2006 US Women's Open:
Battle By the Sea

Anyway, the fourth round had started before the third round was even complete, and by the time it was a few holes old for the final groups, several players had established themselves in the lead. Sorenstam got off to a great start, birdieing the first two holes to move to 2 under. Hurst did likewise, moving to even par, along with Juli Inkster, who also sat at even. Michelle Wie, who finished the third round tied for the lead at even par, remained there for the moment. Sophie Gustafson and Stacy Prammanasudh sat at 2 over. Shi Hyun Ahn was still at 3 over and not out of it by any means; she was playing in the final group with Sorenstam and Hurst. Se Ri was at 4 over, as was Jane Park, while Jee Young Lee and Young Kim were both at 5 over.

Pat Hurst was not having the most solid game tee to green, but was hacking it out of the rough with her great strength and getting it up and down. And when she had chances at birdies, she was making them. She had clawed her way back to second place, then bogied the 4th hole. Not to worry, as on the next hole she drained a 25 footer to again move to even par. Still, at that time it looked as though Annika was entering one of her cruise control modes, and it would be up to someone in the field to catch her.

Someone did make that effort: that someone was Se Ri Pak. Se Ri had decided after her third round 74 that she needed to play more aggressively if she were going to win this thing. The tactic worked: she continued to hit tons of fairways and greens, but now was also making some putts (Se Ri would finish the week tied for second in the entire field in greens in regulation (68%), with a remarkable 80% of her fairways hit as well). While everyone else seemed to be struggling, Se Ri seemed poised to make a big move. She birdied the second hole to move to 3 over, but then gave that back with a bogey on the par 3 4th hole. But on hole 6, she put her approach to just off the green, then drained a birdie from there to move back to 3 over. On the seventh hole, Se Ri (as usual) was in the fairway with the longest drive in her group. She hit an immaculate iron from there to 4 feet, then kicked that in for another birdie to move to 2 over. She was still four shots back, but had momentum on her side.

Moments later, Shi Hyun made a tricky par save on 6 to remain at 4 over. With the treacherous conditions and the fatigue factor, it was not impossible that the rest of the field might come back to her if she stayed steady. Over on 8, Inkster hit a fantastic iron from 200 yards to five feet, but was not able to make birdie. Se Ri had a short par save here which she made. Sorenstam still had the two shot advantage over the field.

But then, amazingly, Sorenstam hit a terrible approach on the 7th hole into a hazard. She took a drop, hit her fourth shot right at the hole, but it bounced out and rolled twenty feet past. She was not able to save bogey. The double bogey knocked her back to even par, and suddenly, Se Ri was only two shots out of the lead with tons of golf yet to be played. Annika continued to give the field presents, as on the next hole she also made bogey to fall to one over and out of the lead. The leaders were now Hurst and Inkster at even, with Michelle Wie and Annika at one over, and Se Ri and Prammanasudh at 2 over. The tournament would wind up being a battle between these six golfers, as most of the rest of the field would fade over the next few holes.

The par 4 9th was hands down the toughest hole on the course. Playing at 436 yards, but uphill, it featured a nasty huge green with multiple tiers. Making par here was the gift that kept on giving. Se Ri and Inkster both hit their approaches into this green well past the flag, maybe 70 feet. Se Ri was a little farther out on virtually the same line as Juli. So Juli watched intently as Se Ri stroked her putt. It negotiated multiple tiers, speeding up, slowing down, moving left to right and right to left, until it came to rest three feet from the hole. A fantastic lag putt by Se Ri, which she proceeded to put in for par without much fuss. Juli tried to duplicate it, but her effort kept rolling, eventually going right off the green. She wound up with a bogey.

A few minutes later, Annika put her approach on this hole into the bunker. She was not able to get it up and down despite a great sand shot here. Suddenly, she was at 2 over par, tied with Se Ri and threatening to fall right out of the tournament. An amazing turn of events indeed.

At this point, Pat Hurst was all by herself at even par in the lead. Inkster was at +1, Annika, Wie and Se Ri at +2, Prammanasudh at +3. Any of these women could still win. Se Ri continued to play wonderfully. She left herself a 10 foot birdie try on 10, but just missed it. Tap in par. On 11, Se Ri had another 10 foot birdie try, but put this one 6 inches past the hole. Another tap in par. Prammanasudh, meanwhile, was putting on a short game clinic. She had hit only 4 greens in regulation all round, but somehow was able time and again to save par when she needed to. On the 12th hole, she finally gave herself a birdie chance from ten feet, and took advantage, moving back to 2 over. She missed the green on the par 3 13th, left her chip five feet short, but made a knee knocking par save to remain at +2. She struggled again on 14, a brutal 449 yard par 4, hitting her third shot 8 feet from the flag. But she made that par save as well. It seemed there was no putt she wasn't able to put in the hole.

While this was going on, Annika was hitting pars, and Se Ri was giving herself more birdie chances. On 12, Se Ri had yet another 20 footer for birdie that she missed by a foot. At least she wasn't having to work to make par. She hit a gorgeous tee shot on 13 that nearly went into the hole on the fly. It was easily the best shot of the day on this tough par 3. But her birdie try was inches short for yet another tap in par. Some days you just can't get the putter to do your bidding.

