Sorenstam Sees Birdies, Shoots a 66

Remember mean old Oakmont Country Club?

Aren’t those greens supposed to be so fast that putting on them is like rolling golf balls in a bathtub?

As many humps as an unmade bed?

Fairways the size of closets?

Maybe, but Friday, Oakmont’s reputation exceeded itself. For example, Annika Sorenstam walked all over the place on her way to an eight-birdie first round, a 66 and a two-shot lead in the LPGA’s Los Angeles Women’s Championship.

That six-under score represents a course record for the four women’s tournaments staged on the Glendale layout. The overall course record is a 65 by Mike Haney of USC in 1965.

Sorenstam, who began with two birdies and finished with three, has won every tournament she has played since she got married. Of course, she has played only one, but who’s counting?

Sorenstam missed only one fairway and two greens and had as much fun as she’d had Thursday night, when she went to the taping of “The Tonight Show,” then posed for pictures with host Jay Leno afterward.

“I felt really relaxed on the course,” she said. “It didn’t seem like it was hard, but I’m surprised about it myself.”

The last time the LPGA was at Oakmont, only three players shot better than par. Twenty-four did it Friday.

Donna Andrews is two strokes off the lead after an opening 68 that featured six birdies, two bogeys and putts rolling in from long distance.

“The greens are so nice,” Andrews said. “You get the ball on there, you’ll make them. The greens are so nice.”

Nice? They were supposed to be borderline diabolical, but that’s not the way they played Friday.

Ellie Gibson, a 29-year-old Texan, was next with a 69 that put her in contention for what would be her first victory in eight years on the tour.

Studio City’s Emilee Klein was in a group of six who posted two-under 70s.

“The hard part here is that there are a lot of people here with a lot of expectations on me,” Klein said. “That makes it tough on me. This course doesn’t give up 63s.

“I don’t care how short it plays. You still have to get on those greens and hit good putts.”

Nobody hit putts any better than Sorenstam. On the front, she holed three birdie putts of at least 12 feet, then birdied the par-four 12th when she knocked a pitching wedge to 18 feet and made the putt.

Sorenstam sputtered briefly when she three-putted the 13th for bogey and missed the green on No. 14 and wound up with another bogey. But she closed with three birdies and even managed to impress herself.

“I’m surprised,” Sorenstam said. “I practiced for a few days, but I wasn’t grinding. I’m just in a better mood.”

Sorenstam needed only 30 putts to tour the 6,276-yard layout, which is about 100 yards shorter than it played the last time the LPGA was here in 1987.

It might have played easier, but certainly not any shorter. The first group began at 7 a.m. and the last group finished at 6:10 p.m.

For all those who had trouble, there was Sorenstam who didn’t. She kept rolling balls into the hole, thanks to a new putting style that shifts her weight to the left.

Plus, there’s the vision thing.

“I can see the line so well,” Sorenstam said.

She felt so good about the way she putted that she even watched the balls drop into the hole, something she usually avoids.

“I was cheating,” she joked.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The Leaders

LOS ANGELES WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP

(at Oakmont Country Club--Par 72)

Annika Sorenstam: 32-34--66 -6

Donna Andrews: 33-35--68 -4

Ellie Gibson: 34-35--69 -3

Laurie Rinker-Graham: 36-34--70 -2

Jenny Lidback: 33-37--70 -2

Dana Dormann: 35-35--70 -2

Missie Berteotti: 35-35--70 -2

Julie Brand: 36-34--70 -2

Emilee Klein: 36-34--70 -2

Lorie Kane: 32-38--70 -2

Amy Fruhwirth: 35-35--70 -2

* COMPLETE SCORES, C13