Rebounding Bradley in Hunt at StoneRidge

In case there was any doubt, let this be a warning to the rest of the LPGA Tour: The old Pat Bradley is back.

After a two-year struggle against hyperthyroidism, Bradley, 38, is again playing the brand of golf that has made her the tour’s leading money-winner of all time. She has had two top-10 finishes in a row and headed toward another Thursday by shooting a 69 in the Red Robin Kyocera Inamori tournament at StoneRidge Country Club.

Bradley’s opening round, two under par, left her on the heels of Deedee Lasker, Dale Eggeling and Cindy Rarick, who tied for the lead with 68. Lasker, a resident of Rancho Santa Fe, is seeking her first victory in six-plus seasons on the tour.

With the temperature soaring to 102 degrees and a stiff breeze kicking up in late morning, nobody tore up the 6,042-yard course. As a result, 19 women ended the day within two shots of the three leaders, and 11 others were three strokes back.

Bradley, who shot 36 on the front nine and 33 on the back, was matched at 69 by Sherri Turner (the top money-winner on the tour last year), Laura Davies, Nancy Brown, Sherri Steinhauer, Martha Nause, Kim Williams and Missie Berteotti.

Ayako Okamoto got off to a rocky start in her bid to win here for the third year in a row. Her round of 75 relegated her to a tie for 81st place and put her in danger of missing the cut, which will take the low 70 golfers plus ties after today’s second round.

Bradley, who lives in Marco Island, Fla., has earned $2,471,971 since joining the tour in 1974, including a record $492,021 in 1986. But she won only $15,965 last season and reached low ebb when she finished 73rd and last in this tournament a year ago.

“It was two years of pure living hell,” she said. “I couldn’t hit a drive 190 yards, and usually I go about 240 off the tee. Many of my associates were feeling for me.

“Two weeks after I played here, I finally gave in and saw some doctors. They used radioactive iodine to turn off my thyroid. Now I religiously take a thyroid pill every day, and I feel better than I ever did.”

Bradley first noticed that something was wrong late in her record-breaking 1986 season, in which she won five tournaments, three of them majors.

“Even though I was having my greatest year, I was having tremendous headaches,” she said. “I would say this or that was wrong, but little did I know that was the start of my thyroid problem.

“The doctors gave me three options--pills, surgery or the radioactive iodine. After I chose the iodine, it was seven or eight months before I was balanced and synchronized.

“It’s too early to predict how far I’ll come back. The competitive fire is still burning, but this game was life and death for me, and I don’t want to lock myself into that mode again.”

Of her round Thursday, Bradley said, “I had five birdies and three bogeys. Playing in the morning, I had an advantage in that there was virtually no wind until the last five or six holes. Also, the greens weren’t bumpy yet.

“But I can feel the momentum coming back. After one drive I hit today, Becky Pearson, who was playing with me, said, ‘Last year it would have taken you two shots to get that far.’ I’m optimistic and encouraged.”

Lasker, 29, a native of Chicago and graduate of the University of Tulsa, moved to Rancho Santa Fe 1 1/2 years ago. Although she has yet to win a tournament, she has finished second twice and earned $206,072.

“I just haven’t been able to make the big breakthrough,” she said. “People ask me why I haven’t done better on the tour, and it’s frustrating. You always have to work on the mental aspect of your game. Attitude is so important, and mine hasn’t always been just right.”

Lasker played the back nine first, shooting a 35, then came with a 33. She had four birdies and a bogey, on the 11th hole.

“I chipped to within a foot on No. 11 and just missed the putt,” she said. “But I was real happy with my round. It was consistent.

“I’ve got a lot of relatives and friends here on passes, so I want to make sure I make the cut. I like the support they gave me today. It’s more fun than being out there with nobody.”

Eggeling, who will be 35 on April 21, is from Tampa and attended the University of South Florida. She has earned $465,219 in 13-plus seasons on the tour, including a victory in the Boston Five tournament in 1980.

Speaking in a squeaky voice because of a cold and laryngitis, Eggeling said, “I could be doing a lot better, but I can be ripping up a course and then all of a sudden it catches me by the throat. I did all right today, but I should have had two more birdies than I did.”

Rarick, 29, attended the University of Hawaii and lives in Tucson. She has won $302,684 in four-plus tour seasons, including $162,073 and two victories in 1987.

“The good year I had in ’87 put pressure on me and snowballed into a bad situation,” Rarick said. “This year I have a better attitude. I missed two possible birdies today, but otherwise I played well.”