Annika finally made a birdie on the par 5 10th, so she moved back to 1 over. Hurst then made a mess of the 11th, hitting her drive into thick grass. She wound up with a bogey there. So now Sorenstam and Hurst were the co-leaders at one over par. Se Ri, Wie, Inkster and Prammanasudh were all at 2 over, just one shot back. It couldn't get much tighter. And Se Ri was clearly playing the best golf of them all tee to green. If she could just get her putts to fall in the hole, the title would be hers in a walk.

After these top six players, no one else was better than +6. But several of the players in the next group were Korean, and wound up with great finishes to their weeks. Although JJ faded with an 80 following the double hit controversy, Shi Hyun Ahn hung in there nicely. Playing in the final group, she would shoot a 76 in the final round and an 8 over total. Not super sensational, but good for a tie for 8th. It was her third top ten in a Major in 2006, following an 8th at the Nabisco and a 5th at the LPGA Championship. Young Kim, Jee Young Lee and Jane Park all wound up tied for 10th. For Jee Young Lee, it was her first ever top ten in a Major, after nearly making one at the LPGA Championship. For Jane Park, her finish tied her with Amanda Blumenherst for low amateur in the field. Not bad for someone who was coming into the event with such low expectations.

On the 14th hole, Se Ri hit another beautiful iron. This hole had a front pin placement, and to get the ball anywhere near the hole required one to land the ball well short of the green and bounce it up. Se Ri's shot was absolutely on line, but when it bounced it must have hit a strange spot, because it bounced due right and off line. Had it bounced straight, she might have been right on top of the flag. She still made par, though. Meanwhile, Prammanasudh continued to work her magic. Her approach on 15 was short of the green. She chipped to 8 feet and drilled yet another lengthy par save to stay at 2 over.

Finally on the 15th hole, Se Ri made a long game mistake. Hitting into a stiff wind, she took a 5 iron from a short distance. But she must not have hit it very well, for it stopped well short of the green. Her chip from there was also very poor, going some thirty feet past the flag. She was not able to save par and fell to 3 over. It was a tough blow, but not a fatal one, for she still had the par 5 coming up. While this was going on, Prammanasudh negotiated a pitch from a very dicey lie with a tough stance. It was a beautiful shot, and for the umpteenth time she saved par.

Then Annika and Hurst reached 14. Hurst made a fifteen foot bridie putt to move into the lead at even par. Annika could not match her. Se Ri was now three shots out of the lead. But on 16, she hit her third shot from 77 yards about five feet past the flag, then buried the birdie to move back to 2 over par. She was still fighting hard! Inkster missed her five foot par save on this hole, however, to fall to 3 over. That might have been the fatal blow for her chances. At about the same time, Annika made a 20 foot birdie on 15 to move to even par and a tie for the lead. Hurst could not make a shorter birdie on the same hole. The two were now two shots ahead of the other four contenders. If someone was going to compete with them, they had to get it done now. No more tomorrows.

On the par 3 17th, Se Ri stepped up to the tee and hit another sensational shot, easily the best on that hole all day. It bounced right by the flag and stopped about 8 feet past. A great birdie chance. But alas, her putt would stop a foot short, and she would have another tap in par. That was probably a must make by this point.

Over on 18, Prammanasudh finished her round by running her approach up onto the green, then narrowly missing a twelve footer for birdie. She tapped in for par and posted a 2 over round, the low round in the clubhouse.

So could anyone catch Sorenstam and Hurst? At this point, it looked unlikely. Se Ri hit another fantastic drive on 18, but her approach from 188 yards stopped just short of the green. It was another case where she was trying to roll it up onto the green, but didn't get the roll. Inkster rolled her second from 218 onto the green, but it rolled all the way back off the back. She was nonetheless able to make a clutch par save from there to finish at 3 over.

So now it was Se Ri's turn. She was about 70 feet from the hole, so a birdie seemed unlikely. But if she two putted she would tie Prammanasudh in the clubhouse. And that's just what she did: she hit a marvelous putt to within two feet, then tapped that in for par. Her final round score was 69, which would end up being tied for best of the day. Se Ri and Pat Hurst would end up being the only two women in the field to break par twice. Though it was a good effort, it would not be enough to win, however. Both Hurst and Sorenstam would get into the house at even par, and Se Ri would win up tied for third. It was her second straight top three at a Major, proving to the few remaining skeptics that she was, indeed, back. And we all were happy to have her!

The postscript happened the next day. The US Women's Open requires an 18 hole playoff if there is a tie at the end of regulation, so Sorenstam and Hurst returned on Monday to contest it. It really was over by the first hole, when Sorenstam birdied and Hurst bogied. Sorenstam would go on to win her 10th career Major and third US Women's Open (but the first in ten years). So the first three Majors of the year were won by the 'Big Three' of women's golf, setting up the tiebreaker at the fourth and final Major of the year, the British Open. All three of them had won that one as well, and it was being contested at a location where Sorenstam had won in 2003, beating Se Ri on the final hole. What a golden chance this might be for Se Ri to right that ancient wrong and put an exclamation point on her comeback!

But regardless of what might happen there, Se Ri had to be happy about what had happened this week in Rhode Island. She didn't win the battle by the sea, but she proved nonetheless that she still has the heart of a champion. While Jeong Jang faces the first real crisis of her career: a crushing accusation that has affected her game ever since. Can she get it together in time for the British Women's Open, and her title defense? Only time will tell.