Long Laura Vows She Won’t Back Off At U.S. Women’s Open

Patty Sheehan begins defense today of her title at the venerable Broadmoor East course - the longest layout in U.S. Women’s Open history at 6,398 yards.

The Broadmoor plays shorter than its listed length because a ball carries about 10 percent farther at its 6,400-foot elevation than at sea level. It plays even shorter when Laura Davies is the one crunching the ball.

With her first swing in Wednesday’s practice round, Davies hit a 308-yard drive on the uphill par-4 first hole, leaving her only a 91-yard wedge shot to the green. In earlier practice rounds, she managed drives in the 330 range.

“Yesterday, I hit my first drive over 300 - uphill and into the wind,” Davies said. “That was a good sign. And then a couple of times, I hit what I thought were OK drives and they were out there about 330.

“It’s amazing. It’s going to be more than the 10 percent (difference). It is like 15 percent or 20 percent if you get a really high, well-struck one.”

Davies, the LPGA money leader with $431,176, said she expects to be left with a pitching wedge - and usually a sand wedge - for her second shots on the par-4s this week.

Davies nearly drove the 333-yard second hole, and she needed only a drive and 6-iron to reach the 544-yard, par-5 17th.

Even though it is an Open course with punitive rough, Davies vowed not to back off.

“I plan to hit that driver and have some fun,” she said. “I’m driving the ball extremely straight at the moment. I’d rather take the risk of hitting drivers in the fairway than 2-irons and leaving a lot more club in. I may as well go with what I’ve got.

“I’m going to hit driver apart from No. 15 or 18, because you can run off the fairway easily on those holes, especially 18 with the water.”

While her distance gives her an advantage in this championship, Davies knows the key is to put the ball in the right position on the large, slick, undulating greens.

“Length is really not a factor,” Davies said. “It is position. If you miss the fairway, you are in trouble. Then you have to try to put the ball somewhere where you can two-putt. These greens are unbelievable. On some downhill putts, you literally can’t keep the ball on the green. Hopefully, they’ll slow them down a bit before we get going in the tournament.”

Sheehan, who won this major championship in 1992 and 1994, agrees.

“I think iron play is going to be very important,” she said. “The thing that makes this golf course difficult is the greens.”