And then there were two
NEWPORT, R.I. – The birdie putt played a dirty trick on Annika Sorenstam, raising her hopes that 10 years of frustration in the U.S. Women’s Open was about to end.
Tied for the lead with Pat Hurst on the final hole of a marathon Sunday, she took two quick strides to her right as the 30-foot putt tracked toward the hole, her eyes wide as the ball dipped into the cup ever so slightly, then dipped out just as suddenly.
“It looked good for a long time,” Sorenstam said.
Now, she gets one more day at Newport Country Club, an 18-hole playoff against Hurst to decide the biggest prize in women’s golf.
Hurst did her part, making a superb par save from 20 yards short of the 18th green by holing a 5-foot putt.
“I’d die for this,” Hurst said. “This is what we live for.”
They played 36 holes together on a warm, blustery afternoon along the Atlantic shore, both taking 144 shots and settling nothing.
Hurst tumbled out of the lead with a 75 in the third round Sunday morning, then posted a 2-under 69 in the final round, matching the best score of the tournament. Sorenstam shot 73 in the morning, and was headed for an ugly collapse – 4 over in three holes – until scratching her way back to the top of the leaderboard.
They finished at even-par 284, both spending nearly 11 hours on the golf course.
“OK, Pat, see you tomorrow,” Sorenstam said she told her.
Michelle Wie won’t be around this time, either, although she had her chances.
The 16-year-old from Hawaii was tied for the lead with six holes to play until failing to save par from a bunker on the 13th hole, then making pars the rest of the way. She closed with a 72 and tied for third with Se Ri Pak and Stacy Prammanasudh at 2-over 286.
Juli Inkster, among five players tied for the lead at one point during the long day at Newport, lost her hope of becoming the oldest major champion in women’s golf when she three-putted for bogey on the par-3 16th. She closed with a 73 and finished at 287.
For the second straight year Wie was in a three-way tie for the lead at the U.S. Women’s Open, getting there with a 71 in the morning third round after a 10-foot birdie putt dangled on the lip.
Unlike a year ago at Cherry Hills, when she stumbled to an 82, Wie stuck around to the very end.
She ended 21 holes without a birdie by making a 15-footer on the 12th to bring her back to 1-over for the tournament, tied with Hurst and Sorenstam. But on the par-3 13th, her stinger 5-wood leaked into the muddy bunker and led to bogey. The best she could manage were pars the rest of the way, her hopes ending on the 549-yard 16th when she tried to reach the green in two and came up short in a bunker.
Wie has finished a combined five shots out of the lead in the first three majors this year.
Buick Championship
J.J. Henry shot a 3-under 67 for a victory at the Buick Championship at Cromwell, Conn., by three strokes, becoming the first Connecticut player to win the 55-year-old tournament.
It was Henry’s first PGA tour win, and it came in his hometown to boot. The victory also clinched Henry a spot in his first British Open and moved him to sixth in Ryder Cup points.
Hunter Mahan (65) and Ryan Moore (67) tied for second at 11-under. It was Mahan’s best finish in two years. Nathan Green (66) was all alone in fourth at 9-under.
Former Buick Championship winners Stewart Cink (67) and Woody Austin (68) were in a group that included Shigeki Maruyama (66) and Bubba Dickerson (67) at 7-under.
Greater Kansas City Classic
Dana Quigley shot a course record-tying 9-under-par 63 to capture the Greater Kansas City Golf Classic at Overland Park, Kan., for the second year in a row and the third time since 2000 in Champions tour action.
Quigley’s three-day total of 18-under-par 198 was 3 strokes better than David Edwards, the second-round leader whose 63 on Friday had set the record for the Nicklaus-designed, 7,000-yard LionsGate layout.
Edwards shot a 68 Sunday and was tied with Quigley at 14 under until the defending champ took the lead for good by rolling in a birdie putt from at least 60 feet on No. 9.
Next at 12 under for the tournament were Joe Ozaki, who had a 66 on Sunday, and Brad Bryant, who had a 67. Tim Simpson, Bob Gilder and Lonnie Nielsen were 11 under for the three days.
French Open
At Versailles, France, John Bickerton of England shot a 2-under-par 69 Sunday to win the French Open by one stroke for his second European tour victory.
He finished at 11-under 273 and won a spot at this month’s British Open at Hoylake. His other title came last year at the Abama Open de Canarias.
Padraig Harington (66) was at 274. Ian Poulter (69), Marcus Fraser (69) and Michael Campbell (73) were at 276.