U.S. Women's Open - First-Round Notes and Interviews

U.S. Women's Open

The Broadmoor, East Course
Colorado Springs, Co.
July 7 & 8, 2011
First-round notes and interviews

Stacy Lewis leads by one shot after the first round of the U.S. Women's Open conducted by the USGA was officially completed on Friday afternoon at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Co. Lewis, who is No. 15 in the Rolex Rankings, shot a 3-under 68 to take a one-shot lead over Lizette Salas, Ryann O'Toole and amateur Amy Anderson.

Lewis is trying to become the first American to win two majors in the same season since 1999 when Juli Inkster won the U.S. Women's Open and the LPGA Championship. Lewis became a Rolex First-Time Winner and captured her first major at the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship back in early April.

Friday marked a long day of golf for the 26-year-old and the majority of the U.S. Women's Open field. Lewis, who recorded five birdies and two bogeys in her opening round on the East Course, didn't play any golf on Thursday. She got her U.S. Women's Open started at 8:36 a.m. MT on Friday morning and had a short break after finishing her first 18 holes before she headed back to tee off for the second round of play.

"Just grab something to eat real quick, inhale some food, and then you've just got to get back into what you're doing, get warmed up, and be ready to go," Lewis said of the schedule.

She's only in her first month as a professional, so LPGA Futures Tour rookie Lizette Salas was more than pleased with her score of 2-under 69 in the opening round of the U.S. Women's Open. At the end of the first round, she was tied for second.

"It's nice to see my name up there," said Salas, a three-time tournament winner and four-time All-American from the University of Southern California. "I'm just thinking of it as another U.S. [Women's] Open qualifier. We'll see how it goes. It would be awesome to play well here."

Salas turned professional after this year's NCAA Championship and has made the cut in all three of the LPGA Futures Tour events she has played so far. Her best finish was a tie for fourth at the Island Resort Championship in late June.

The Californian had only played part of the first hole on Thursday when play was suspended. When she returned this morning to complete her first round, she rolled in a four-foot putt for par. She went on to birdie the second hole from seven feet and the ninth hole from 20 feet.

On the back nine of The Broadmoor, Salas missed the green of the par-three 12th hole and didn't save par from 10 feet, but she came back with a birdie from 30 feet on the 15th, and burned the edge of the cup on the last hole for a birdie chance from 45 feet.

"I felt pretty good, pretty calm today," said Salas, who hit all but one fairway and 14 greens in regulation in her opening round. "I definitely did not expect this, but I've been playing consistently these last two weeks on the LPGA Futures Tour. It's only my second Open, so I'm just having fun."

Fitness queen: Playing in her first U.S. Women's Open, LPGA rookie Ryann O'Toole was unfazed by the fact that she had 40 minutes between her first and second rounds today. The fit Californian, who also surfs, snowboards and skis, was actually eager to head back out on The Broadmoor course less than an hour later to start her second round.

"The [Open] qualifier is 36 holes, and that's how I got into this event," said O'Toole, a three-time tournament winner on the LPGA Futures Tour, where she also competes. "I think it's a big advantage being fit and being in shape because these hills are tough to walk."

O'Toole had a share of the Open lead midway through today's first round. She moved to three under after she rolled in a 20-foot birdie on the 10th hole, but a bogey on No. 14 returned her to a share of second after 18 holes.

Amateurs abound in Round 1: There were four amateurs who were in the top 20 at the finish of the first round of play. Amy Anderson was tied for second at 2-under-par and Lindy Duncan shot a 1-under 70 to sit in a T5. Danielle Kang, the 2010 U.S. Women's Amateur champion, and Xiyu Lin shot a 1-over 72 in the first round to put themselves in a tie for 16th.

Of Note…Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng shot an opening-round, 2-over-par 73 to put her five shots out of the lead…After holding a share of the overnight lead at 2-under thru 15 holes, Cristie Kerr wound up shooting an even-par 71 and was tied for 11th after the first round…Cindy LaCrosse, who played in the final pairing with Tseng at the Wegmans LPGA Championship, shot an even-par 71 in the first round of the U.S. Women's Open.

Rolex Rankings No. 2 Cristie Kerr and amateur Amy Anderson were tied for the lead at 2-under-par when first-round play was suspended at the U.S. Women's Open on Thursday afternoon at The Broadmoor, East Course. Kerr had played 15 holes while Anderson was through 12 holes when play was halted. Only 25 of the 156 players had finished the first round and 72 players had yet to tee off when play was suspended due to inclement weather. Kristy McPherson was the leader in the clubhouse with a two-over-par 73.

Rain, rain go away! Play was suspended at 12:47 p.m. MT due to lightning in the area and play was ultimately called for the day at 3:11 p.m. MT. First-round play is scheduled to resume at 7:45 a.m. on Friday morning.

Welcome to the leaderboard: Amy Anderson caught a glimpse of the leaderboard as she walked up hole No. 7 at The Broadmoor on Thursday afternoon and she admitted that it was a little bit of a shock for her and her caddie and brother, Nathan, to see her name at the top of it.

"That was surreal," said Anderson, who turns 19 on Sunday. "My brother and I joked, like, ‘Well, somebody better get a picture of that. It's not going to be up there for very long.' But it's going to be up there all night, so I'm excited."

Anderson, who won the 2009 U.S. Girls Junior, just finished her sophomore year at North Dakota State University where she is majoring in accounting with a minor in fraud investigation. Anderson is a native of Oxbow, N.D., a town of around 300 people that she described as having just a golf course but no gas station or grocery store. The town is close to Fargo, N.D. where Anderson goes to school.

While Anderson has grown accustomed to playing golf in bad weather in North Dakota, she said that she didn't really have to use that experience to help her on Thursday since lightning drove the players off the course before the rain really started. Anderson will resume her round on Friday morning with a putt on the 13th green and while she hopes to continue her strong play, she admits it's pretty exciting just to see the title of first-day leader next to her name.

