Championships - RICOH Women's British Open 2008
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Juli Inkster on her way to a superb 65. Image courtesy of Tristan Jones/LET
31.07.2008
Inkster Proves that Experience Counts
Veteran Juli Inkster, the oldest competitor in the field, carded a magnificent seven under par 65 to leave the youngsters in the shade after the first round of the 2008 Ricoh Women’s British Open over the Old Course at Sunningdale.The 48 year-old mother of two, a winner of no less than seven previous Major titles, goes into the second round a single shot ahead of England’s Johanna Head, Koreans Ji Yai Shin and Ji Young Oh, Japan’s Yuri Fudoh and Momoko Ueda and America’s Laura Diaz and Stacey Prammanasudh.
On a day of low scoring, England’s Karen Stupples, the winner of this Championship at Sunningdale in 2004, shared ninth place with compatriot Rebecca Hudson, three-time champion Sherri Stenhauer and America’s Kristy McPherson while defending champion, Lorena Ochoa, also remains very much in the reckoning having posted a three under par 69 that left her in a share of 23rd place on three under par 69.
However, it proved to be a disappointing day for Swede, Annika Sorenstam, the former World No. 1, who plans to retire at the end of the 2008 season. She carded a level par round of 72 to languish outside the top-60 and will need a sub-par round if she is to survive the cut at the end of the second round.
Inkster began her round at 6.52 am on a warm and windless morning and immediately made her mark with birdies at the 489-yard par-5 2nd and the 400 yard par-4 fifth. She went on to drive the green for an eagle on the 273-yard par-4 ninth before romping home in three under par 33 with further birdies on the tenth, 11th and 14th.
“I’ve been struggling with my swing but today was much better,” said the American. “Basically, you know, the conditions were perfect out there. We didn’t have any wind. The greens were a little soft and I hit the ball really well.
“I’ve been struggling with my swing so last week I got Karrie Webb’s teacher, Ian Triggs, to help me a bit and I think he got me on the right path, “she added.
“Every day it’s gotten a little bit better but even so I was surprised when I teed up my ball on No. 1 and it went straight.
“I thought then it was a good sign and that’s what it turned out to be.”
Asian golfers, particularly those from Korean and Japan, now play a dominant role in ladies’ professional golf so it was no surprise that Shin, Fudoh, Oh and Ueda should be among Inkster’s nearest challengers.
Shin, however, is somewhat different from many of her Korean compatriots in as much as she plies her trade on the Korean LPGA Tour rather than on its considerably more lucrative namesake in the United States. Already this year, she has won three times in six starts over there and replicated that sort of form with a fine round in which she fired seven birdies and dropped just one shot on the 416-yard 12th.
“Very easy to play,” she said with the aid of an interpreter. “I played here (at St Andrews) last year but here, very different. Today, early start, very good weather, no wind, soft fairways and greens. Very easy.
Hudson, a two-time winner on this year’s Ladies’ European Tour, is also in a rich vein of form and she made her best ever start in a Major with a 67 in which she raced to the turn in four under par and then came home in one under par 35 despite dropping a shot at the last where she three-putted from about 20-feet.
The English woman puts her recent success down to her relaxed demeanour and it is something she shares with compatriot, Stupples, who felt very much at home while compiling her 67 in front of the large and enthusiastic English crowd.
“Today, Juli (Inkster) finished just as I started and the noise from the gallery brought what happened in 2004 right back to me”, said Stupples who, like the leader, is both a mother and a full-time Tour player.
“Juli has always been a bit of a role model for me,” she added. She’s got two girls, manages to combine motherhood and golf. She is someone I really look up to. She’s got the knack of combining business with family life and that’s something I try to do as well.”
During practice, World No. 1, 27 year-old Ochoa, said she planned to return some time in her early 30s but, in the meantime, her sole goal is to add to the two Major titles she won last year at St Andrews and early this season at the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, California.
Ochoa’s defence of the Ricoh British Women’s Open title started brightly enough with a 69 that began with five birdies in her first 14 holes but was derailed somewhat with back-to-back bogeys at the 16th and the 17th.
“I felt good,” she said. “On the 17th, I got really mad when I hit a bad drive off the tee and a bad chip. But the rest was pretty good.”
“I think three under is always pretty good,” she added. “And remember, we’re just starting out. Tomorrow and over the weekend, I’m going to try to take it one shot at a time.”
Sorenstam, chasing her eleventh Major title, was rather more circumspect after a level par 72 which began with bogeys on the first, third and sixth but was rescued to some extent with birdies on the ninth, 13th and 14th.
“It wasn’t the start I wanted,” she admitted. “For the last three weeks I’ve played some great golf, but every round has been very much the same, a lot of good shot, but just not 18 good holes.”
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