1:20pm - The final groups are about to tee off (Cristie Kerr and Eun-Hee Ji start at 1:30).  Momoko Ueda is making the best run among the early starters - she's -3 on the day through 8 and +5 overall.  Paula Creamer birdied 1 to reach +5 but has parred five straight since.  Nobody has moved into the magic six-shot window as yet.  Of those who started in that window, none have progressed through their first hole or two - none have faltered, either.  He Yong Choi has the best round completed so far at 68 while Jessica Korda carded 69.  So the early numbers resemble yesterday's.

1:25pm - Candie Kung birdied 1 to reach +2, four shots behind Kerr.  Ueda bogeyed 9 and falls to +6.

1:35pm - Brittany Lincicome bogeyed 3 to drop to +5.  Jean Reynolds and Teresa Lu both parred 1.

Continue reading this post »

Cristie Kerr holds a two-shot lead going into the final round of the U.S. Women's Open.  Eun-Hee Ji is in second place at even par, Teresa Lu and Jean Reynolds are tied for third at +2 four shots back while Candie Kung, Hee Young Park and In-Kyung Kim are tied for fifth at +3.

Kerr posted a 72 on Saturday, her first round over par this week, but extended her Friday-night lead by a shot because her closest competitors faltered - especially over the back nine.  Cristie birdied only twice (at 4 and 15, thanks to brilliant iron shots within two feet) while bogeying three times.  Paula Creamer struggled early, went out in 39, took triple-bogey at a nightmarish 10^th and got home in 79.  Reynolds hung in nicely almost all day, until she bogeyed three of her last four.  Na Yeon Choi was in great shape at +1 - then she found the creek running down the left side of 13.  She saved bogey there but took three more at 16, 17 and 18.  Giulia Sergas was -1 through 3 but played her last 15 holes in +6.  Hee Young Park was even par through 5 but faded to +3.  You get the picture.  In case you don't, check out the details in my Saturday live-blogging.

Continue reading this post »

3:45pm - Lu just short from 15 feet at 14.  Choi birdied from four feet at 10 to +1, only down by three.  Hole #10 is playing only 253 yards today.  Creamer took driver and landed in the bunker 40 yards short of the hole.  Kerr played a hybrid into perfect position.

3:55pm - The rainy weather is on the way.  Maybe within the hour.  Wind is picking up too.  Kerr put her approach at 10 to five feet.  Creamer killed her bunker shot 30 yards over the green.  Her chip back came up short into the thick rough.  Her second chip also came up short.  Her fifth shot to the par-4 reached the green but was still 15 feet short of the hole.  Lu had seven feet for birdie at 14 but missed it right.  Reynolds had 18 feet at 11 and curled it in for a birdie to go -1 and draw within one.  Creamer missed right and took triple-bogey.  Kerr missed her birdie left.

Continue reading this post »

I realize that by live-blogging Saturday, I am by extension also committing myself to do Sunday.  Consider this payback for short-changing you guys the last two years running - vacations during the Open weekend seriously curtailed my blogging each year, especially in '07.  This is my first chance to actually watch most of the coverage since Annika beat Pat Hurst in the 18-hole Monday playoff in 2006.  On to the leaderboard watch (since NBC doesn't start until 3pm):

1:00pm - 30 minutes until Kerr and Creamer tee off.  Hee Young Park and Lindsey Wright have early birdies (at 2 and 1 respectively) and are +1.  Off to good starts and currently at +3 are Candie Kung (-3 on the day), Ji Young Oh and Laura Davies (time to start talking about those Hall Of Fame points again!).  Morgan Pressel was -4 on the day and +3 overall until she bogeyed 14.  If she can pick up another shot or two in the last three holes, Morgan might have a chance tomorrow.  Early returns lead me to believe that the conditions are still good and maybe the pins aren't quite as tough, as scoring seems a little better (of course after the cut that is usually the case too).  Only one round in the 80s so far and Maria Jose Uribe finished in 69.

Continue reading this post »

Cristie Kerr posted a 70 (-3 overall) to take a one shot lead at the U.S. Women's Open.  Paula Creamer is in second place at -2 after carding a 68.  Jean Reynolds is in third place at -1 while Na Yeon Choi and Giulia Sergas are tied for fifth fourth at even par.

Conditions on Friday were just as good as Thursday, allowing seven players to break par after only five did so yesterday.  Kerr was the only under-par repeater, following her opening 69 with a five-birdie four-bogey effort.  At one time during her front nine (after birdies at 15, 16 and 17), Cristie led by three shots.  A late bogey at 8 prevented the overnight lead from being two.  Creamer played each nine in 34.  Bogeys at 11 and 13 momentarily derailed her but she rebounded nicely with birdies at 14 and 18.  Reynolds, the two-time Futures Tour winner, is still hanging with the In Crowd - twice today she began to stumble with a bogey or two, only to find another birdie or two to stay right there.  Sergas collected Round of the Week so far with a 67 that could have been 66 had she not bogeyed 18.  Choi was the only Top 5er who played this morning - NYC could only manage one birdie against four bogeys.