"It's pretty exciting, I wasn't expecting it," Anderson said. "I was pretty nervous on the first tee this morning and then settled down. I hit my first drive really good, and that helped me calm down a little bit. Yeah, first-day leader, that's way more than I could have really imagined."

Two-time U.S. Women's Open champion Juli Inkster was one of the fortunate players who was able to complete her round before play was suspended. Inkster shot an opening-round 74 and currently sits five shots back of the leaders. Inkster said one of the biggest challenges during the first day of play on the 7,047 yard course – the longest in U.S. Women's Open history -- was figuring out the speed of the greens.

"The greens are tricky," Inkster said. "They're a little slower than the practice rounds. Just because I think of the moisture and playing early, I had a little trouble getting them to the hole."

Ready for a long week? With only about 1/6 of the field having completed first-round play on Thursday, the expectation by the players is that there are some long days of golf ahead of them in this U.S. Women's Open.

"It is what it is, you know," said Kerr. "I have finished plenty of U.S. Opens on Monday. It's a big field. If you get any weather whatsoever first couple days with this size field, you're not going to finish."

Kerr was asked by the media if she thought the tournament would finish on time due to the difficulty of the course and the amount of golf still left to be played.

"I think it would be really difficult, especially with the forecast," Kerr said. "I think it's this kind of forecast every day. I mean, I think probably after canceling golf today, probably going to be looking at making a cut sometime on Saturday. So, I mean, I think that it would be a stretch to try and fit it all in by Sunday. That's with, you know, no weather the next three days. I don't know."

Assist from Dad: Cindy LaCrosse benefited during Thursday's first round from some notations in one of her father's old yardage books. And earlier this week, Dad Doug LaCrosse of Tampa, who competed in the 2008 U.S. Senior Open Championship at The Broadmoor, made sure his daughter knew which way her putts would break on the course's tricky greens.

"It was helpful," said LaCrosse, competing in her first full LPGA season. "Some of the yardages were the same."

LaCrosse was at even par on the 18th tee box when play was suspended for lightning. The Floridian hit every fairway in the opening round and missed three greens in regulation.

"I hit everything on the front nine and kind of struggled a little bit in the middle, but today, I was consistent from tee to green," said LaCrosse, who was the 2010 LPGA Futures Tour Player of the Year and a three-time winner.

LaCrosse will return for the resumption of the first round Friday at 7:45 a.m., to complete her final hole.

"I'm kind of glad I have to come back out here for the one hole," she added. "Even if I don't get to play any more golf on Friday, I'll at least come back here and get in some practice."

STACY LEWIS, Rolex Rankings No. 15

Q. Good start.
STACY LEWIS: Thank you.

Q. How did it go?
STACY LEWIS: It was good. I hit a lot of good shots, left it on the right side of the holes. I told my caddie kind of halfway through the round, I said, We need to make one putt you probably shouldn't make and then hit a couple close, and we'll be in good shape.

Q. You've got such a sort turnaround between the first and second rounds. What do you do during this time, and how do you get yourself prepared to play 18 more?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, just grab something to eat real quick, inhale some food, and then you've just got to get back into what you're doing, get warmed up, and be ready to go.

Q. Do you have to be mindfully during the first 18 that you're going to have to play 18 more?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I mean, it's in the back of your mind when you're walking up those hills at the end. Everybody's gotta do it, so you just gotta go out and do it.

Q. How hilly is this course to walk?
STACY LEWIS: It's very hilly, and the altitude just doesn't help. It's easier for us than the caddies; I feel bad for the caddies.

Q. Our know how heavy your bag is?
STACY LEWIS: Oh, those things are probably 40, 50 pounds easy.

Q. You said you birdied 1, 2, 6, 9. Any of those holes in particular stick out?
STACY LEWIS: Probably 1 and 2, because I bogeyed 18 and then made probably about a 50‑footer on the first hole. Then made probably a 15‑footer down the hill on 2. So that just kind of got me back into what I was doing, and kind of cruised in from there.

Q. Did you execute the game plan you wanted? Did you hit one that you probably wouldn't have hit with the long putt? Did you do kind of exactly what you wanted to do?
STACY LEWIS: Yeah, I mean, for the most part I did everything I want to do. Probably would go back ‑‑ if I could hit 3‑wood on 18, I would probably do that. Other than that, it was a good day.

Q. How does it feel being on top right now?
STACY LEWIS: It's good. I actually haven't really looked at scores at all so I didn't really know where I stood. Kind of stole one on the last hole. I mean, I love where I am. Anything under par at a U.S. Open is a good spot.

LIZETTE SALAS, Rolex Rankings No. 639

MODERATOR: After the completion of the first round, 2‑under par, Lizette Salas.

Q. Can you sum up your day?
LIZETTE SALAS: Well, I started off with a four‑foot putt on my first hole, which I didn't finish yesterday. Made that and just basically hit fairways and greens and occasionally made birdie.Made my first bogey on 12. I missed the green and didn't may my par put.

Made a really good 35‑footer on I believe 15. Got me back to 2‑under. From then on just played consistent, hitting fairways and greens. And hit a really good putt on 18. So far so good.

Q. So you didn't even play one hole on the first day?
LIZETTE SALAS: No, uh‑uh.

Q. Was that a little frustrating?
LIZETTE SALAS: It was, but, you know, you have to deal with it. I don't really like those four‑footers, downhill slider to the right, but I made that and made birdie on the next hole, which was really good. Just played my kind of golf, which is fairways and greens, and can two‑putt from basically anywhere. Tried not to three‑putt, which is good. Missed a couple greens, but got up‑and‑down most of the time.

Q. Is this something that you expected, or are you surpassing your...
LIZETTE SALAS: No, I definitely did not expect this. I've been playing consistent these last two weeks on the LPGA Futures Tour, and it's any second Open. Just having fun and not having expectation for myself. It's been good so far.

Q. The bit of rain we got yesterday, did it soften the course or the greens a little bit?
LIZETTE SALAS: Maybe it did soften the greens a little bit, not too much the fairways. I think there was quite a bit of wind this afternoon, so might get a little firm in the afternoon, but not too fast.

