Over the last decade, American golfers have certainly taken a back seat to their international counterparts at women’s major championships.
Since 2001, non-Americans have won 27 of 32 events at the Kraft Nabisco, LPGA Championship and Women’s British Open.
It’s only in the U.S. Women’s Open where U.S. players still hold their own. Five of the last nine Women’s Open champs are Americans.
Perhaps taking a cue off that, plenty of U.S. golfers are on the leaderboard after two days of the Women’s Open at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. In fact, of the 15 players at even par or better, nine are U.S.-born.
South Korean I.K. Kim, winner of the 2005 U.S. Girls’ Junior title, grabbed the lead late Friday and stands at 4 under par after going bogey-free for her 32 holes.
American Stacy Lewis (pictured above), who won the Kraft Nabisco Championship to start off the 2011 grand slam schedule, led by as many as three strokes early in her second round, but tripped a bit coming down the home stretch of a marathon day.
After she had played more than 30 holes on Friday, Lewis went bogey-double bogey on holes 14 and 15 to lose the top spot to Kim. Lewis was 2 under par through 34 holes and trails Kim by two.
“I played really good all day, but I’m frustrated with the way I finished,” Lewis said. “It’s unfortunate we didn’t get done today.”
Two other Americans — veteran Wendy Ward (through 33 holes) and amateur Amy Anderson (through 18) — also stand at 2 under. Ward was 4 under par through 15 holes of her second round.
Meanwhile, defending champion Paula Creamer (1 under through 34 holes) was likewise right in the hunt, sharing fifth place.
If an American were to win this week, it would mean that U.S. players will have captured four of the last seven women’s majors, with Taiwan’s Yani Tseng claiming the other three. Tseng stands at 3 over par through 34 holes this week.
After only 25 golfers completed their first round on Thursday because of weather problems, that was an issue again Friday, though to a far lesser extent. Play was delayed 66 minutes in the evening before golfers resumed action and played until nearly 8:30 p.m. Just 33 players have completed round 2.
Play is scheduled to resume at 7 a.m. on Saturday. After the 36-hole cut is made in the afternoon, those who qualify for the third round will go off in threesomes off both the first and 10th tees.
While some competitors played 36 holes on Friday, others didn’t play any after finishing their first rounds Thursday. In fact, five of the top nine competitors on the leaderboard have yet to tee off for round 2.
“It’s tough at a U.S. Open” to play two rounds in one day, said Angela Stanford, who’s even par after rounds of 72-70. “I think I feel good because I’m finished. When we had to come in for the rain delay, I was afraid if I sat down I wasn’t going to be able to stand up.”
Anderson, the amateur from North Dakota, finished her first round solidly Friday morning, posting a 2-under-par 69. She won’t tee off for round 2 until early Saturday, but she stands tied for second place as of the close of play Friday.
“It’s exciting,” said the 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and North Dakota State junior-to-be. “It hasn’t sunk in. To me it’s felt like another tournament — just on the Tour. But the gallery makes it a little bit real and they’re cheering when you make a birdie, so it’s really exciting.”
Anderson, for those who believe in omens, will turn 19 years old on Sunday, the final day of the Women’s Open.
While the scores aren’t particularly low, nine players were under par at the end of Friday’s play.
“You know, it’s out there. You can definitely shoot a good score,” Creamer said after her first round. “It’s just eliminating those bogeys.”
As for Kim, her conservative strategy has paid off so far.
“At the U.S. Open you don’t really go for the pins,” she said. “You’ve got to be patient out there. There are only certain things you can take advantage of.”
King Bowing Out: World Golf Hall of Famer Betsy King (pictured at left), who said going into the tournament that this was going to be her final LPGA Tour event, will exit on Saturday after playing 34 holes on Friday and standing at 18 over par.
This was the 55-year-old’s first LPGA event since 2005. Among her 34 LPGA victories are U.S. Open championships in 1989 and “˜90. The Broadmoor marks her 31st U.S. Women’s Open appearance.
13-Year-Old Also Will Miss Cut: On the other end of the age spectrum as King, 13-year-old Mariel Galdiano of Hawaii, the third-youngest U.S. Women’s Open qualifier ever, also won’t be around after 36 holes.
Galdiano shot a first-round 85, but didn’t get to start her second round Friday because play was backed up after Thursday’s weather suspension.
Also headed down the road after round 2 will be Birdie Kim, winner of the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open at Cherry Hills, who stands at 16 over par through 31 holes.
Just Like 2007: Cristie Kerr won the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007 after shooting an even-par score in the first round, so she didn’t particularly mind posting an even-par total in her first 18 this year.
“I won the Open in Pine Needles and I shot even the first day,” she said. “It’s not a bad omen.”
Pepper Stays Elevated: TV analyst Dottie Pepper is working a USGA championship again at the Broadmoor — she also did the 2008 U.S. Senior Open at the club — but so far this year she’s been announcing in the tower instead of being an on-course reporter.
As some may remember, Pepper was following the threesome of Hale Irwin, Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer in the second round of the 2008 Senior Open when a large black bear ran across the fairway while the group was playing the hole.
Irwin recounted Pepper’s reaction later, saying, “Dottie about wet her britches.”
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