COLORADO SPRINGS — Every duffer from Colorado and other cold-weather states has a new hero. Amy Anderson, co-leader of the 66th U.S. Women’s Open after a rain-shortened opening round Thursday, gets ready for every golf season by hitting off mats.
“I basically take a break (from golf) in November and December,” said the 18-year-old from North Dakota.
Ya think?
At least Anderson gets to hit off mats indoors in a 60-yard practice bubble on the campus at North Dakota State, where she is a junior-to-be and remains an amateur.
With play stopped at 12:47 p.m. because of lightning and only 25 players among the 156 in the field having completed their first round, Anderson took a peek at the leader board as she walked off The Broadmoor’s East Course.
There she was, her name listed at the top, along with 2007 U.S. Women’s Open champion Cristie Kerr, who was ranked No. 1 in the world for five weeks last year. Both stand 2-under-par on the par-71, 7,047-yard layout. Anderson was able to complete 12 holes before the horn sounded, while Kerr got through 15 holes.
Anybody have a camera?
“That was surreal,” said Anderson, who turns 19 Sunday. “My brother (Nathan, who is her caddie) and I joked, like, ‘Well, somebody better get a picture of that. It’s not going to be up there for very long.’ But it’s going to be up there all night, so I’m excited. . . . I don’t expect to go out and win this or continue playing like this.”
The first round is scheduled to resume at 7:45 a.m. today. Even if the weather cooperates, the size of the field for a U.S. Open means the tournament will play catch-up into the weekend. Seventy-two players, all but five among Thursday’s afternoon pairings, have yet to begin their first round.
Without further delays today, the first round should be completed by about 3 p.m. The second round can’t help but spill over to Saturday.
“It’s gonna kinda be a domino effect for the rest of (the tournament),” Kerr said of Thursday’s suspension. “Even if we get good weather, I don’t think we can finish on Sunday.
“I have finished plenty of U.S. Opens on Monday. If you get any weather whatsoever the first couple of days with this size field, you’re not gonna finish.”
Anderson and Kerr are being chased by a trio at 1-under: 2008 U.S. Women’s Open champ Inbee Park of South Korea, LPGA regular Silvia Cavalleri of Italy and Japan’s Ai Miyazato, who has six career tour victories.
Anderson doesn’t exactly fit in that picture. But she does have game. She even has a USGA championship, having won the 2009 U.S. Girls Junior at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., with a victory over former University of Denver golfer Kimberly Kim.
This is Anderson’s first U.S. Women’s Open. She gained a spot in the field by earning medalist honors at sectional qualifying in Medina, Minn. Anderson was named to the NCAA Division I All-America second team this spring — an impressive feat for somebody from a small school.
She’s from Oxbow, N.D., which some might guess to be in the middle of nowhere but described by her as a golf community.
“It’s a town of about 300, basically just a golf course with houses . . . no gas station, no grocery store,” Anderson said. “But Fargo is a pretty decent-sized town, and that’s just 10 minutes away.”
Being an underdog, and virtually an unknown here, helped Anderson to play relaxed. On greens softened by Wednesday drizzle, she attacked the pins like a veteran, knocking a 167-yard, 6-iron approach to 3 inches on the 426-yard, par-4 No. 5 for a tap-in birdie.
When she gets back on the course this morning, Anderson will have a 15-foot birdie try on No. 13.
Calm and composed during her interview session, Anderson said she got over the wow factor last week when she spotted seven-time LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen playing a practice round behind her. “I was, ‘OK. This is for real,’ ” she recalled.
And, being from North Dakota, Anderson is not about to get rattled by another wave of nasty weather.
“The weather wasn’t even that bad,” she said Thursday. “It was just lightning.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
Weather intrudes
Of the 156-woman field, 88 were able to tee off and 25 posted 18-hole scores before the weather delay postponed the first round.
LEADERS
Cristie Kerr 2-under through 15 holes
Amy Anderson2-under through 12 holes
LOWEST 18-HOLE SCORE
Kristy McPherson2-over 73
OTHERS OF NOTE
Karrie Webb Even through 15 holes
Natalie Gulbis 2-over through 17 holes
Juli Inkster 3-over 74
Michelle Wie 7-over through 17 holes
SCHEDULE
The first round resumes today at 7:45 a.m. Without rain, it should finish about 3 p.m. But the first wave of the second round will start teeing off at approximately 1:30 p.m.
TICKETS
Tickets from Thursday’s round are good for today only, the USGA announced.