Q. The draw here kind of favored you with the way the weather went. Now you don't have a whole lot time. You take in a good round and go right into your next round basically.
LIZETTE SALAS: Yeah, just get a nice little break and get something in my system. I was really hungry coming in. Yeah, just having those shots in my head from the previous round is really good. Just see

RYANN O'TOOLE, Rolex Rankings No. 172

Q. Not a bad start for your first U.S. Open. What was that like getting on your first tee box today here in the U.S. Open.
RYANN O'TOOLE: A little nerve wracking. I mean, I go to my caddie like after the first hole, I'm like, are the nerves gonna go away yet? Because they weren't. My first couple iron shots into greens were a little long, so I started having to play a little shorter shots. I think just being amped up I was flying everything.

So I got lucky on hole 2 and hole 3. I chipped in one for par and one for birdie, so that kind of, you know, got me pumped up a bit. Crowd is cheering, and I think that helped kind of propel me into the whole round. I think after my birdie on 4, I think was my first real putt. I had four feet. Until then, my longest putt was six inches before that. So it was kind of interesting getting my feel back for the greens, and I think just getting settled into the round.

Q. What was it like to have a day like today as opposed to yesterday where you had the delays? Was it a confidence builder?
RYANN O'TOOLE: It is a confidence builder. I mean, yesterday I was walking to the practice green and the horn blew so I never really got to practice. I was out putting in the morning, but that was about it. I think days like that you have no control, so you kind of look at it as, all right, a day off, and go to the movies, go do something else to take your mind off everything.

Q. What you do? Did you go to a movie?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Yeah.

Q. What did you see?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Larry Crowne. It was a good movie. I liked it. Thumbs up. It was good.

Q. Where were your chip‑ins again?
RYANN O'TOOLE: On 2 I had flown the green. I had a gap wedge in, flew the green, and had like a downhill lie and I left it short. Then I chipped in for par just from behind the hole.Then on 3, I went for it in 2 and pulled it left. I was over on the other side of the cart path on 1. Hit over the trees. I was on the opposite side, so the right side if you're looking up at the hole and coming down, and I chipped it in from there.

Q. Stacy was just talking about that this is hilly.
RYANN O'TOOLE: Very hilly.

Q. Knowing you have to do 18 more, what sort of challenge is that?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Well, the qualifier is 36 holes to get into this, and that's how I got into this event. I think it's a big advantage of being fit and being in shape, because this hill is tough to walk. At the end of the day, you're tired. So I think if you don't ‑‑ if you just focus on the shot and not focus on your body and keep fueling and intaking Gatorade and whatever else, electrolytes, it'll keep you up. You don't want to drop at all.

Q. What are you eating? Anything in particular?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Bananas, power bars, nuts. Anything that you can basically stomach at this point, and trying to drink water with a little Powerade that they have out there. So keep your sugars up a bit and just levels even. Because if you wait and then you drop, there's no coming back.

Q. Do you try to do more in this 40 minutes or whatever you get now?
RYANN O'TOOLE: For this 40 minutes, yeah, I'm going to go have some lunch and regroup for a moment, cool off, and then maybe hit a couple shots up at the 10th tee and go again.

Q. You're a long ball hitter. How has the elevation affected you?
RYANN O'TOOLE: I think the elevation helps a lot. I mean, playing against the two girls in my group who ‑‑ you know, I guess short hitters, like if you don't hit it high and you don't hit it far, I mean, you don't go anywhere out here. Trajectory is huge out here. The higher you put it, the further it goes.

The longest club I had in today was a 7‑iron. Well, I had a 6‑iron on No. 17, but par‑5, I mean I put myself in the rough. But fairway‑wise, 7‑iron was the longest. I have a lot pitching wedges, 9‑irons. I think the bunkers are placed perfectly where I can fly a lot of them, so that helps.

Q. How does this course compare to other courses you play?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Perfect example, the LPGA Championship two weeks ago, that was very tight and very narrow. To me this is wide open. It's crucial to hit the fairways because the rough is killer. I mean, you're hitting the rough and you're looking at, Okay, where can I say par kind of thing.

So if you can hit fairways, it's not ‑ I don't want to say easy ‑ because it's not over once you get to the greens ‑ but you just gotta kind of play each shot at a time. You can't get too aggressive. You gotta really think about where you want the ball to end up rather than firing at every pin. Half the time you're going to have a better putt either below it or even past it just depending on the breaks.

Q. Your bio talks with a show you were on the for the Golf Channel.
RYANN O'TOOLE: Yeah, The Big Break.

Q. What was that experience like?
RYANN O'TOOLE: It was a good experience. I mean, it taught me a lot of kind of in‑the‑moment kind of shots. It's putting yourself in funky positions and try to get out of 'em. And on that show, there's no hitting the two shots that lead up to that bad shot. It's, Here you go; deal with it. I think it taught me to really stay focused and handle the nerves and really focus on what shot you're trying to hit and not worry about the outcome of it.

Q. How many Opens have you played?
RYANN O'TOOLE: This is my first.

Q. Your impressions of just the event?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Unbelievable. I mean, I feel like we're at a PGA Tour event with all the people that come out and watch and are supporting us. Makes you feel really special. This is exactly what you dream of when you're growing up saying, I want to be professional golfer.You have a huge crowd and they're following every group, so it really makes you feel really good.

Q. You bring a lot people from Southern California with you?
RYANN O'TOOLE: Yeah, I got a good little entourage going on. I have relatives that live just outside of Boulder, so it works well. Yeah.

AMY ANDERSON (a)

Q. As an amateur, you're right now currently the leader at the Women's Open. Does that feel to you? What does that do to your head?
AMY ANDERSON: It's exciting; hasn't sunk in. To me it's felt like another tournament, you know, just on the tour. But the gallery makes it a little bit real and they're cheering when you make a birdie, so it's really exciting. And I think after this afternoon it will have sunk in a little bit more.

Q. What was it in your game today that made the 2‑under possible? What did you do well?
AMY ANDERSON: You know, I made some pretty key putts four to five feet. I was really solid. I only missed one fairway. I didn't miss a fairway today, just one in the whole round. That helped a lot.

