With 53 foreign players in the field, one of them sharing the lead at 3-under-par 67 and several others storming the ramparts, Figg-Currier couldn’t have been blamed if she felt under siege. But it wasn’t as bad as it might have been as five other Americans were among the nine players under par.
A.J. Eathorne of Canada and Figg-Currier brought their scores in early, giving the rest of the field of 150 players an aiming point. But afternoon showers and less smooth greens helped keep the late-starters at bay.
Mi-Hyum Kim of Seoul, Korea was at 68 along with 1999 Open champion Juli Inskter and Jill McGill of Denver, Colo., while amateur Stephanie Keever of Las Vegas, Se Ri Pak of Korea, Christie Kerr of Miami, Fla., and Dina Ammaccapane of Phoenix, Ariz., were at 69. Annika Sorenstam of Sweden, who won here in 1996 and is a strong favorite again this week, was in good shape at even-par-70 along with defending champion Karrie Webb of Australia, Aki Nakano of Tokyo, Japan and Wendy Ward of Austin, Tex.
‘Course Still Playing Long’
Eathorne made the most of being in the first group off on No. 1, picking up a birdie with a 45-foot putt on No. 1, then adding others on 12 and 17 for her 67.
“The course was still playing long,” she said, “but being the first group off, the greens were holding better than some thought they would. I didn’t really hit the fairways very often, but they looked nice. I do know that the rough is nice and thick.
“I guess you’d describe my round as being a good struggle. I scrambled around, but I enjoyed it a lot. When those putts fall in, you feel good. I hit three fairways and four greens on the front and used just 12 putts. According to my stats, I had only 24 for the round. So, that’s pretty scrambly.
“I put a 9-wood in my bag, which is a great replacement for a 4-iron, and I used it numerous times today just getting out of the rough. From 150 yards, just pop it out and let it roll onto the green.”
Figg-Currier used accurate driving to carve out her 67, missing just three of 14 fairways.
“I think it’s the golf course,” she said. “I haven’t fared too well in other Opens, but I guess it was because I didn’t like those courses that much. I like the older traditional courses, and the Donald Ross design requires you to think off the tee.”
Pak agreed with that. The South Korean star was emotionally exhausted after posting her 68.
“I am really mentally tired,” said Pak, who won the 1998 championship. “Always, USGA — it’s not easy to make it. So, starting at 8 o’clock, my mind, mentally, couldn’t rest at all. I kept thinking and talking and make myself easy to play all day. It was a hard time.”
Figg-Currier thinks the championship will be decided on holes 13 through 18.
“That’s a great stretch,” she said. “The par-3 13th says on the card that it’s 200, but it played 210 today. The 14th is a dogleg right and you have to hit a very good tee shot there. Friday’s pin there is going to be a beauty. It’ll be fun to watch.
“The 15th is a good driving hole, and if you miss it like I did there — left in the rough — I felt I couldn’t go to the green. The 16th is just a tricky par-3 and you can’t feel the wind there. And 18 — we talk about the putting — but the tee shot is critical.”
Inkster ‘Hung in There’
Inkster felt she got as much from her round as could be expected. She was tied for the lead until a three-putt bogey on 17.
“I didn’t feel overly confident with my swing,” she said, “and I played very conservatively today. I tried to take advantage when I had a short iron and be a little more aggressive. I’m happy with where I am because I hung in there.”
Kim was happy with her 68 start, which was highlighted by three straight birdies on 10, 11 and 12.
“There wasn’t much difficult about the course today other than it was long,” she said through an interpreter. “On the front nine, I had a couple of chances of making birdies, but the putts just slid by the hole. So, on the 10th, I told myself I’ve got to get a birdie. I hit it about three feet with a middle wedge.”
Kim may have added motivation this week.
“I’ve dreamed of winning the U.S. Open since I came to the USA,” she said, “and my mother says she will never let me get married until I win it, so I must win it.”
Southern Pines resident Donna Andrews shot 77 and is in danger of missing the cut, as did 13-year-old amateur Morgan Pressel. Amateur Brenda Corrie Kuehn, playing despite being more than eight months pregnant, shot 79.
Pressel came into the interview room holding a Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Jar ice cream bar and delighted the media with her bright comments.
“I was happy to birdie 18 because it had been a bad day for me,” she said. “It’s definitely the Open and it’s a great experience, but par would have been perfect.”
