lorena Ochoa by one stroke.
Ochoa Cards 69
1:25 p.m. - Lorena Ochoa duplicated Cristie Kerr's score, shooting 2-under 69 Thursday. Both were a stroke behind leader Hee Young Park until Park double bogeyed the par-3 17th. Kerr and Ochoa assumed the lead with Jean Reynolds. But Reynolds still had two holes to complete.
Ochoa entered the day trying to apply a new technique to putting. She believed it worked, as she took 28 putts.
"Today it was more about seeing the lines," said Ochoa.
Kerr said the course was ripe for scoring, but warned that greens are already becoming slick.
"I wish I would have hit a couple more putts harder here and there, but that's golf," she said. "The greens are starting to get baked. ... Every single pin today is near or on a slope, not unfairly."
Kerr In Clubhouse
12:57 p.m. - On a day that presented benign conditions, Cristie Kerr entered the clubhouse with a 2-under 69 on the 6,740-yard, par-71 Saucon Valley layout. Kerr is vying for her second Women's Open title. She said Tuesday that as she's aged, she's learned how to balance proper practice time so that she doesn't get fatigued come championship time.
While Kerr checked in her scorecard, Jean Reynolds dropped out of the lead with a bogey on the par-4 15th. Hee Young Park is three under par through 15 holes.
Reynolds, Park Neck And Neck
12:44 p.m. - Trying to make a mark in her second Women's Open, Jean Reynolds caught Hee Young Parkat three under par with a birdie on the par-4 14th. Reynolds missed the cut in her only other Women's Open.
Park Bolts Ahead
12:29 p.m. - Seconds after Cristie Kerr birdied the par-4 16th hole to create a four-way tie, Hee Young Park dropped in a modest birdie putt on the 14th hole. Park took over sole possession of the lead.
Three-Way Tie
12:12 p.m. - Jean Reynolds, 24, made her presence felt, birdieing the par-5 12th to forge a three-way tie with Lorena Ochoa and Hee Young Park. Her best finish in any USGA championship was when she was a part of the victorious Georgia squad in the 2005 Women's State Team Championship.
Ohoa Charges
11:20 a.m. - She's heard it so much that it's become cliche. Why hasn't she won a U.S. Women's Open? Lorena Ochoa is trying to silence her critics, if her play today is any consolation. After carding an even-par 35 through her first nine, she ran off back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2 and 3. She's tied for the lead at two under with Hee Young Park.
Eberl Withdraws
10:27 a.m. - Martina Eberl of Germany withdrew from the championship after nine holes. She posted a 9-over-par 44 on Saucon Valley's second nine.
One Under Leading
10:21 a.m. - We currently have seven players leading the championship at one under par. One of those golfers is Cindy Lacrosse, a former All-American at the University of Louisville whose father, Doug, has played in several USGA events, including the 2008 U.S. Senior Open. Doug is serving as Cindy's caddie this week. Georgian Jean Reynolds is another golfer at one under. Back at the 2002 U.S. Girls' Junior, she gave eventual champion Inbee Park her toughest match, going 22 holes in the quarterfinals.
Kerr, Park Fall
10:07 a.m. - Cristie Kerr and Hee Young Park fell off the pace, bogeying No. 7 and No. 5, respectively. In the meantime, Eun-Hee Ji leads by one stroke.
Park Enters Foray
9:50 a.m. - After missing the cut in her only Women's Open last year, Hee Young Park, 22, is trying to make amends. Starting on the first hole, Park birdied the par 5 before adding another birdie par-4 fifth. She's tied with Cristie Kerr and Eun-Hee Ji at two under.
Seven players were one stroke back.
Kerr Makes Move
9:44 a.m. - Former Women's Open champion Cristie Kerr grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on the 559-yard, par-5 sixth. She's tied with Eun-Hee Ji at two under par.
Ji Leads
9:32 a.m. - After Candace Schepperle double bogeyed the 17th hole and Laura Diaz carded consecutive bogeys, there was a logjam of 10 players at one under. That was until Eun-Hee Ji birdied the par-4 14th to secure the outright lead at two under. Ji, who registered a T-42 in last year's championship, won the 2003 Korean Women's Amateur. She had eight top-10 finishes last year on the tour.
Course Setup
8:53 a.m. - Here are some notes from Mike Davis, the USGA's senior director of rules and competitions, regarding the course:
Green speeds – averaging 13 feet on USGA Stimpmeter (hole 11 is being purposely kept in the low 12s)
Water management – corrective watering was applied last night to all greens. Amount of water to each green (and section of green) was based on firmness based on USGA TruFirm device. Firmness of greens is within the range we desire for a Women’s Open Championship.
Rough Grass – all rough grass (of varying heights) were mown last night. The 1st cut of primary rough will be mown each evening and the 2nd cut of primary will be mown on an as-needed basis.
Course Setup Info – Round one is being played the full length of the golf course, with the exception of hole 9 where we are using the penultimate teeing ground. The yardages of the par 3s are as follows:
Hole 4 – 158 yards
Hole 9 – 177 yards
Hole 11 – 166 yards
Hole 17 – 178 yards
Diaz On The Board
8:49 a.m. - Laura Diaz bolted into a tie for the lead with consecutive birdies on Nos. 10 and 11.
Schepperle Flops Places With Alfredsson
8:34 a.m. - Amateur Candace Schepperle carded a birdie on the par-4 14th, while Helen Alfredsson gave a stroke back on No. 13. Schepperle stands two under. Schepperle made it into the Women's Open after getting into the Rockville, Md., sectional as an alternate.
Alfredsson All Alone
8:16 a.m. - Swedish-born Helen Alfredsson birdied the par-5 12th to dip to two under par. Diana D'Alessio, Anna Nordqvist and Candace Schepperle trailed by a stroke.
Nordqvist won the McDonald's LPGA Championship for her first victory on the LPGA Tour. This is her first U.S. Women's Open. "I don't feel any pressure to come out here and compete right away," said Nordqvist, 22, from Sweden. "I mean, I'm just getting started, and there's a lot of competition out here."
Four Tied At One Under
7:56 a.m. - With birdie on her third hole, amateur Candace Schepperle jumped back into a tie for the lead. She joins 34-year-old Diana D'Alessio, Helen Alfredsson, and 25-year-old Christina Kimat one under par.
Alfredsson On Top
7:41 a.m. - Coming off her second runner-up finish at last year's championship, 44-year-old Helen Alfredsson got off to a solid start with a birdie on her first hole. With bogeys on their second holes, Laura Davies and Candace Schepperle fell out of the lead.
Davies, Schepperle Early Leaders
7:25 a.m. - Forty-five-year-old Laura Davies, who received a special exemption into this year's championship, birdied the 549-yard, par-5 first hole. Davies won the 1987 U.S. Women's Open at Plainfield Country Club in Plainfield, N.J.
Amateur Candace Schepperle, 20, is playing in her first U.S. Women's Open and second major.
They're Off
7:05 a.m. - Bethlehem, Pa. - And the marathon is on. Brandie Burton, Laura Davis and Meghan Stasi went off No. 1; Irene Cho, Katherine Perry and Eunjung Yi were the first group off the 10th tee.
We'll be providing running updates throughout the championship as the action happens. If, for whatever reason, you have a comment or concern about the site, please e-mail kklavon@usga.org.