Q. Playing as well as you did and only having to play about four or five holes, were you nervous when you came out this morning?
AMY ANDERSON: You know, I really wasn't, which I was surprised about. I had a little trouble adjusting to the greens right away. I had a putt, 15‑foot putt, and I left it about four feet short. So, you know, my momentum stopped a little bit, but then I made the putt, which was pretty key.

Q. Were they slower this morning, the greens?
AMY ANDERSON: You know, they really weren't. I was expecting them to be faster. They looked and felt a little faster, but they weren't. They were very much the same.

Q. What was your first shot of the day? Tee shot?
AMY ANDERSON: It was about a 15‑foot putt.

Q. What are your plans now for the day?
AMY ANDERSON: I'll probably hit some balls, maybe putt a little bit, and then just go relax.

Q. The birdie you made on 17, what was the length of that putt?
AMY ANDERSON: Probably about seven feet.

Q. With Nathan on your bag, your brother, how is he helping you out?
AMY ANDERSON: Oh, he's helping a lot, especially on the greens. He knows basically how things are going to break. I misjudge a lot of things, but he has it pretty much spot on most of the time. And then also club selection. Hole 16, I was thinking 6‑iron, and he said, No, there's too much wind, 5‑iron. And 5‑iron was perfect.

Q. How about on the shot coming onto 18 there off the fringe, was he any assistance on that? How did he go about selecting?
AMY ANDERSON: Because of the mountain I thought it was gonna be a little bit downhill. He said, You know what? This is uphill. Don't worry about the mountain. This is the way it is. If I had played it the way I thought, I probably would have barely got it on the green. So he assisted a lot there.

Q. I noticed your coach was in the crowd, also. Was he of any assistance yesterday during the break?
AMY ANDERSON: Um, you know, we worked on a little bit, but, I mean, during the break we didn't really get to hit anything. So I was just talking with him and stuff.

Q. How does Nathan get his info on the greens? Has he just scouted them this week or played them before?
AMY ANDERSON: No, he just scouted them this week. He's really analytical, figures things out a lot better than I would. He has a great mind for that.

Q. He has them charted?
AMY ANDERSON: Yep.

Q. Can you talk about sleeping on the lead last night? How did that feel?
AMY ANDERSON: It was fine. I went home, and I was staying with my cousins, so I was just chilling with them. Went to bed. I just didn't really think about it too much. I don't know. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. This is just the first round. Half the people hadn't teed off yet. I was trying to keep my momentum a little bit.

Q. Your cousins live in this area?
AMY ANDERSON: They're about 20 miles north, I suppose.

Q. Have you been to this area before?
AMY ANDERSON: About 10 years ago.

Q. Probably didn't play when you were here before?
AMY ANDERSON: No.

Q. You have quite an entourage of 40 friends/relatives following you. Does that help you?
AMY ANDERSON: Oh, absolutely. I love it. They're out there supporting me. Even if I miss a putt or whatever, they're just excited for me, cheering for me. It makes it fun when I hit a great shot or a putt.

KARRIE WEBB, Rolex Rankings No. 10

Q. Were you happy with that finish?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, very happy. It's always hard. I had some really good momentum going yesterday afternoon. I made a couple of birdies to get back to even. You know, it was disappointing. We thought we were gonna get done. So, you know, it's hard to, you know, have that momentum first thing this morning.

But, you know, made a good two‑putt on 7 and a good two‑putt on 8. And to make that putt on 9 and to finish in red numbers for the first round, very happy.

Q. How did you refocus yourself with just being in the middle of the fairway on No. 7?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I was on the green, so I was looking at a 35‑, 40‑ foot putt down the hill. So it's not a nice way to sleep on, because you don't know how fast the greens are going to be the next morning. You know it when you're out there how it's gonna putt.

But, yeah, it's hard to come back, because when you've got things going, you don't want to do anything to stuff up the momentum you had yesterday. You try not to think that way, but, you know, even if I had made three pars coming in, I would have been happy with that, but making a birdie on the last was a nice bonus.

Q. You're probably not gonna tee off tonight.
KARRIE WEBB: If we get any sort of delay we won't be teeing off.

Q. How do you prepare for the possibility of 36 tomorrow?
KARRIE WEBB: Well, I'm probably gonna do a little bit of practice now and then just be done for the rest of the day. I had quite a few early mornings in a row now, so just try and rest up. Because even if we don't play 36 tomorrow, it will be 27 and 27 on Sunday, so it will be a big weekend.

Q. To be in red numbers out here, like you said, you have to feel good.
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah. It's my best first round at the U.S. Open for a lot of years. I can't even remember when, but I haven't shot under par at the U.S. Open the first round for a while. I'm happy with that.

Q. Lastly, do you like the way you've been playing lately?
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, I started off really well. April and May we didn't have a lot of tournaments, so I kind of lost that momentum. But, you know, you never know at the U.S. Open. You can come in here feeling great and have really high expectation sand not do very well. I've done that many times. I just sort of came in here not really ‑‑ I couldn't work out what sort of score would win around here, especially because we didn't know what the weather conditions were gonna be and how the course would turn out.

So going in, you know, not really expecting to shoot certain scores I think was good. And just, you know, taking it one shot at a time, which is a bit of a cliché, but really that's what you have got to do.

Q. How do you think Cristie played?
KARRIE WEBB: She had great momentum going into yesterday, and that's what can happen coming back. She was faced with a long bunker shot this morning, so, you know, if she'd have made par there, that would have been huge. So I think if I was in that position I would have been expecting to make bogey, and if I made par, I'd be fine. I'm sure she wasn't happy with the last couple holes.

Q. Overall impressions on the golf course.
KARRIE WEBB: Yeah, it's played ‑‑ well, I think with the rain it's made it play a lot fairer than it could. I mean, the only, you know, the greens were getting quite firm Wednesday afternoon, so with that a little bit of rain it softened things up a little bit.

