The chip, estimated at some 40 feet, still had momentum when it struck the back of the cup. But so did Webb. She went on to drain another birdie putt on 18 for a 69 and a 273 total. That was one shot short of the record 272 Annika Sorenstam set here in 1996. And it was a rousing answer to those who might have thought she was conceding the throne in women’s golf to Sorenstam.
“That was nearly a putt with a sand wedge,” Webb said, laughing. “Luckily they put a hole in the ground so it could go in. The putt on 18 with all the fans around was just a great way to cap off the week.”
The victory meant a $520,000 payday for the Australian superstar, who now has won $863,588 for the season. It also made her the youngest player on the LPGA Tour reach the $7 million mark in career earnings, supplanting Sorenstam
“This means a tremendous amount to me,” Webb said. “I feel fortunate to have won one U.S. Open, but to win two back to back, you can’t put it into words. It’s just a dream come true.
“Both wins are very special to me, but I don’t think you can compare them. I was more confident this week, felt more that I had a chance of winning than last year. And this one did come easier.”
Webb, who had been three shots down after an opening round of 70 on Thursday, surged into the lead with a course-record 65 on Friday morning and never looked back at a field that found itself bogged down on a wet course.
Thunderstorms forced 105 players to have to complete their second rounds on Saturday morning, and Webb, who was one of the few who started early enough to complete her round, was one of the most rested to make the cut.
‘Friday Set Me Up’
She shot a 1-under-par 69 on Saturday to build a five-shot lead, then matched that on Sunday to close the door on her closest pursuer, Se Ri Pak of South Korea. Emphasizing just how dominant Webb was, her eight-shot spread over Pak tied the largest winning margin in Women’s Open history.
“Friday really set me up for the whole tournament,” she said. “Shooting five under and having the weather that we did, everyone, for the most part, was trying to play catch-up golf. And that’s to my advantage, because this course is a hard course to play that sort of golf on.”
Oddly, putting proved to be the difference. Webb used 116 putts for the four rounds, while Pak needed 124. Exactly the eight-stroke differential.
Pak, who struggled through an up and down round of four birdies and six bogeys, was at 281, followed by Dottie Pepper at 282. Pepper, who plays out of Jupiter, Fla, became the low American in the field when she made birdie on the final hole.
There was three-way tie at 283 between Sherri Turner, Christie Kerr and Catriona Matthew.
Webb allowed a ray of hope for Pak when she made bogey on the second hole. And, when Pak followed up with a birdie on No. 4, she was only three shots back.
“I knew it was going to be hard, but I’m thinking I can catch up,” Pak said. “But so many things happen somehow quick. So easy to make double bogey.”
Webb was just happy that she didn’t make worse than bogey on No. 2.
“I really made a good putt there for bogey,” she said. “It was a bit of scrappy hole and not particularly the way I wanted to get started. But rolling that putt in eased a couple of the nerves.”
A bogey on the par-3 5th hole proved costly for Pak. And when Webb responded with a birdie on No. 7 and Pak made bogey, the stage was set for the runaway.
“That was a pivotal hole,” Webb said. “That gave me a six-shot lead, and for the first time I was able to settle down.”
Pepper, who has been the most consistent American player during a year when the foreign stars are dominating the LPGA Tour, was ecstatic over her strong showing. Her rounds were 74-69-70-69 and she won $202,580 from the $2.9 million purse.
“My ball-striking has come a long way in the last few months,” she said. “I’m not quite ready to say I’ve got it, but it’s coming.”
Advice for Americans
As for the plight of the Americans on Tour, Pepper has a simple solution.
“We just need to play better, myself included,” she said. “I have nothing but admiration for Karrie. She’s done what she needed to do this week.”
The thunderstorms during the week not only hurt the play of the golfers, but it also probably cost Pine Needles in its goal to set a Women’s Open attendance record as it did in 1996.
The unofficial attendance for the week, Monday through Sunday, was estimated at 108,530. But those numbers will change, according to USGA officials, who said an official attendance figure will be announced in about three weeks.
