COLORADO SPRINGS — With the cut hovering at 7-over Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome and Gwladys Nocera were all at 8-over standing on the 18th tee. By the time they walked off the green, they were all headed to the third round.
The par-4, 433-yard 18th played as the toughest hole through the first two rounds, giving up just 17 total birdies. On Saturday, three of them came in the same threesome.
Wie made a tough 35-foot birdie putt and celebrated with fist pumps. She missed a short birdie putt on the par-5 17th to put herself in danger of missing the cut.
“I’m really happy I made that last putt,” said Wie, who hit a 9-iron into the green. “I can’t say it enough.”
Nocera hit a big drive down the left side of the fairway which finished in the first cut, but she had a great angle to the back-right pin location. Her second shot snuggled to within 2 feet, and Nocera tapped in only her second birdie of the Open to make the cut.
Amateurs shine.
Five amateurs made the cut, and none were better than Thailand teenager Moriya Jutanugarn. After a disastrous start Thursday that included a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 No. 5, Jutanugarn rallied to post a 2-under 69 in the second round and enter the final two rounds as the lead amateur.
She has a one-shot lead over first-day leader Amy Anderson of North Dakota State, who instantly became a crowd favorite.
“I feel like there’s so much support for me, so I was having a blast,” said Anderson, who fired a second- round 77. “Even though I wasn’t playing well at first.”
Americans Lindy Duncan and Danielle Kang and Argentina’s Victoria Tanco were the other amateurs to make the cut.
623 yards of fun.
While the par-5 17th could be a pivotal hole down the stretch, in the second round it played at an Open-record 623 yards.
No. 17 was the third-easiest after two rounds, playing to a 5.061 stroke average. No eagle has been recorded, but in the second round it yielded 22 birdies against 38 bogeys.
Eye on . . .
A look at some of the players who could make noise today: Brittany Lincicome
One of the LPGA’s longest hitters, the 25-year-old Floridian was considered among the favorites on this Broadmoor East layout.
What’s up? She needed a birdie on her 36th hole to make the cut at 7-over. She shot 3-over 74 in the second round.
Bottom line. So far, this must be a disappointing tournament for Lincicome, who had played well coming into the tournament.
Paula Creamer
The defending U.S. Women’s Open champion stood at even- par through 36 holes, five strokes off the lead.
What’s up? Creamer has at times struggled on the greens, ranking 57th among players in the field in putting through 36 holes.
Bottom line. Creamer, during interviews, appeared to be satisfied with even-par and is in position to make a run at defending her title.
Ryann O’Toole
Here’s the CliffNotes: The native Californian played college golf at UCLA before turning professional in 2009. She splits time between the Futures Tour and LPGA Tour.
What’s up? At 1-under-par, she is tied for fourth place through 36 holes. Through two rounds she ranked fourth in putting (28.5 per round), eighth in driving distance (283.3) and tied for 13th in fairways hit (11 of 14 per round).
Bottom line. Even with a great start, she’s a longshot to win. But the longer she plays well, the more confidence she gains.
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
Course life
With their size and undulations, the greens are one thing The Broadmoor East Course can use to defend itself. Thanks, Mom.
If anything, Mother Nature has given the field a fighting chance. Said South Korea’s Sun Young Yoo: “The greens were a little softer than yesterday, and I was able to attack the pin more.” Yoo was tied for sixth after the second round.
Eight not so great.
Through two rounds, the par-3 eighth has been by far the toughest green. It’s averaging 1.926 putts. To put that in perspective, the course is averaging 1.794.
Working overtime.
Most players had another 12-hour day at the course. “It’s hard enough to play the golf course 18 holes,” first- round leader Stacy Lewis said. “To keep that focus that long is tough.”
Jon E. Yunt, The Denver Post
Hole of the day
No. 2 — 269 yards, par 4
The USGA got within 4 feet of getting the double eagle it was looking for when it moved up the tee box on this slightly uphill hole.
Anya Sarai Alvarez of Tulsa, Okla., hit her drive just 4 feet from the pin. She made the eagle, which was one of three in the round, and said “it was pretty much smooth sailing from there.”
There were 44 birdies and 95 pars on the short setup for the second round. Hee-Won Han hit within 5 feet of the pin and made eagle. Stephanie Kono made a 35-foot putt for eagle. Several golfers hit through the green because even when the ball landed short, it had too much speed to stop on the green. For the third round, the tee box was moved all the way back to 343 yards. David Krause, The Denver Post
Question of the day
Have the bells of the nearby Will Rogers Shrine that ring every 15 minutes been a distraction?
Emma Talley, Princeton, Ky.: “It hasn’t really affected me very much, but I did like when they started playing ‘My Old Kentucky Home.’ I started singing to that. But it isn’t too bad.”
Whitney Neuhauser, Char- lottesville, Va.: “I kind of like the ambiance of it. It goes with the territory. There was one instance when I was about to take my shot and the bells started going off. I still took my shot. I just knew in my mind that it was going to keep going.”
Vicky Hurst, Melbourne, Fla.: “I’ve noticed it, but I like it. It’s an easy way to tell time. It’s not that loud. It’s frequent enough to where it’s not a big deal. It’s not annoying. It’s calming.”
Ai Miyazato, Okinawa, Japan: “I don’t really think about it, but it’s good to know it rings every 15 minutes so I know what’s coming.”
Mika Miyazato, Okinawa, Japan: “I don’t care. I was at a practice round here a month ago, so I knew it was going to be here.”
Sarah Kuta, The Denver Post