AI MIYAZATO, Rolex Rankings No. 9

Q. Take us through your round. How did you play today?
AI MIYAZATO: I played really well. I hit the ball well today ‑‑ actually yesterday. Especially with my driver. I just missed one fairway yesterday, so I played really good.

Q. How you gonna pass the time? You may not play later today, may not be until tomorrow. What will you do with the rest of the day?
AI MIYAZATO: I may practice a little bit and go back to the room and maybe take a nap few hours and just relax.

Q. Did the course change at all with the rain, or was there not enough to really make an impact?
AI MIYAZATO: Not really. I thought the green was really soft yesterday, and this morning was pretty much same. So nothing different.

Q. Given the way you finished up, how much do you want to get back out there and play again today instead of waiting 24 hours?
AI MIYAZATO: Well, I can't beat the weather, so if I could start few holes, you know, later on, that would be great. But, you know, I will take whatever.

Q. Stopping and starting, is that hard?
AI MIYAZATO: It is hard. It is hard to make rhythm. But it happened almost every year, you know, at the U.S. Open, so I'm kind of used to it.

CRISTIE KERR, Rolex Rankings No. 2

Q. On your finish like that, how much do you want to get back out there? Now you have to wait. Is it hard to have to wait now?
CRISTIE KERR: No, I think it's actually a good thing for me. I need to work on my golf swing with my coach. I think the rain delay hurt me a bit. I didn't hit it in a good spot on 7. I was in the front row bunker. Almost made par, but, you know, that's not an easy way to come back out. Especially waiting overnight for rain delay, a long bunker shot to a tough pin is not how you want to come back.

But that's the hand I got dealt. My first swing of the day, didn't make a good swing and had a bad bounce. Had as about as difficult an up‑and‑down you can have on this golf course. Almost made birdie on 9. It's a good start. Considering everything, I guess it's a good start.

Q. What do you do to pass the time now?
CRISTIE KERR: I'm going to go practice and go home. I don't even know if I play later today. And if we do, it's not gonna be more than four or five holes. I'm not going to stress over it. I'm pleased I have a lot of time to work on my game with my coach. Get rested up, because it's gonna be a long weekend.

Q. Probably hit that green on 8, if you're, you know, playing ‑‑ if that's not your first drive basically.
CRISTIE KERR: I mean, that's your guess as good as mine. But I think I would have had a better chance if I had been playing and not ‑‑ you know, that's, you know, a difficult par‑3, so, you know, you want to be, you know, having played.

Q. Do you still feel good about where you're at at even?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, I mean, I won the Open in Pine Needles. I shot even the first day. It's not a bad omen.

Q. Is the course playing very different?
CRISTIE KERR: No, not really. I don't think they got a ton of rain last night. It was lightning storms all around.

INBEE PARK, Rolex Rankings No. 13

Q. Must have been difficult to just go out and play what, one hole?
INBEE PARK: Yeah, I think it's better than the afternoon if they have to play 36 holes. Just waking up early two out of three days now is a little bit tough, but I think I can manage.

Q. How about the way you played yesterday? Did you have to finish just one today?
INBEE PARK: Half.

Q. Half a hole?
INBEE PARK: Yeah.

Q. Okay.
INBEE PARK: Well, yesterday was really solid ball‑striking day. I left couple short putts out there, but I think it happens with everybody out here. These greens are really tough to putt. You just gotta take what you gotta take. I just had bad luck on No. 9, which is my last hole. I laid up with a wedge, so it went straight into the fairway but it hit the sprinkler and kicked like way left into the thick rough. So, you know, I made a good bogey there. You know, maybe tomorrow is a better day.

Q. What's your plan for the rest of the day now? You gonna practice some? What are you gonna do?
INBEE PARK: (Indiscernible) today, because my tee time right now is 10:55. So I might need to come out later, so, yeah.

Q. All right. Well, good luck with the greens. Appreciate it.
INBEE PARK: Thank you.

PAULA CREAMER, Rolex Rankings No. 8

PAULA CREAMER: I played pretty solid. I had several three putts, but I made several birdies also. You know, it's out there. You can definitely shoot a good score. It's just eliminating those bogeys. I don't think I missed ‑ maybe one green I missed all day, but I just had some three‑putts.

Q. How did it feel to finally start playing again after the delay yesterday?
PAULA CREAMER: No, it was great. I mean, the buildup's been a lot this whole week, you know, just constantly playing practice rounds. Yesterday was tough not being able to play. But that's Mother Nature, and you can't control that. You know, it's going to be a long day today. I'm just trying to conserve as much energy as I can, and hopefully I can put up a good number this afternoon.

Q. Do you do anything special when you do have to now go back to back?
PAULA CREAMER: No, just sit down for a little while, eat some food, and then get back out there. The more you think I guess the more it will play a part of it. It is what it is. It's unfortunate, but just have to do it.

YANI TSENG, Rolex Rankings No. 1

Q. Can you tell me about your round today?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, I was a little stronger with reading the putts. You have to be patient all day. Finished 2 over. Stronger with reading the putt. You had to really be patient all day. Finished 2 over. I just have to be patient and, you know, tournament, you're not gonna win it on first day. Like I kind of get used to the golf course, and then, you know, I just kind of got to go back in the afternoon.

Q. Is it good to finally get to play after you didn't get to do anything yesterday?
YANI TSENG: Yeah, for sure. I was always very happy to get on the course and play on the course and try to beat the course, too.

Q. Did you do anything special? Doing 36 holes in one day, do you do any special preparations or anything?
YANI TSENG: Nothing special. It's all the same.


CRISTIE KERR, Rolex Rankings No. 2

THE MODERATOR: Through 16 holes, 2 under at this point in the Women's Open, Cristie Kerr.

Q. When did you find out the decision that play would be suspended?
CRISTIE KERR: Just five minutes ago. Shocking. I mean, I know there is a lot of stuff in the area, but it gets dark at 8:30 or 9:00 here. So it's shocking. Some of my best friends, like Morgan Pressel, they haven't even teed off, so it's going to kinda be a domino effect for the rest of the week.

