A Rarity for the LPGA

By Robyn Norwood

Oct. 3, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

The sun set over the Pacific without a winner Sunday on what was supposed to be the final day of the Office Depot Championship at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, setting up the first Monday finish on the LPGA Tour not the result of a playoff since 1999.

Natalie Gulbis can handle waiting -- especially if it means that she still has a chance to win her first LPGA Tour title today.

Gulbis, seven under par for the tournament through eight holes of the final round, was in a group of four players two strokes behind leader Hee-Won Han of South Korea and one stroke behind Karine Icher of France and Catriona Matthew of Scotland.

Play is scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. today with all 79 players still on the course because of delays caused by Saturday’s fog and the excruciatingly slow play that was largely the result of the quirks and layout of the first-time tournament course.

Gulbis arrived at 6 a.m. Sunday and didn’t leave until after the horn sounded at 6:23 p.m.

She got in the final 10 holes of her second round and was standing on the ninth fairway with the next-to-last group of the final round when play was halted.

“This morning? I can’t remember,” she said. “That was like 12 hours ago. I don’t know what I shot this morning.”

It was a 69 -- but she might be more able to tell you who won in the NFL after watching games between her partial rounds.

“You don’t know what to do with the four hours,” she said. “It was great today because I had friends and family, and we just went over to the restaurant and watched football and baseball.”

At 22, Gulbis is a former teen phenom who played her first LPGA tournament at 14 and is sixth on the LPGA money list this season though still waiting for her first career victory.

At 5 feet 9 with long blond hair and striking posture, she is sometimes called the Anna Kournikova of golf -- partly because of her beauty, her photo calendar and her swimsuit line -- and partly because she has yet to win.

She is getting closer, however, with nine top-10 finishes in 21 tournaments this year and two top-fives in majors -- fifth in the LPGA Championship and fourth in the U.S. Open.

She won’t take the offered excuse that she just needs a little luck to break through.

“It’s all skill,” she said. “You have to take care of your business and hit good shots, and don’t make mistakes. You know, hit a lot of fairways and hit a lot of greens. I have to play well tomorrow, make birdies, because they are going to make birdies coming in.”

The Office Depot champion will finally raise the trophy today, but the first tournament at the course best known for a 1999 landslide will be remembered for two things: panoramic ocean views and interminable rounds.

“It was another long day,” said Annika Sorenstam, the No. 1-ranked player on the LPGA Tour, who was tied for 16th at five strokes behind Han through 14 holes of her final round.

“I thought I played pretty good, though. I hit a lot of good shots and putted well, but it’s a tricky golf course. Hopefully, tomorrow I can make some more birdies and we’ll go from there.”

Han, who has had a share of the lead after every round, has 10 holes remaining and was at even par for her final round after a 65 in the first and a 68 in the second.

“It was cold out there. I’m tired. I’m better off playing tomorrow,” she said.

Tournament officials were predicting a 10:30 a.m. finish.

“You can’t get too wound up about it,” Gulbis said. “I mean, tomorrow morning we could have fog. We could not tee off until noon.”

Fans with tickets from any previous day of the tournament will be admitted free, and others may pay $10 at the Ocean Trails admission gate.... Marisa Baena, a former University of Arizona player from Colombia, had a hole in one on No. 4, a 168-yard par-three.... Today will mark the first Monday finish to an LPGA tour stop since 1999, when Karrie Webb won a storm-delayed tournament at Daytona Beach, Fla. .... Among the players who missed the cut were Cristie Kerr, Laura Davies and Webb.

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Leaderboard

Partial final-round scores of the Office Depot Championship; play was suspended because of darkness with none of the 79 golfers finishing. The round will be completed today:

*--* 1st 2nd thru par Hee-Won Han 65 68 8 -9 Catriona Matthew 69 68 11 -8 Karine Icher 65 68 8 -8 Young Jo 71 67 12 -7 Soo-Yun Kang 71 66 9 -7 Jeong Jang 67 66 8 -7 Natalie Gulbis 66 69 8 -7 Beth Daniel 69 68 11 -6 Jamie Hullett 68 69 11 -6 Marisa Baena 68 69 11 -6 Mi Hyun Kim 67 69 9 -6

*--*

Up next

PGA

WGC-American

Express Championship

* When: Thursday-Sunday.

* Where: Harding Park Golf Course, San Francisco.

* Defending champion: Ernie Els.

LPGA

Longs Drugs Challenge

* When: Thursday-Sunday.

* Where: The Ridge Golf Course, Auburn, Ca.