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Fantastic finish in Far East
Leta Lindley, 28, 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 week on CNNSI.com. November 7, 2000
I made it home, I can't believe it! It took me 24 hours to get home from Japan. That's a long, long way! But it was worth it, since I stayed in the top 30 on the money list. Korea was good. It was a little chilly and windy. It was a nice warmup for Japan, and it was nice for me and Jon to work together. I've asked Jon to work with me next year as my caddie but he hasn't given me his answer yet. He used to play and I know it's one of his dreams to play fulltime again. So he's just not sure what to do. I told him I was putting in my application. I'd like him to be with me, but if he decides to play, I completely understand. I finished 13th in Korea and shot a 72, 74, 74. It was a good course. The last day I played well. The wind was really blowing hard, so even with a 74 I passed a bunch of people. It was fun to go overseas. You're with a small group of people and you get the opportunity to hang out with different people. You all stick together when you're in a foreign country, so it makes it nice. Korea was similar to Japan, where I've been three or four times. The food was fine. The international food is spaghetti! You can always get a bowl of spaghetti bolognese. And they do a good American breakfast. I don't think I'll be eating bacon and eggs for some time. You always eat as if it's going to be your last meal we call it eating for survival. So I'm sure I gained a few pounds. I was hitting it really well before I left. And then it went south once I got there. I feel like I've been battling this all year. As I was heading off to Japan I was like, forget it. I've got to figure out a way to get the ball to go where I want it to. And I did. I hit the ball really well. I hit 17 greens the first round and 15 the second and third. Except for the first nine holes of the last round, I played really well. I went back to some things that worked for me in the past and I focused on those. It wasn't what I'd been working on, but it got the job done, which was the most important thing. There was a lot riding on this tournament. I knew that I was $2,000 ahead of Michelle McGann on the money list going in. I knew I needed to stay ahead of her, by either shooting the same score or by beating her. I was 2 up on her going into the final round, and I shot 3 over on the front side. It wasn't looking good. Somehow, I dug deep and I shot four birdies on the backside and I beat her by a stroke. I finished at 6 under and she finished at 5 under. That's cutting it close! When I finished my last round in Japan, I asked Jon if I had done it. I knew I finished ahead of Michelle, but I just wasn't sure whether someone else had caught me. He said he thought so, but that wasn't good enough for me. So I called home. I had to search around for a calling card. I got Matt right away. I knew he'd be on the computer and he'd have the updated list. As soon as he answered the phone I asked, "Did I do it?" He said he was 99.9 percent sure I had. I got choked up. I had reached one of my goals. I always thought I could be a top 30 player and now I am. OK, I finished at No. 30, but that still counts! So this is my best season: The most money, my best finish. I have a week before the Tour Championship. I don't have a goal yet for that! Now that I've attained my goal, I guess I need to sit back and reevaluate. It's the top 30 players playing for a $1 million purse. There's no cut. So basically you just play your little heart out in Daytona Beach, Fla. The tournament is at LPGA International, where there are two courses. I've played one of them, but not the one that's hosting the event. So I'm going to work so hard between now and then. It's going to be me, Matt and my video camera. This is my last tournament of the year and I want to end on a good note. I think I can have a really good tournament. --Leta
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