At least there is a week off after. If we had to go to a Monday finish, then I guess that's what it would be. Starting to lightning all around us here.

Q. Have you ever seen this much golf suspended in the first day of a U.S. Open?
CRISTIE KERR: No. I mean, not in all the Opens that I've played. You know, usually they'll keep you here and try and get as much in as possible, but I guess the forecast looks so bad. I mean, it's just so odd. We were going up 5 fairway and kind of saw one cloud and it didn't really look that bad, and then we were on 6th green and we started hearing it rumble. Within 10 minutes it just sort of popped up.

Q. (Question regarding No. 7.)
CRISTIE KERR: No, I actually, I hit it right off the tee. I didn't have too bad a lie in the rough, so I didn't need a great shot. I'm in the front right bunker, so it would be a tough up and down.

Q. You had just birdied back to back holes.
CRISTIE KERR: Right.

Q. How frustrating is it to have the interruption?
CRISTIE KERR: It is, and, you know, I've got a tough shot coming up ahead. At least I'll get to practice it in the morning, you know, before we go out. It will be a 7:45 a.m. start. At least I will get to practice some long bunker shots before we go out, so maybe it's a good thing for me.

It is what it is, you know. I have finished plenty of U.S. Opens on Monday. It's a big field. If you get any weather whatsoever first couple days with this size field, you're not going to finish.

Q. This course is really hard. How difficult would it be to cram 72 holes into three days?
CRISTIE KERR: I think it would be really difficult, especially with the forecast. I think it's this kind of forecast every day. I mean, I think probably after cancelling golf today, probably gonna be looking at making a cut sometime on Saturday.

So, I mean, I think that it would be a stretch to try and fit it all in by Sunday. That's with, you know, no weather the next three days. I don't know. Whoa, it's a bumble bee.

Q. Can you talk about the two birdies?
CRISTIE KERR: Yeah, actually made an unbelievable par save on 4. I hit it right, which you just can't do. I mean, I dropped, you know, 10 balls in the practice round there and didn't get one of them up and down. I just gutted it out and hit an amazing flop shot to about 15 feet. Probably the best I could do out of that lie. I walked that putt in for par.

And then, you know, hit it just a little left on the tee on 5 and hit a great, you know, iron from the rough out to about 20 feet and made that; then I hit gap wedge like a foot on the next hole. So, you know, I had some momentum, and, you know, that's the way it goes sometimes.

Q. What's the mental prep like after something like this overnight where you're in between rounds? Is it different than overnight, say, between rounds?
CRISTIE KERR: I don't think I understood the question, but, you know it...

Q. A long day ahead of you. Is it more of a mental game?
CRISTIE KERR: Not really. This is my 15th year on tour, 16th year being a professional. This stuff happens all the time. You have to kind of roll with the punches. I think the lightning is moving in a little bit. I think we need to hurry up.


AMY ANDERSON

THE MODERATOR: Through 13 holes, 2 under par, Amy Anderson.

Q. You're going to be the first day leader of the U.S. Women's Open. How do you feel about that?
AMY ANDERSON: Well, it's pretty exciting. I wasn't expecting it. I was pretty nervous on the first tee this morning and then settled down. I hit my first drive really good, and that helped me calm down a little bit. Yeah, first day leader, that's way more than I could have really imagined.

Q. How does this course compare in the environment here with what you're used to playing or other courses you've played?
AMY ANDERSON: It's a lot different. I never really played around the mountains. The greens to me were really tricky. I had my brother on the bag. He's caddying for me. He's figuring 'em out pretty well, and that's helped a ton. I'm putting pretty well, and I missed just one fairway. I think I missed two greens. So it's just everything is pretty solid.

Q. What's your brother's name?
AMY ANDERSON: Nathan.

Q. He's caddied for you several times. Is he starting to get to know your game a lot better and be a lot more help?
AMY ANDERSON: I think he knows it a little better than I do. No, he's got it figured out. Honestly, he just tells me what to do and I do it.

Q. Your golf season in North Dakota cannot be very long in college. Can you just sort of give us a timetable of when you play, when you can't play?
AMY ANDERSON: Yeah, it depends on the year, but generally I'm out there this year it took about middle of May before I could practice outside consistently. We're usually done by November. Sometimes we're done in October.

Q. How do you keep sharp?
AMY ANDERSON: Oh, we have an indoor facility. It's basically a 60 yard range. I hit balls in there, basically fine tune my swing. Then when it comes to summer I'm just outside practicing my short game as much as I can.

Q. Did you consider the idea of going south for college golf?
AMY ANDERSON: Not really. I basically wanted to stay near my swing coach and near my family. I graduated at 16, so I wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving home right away. I knew I was going to go to North Dakota State.

Q. How far is that from your home?
AMY ANDERSON: It's about 20 minutes. It's really close.

Q. How do you think this stoppage affects the momentum?
AMY ANDERSON: You know what? Actually, I like the rain because it's going to soften the course, make it a little easier to score. Yeah, the momentum, it does certainly slow that down. I wanted to keep going at least wanted to finish out my putting on hole 13 but I guess you can't really control the weather. I'm gonna go out there and just pretend I'm starting on hole 1, I guess, tomorrow.

Q. Were you surprised they called it for the rest of the day?
AMY ANDERSON: I was. I mean, it really doesn't look that bad out here. I was surprised at that. It will be nice just to go home and relax, though.

Q. In the wintertime does your team go down to Florida? Can you play on real golf courses between November and May?
AMY ANDERSON: Between November and February I'm just indoors on turf, and then we start traveling with tournaments and stuff to Arizona, Florida, different places. But it's a huge adjustment.

Q. I'm sure you're used to playing in all kinds of weather. This probably doesn't phase you.
AMY ANDERSON: Well, the weather wasn't even that bad; it was just the lightning. Not getting any rain here really.

Q. What's it like in the clubhouse locker room after they called the weather and everyone is in there? Are people anxious? Frustrated? How would you describe it?
AMY ANDERSON: It's just a zoo. Everybody wants to get out and finish, especially the people that maybe had one hole left. They will come out here tomorrow at 7:45, and may not get to start their next round. It kind of throws I guess it's not very good for them.

