Cherry Hills Village – Meg Mallon’s home has been on the driving range this week.
Last year’s U.S Women’s Open champion is searching for her swing, and the right club, to put her into contention for this year’s championship at Cherry Hills Country Club. To that end, she has been working overtime with Denver-based golf instructor Mike McGetrick.
“This is actually the longest I have struggled in my whole career, so it’s been an interesting year for me,” she said Wednesday. “As of today, I’m on my 14th driver in 10 weeks.”
In nine LPGA events this year, Mallon’s best finish is a tie for 20th. Her scoring average of 72.87 is two shots worse than a year ago.
After weeks of trials and tribulations, the defending champion is content with her new Taylor Made driver. She hopes that club will keep her in the fairway and out of the thick rough.
Mallon, who also won the 1991 Open, said the problems facing her this year are different than those she overcame during last year’s championship at the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass. On Sunday, she shot a final-round, 7-under-par 65, edging Annika Sorenstam by two strokes.
The key was Mallon’s hot putter. She needed just 24 putts in the final round, converting five of seven birdie opportunities from 15 feet and in, and made two birdie putts longer than 30 feet.
Mallon would love to shock the field again, but she has to start hitting the ball long and straight to have a prayer.
“I happened to find my putting the week of the Open last year, and things just took off from there because I knew my game was in place,” she said. “This year is so much different because I have struggled so much with the driver. When you struggle off the tee, you don’t know how the rest of your game is going because you’re punching the ball out of the rough half the time.”
Arnie’s tee
When the women tee off today at the 346-yard first hole, they will be using the same tee box made famous by Arnold Palmer in the final round of the 1960 U.S. Open. From that spot, Palmer drove the green, birdied the par-4 hole, and went on to shoot a final-round 65 to overcome a seven-stroke deficit and win the tournament.
“We certainly decided to use the Arnold Palmer tee, as it’s become known,” said Tom Meeks, the USGA’s senior director of rules and competition. “I think we made a mistake when the U.S. Amateur was here (in 1990), when we played the lower tee. I think a lot of people thought, ‘Why didn’t you play the Palmer tee?”‘
Meeks said he’s eager to see if any of the women attempt to drive the green, as Palmer did 45 years ago. Three long hitters who might try to match Palmer’s feat are playing in the same group today: Michelle Wie, Laura Davies and Brittany Lincicome. They are scheduled to tee off at No. 1 at 1:43 p.m.
Broadmoor awarded Senior Open
The USGA made it official Wednesday: The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs will host the 2008 U.S. Senior Open from July 3-6. The most recent USGA championship held at The Broadmoor was the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open, captured by Annika Sorenstam.
Also Wednesday, the USGA announced that Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa., was awarded the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open, July 9-12.
Pain in the wrist
Rookie Paula Creamer, who won the Sybase Classic this year for her first tour victory, was wearing a large ice pack on her right wrist after Wednesday’s practice round.
“I have a ligament next to a bone in my wrist that’s loose, and it causes a jamming-type of thing,” she said. “I’m trying to get the swelling down. My hand, it’s pretty big right now, so I am trying to make it go down. I feel I have to ice it at least five times a day.”
No sight of former college teammate
LPGA Tour stars Lorena Ochoa and Natalie Gulbis hope to hear from their former University of Arizona teammate Nancy Abiecunas this week. Ochoa, Gulbis and Fort Collins’ Abiecunas made up a highly touted recruiting class at Arizona in 2000. But Abiecunas left school after two months and played little golf for two years before entering long- drive contests.
“I thought she’s from pretty close to here,” Gulbis said, “so I hope she drops by. It would be fun to see her.”
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Jana Peterkova, a native of the Czech Republic who played college golf at Florida Southern, is using Arvada- based Dimension Z golf clubs and is carrying a Dimension Z bag. Peterkova heard about Dimension Z equipment from a male friend in Florida who uses Dimension Z clubs and plays on minitours. Peterkova called Dimension Z president Don Ingermann and received clubs the next day.
“I finally met Don face-to- face this week,” Peterkova said. “He told me to play well, of course.”
Swan song
Rosie Jones already has announced that this year will be her last as an LPGA Tour regular. Jones, 45, joined the tour in 1981. She has won 13 times but lacks a major championship.
The 60th U.S. Women’s Open gives her another chance.
“A major championship is still a goal of mine, but I don’t put as much emphasis on it as I did three or four years ago,” Jones said. “It’s not going to define my career.
“If I win here, it would be great. You know, ‘greatest Cinderella story ever.’
“But I want to get on with my life and do different things with golf and outside of golf, and not be strapped down with having to get ready for a tournament each week.”
Jones spent much of Wednesday on the practice tee trying out different equipment. Her clubs were stolen from the garage of her Atlanta-area home last month during the Chick-fil-A Classic.
“Now I finally have to get with all the new technology,” Jones said. “The first couple of weeks it tormented me because I didn’t have the equipment I wanted. It was frustrating. When I started dealing with all the new clubs and choices out there, it was confusing. But I’ve finally found some stuff I like.”
Jones is using Taylor Made irons and Callaway woods.
