|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
First missed cut of the year
Posted: Wednesday May 10, 2000 01:15 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 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.
May 10, 2000 For those of you who may have searched for my name in the papers this weekend, it wasn't there. I missed the cut for the first time this year. My bronchitis is better and my rib still hurts a bit to swing. But those are not my excuses. Basically, I just hit the ball really poorly. I had never seen nine holes of this course before the tournament started since I didn't get a practice round in because I was still nursing my injury. I was disappointed, but it just wasn't my week. It happens -- life goes on.
I'm anxious for Matt to come to Nashville -- I'm here for the Electrolux USA Championship -- and work with him. I saw my swing on video and I saw what I was doing wrong. My plane is inside a little bit, so I just hook the ball. It's been inside for awhile,. Matt and I have been talking about it, but I've just managed to play with it. But it all caught up to me last week. I'll work through it eventually. As hard as you try to stay consistent, you get off track. Even the pros need to go back to the basics. We're constantly finetuning. But I feel that everything happens for a reason. Missing the cut helped me give my rib a rest. After I missed the cut I just did a little bit of light practice, instead of being out there grinding away all day long. I also hung out with my friend, Martha Freitag. I stayed with her and her husband. We were in the Pac 10 together and now she's the assistant coach at Texas. We were also rookies on tour together. I'm the eternal optimist. The glass is always half full. Even when I'm playing poorly, I never give up. Last week I just kept trying. I knew I was running out of holes in order to make the cut. But even when I knew I wasn't going to make it, I kept trying to make good shots, working for next week. I'm still excited about my game and my season. You just grin and bear and hope the next week will be better. I spent Monday doing a charity event for Nancy Lopez in Dayton, Ohio. I went from Austin to Dayton to Nashville. It was a long day. But it was worth it -- the charity is for handicapped kids. This was my fifth year doing it. There were six players and Nancy. There were two shotguns. I spent the whole day standing on a par-three, hitting drives. Then someone else would try to make birdie. Sometimes I would drive up to the hole and help them putt. But it was nice and a lot of fun. This week I've obviously got some stuff to work on. I'm really excited to have Matt here to help me while I'm practicing. I need a little feedback. I'm also really excited to be in Nashville. It's a great city. Hopefully, my game will come back and you won't have to work so hard to find my name in the papers. -- Leta
What is the best way to become a tour caddie? I always find it interesting when I ask caddies how they get out on the LPGA tour. It's not like you send in a resume -- although I have received some. The best way to get your start is to head to a tour stop (hopefully you can find one in your area). Then you can sign up through the tournament and the caddie master and hope that you'll be assigned to a tour player for the week. (There are a number of players who will show up at tournaments in need of a local caddie.) Then you never know what will happen. It's a lot of word of mouth. If you do a good job, the player may ask what you are doing the next week. Or she may give your name to a friend who may be in need of a caddie for a week. That's usually how it works. When you hire local caddies, the pay schedule is different than for a tour caddie, since there's usually not the same amount of experience that you would expect from a tour caddie. There's usually a day rate for a local caddie. To be a tour caddie, the knowledge of the game is usually greater. They are better able to assist their player, versus a local caddy who may simply be out there to carry a bag.
The first time I saw you play was the 1997 LPGA Championship. Since then I notice that your driving distances have increased substantially, but your swing is the same, I think. What did you do to increase your distance? Actually, my swing isn't the same. I increased my swing speed seven percent or more just by trying to swing harder and faster and changing the plane, by having a more upright swing. There are some things that are the same and some things that are different. But the changes are what have made it go longer. Plus, I think I'm stronger now, due to my working out more. But the changes I've made have led me to be a different golfer altogether.
I am a golf nut and just love the finesse of the women's game. What is your best shot around the green and if you had to choose a club that you feel confident to chip in, what would it be? I try to chip in every shot, no matter the lie, just like you would a putt. So it doesn't matter which club I'm using. I don't have a favorite. I feel strong all over with my chipping. I just look at the shot and pick the club.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