Q. What did you do to pass the time away?
AMY ANDERSON: Um, I basically just hung out with my family, my coach, some friends that are down here from North Dakota. I just sat and ate.

Q. How many people are here?
AMY ANDERSON: I'd say probably like 20 or 30 people from North Dakota.

Q. You're not going to be on the favorites list. Does that help maybe relieve the pressure?
AMY ANDERSON: Yeah. I like being the underdog. It's a position I'm really comfortable with. I mean, to me, I don't expect to go out and win this or continue playing like this. I mean, I'm going to try and work as hard as I can to do that, but I'm just going out there and having fun. This is an awesome experience that it's once in a lifetime.

Q. Can you tell us about some of your best holes.
AMY ANDERSON: Well, hole 5 I had a 6 iron in, and I stuck it to about three inches. That was great for the momentum. And then hole 9 I had about 90 yards in and put it to about a foot and a half.

Q. How long was the first one, the approach shot?
AMY ANDERSON: The first one was about 167 yards, if I remember right.

Q. You got a birdie putt on 12 when you get back?
AMY ANDERSON: On 13. I have about a 15 footer for birdie.

Q. (Off microphone.)
AMY ANDERSON: I hit a 6 iron. I hit seven 6 irons today, so that's the club.

Q. Do you have any heroes in North Dakota? The Byrums from there, or are they're from South Dakota?
AMY ANDERSON: I don't really know. You know, at my club, Mike Podolak, he's a USGA champion, so he's kind of a guy to look up to. As far as women's golf, there really isn't anybody who's done anything. And so for me, my heros were the people I saw on TV.

Q. Have you had any of these moments this week, sort of awe moments where you're right next to one of those people or anything like that?
AMY ANDERSON: Yeah, when I got here I think last week on Thursday, Suzann Pettersen was playing right behind me. I was like, Okay, this is for real, you know.

Q. Is your hometown pronounced Oxbow?
AMY ANDERSON: Yeah, Oxbow.

Q. Tell us about it.
AMY ANDERSON: It's a town of about 300. Basically just a golf course with houses. No gas station, no grocery store, nothing too glamorous. But Fargo is a pretty decent sized town, and that's just 10 minutes away.

Q. Is it an 18 hole course?
AMY ANDERSON: Yes.

Q. Did you play other sports in high school?
AMY ANDERSON: I didn't, no.

Q. You've played some good golf in your young life. What's your aspirations? Do you picture yourself winning this tournament one day, even if it's not this year?
AMY ANDERSON: I would love to, of course. I'm just going to keep working as hard as I can. Eventually when I graduate I'd love to turn pro. But that's one of those things where because golf is so finicky, it's hard to tell this early whether or not that will work.

Q. You mentioned people you watched on TV that you looked up to. Any players in particular you looked up to?
AMY ANDERSON: The biggest one was Suzann Pettersen, and of course Annika. I haven't met Annika, but I'd love to. Cristie Kerr, all the players that, you know, obviously work really hard at this have been good role models.

Q. You mentioned the 60-yard indoor bubble facility. Are there months that you actually don't even hit at all, the worst of the winter?
AMY ANDERSON: Yeah, I actually take a break in basically November and December, and then I start hitting again in the first of the year. But it's not because of the weather. It's just because I need a break mentally.

Q. How many clubs can you hit in that facility, one?
AMY ANDERSON: No, I hit everything, and then there's just a net in back of it where it flies into. I find it really good because there are flags up there and strings that I'll aim at, and I can really fine tune my swing with that.

Q. So the break works out too? That keeps you fresh?
AMY ANDERSON: I love it. When the spring comes I'm ready to go. I'm really excited.

Q. How long a stretch is it before you when you do not get to hit on grass?
AMY ANDERSON: Um, it's about four months, and then once we do start hitting, it's actually in Arizona or Florida. It's not in North Dakota.

Q. What are you majoring in?
AMY ANDERSON: Accounting.

Q. Do you have a certain routine you go through? Do you have any superstitions before each round?
AMY ANDERSON: No superstitions. I just go to the range about an hour before I tee off, practice a little bit, go to the putting green. Pretty much the same as most players.

Q. What was the hardest hole for you so far today?
AMY ANDERSON: Today on hole 6 I missed the fairway and I had to punch out, and then I got up and down for par. I'd say the hardest hole on the course is hole 11, because it's playing so long and it's difficult to hold the green. So I was very happy to get away with par there.

Q. At any point did you look up and see your name atop the U.S. Open leaderboard?
AMY ANDERSON: As I was walking up hole 7 I did. That was surreal. My brother and I joked, like, well, somebody better get a picture of that. It's not going to be up there for very long. It's going to be up there all night, so I'm excited.

Q. What's your best round?
AMY ANDERSON: Best round in competition was 66. That was at Deacons Lodge in Minnesota. Just a junior event.

Q. Is your brother older?
AMY ANDERSON: He's 19 months older.

Q. What's his best round?
AMY ANDERSON: I don't know. I don't know.

Q. Tell me, how many holes did you get through today?
AMY ANDERSON: I'm on the 13th green.

Q. And I understand it's going well out there. What's working well for you?
AMY ANDERSON: You know what? I'm just hitting the ball well. I missed one fairway and two greens through 13 holes. I'm hitting it right where I want to. That's helping a lot. The greens are slower than they were. That makes the putting easier.

Q. Anything else you found working well that's not working well for other people out there? What do you see they're struggling with that you're doing well?
AMY ANDERSON: I really think it's hitting the fairways. If you get off the fairway here you're going to have thick lies you can't get out. If you are hitting the fairways, you are a hitting the greens, it's going to be good.

Q. How is the course set up for you?
AMY ANDERSON: It's good. It's long, so I have a lot of hybrids and longer irons into the greens. If you're hitting those straight, that's fine.

Q. Any local knowledge helping you out on the putting or anything?
AMY ANDERSON: You know, we got here over a week ago, and so my brother who is caddying for me has really charted out the greens and figured out how they're rolling. He takes care of all that and I do what he tells me to.

