Cherry Hills Village – With the glee and confidence of a 17-year-old on top of her world, Morgan Pressel strode up the 17th fairway Thursday at Cherry Hills Country Club. Moments later, she sank a 5-foot birdie putt to go to 5-under par on the first day of the U.S. Women’s Open.
Beginning her round on the 10th hole, Pressel birdied five of her first eight holes. That fast start left her grinning from ear to ear.
Just two hours later, Pressel tried, but failed, to control her flow of tears. The magic 5-under round had been reduced to an even-par 71, two shots off the lead.
For most amateur golfers, even par would be a dream round to begin the U.S. Open. For Pressel, it was a dream that quickly turned into a nightmare.
“I am a little bit upset because it was going so well and then it entirely fell apart on me,” she said.
Actually, the teen from Boca Raton, Fla., got more than a little upset. She shouted after some poor shots, including the scuffed chip shot around the 18th green that led to her first bogey of the day. She angrily threw her ball into her bag after an ugly double bogey on the par-3 eighth hole. After bogeying her final hole of the day – the difficult par-4 ninth – she plunked herself down next to the green and put her head in her hands.
“I don’t know, I play with a lot of emotion and sometimes it helps me,” she said. “Sometimes, like today, it might have hurt me a little bit.”
Annika Sorenstam, who also had a 71, gave Pressel a verbal pat on the back.
“When I was 17, I wasn’t even near playing the U.S. Open,” Sorenstam said. “I think she’s a great little player and she has got a great attitude and it doesn’t surprise me to see her play well. It seems like on these occasions, she rises to the top. It’s fun to see.”
Asked if Pressel must learn the fine art of patience on a golf course, Sorenstam said: “I would recommend that to anyone. You’ve just got to be patient in a tournament like this. So much can happen, you just have to stay in the moment and hit one shot at a time.”
Pressel opened her round with a birdie on the par-4 10th, followed by another birdie on the par-5 11th. She had to sink a treacherous 10-foot, downhill putt to get to 2-under after two holes.
“I made the scariest downhill putt I have ever made in my life,” she said.
She continued to drain medium-range putts, and as the birdies mounted, the gallery following her grew.
“I was draining some real good putts,” she said. “They were 8 and 9 feet, which is a pretty tough distance on a course like this, where the holes are on the sides of mountains.”
It was on the 18th hole – her ninth hole – that she started slipping when she scuffed her chip shot. She steadied herself with pars on the first, second and third holes, but then her best club betrayed her and she bogeyed the fourth and fifth.
“On No. 5, I was in fine position off the tee, but I hit another miserable 11-wood, and that’s usually my best club,” she said.
She hit another bad 11-wood, this time off the tee at the par-3 eighth. After two chip shots and two putts, she ended up with a double bogey.
Despite her age, Pressel has been around, and she has had plenty of ups in her young career.
This is already her third U.S. Open. In 2001, she qualified for the Open at the age of 13, making her the youngest player to do so. She has also defeated 15-year-old phenom Michelle Wie in head-to-head matches.
But Thursday was a wild roller-coaster ride that left her drained and a little dazed.
“It just happens to you,” she said. “You get going real well, then all of a sudden it’s gone just like that.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
