2003 US Women's Open

On this day my intention was to do the inverse of what I had done on Thursday: follow Grace in the morning, then Se Ri in the afternoon. Could Grace build on her great start? Could Se Ri right the ship and make the cut?

When I got to the course, I took a shuttle to the first tee. Sharing the shuttle with me was Connie Wilson, the Director of Media Relations for the LPGA. Although she didn't come out and say it, she seemed to know who I was and what Seoul Sisters was. I was wearing my second Seoul Sisters T-shirt this day, and we had a nice conversation as we were driving in.

The morning session, I followed Grace Park. I reached her just as she missed a 15 footer for birdie on hole 1.

Hole 2: On the second tee, Meg and Grace goofed around while they waited for the green to clear. Meg was showing off her biceps, which seemed to impress Grace in a jokey way. It was pretty cute.

Today the flag was nestled behind the bunker on the left. Grace hit a gorgeous high iron that arced right towards the hole. For a moment I thought she was going to be right next to the flag, but it turned out to be about 8 feet away. Almost made it, though. Par.

While I stood at the second green, a ball came whizzing from the first tee and stopped about thirty feet short of me. It was Michelle Wie, who had hit her drive way off line. I don't think a player of her distance should be playing driver off that tee; the fairway isn't all that wide. Anyway, I got a close look at Wiemania as the large crowd gathered around that ball while I continued to watch Grace's group putt out.

Grace's Round 2 Outfit
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Grace drives on Hole 6
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Hole 3: Remember this is the nasty hole with the brook in front of the uphill green. Grace's drive went into the rough, and it took her awhile to even find it. Needless to say, she did not go for the green, laying up. She hit a great pitch from there, giving herself a five footer for par, but couldn't convert it and moved to +2.

Hole 4: Grace's drive went into the same bunker Se Ri had been in yesterday, on the right side. Her out left her in the right rough, leaving her a tricky approach to this par 5. She did the right thing, laying up to a spot in front of the green rather than try to fly the bunker to get to the flag. From there, she putted it, where it went just past the hole and left her an easy par. So, it was a struggle, but she came out all right in the end.

Hole 5: Today, on this par 3 with a long water carry, the flag was somewhat behind the water. Grace hit her tee shot to the left of the hole, maybe ten feet, but pin high, then drained the birdie putt beautifully. This moved her back to even on the day.

Hole 6: Hit a drive that seemed to take an hour to come down, it was so high. Her iron was also massively high, and landed on a dime five feet below the hole. Gorgeous. Uphill putt, too, but she blew it two feet past. She made that one, but this was a real lost opportunity.

Hole 7: Long par 5. Wonderful drive in the right side of the fairway, a great chance to go for it in two. But she laid up with an iron, even though she was even farther down the fairway than yesterday. That second shot was not so good, and she ended up in a bunker about 60 yards from the flag. Not the place to be at all. She landed it nicely on the green from there, but it rolled off into one of those dreaded collection areas. She putted it up from there, but left it five feet short. But being that she is a champion, she drained the par save to stay at even on the day. Whew!

Hole 8: Another adventure. Perfect drive, but her second left her on a different tier from the flag. She barely touched the ball and it still blew six feet past the hole. But once again, she made a clutch long par save.

Grace putts out
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Touchdown!
Seoul Sisters Photo/Eric Fleming

Hole 9: This was a great drive, just as long as Thursday, but this time she was in the middle of the fairway, well past the island bunkers that sit dead center of the fairway on this hole. She had only about 120 yards in, but this time her approach checked up upon landing, about 30 feet short of the flag. She probably made a mistake going for this one, and blew it four feet past. So for the third straight hole she had a hard par save. Her putt looked perfect all the way, but went into the hole, then jumped out. So a tap-in bogey to move her to +1 on the day.

Grace's front nine had been a bit of a struggle, but she was hanging in there nicely and was still well in the tournament at this point.

Hole 10: Par 3; Grace did not hit a good iron, and she yelled 'What are you doing??' after the shot. It landed in the bunker, and she kicked her bag in frustration. Fortunately she hit a magnificent out to a few inches for an easy par, to prevent having a fourth par tester in a row.