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Sorenstam hopes to stop Webb's reign Posted: Tuesday July 02, 2002 3:01 PM
HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- If you were to lay odds on which golfer would win the U.S. Women's Open this week at Prairie Dunes, there is no doubt who the favorite would be. In fact, the trifecta might be easy pickings. While women's golf has become more competitive over the years, this Perry Maxwell design will allow the cream to rise to the top. With tiny greens and narrow, sloping fairways, ballstriking is going to be at a premium during the third LPGA major. The greens are not only small, but also treacherous to putt: Numerous mounds and slopes will make setting the pin placements an adventure.
THE FAVORITE It goes without saying that Annika Sorenstam is the hands-down favorite this week. The key, as mentioned above, is accuracy, and this has been Sorenstam's most precise year. She leads the tour in both fairways and greens hit in regulation, and the rate of her consistency is mindboggling: She is hitting the right surface 80 percent of the time. Sorenstam is also on a roll, winning her last two events -- including overcoming a three-shot deficit last week at the ShopRite Classic for a three-stroke victory. "There's no doubt my confidence is at an all-time high," said Sorenstam, who has won six times in 2002 and is on pace to match Mickey Wright 's single-season record of 13 victories set in 1963. "I just have to try not to get ahead of myself and look too far ahead. I can sometimes be my own worst enemy." One historical trend Sorenstam will try to buck: Only two players -- Carol Mann and Wright -- have ever won the tournament before the Open and then gone on to take the national championship. LEADING CONTENDER Can you say three-peat? Karrie Webb is trying to follow in the footsteps of Shaquille O'Neal , Michael Jordan and Willie Anderson . Willie who? Well, Willie is the only person -- male or female -- to win three consecutive U.S. Opens (Anderson, a Scot, accomplished the feat from 1903-'05). Webb actually is the seventh women to attempt the feat; Wright, Donna Caponi , Susie Berning , Hollis Stacy , Betsy King and Sorenstam all failed. "I wanted to win that third one more than the first two," Sorenstam said about her potential triple at Pumpkin Ridge in 1997. "I allowed the pressure to build up too much, and that killed me." Webb also is coming off a win and has fresher legs than does Sorenstam. After winning the Wegman's Rochester International two weeks ago, the Australian skipped the ShopRite. The victory couldn't have come at a better time, as Webb had struggled for most of the 2002 season. Before Rochester, she had recorded only four top-10s, her best showing being a T-4 at the McDonald's LPGA Championship. But then again, heading into the Open last year at Pine Needles, everyone thought she was slumping -- and look what happened. LYING IN THE WEEDS Let's not discard Se Ri Pak from this equation. The Korean has won two of the last three major championships and quietly is having a sensational year. The 24-year-old has seven top-10s, including two wins. Even more impressive, her worst finish in 10 starts is a T-18. In cruising past Beth Daniel on the final day of the McDonald's LPGA Championship last month, Pak showed why she always will be a contender at majors. Utilizing her length, she smartly hit 3-woods off the tees to stay in the fairways en route to hitting a remarkable 16 greens. "In the majors, you must stay out of the rough," Pak said. "It's hard to get the ball close when you can't see it." Also, don't forget that Pak has a U.S. Open title under her belt, winning at Blackwulf Run in 1998. THE PRETENDERS Even though Cristie Kerr and Laura Diaz broke through and recorded their first career victories earlier this season, they are not yet ready to step up to prime time. Since winning, both have been erratic. The two missed the cut last week at the Seaview Resort, which featured tight fairways, small greens and windy conditions -- a perfect warmup for the Open. THE SLEEPERS If you're looking for a couple of longshots, how about wily veterans Daniel and Sherri Turner ? Despite her collapse at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, Daniel is playing her best golf in 12 years. She always has been considered the best ballstriker on the tour, especially with longer irons, which will be relied on heavily this week. Since turning 40, Turner has excelled at the U.S. Open, recording top-five finishes in two of the last three years. The Open is the perfect setting to showcase her accurate long hitting. Experience is what these two golfers possess and it will be an important factor this week. Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section, is a longtime caddie on the LPGA Tour. Click here to send him a question or comment.
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