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One itty bitty thing
Posted: Wednesday March 22, 2000 01:28 PM
Leta Lindley, 27, is in 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 hold 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.
March 21, 2000
I said last week that I was hitting the ball all over the planet. Well, that continued this week. I was trying my best to figure out what I was doing wrong. (You may remember that I thought I had figured it out by the end of last week, but I was wrong.) Things actually got worse when I heard Lud, my teaching pro from California, wasn't coming to Phoenix. I was really grasping at straws. I asked everyone for help. By the middle of the pro-am day last Wednesday, with the help of the Callaway reps, I finally figured it out. It was so stupid. It was so little: It all came down to the fact that my chin was down. It affected my whole posture and the way I took away my golf club. That itty bitty thing made a huge difference. The course in Phoenix was very tight. The rough was up, and there were a lot of bunkers. It really put a premium on hitting it straight. I wasn't sure how I'd play on Thursday. But I teed it up and just piped my drive right down the middle. I went from having no confidence to lots of confidence in that instant. I shot a 72 the first round. I was really pleased with that. Friday I started on the front side and did the same thing. The first hole was really narrow, and I just nailed it right down the center. At the turn I was two over. I was frustrated because I was hitting the ball really well. I tried to be patient. I made four birdies on the back nine and shot two under for the day. So I made the cut, which was good because my whole family was there.
Saturday was a déjà vu of Friday. I played the front side at two over and the backside at four under. I managed to find new holes to give me trouble. I had a double bogey at one point on a par five. That should be a birdie hole, and I doubled. Ouch. I hit two bad drives. They say you have to take one shot at a time and you just can't dwell on it. I had to let it go for my sake. I know better than to hold on to a bad hole; if I do, I won't play well the rest of the round. I was nervous going into Sunday's round. I knew it was good for me that the course was playing tough. You had to play for a lot of release on the greens. You'd hit and it would roll and roll. It was hard to get the ball close to the pin, so there weren't a lot of chances to make birdies. I knew if I could play well I could pass a few people. I actually turned the front side at two under, a four-shot improvement over my last two rounds. I kind of struggled coming in -- it was hot and I was just trying to hold it together. I three-putted twice on the back side. I almost chipped in for eagle on the 18th, but I ended up tapping in for a birdie. This was my best finish so far this year -- I tied for fourth and earned over $40,000. That birdie was worth $17,000! To celebrate, I ran to unpack my locker, got in my car and drove across the desert to Palm Springs. Seriously, I said goodbye to my family, grabbed something to eat and drink, got in the car with my caddie, Tommy, and drove the three or four hours until we got here. I don't normally have to race out of a tournament, but we have two days of pro-ams this week, so my practice round fell on a Monday. The worst part is I did all that rushing for nothing! I'm frustrated because I didn't get to play on Monday because of high winds. So, I registered for the tournament and went to see a movie, Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts. I liked her sassiness. I could have done without all the boobs and F-words, but I liked it a lot. It's hard to go into a major championship (the Nabisco Championship, formerly called the Dinah Shore) without a practice round, but the good thing is, nobody has practiced. I think last week was a good prep for this week since these are both tough courses. I like the tournament, I like the course and my family will be here to support me. Lud is definitely coming this week. I'd obviously like to do well for all of them, and for me, too. I feel really good about what I'm doing. I'm just happy to be playing so well at the beginning of the season. I'm playing better than I did last year. I'm really excited about the things I've accomplished in the last two and half years. I'm just trying to ride the wave. -- Leta
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