Open Week All Over Again

“Hooks and Slices” will bring you our view on whats happening in the golf world.

Drama and tragedy seemed to rule the day for the American players at the US Women’s Open. On Saturday we watched fan favorite Paula Creamer implode on the tenth with a triple bogey that lost her the tournament. On Sunday Cristie Kerr entered the final round with a two stroke lead and a resume that included a US Open Championship. On Saturday evening Kerr spoke of loving the challenge and how she performs well on tough courses. Unfortunately, the Saucon Valley course got the better of Cristie on Sunday as she ballooned to a 75 which included 35 putts. Kerr had her worst day of the week, only hitting eight of fourteen fairways and averaging close to two putts per hole. Kerr’s stumble allowed Eun Hee Ji and Candie Kung to stage a shootout over the last few holes. Kung had a chance to win but a bogey at seventeen doomed her. The eventual champion, Eun Hee Ji, had struggles of her own. A double bogey on the tenth could have been her downfall as it was for Creamer. Instead, Ji calmed herself and went on to birdie thirteen and fourteen and stood on the eighteen green tied for the lead. Kung parred eighteen and Ji had a twenty foot putt with plenty of break to win the US Open. She didn’t look like a player with only one win; she looked like a pro that knew what she was doing when she bombed in the birdie putt and won her first major. Ji is one of the many golfers on tour from Korea that was inspired by Se Ri Pak’s illustrious career. Through an interpreter Ji said, “It was a dream come true.” The week will go down as a huge disappointment for the Americans. Creamer and Kerr looked as if they would be there at the end to have a chance to win. Instead they will have a year to think about their two blown opportunities.

Congrats to Steve Stricker for his win at the John Deere. It is Stricker second win this season and should give him some momentum going into the Open Championship.
We move from The US Women’s Open to The Open Championship at Turnberry. Turnberry has a short but impressive history at the Open. Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus staged the “Duel in the Sun” there in 1977. Greg Norman won his first major there in 1986 and Nick Price was number on in the world when he won there in 1994. We’ll have Open stuff all week.