U.S. Women's Open Field Notes

Great sports week here in the Twin Cities. On Thursday, the Twins continued to steamroll with an amazing ninth straight win, the T-Wolves drafted O.J. Mayo and then worked out a savvy midnight deal to get the talented Kevin Love and Mike Miller from Memphis (while also, to the dismay of my gal, getting rid of stubble-faced Marko Jaric), and the U.S. Women's Open got kick-started at Interlachen Country Club in Edina. As I was out at the course writing a few pieces for an alternate publication, our most amiable C.P. web editor Jeff "Dottie Pepper" Shaw was kind enough to let me share some golf impressions in this space as well.

A huge golf event is akin to the Internet in the sense that "There so much," but also in that "There's so much." Really, stimuli is everywhere, but as with the web, one just needs to know where to look to derive the greatest benefits. For me, that ultimately involved selecting a group pretty much at random. While there are entertaining greens to perch oneself and myriad international icons to watch (amidst thousands of other viewers), I personally elected to be mobile on Day 1, and to follow what I felt (note the tense) to be a pretty live longshot to place well in this tournament, one Ms. Sophie Gustafson.

Foreign-born players have had marked success in recent opens, winning 5 of the last 10. Gustafson, among other accolades, is currently 20th on the money list, has won 4 tournaments, has a (statically) sound putter which is an absolute necessity at Interlachen, and, during both Tuesday's practice round and also on Thursday she donned both a Twins' ballcap and a stitched Twins golf shirt. That was enough to sell me. Plus, she was at 50/1, so I threw $30 on her to win $1,500 from my friendly neighborhood bookmaker. Furthermore, she was playing in a group that included two-time Open champ and Hall of Famer Juli Inkster and longtime LPGAer Pat Hurst, who has one major in her own right. Lastly, the featured group of Sorenstam-Petterson-Creamer was next in line, so I figured I'd catch some of them as well.

Which I did. Which made me feel I'd chosen wisely as Annika was predictable followed by outrageous throngs throughout the day. But my own group proved pretty chill, and it was with regularity that I found myself within eight feet of Sophie. Although this probably wasn't a good thing, as said proximity generally meant that Gustafson hit something errant and was lining up a shot nearer to the roped-off gallery than she would have liked.

Actually, Sophie proved a pretty solid ball-striker. She was on the green in regulation consistently, but, in short, she just couldn't putt for shit. Which is really the true test for the undulating greens at Interlachen with their Stimpmeter set to run at 11 1/2. Think when you're making your bed and you grab the end of the sheet and attempt to poof it across the mattress. Now stop that linen in mid-air and you have your greens at Interlachen. I played the course last month and just tried to keep my approach shots below the hole. Putting downhill on this track is murder.

Sophie had a rare highlight on Par 3 12th hole where she hit the stick on a hop from the 164-yard tee box, but she went on the three-putt the hole, putting her at an early +2 after three holes (having started on the 10th hole). Missing birdie was actually the theme of Sophie's day. I counted ten birdie chances that were missed, and only two that were made. On her last hole, before a massive gallery and following a fine approach shot, Sophie missed another birdie opportunity from about ten feet. She ended up carding a 77, and in a tie for 95th. In a field of 156 players, Sophie was a ridiculous 3rd off the tee with 86% of fairways hit, and also found 14/18 greens in regulation. Her putting? A sad 137th. And therein lies the proverbial rub.

Ironically, my group at random did end up delivering a contender in that Pat Hurst ended up tied for the lead at -6. She actually got off to a pretty crummy start at +1 after her first five holes. But the girl then went on a rampage taking 6 shots from the course over her next seven holes. Putting was (again) the key, as evidenced by her rank of 11th in this category. Inkster, it should also be noted, hits the crap out of the ball, especially for a 48-year old.

What the hell? Sophie likes the Indians too?

Interlachen put on a really fine showing for Day 1. The course looked in great shape, and the whole event was very organized. As per my sage advise: should you be heading out to the tournament, make the experience your own. I can't repeat how much waffling I witnessed amidst the crowds, how much "Where should we go?" If you've got the legs for it, follow a group throughout the day as it affords the aforementioned mobility and will allow you to see the entirety of this classic course. One of the really great things about Interlachen is that you can get caught up in the swell of enthusiasm, but that you can also get the hell away from the swell of enthusiasm. For a major sporting event, the course offers ample opportunity for surprisingly quiet and idyllic settings. That will change some come the weekend, but for Day 1, I was amazed at how often I had the chance to just enjoy a seat, and a personal experience, and a chance to watch some of the world's top players from just ten feet away. I'd recommend the adjacent green/tee box locations of 2/3, 6/7, and 13/14 for such premier viewing opportunities. The 4th green, with peaceful water behind this 178-yard Par 3, is also a fine spot to plop down, eat a pretzel, and smoke a cig.

For scoring updates or ticketing information, click here.

And here's the updated Open leaderboard:

U.S. Women's Open Championship
Jun 26 - Jun 29, 2008
Friday's second round
As of Jun 27, 2008, at 10:05 AM ET
Player Score Hole
Ji-Young Oh -6 -
Pat Hurst -6 3
Song-Hee Kim -5 3
Ji-Yai Shin -4 -
Louise Friberg -4 -
Maria Jose Uribe (a) -4 -
Paula Creamer -4 3
Helen Alfredsson -3 -
Laura Davies -3 -
Catriona Matthew -3 -