She's one under after the first nine holes today... and pretty much looking like an average PGA player - i.e. not tearing it up, not stinking it up either.
She's -1 without putting very well. She's missed several putts from 15 feet in, including a 6 footer, but she's hit every fairway and almost every green in regulation. She's about to enter the toughest 3 hole stretch on the course.
If she's having trouble on the greens that could be a bad omen. It's great that she's accurate off the tees, but her short game is supposed to be one of her strengths.
Hole-by-hole Par-Par-Par-Birdie-Par-Par-Par-Par-Par-Par-Par-Par. She has missed a few birdie putts, but going 1-under through 12 when she hasn't had her short game going and being only a few shots off the lead, I'd take that.
I don't care much about golf and never play, but it seems like she's kicking some male chauvinist ass out there because people were saying that she'd shoot in the mid-70s at best. If she plays at par, does that allow her to make the cut?
If she does it twice, probably. They don't cut until tomorrow. Top whatever and ties. I'd think if she shoots par for two days, she'd make it. And the TV folks will get big blue veiners for the weekend ratings.
First bogey. Back to par with 4 holes to play. Even if she blows up, she'll have done well. She had a chance to birdie nine straight holes.
As for her difficulty on the green, the latest ESPN the Magazine says that she's never been a good putter, and her putts-per-green count (or whatever) is up from last season.
Interesting that one of the reasons people didn't think she was going to do as well was that she can't hit as powerfully as the men. But the one area of her game where she's supposed to have the best parity with her male counterparts is failing her at the moment.
Proving once again what I've recently come to believe: that probably 85-90% of the people who write about, talk about, and pontificate about what's going to happen and why in sports have no more idea than you or me. Came back from the bogey with another par. Three holes to go.
Par on the next hole as well. So, still even with 2 holes left. I'd never even heard of sponsors' exemptions before this, but if they are generally used for promotional purposes, I can't think of a better way to promote a tournament than this.
And it's done. She finished with a bogey for +1 on the day. I can't even imagine the pressure she was under with all of the speculation and interest in her every shot -- +1 is impressive as heck under those circumstances. For a chick, that is.
Well done. I've read where they expect the cut to be at 1 or 2 over, so if she does the same thing tomorrow, or hits half of the birdie putts that she missed today, she's in. Good for her. Not so good for cavemen everywhere. I'd love to see what other sponsor exemptions do during other tournaments - how well they play. If it's just welfare for their buddies to get another week's wages, what's so great about that?
Tough bogey on her last hole with mud on the ball but her approach rolled about a foot off the back of the green. Class showing by her playing partners
Reading the updates on ESPN.com, it looks as though she had 13 or 14 reasonable birdie putts and got only one birdie; with both bogies resulting from multiple putts. If she'd made half of those 14, she would have been tied for the lead. As a lot of other folks, I don't care all that much about golf (neither watch nor play), but I love watching someone shut up all the morons like that.
Rich Beam is being interviewed right now by Dan Patrick. He is being diplomatic but it is clear that he does not agree with what is going on right now. I think his gripe is the sponsors exemptions and how it might get out of control. Errr...I think....
Dean Wilson shot 71. Aaron Barber shot 72. And I don't recall anyone bitching about sponsor exemptions until Annika got one.
What? Is he worried because this tournament is getting umpteen times more national media attention than it probably ever has?
Nobody complained in DC when Mark Rypien got one. I don't believe he broke 80 either day. "researched" In an attempt to attract local fans in 1992, sponsors gave an exemption to then Washington Redskin quarterback Mark Rypien. Rypien shot 80-91 for one of the highest scores on the PGA Tour in the 1990s. Rypien missed the cut by 28 shots.
He said something about how Annika still can get six more sponsor exemptions this year. He is saying that takes away six spots for players that should be there. He mentioned that she took away the spot of some local champion. Another thing he said is that a company that has several exemptions can give them out to players like Annika, Se-Ri-Pak, etc. thus taking away from other players. He also didn't like the fact that she didn't qualify for this tourney.
Beems points just showed incredible "inside the box" whitey thinking. Typical of a golfer. The same old tired cliches came out "we can't play on the LPGA tour" "She's taking a spot from someone" blah blah blah. These things have been disproved by countless people brighter than Rich Beem. The golfers who speak up are doing so as a Union rep of DA would do. They know they're essentially wrong but they have to hold on due to professional obligation.
Should be there by virtue of the fact they're men, he means. If they're begging for a sponsor exemption, how well are they going to do? I know there have been sponsor's exemptions who have won (David Gossett and some guy named Woods), but come on. I'm sure he'll get a chance. You mean someone in this country got denied something because a company made a decision? Call the press. It's one tournament. It's the Colonial, for cryin' out loud, not One Tournament To Decide The Fate Of All Earthlings. If she was to get an exemption every week, he'd have a point. But every week, people play in tournaments that they didn't qualify for. Just like people with famous last names get chances they wouldn't normally get if their name was Jones. It's the Way of the World. I'm sure the republic will still be standing on Monday regardless of how she does. But I'm happy to see she did well, once given the opportunity.