73rd U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN ONE UP ON MOTHER NATURE

Shoal Creek, Alabama: In a golf match where Mother Nature took a big lead on the USGA in the opening holes, the staff and grounds crew scored a comeback and despite heavy rains earlier in the week inflicted by Tropical Storm Alberto, the U.S. Women’s Open started on time at 6:40 a.m. Thursday morning. Under cloudy skies, groups teed off on the first and tenth holes, and with the only rain in the forecast coming on Friday afternoon, it appears the tournament will end as expected on Sunday. The players are playing the ball as it lies, with the USGA choosing not to break with its tradition of never having held a round in any of its championships where they went with lift, clean and place rules. “Our intention is to rely on our considerable experience. We played 72 of these U.S. Women’s Opens, in fact, 117 U.S. Open Championships playing the ball as it lies, finishing the competition and so it’s our intention to do that this week as well,” commented John Bodenhamer, Sr.Managing Director of the USGA during an interview Tuesday afternoon. So far he’s been true to his word.

Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie on the 8th green

I’m here at Shoal Creek to continue my coverage of U.S. professional golf. My first experience with the U.S. Women’s Open was as a nine year old wandering the fairways of The Cascade Course in Hot Springs, Virginia. That tournament boasted some of the pioneers of women’s golf, including Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, Louise Suggs and Patty Berg, who between them had 11 U.S. Women’s Open titles. The course was brutally difficult, with the winner posting a score of 10 over par 294 on the par 71 layout. It turned out to be an historic finish for Catherine Lacoste of France, still the only win by an amateur in the history of the event. I remember watching her joyfully running through the parking lot after her victory, back in the day when the players were much more accessible to the spectators than they are today. Former champions Betsy Rawls and Brittany Lang both came close as amateurs, finishing second, but neither matched the feat of Lacoste, from the famous alligator shirt company family.

Shoal Creek Clubhouse

Shoal Creek, which opened in 1977 and  hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA  Championships, as well as U.S. Amateur in 1986 and the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2008, was the first solo design by Jack Nicklaus. It’s situated southeast of Birmingham and offers beautiful, rolling terrain, not unlike another of Nicklaus’ designs, Muirfield Village where the PGA Tour’s Memorial is taking place this week. Although the grounds of the course are wet, the fairways and greens themselves appear very playable. I watched several groups come through the par 4 eighth hole and didn’t see any mud on the balls. The putting surfaces, which have sub-air drying systems, are still firm. With the weather forecast of sunny conditions, light winds and no rain, it’s possible the course will get dryer and firmer as the weekend moves on. 

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Offsetting Penalties - A PK Frazier Novel" at  Amazon.com. Also check out www.thechtonsports.com for our podcasts and live broadcast on Tuesday's at 8:30 pm EST. I can also be reached via email at kevin@pkfrazier.com.