Sorenstam Shares Soggy Open Lead

Annika Sorenstam found herself in strange waters Friday.

For one of the few times this year, Sorenstam liked the way she played. With three birdies and one bogey, she shared the lead after the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Newport Country Club.

“I hit the ball well, I drove it well for a change, and I made some good putts,” said Sorenstam, a non-winner since March and who missed the cut at the Michelob Ultra Open in May. “I made some birdies and not many bogeys for the first time in a while. Today, I was sharp. I hit a lot of fairways for a change. I missed one by a foot. Other than that, I was right down the middle.”

It was the first time Sorenstam broke 70 in the first round of an Open since she won the first of her two titles 11 years ago.

Sorenstam, amateur Jane Park from UCLA, veteran Pat Hurst and 1998 Open champion Se Ri Pak all shot two-under-par 69 on a saturated course that was made even tougher by a stiff afternoon breeze that swirled in from the ocean.

Sorenstam had the only sub-par round of the late starters.

Michelle Wie, 16, playing her fourth Open and first as a pro, was one of five golfers at 70. Crowd favorite Paula Creamer was in a group of seven at even-par 71.

“I felt like I had a very solid round, lots of pars. That’s what the U.S. Open is,” Wie said. “You have to have pars when you’re in trouble and get away with just a bogey or a par. And I felt like I did that today.

“Making birdie on the last hole made my lunch taste a lot better,” she said, referring to a 15-foot putt.

There was so much casual water on the course, many players took four or five free drops. Deep water still sat in many greenside bunkers and three holes on the front side were off limits to spectators because of the soggy conditions. The tees were moved forward on many holes.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” said Park, a Bruins sophomore from Rancho Cucamonga, who started on the back nine and birdied her first hole from three feet. “I thought the course was going to be pretty much unplayable today.

“They did a great job cleaning up the course. It was very wet out there. But for the most part, it was playable. I’m going to bring out my boots tomorrow if it doesn’t dry out.”

Like most, Hurst had trouble keeping her ball clean.

“Yeah, you’re not getting any roll out there,” said Hurst, who has played in 14 Opens but made the cut in only six. “You’re getting a little bit of mud on the ball, but it wasn’t as bad I thought it would be.”

Pak, a playoff winner over Karrie Webb at this year’s LPGA Championship, doesn’t remember when she last led a tournament at the end of the first day. After missing all but 12 events last year because of a long list of injuries, she looked at Friday’s first round as a loud statement that she’s back and that the LPGA victory wasn’t a fluke.

“I’m always back,” Pak said. “I’ll always be here if anyone forgets about me.”