Blalock Shoots a 67 at Mesa Verde as Meyers Provides the Inspiration

The Mesa Verde Country Club golf course in Costa Mesa looks tranquil enough, but in reality it is a menacing green monster.

Mesa Verde lies in silent waiting for its victims, poised and lurking, daring the unsuspecting golfer to venture out onto its fairways.

Go ahead, tee it up. Make my day.

The first five LPGA tournaments held here have been really scary. Par for four rounds has never been broken--though several golfers have been, along the way.

Friday afternoon, however, Jane Blalock and Pat Meyers may have stumbled on a winning strategy against Mesa Verde. Paired together for the second round of the $330,000 Uniden LPGA Invitational tournament, Blalock and Meyers double-teamed the course. Ganged up on it.

Meyers, who began the day in a three-way tie for the lead, stayed near the top with a par (72) to remain at two-under for the tournament. Blalock, meanwhile, went on a rampage--shooting six-under par through 14 holes before settling for a five-under 67 to share a four-way lead at the halfway point.

Joining Blalock at 141 (three-under par) after two rounds are Alice Miller and Bonnie Lauer, who shot steady rounds of 71, and Patty Sheehan, who carded a 70.

But 67 for Blalock, a champion from the past who’s five years removed from her last tournament victory, who could have figured it?

Well, Meyers and Blalock seem to have had an inkling. They have come to expect this sort of thing whenever they are given the same tee-off time.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Meyers said. “Nine out of 10 times we play together, something interesting happens. We have a great track record together--one of us is always shooting a 67 or a 68. And this has been going on for five years.”

Blalock and Meyers say they draw inspiration from each other. Part of it rests in their personalities; Blalock approaches the game as if it’s a calculus equation, Meyers as if it’s a one-liner.

“I think my intensity helps her,” Blalock said, “and I think Pat keeps me loose and free-wheeling.”

Meyers: “I concentrate more when I play with Jane. She forces me to. And I think I loosen her up. After a birdie, I’m always giving her a little grin and getting in a little dig.”

Then, again, it could be that little wager Blalock and Meyers have whenever they play in the same group. A beer for a birdie, a beer for a bogey.

For a while on the back nine Friday, Blalock and Meyers played I’ll-buy, no-you’ll-buy. Dueling birdies.

Hole No. 11: Meyers hits a 3-iron to the fringe of the green and knocks it in from 20 feet. Birdie.

No. 12: Blalock hits a 7-iron to within six feet of the pin and putts in. Birdie.

No. 13: Meyers again, with a six-iron approach and a 15-foot putt. Birdie.

No. 14: Blalock again using a 7-iron to set up a six-foot putt. Birdie.

No. 15: Meyers one more time, this time with a 9-iron and another six-foot putt. Birdie.

The streak snapped on No. 16 when both players parred. Meyers then bogeyed 17 and later left the course in debt, owing Blalock one round after the final round.

“After two days, I’m one up,” Blalock said, keeping tab on the beer bet. “That won’t even quench my thirst.”

But at least Blalock, who last tasted a tournament championship in 1980, has finally whetted her appetite again.

The dry spell hasn’t sat well with Blalock, who owns 27 career victories. The last five years on the tour have basically meant problems for her--back problems, which resulted in problems in her swing.

“Before, I just hit the ball well enough to win. For 12 years, my swing changed every day,” Blalock said. “The best part of my game was the final score--I could get the ball in the hole.

“But now, the courses are longer, the other golfers are tougher and I’m older. I had to adjust.”

Through practice, Blalock has developed a textbook swing, and the proper mechanics are beginning to pay off. “I wish I had done this years ago,” Blalock said. “If I could combine my swing now with the positive attitude I had in the first part of my career, I might even be dangerous.”