Continue reading this post »

The morning groups are winding down and the afternoon groups are just getting started as of 12:45pm EDT.  First-round leader Na Yeon Choi has completed her second with a 74 (a birdie at 14 and four bogeys) and is now even par for the tournament.  The other four players under par on Thursday tee off within the next hour and a half.

So far the scoring looks a lot like yesterday.  Lindsey Wright has the only completed round under par, a 70 (+2 overall).  Meaghan Francella, Sandra Gal, Inbee Park and Teresa Lu each have 1-3 holes left and they are all -1 on the day.  Before the round started, Helen Alfredsson, Pat Hurst and Minea Blomqvist added their names to the WD sheet.

In case you hadn't heard, the cut will be the top 60 and ties (not top 70).  The current number is +6 (up two from this morning) and will certainly be rising through the afternoon.

UPDATE 2:45pm - Lu birdied 18 to post 69, as the other three I listed failed to remain under par on their round.  Francella bogeyed two of her last three, Gal bogeyed 18 and Inbee bogeyed 16 and 17 before a birdie at 18.  Jean Reynolds parred her first two holes and now leads by one.  Kerr bogeyed her second hole (11) and Ochoa doubled 3.  Creamer just birdied 5 to go even for the tournament.  Candie Kung's streak of pars ended with bogey at 5, after 22 in a row to start the event.

3:00pm - What the heck...let's live-blog it.  Eun-Hee Ji birdied 4 and 5 to go -1.  Reynolds missed the fairway at 12 (her 3rd hole) and missed a 10-footer for par.  Those two are tied with Kerr for the lead at -1 with four players at even - Choi (who has finished), Creamer, Ochoa and Hee Young Park.

Continue reading this post »

Not to overshadow the U.S. Open or anything but it looks like Bivens is outta here....

Na Yeon Choi posted a 68 and holds a one-shot lead after Day One at the 64^th U.S. Women's Open.  Cristie Kerr, Lorena Ochoa and Futures Tour standout Jean Reynolds are tied for second place while Hee Young Park is (surprisingly alone) in fifth place after posting a 70.

Since par is 71, those five players are the only ones under it.  And conditions today were great with very little wind.  The greens weren't holding much but they weren't ridiculous about it either.  I'm standing by my prediction of nobody under par at the end of Sunday's round.  Choi started off blazing with birdies on her first three holes (10, 11 and 12) and four of her first five.  Three putts led to bogey at 17 and out in 32 but birdies at 2 and 3 (a blind chip-in at 2 was the best shot I saw all day) put her at -5.  Bogeys at 5 and 6 brought Na Yeon back to the field.

Continue reading this post »

As promised, I've waited for a few more details to come in about the "player revolt".  I was also waiting to get home from vacation so I could catch up on those details properly.  With the ultimate detail just released by Golfworld's Beth Ann Baldry that Bivens is already out, here's what I've been pondering.

Reports vary, but it seems that about 15 players were at the dinner where the Bivens topic was discussed.  It is unknown how many players actually signed the letter but only two players - Paula Creamer and Suzann Pettersen - have stated that they themselves signed it.  I don't understand the reluctance of the other players (I assume these weren't the only two) to also confirm having signed the letter.  That information is going to come out eventually, and honestly - if I was going to the trouble to attach my name to a piece of paper intended to affect positive change to my organization, I would be publicly forthright about my stance on the issue rather than hiding behind a flimsy "let's respect the U.S. Open" excuse.  As a group, the ladies timed it perfectly - women's golf never gets more attention in America than during U.S. Open week and making this stance just prior ensured the largest possible audience.  Why dilute the effect?  Confirm you signed the letter and then you can tell the media "no more questions" on that subject.

Continue reading this post »

The morning groups have finished their rounds and the afternoon bunch is well underway.  Three players got around in 69 - Cristie Kerr, Lorena Ochoa and Jean Reynolds (hmm...one of these is not like the other...).  Hee Young Park shot 70 and those four were the only morning players to finish under par.  Eun-Hee Ji, Anna Nordqvist and Candie Kung posted 71 while Paula Creamer, In-Kyung Kim, Sun Young Yoo and Christina Kim carded 72s.

Na Yeon Choi is -4 through 7 holes and Jiyai Shin was -3 through 3 until a bogey at 13.   Both are getting lots of airtime right now on ESPN.

Continue reading this post »