Webb Is History With Opening 79

If there’s history to be made at this U.S. Women’s Open, it probably won’t come from Karrie Webb.

Bidding to become the first woman to win three consecutive Opens, Webb was blown away by hot afternoon winds at Hutchinson, Kan., and finished with her worst round in seven years on the LPGA Tour, a nine-over 79 that left her hopeful only of playing on the weekend.

“I’m pretty shocked,” Webb said. “I felt like I hadn’t been on the course.”

Juli Inkster played as if she owned it.

Inkster, who won her first of three consecutive U.S. Women Amateur titles at Prairie Dunes in 1980, birdied four of the first six holes and finished with a 67 to share the lead with Laura Diaz and Shani Waugh.

Inkster, 42, is trying to become the oldest champion of the Women’s Open. Fay Crocker was 40 years 11 months when she won in 1955.

Annika Sorenstam, playing in the same group as Inkster, also had problems. Three consecutive bogeys on the back nine dropped her back to even-par 70.

It was the 17th consecutive round in which the 31-year-old Swede failed to break 70 in the Women’s Open, dating to the final round of her second victory in a row in 1996.

A 70 certainly was a solid score, only Sorenstam had reason to expect much more. She tied Inkster for the lead at three under after making a six-foot birdie on the par-three 10th, but then needed 18 putts over the final eight holes.

By late afternoon, the sun began to bake the greens and a blustery wind made scoring even more difficult.

Only six players finished the first round under par. Kim Saiki had a bogey-free 68, with Lorie Kane and Catriona Matthew at 69.

Se Ri Pak, who won the LPGA Championship on a difficult course last month, bogeyed three of her first seven holes and closed with two bogeys for a round of 74. She was paired with Webb.

Webb had an eight-over 79 in the LPGA Championship five years ago. Her previous worst score in a U.S. Open was a seven-over 78 at Blackwolf Run in 1998.

The crushing hole for the 27-year-old Aussie was the par-three fourth, where she hit into a bunker, blasted over the green and into waist-high weeds, had to drop back into the bunker after declaring it unplayable, and walked off with triple bogey.

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David Gossett, who got his first PGA Tour victory at last year’s John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill., had nine birdies on his way to a seven-under 65 to take the lead in the first round of the Western Open at Lemont, Ill.

“I certainly like the Chicagoland area and this is a great golf course,” he said. “I just played well today. There are three more rounds, but it’s nice to get off to a great start.”

He’ll have to wait to see if it will hold up, though. The first round will be completed this morning after rain interrupted play for almost three hours in the afternoon.

There were still 50 players on the course when play was stopped because of darkness.

Bob Estes finished his final hole after the horn blew, but it was worth it to take the extra time. He birdied the par-five ninth and finished at 66.

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Darren Fichardt, beaten in a playoff at the Irish Open last week, shared the first-round lead in the European Open at Straffan, Ireland.

His five-under-par 67 left him tied with Jarrod Moseley, one shot in front of Michael Campbell, Jorge Berendt and Joakim Haeggman.

Greg Norman and Colin Montgomerie each shot a three-under-par 69 to share fifth place.

Montgomerie said he would have been delighted at the idea of a 69, given his recent back problems. He completed last week’s Irish Open in pain but felt fine after getting his swing back into the proper alignment.