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Walking takes its toll
Posted: Wednesday January 12, 2000 09:53 AM
Leta Lindley, 27, is entering her sixth season on the LPGA Tour. She had her best year in 1999 with a tie for second, as well as four other top 10 finishes. In 1997, she finished second at the LPGA Championship, losing to Chris Johnson on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. She was a four-time All-American at the University of Arizona and set an NCAA record for lowest 54-hole score (nine under par). Check out Lindley's diary each Wednesday on CNNSI.com.
January 11, 2000 I played a lot of golf this week, mainly with my housing family. Today was a bad day, because my left knee hurt a lot (I only had surgery in October). It's really kind of a bummer. It has to do with the all the walking I did in the last two days. All last week while I was playing golf, I was riding in a cart. I was also doing rehab on my knee, using the elliptical machine. Monday was the first nine holes I've walked in a long time, and I walked another nine holes today. It's not so much the knee that hurts, but the whole outer side of my left leg from my knee down. It's just really sore. There's nothing wrong with the knee now; the muscles around it are weak and I'm trying to build them up. It's still a process. There's been a lot of activity and stress on the leg, so when you think about it, it shouldn't be surprising that it's sore. Monday night I went to the LPGA's 50th anniversary gala. It was a black tie event. I wore a full-length black gown, the bodice was beaded and sleeveless. I wore a black wrap too. My husband, Matt, wore a tuxedo. The last time he wore one was at our wedding! It was really fun seeing everyone all dressed up. The party was huge. The original founders of the LPGA were there and the Hall of Famers. But with over 600 people there, it was hard to get a chance to see everyone. I got to see some people who have retired since I first came out on tour. It was fun to see how they were enjoying retirement. It's nice to see there is life after golf! The first tournament of the season starts Thursday. I need to play the other course tomorrow (this tournament is played on two courses, three rounds on one, one round on the other). But I'm not going to push myself. It's a very unique tournament. For the first two rounds, each pro plays with three amateurs, then for the last two rounds, I'll play alone. It's different. You're still playing a competitive round of golf, but you're playing it with amateurs, which can make a difference in your game. Some of the golfers don't like the format; Annika Sorenstam doesn't, so she's not playing. But a lot of the other big name players will be here. I'm put together my own team for the first two days: Steve Funk (my housing Dad) and two of his friends. It's nice when you know your partners. It's a little more relaxed than if you met your partners on the first tee. One good thing about this tournament is that there's no cut, so I'm guaranteed a check on Sunday. A good way to start off the season! I'm not going to make any predictions. All I can say is I hope that I play well. Every round I tee it up I try to play my best. Obviously, I want to do well since I've been working hard. But as I sit here with an ice wrap around my knee, I just hope to make it to Sunday. Ice is my friend. -- Leta
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