editor’s note: Se Ri Pak missed the cut in the past three U.S. Opens, but finished the second round on Saturday tied for 15th with a 2-over 144. Pak, who won the 1998 Open in a 20-hole playoff, talked about her day:
COLORADO SPRINGS — I had a solid round today. The green has been really difficult. It doesn’t matter — 5 feet, 6 feet, 15 feet, it’s so difficult to read the speed, and it’s really hard to make birdie out there. The most difficult thing is the green, though. It’s so difficult to guess the speed, it changes all day long, in the morning, and in the afternoon. It’s the hardest thing about this golf course.
I’m pretty happy about it, but there are still two more rounds to go. Hopefully, I’ll hang in there well. The best I can do is not to make too big of mistakes, that’s my goal.
Amazingly, I don’t think the rain has affected the golf course at all. It’s still tough out there, and hopefully we can continue moving. Everybody’s wishing for that.
Basically we just wait around in the lounge eating a lot and talking a lot about the golf course and about some particular holes that were difficult (during delays). Nothing too special. We try not to think about our game too much.
The U.S Open, you have to really prepare to be mentally stronger, physically stronger. Your game is strong enough to withstand the whole week — this week especially, somehow, with the weather, but we’re used to it. This is my favorite (event) and this is probably the most exciting of the year.
It’s in the bag
A look at what Se Ri Pak has in her golf bag:
Pak changed out her driver for one with more loft to compensate for the altitude in Colorado Springs, according to three-year caddie Mark Wuersching of Queensland, Australia.
She added an extra wedge and exchanged her 5-iron for a 5-hybrid for the rough, though she hasn’t had to use it much.
“We’ve been lucky,” Wuersching said. “We’ve only been in it once really bad. She’s got a bad wrist, so if she hits in the rough, we’re in trouble.”