Q. Good luck in the rest of your round.
AMY ANDERSON: Thank you.


CINDY LACROSSE, Rolex Rankings No. 143

Q. How did you birdie 16?
CINDY LACROSSE: Yes, I birdied 16. Probably about a 15 footer, and then hit it to about four feet.

Q. Did you win the card game?
CINDY LACROSSE: No, I lost terribly.

Q. What game was it?
CINDY LACROSSE: I don't it was something (indiscernible) made up. Allison Walsh won, and I think I came in last.

Q. Given what happened at the LPGA Championship, you got yourself in position and then you experienced Sunday in the final pairing for the first time. Did that make you determined? More confident? How did it affect you?
CINDY LACROSSE: Um, yeah, I mean, I knew I could do it. I mean, I played really well the first three days. Even though Yani was so far ahead going into the final day, I was still, you know, right in there with a lot of other good players. So, I mean, I knew I could shoot good scores on difficult golf courses, so it felt good coming into this week.

Q. Did that final round tick you off or motivate you?
CINDY LACROSSE: It was just a really weird day. I mean, I never experienced anything like that before. And then the way I felt about it was different, so it did kind of motivate me, you know, not to have that happen again and be so much better and stronger when I'm in that position again.

Q. You got home from that and went straight from Tampa to Orlando to work with your coach.
CINDY LACROSSE: Yeah.

Q. Was it to work on your swing or just to talk about...
CINDY LACROSSE: Yeah, it was mostly talk, but then he gave me just a few I mean, he knew I had this tournament next week, so nothing too crazy. Just a few setup changes and just some time to talk about what happened. 

Q. What's the most challenging part of the course in this competition?
CINDY LACROSSE: For me today it was probably the greens, and the speed of like my lag putt. I wasn't sure how the mountain was going to affect whether it would be fast or slow. So that's kinda what I've got to think about tonight and be ready for tomorrow.

Q. Are you the kind of laid back person that this kind of situation doesn't affect you very much, or does it really get you out of sync because you like things in order?
CINDY LACROSSE: I do like things in order. But, I mean, everybody has to deal with it. You know, the girls that teed off early are lucky; but then again, they might not be playing tomorrow or until really late. So, you know, it's not good for anybody, really.


MIKA MIYAZATO, Rolex Rankings No. 24

Q. What are the overall impressions of your round today?
MIKA MIYAZATO: It was a pretty tough grind out there. There was a bogie following a birdie, so it was kind of in-and-out kind of golf. But I was able to hang in there.

Q. What part of your game did you feel like you had working well?
MIKA MIYAZATO: Well, I was keeping it in the fairways off the tee, and the second shots mostly were on the green. My shots were pretty good and that kept me in there.

Q. Did you make any long putts today?
MIKA MIYAZATO: Maybe a birdie putt of three to four meters. It wasn't very long, but I think I was able to advance on the chances that I had today.

Q. How did the weather affect your play?
MIKA MIYAZATO: The weather didn't bother me, but it's the altitude -- the ball flight, distance, is hard to judge. (it's) maybe one club difference than I normally hit.

Q. What are your thoughts heading into the next three days?
MIKA MIYAZATO: I am just thinking I need to (have) patience this week, that's it.


SUE KIM

Q. How did you feel about your day? How close were you to finishing?
SUE KIM: I had one putt left. Well, hopefully it will be one putt.

Q. What were the conditions like out on the course?
SUE KIM: It was really nice to start, the rain yesterday was crazy. It was pretty firm, but soft enough for my ball to stop because I don't spin the ball that much. It was great. I hit the ball a lot farther today, I guess because it's warmer. That helped me with my distance, so I had more chance to put it on the green; more than yesterday.

Q. Do you think it is an advantage to have finished 17 holes when some people haven't even teed off yet?
SUE KIM: Yes, of course. I have one putt left, hopefully a one-putt. It is definitely an advantage because I get to rest up more than anything, and people have to finish 36 -- try to finish 36 holes in one day, and that's going to be very hard.

Q. What parts of your game were working today?
SUE KIM: Greens in regulation was really good for me today. I only missed a couple, so it's really good.

Q. Did you hole any long putts?
SUE KIM: I holed two birdies that were both about 15 feet.

Q. What are your thoughts going into the rest of the championship after your opening 17 holes?
SUE KIM: Try to play steady. Play safe as much as I can, and play fairway, green two-putt most of the time. That's my game plan.


JULI INKSTER, Rolex Rankings No. 37

Q. Two time U.S. Open champion, Juli Inkster, opening at 74. What was the toughest part about the golf course today?
JULI INKSTER: Well, the greens are tricky. They're a little slower than the practice rounds. Just because I think of the moisture and playing early, I had a little trouble getting them to the hole. Hit the ball pretty good today; drove the ball good. Had one double out there. But I didn't take advantage of my shots I had close to the pin.

But it's tough. I mean, it's a grinding golf course.

Q. The math game that everybody is playing about percentages, how much do you take off from each club, do you find it to be a sliding scale or can you rely on one number for each club?
JULI INKSTER: I'm using more of a sliding scale. You know, I think downwind and downhill have a little bit more effect, a little more carry. Seems like when you're going towards the mountains there's a little less. I just kind of made a graph and I'm just kind of going off that. But as far as club selection, I have to say we did pretty good today.

Q. Do you think the wetness was the big contributing factor to the differences between the practice round conditions and day one conditions?
JULI INKSTER: Yeah, I think so. I played really early. I didn't really play that early in a practice round. Ball was holding pretty good. The course is in great shape. You know, what you see is what you get. There are no really tricks to it. You just got to go out there and play some good golf.

Q. What would you like to be different as the horn goes off tomorrow?
JULI INKSTER: Well, I made two bogeys from teeing the ball up on a par 3. You know, you can't do that. Maybe a little more crisper with my irons. But as far as I drove the ball and thought my speed of my putts was good. So maybe a few more will drop in tomorrow.