Mhairi McKay triple-bogeys her closing hole but hangs on to a four-shot lead at the U.S. Women's Open.
By Associated Press
Published July 5, 2003
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. - All it takes is one hole to change the tone of the U.S. Women's Open.
For Mhairi McKay it was a tough-luck triple bogey on No.9 Friday that kept her from running away from the field at Pumpkin Ridge, although the consolation was a four-shot lead going into the weekend.
For Michelle Wie it was alleged contact from Danielle Ammaccapane, a 16-year tour veteran incensed by various breaches of etiquette by the 13-year-old Hawaiian and her father working as a caddie.
McKay wound up with 1-under 70 and finished two rounds on the Witch Hollow course at 136, giving her a comfortable margin over Juli Inkster (71), Hillary Lunke (69) and Angela Stanford (70).
Aree Song, 17, of Bradenton, one of 14 teenagers in the field, finished with double bogey on No.9, her closing hole, for 2-over 73 and was seven shots back.
Annika Sorenstam hit an approach into the water on No.6 and was lucky to make bogey, but a birdie on the final hole gave her another 72 - eight strokes behind.
"No lead is comfortable on the weekend on this course," Sorenstam said. "Nothing is easy here."
McKay made it look that way until the end, but she wasn't about to let the finish spoil her mood. "I'm really delighted with my golf game," she said. "It's a dream come true."
The same couldn't be said for the 13-year-old Wie and Ammaccapane, 37, who wouldn't exchange words after the second round but did swap accusations after playing together for two days. B.J. Wie, the father and caddie, accused Ammaccapane of bumping shoulders with his daughter during the first round, apparently because the LPGA Tour veteran was upset at the Wies for walking in her sight as Ammaccapane was trying to putt.
The father said Ammaccapane used "very, very nasty" language to lash out at Wie in the scoring tent, although B.J. Wie was not there.
Ammaccapane, who made news several years ago by complaining that Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb had no personality, declined comment after a second-round 74. Ammaccapane said she didn't care what B.J. Wie had to say, adding, "But he's going to get an earful from my father."
Meantime, Sorenstam had choice words for Witch Hollow after bogey on the 379-yard eighth hole, where the pin was in a bowl-like depression on the hard green.
Her 6-iron landed about 3 feet onto the green and wound up in the rough over a shelf. She started her birdie putt 15 feet to the right and watched it roll 15 past the hole. She told the rules officials she thought the hole was almost unplayable.
Inkster knows the feeling, although she brought her troubles on herself. After birdies on three of the first five holes to momentarily take the lead at 5 under, Inkster went from a fairway bunker to a greenside bunker on No. 8 for double bogey.
On the other side of Pumpkin Ridge, McKay was on a birdie binge. After five straight birdies in the opening round, she ran the table again with five birdies over seven holes to build her lead to seven.
But McKay gave back shots so quickly.
McKay's tee shot on No.9, her last hole, found a fairway bunker and plugged against the lip, leaving her no choice but to blast out sideways onto a downslope in the rough.
From there she punched into the left rough, then saw her pitch run down a slope into a collection area. She chipped to 30 feet and made a 6-footer for triple bogey.
