CORNING, New York (AP) - Defending champion Annika Sorenstam opened with a 3-under 69 before Sherri Turner shot 66 to tie Sophie Gustafson for the first-round lead of the Corning Classic on Thursday.
“It was tricky out there with the wind swirling constantly,'’ Sorenstam said.
“It’s tough to judge, especially when the greens are so small. It makes a big difference if you don’t pick the right club. That’s what happened to me on the first hole. If you don’t have the right club, you end up on the wrong side of the pin and you can have some unmakeable putts, and I had them.'’
Turner played in one of the final threesomes of the day in much improved conditions, and started quickly, making eagle on the par-5 second hole, and carding three more birdies before the turn.
She finished with her first round in the 60s this year to tie Gustafson, who closed with five birdies over her final seven holes on the way to her best round of the season.
Annika Sorenstam, of Stockholm, Sweden, tees off on the 12th hole during the first round of the LPGA Corning Classic in Corning, N.Y., Thursday, May 26, 2005. (AP Photo/Kevin Rivoli)
Sorenstam was tied for third with 1986 Corning winner Laurie Rinker, Catherine Cartwright, Jamie Hullett, Mee Lee, and South Korea’s Jimin Kang.
Two weeks after dominating the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, in which she played the first 39 holes of the tournament without a bogey, things changed quickly for Sorenstam.
She started with a bogey at No. 10, then had another at the 13th to fall behind her playing partners, two-time Corning winner Rosie Jones and Christina Kim.
Sorenstam then got going, starting with an impressive eagle at the 510-yard, par-5 No. 14.
She hit a 4-wood to within 7 feet of the pin to become the first player in the tournament’s 27-year history to make the elevated green on the second shot.
She then calmly made the short, twisting putt to go back to even par.
Sorenstam drove to 5 feet and made her birdie putt at No. 15, and followed with two more birdies to move into contention.
At the par-5 second, Sorenstam scored her fifth eagle of the year to move to the top of the leaderboard at 5 under.
But she faltered with bogeys at Nos. 5 and 7, the result of the gusting conditions, which often made a picture-perfect, sunny day treacherous for those who played in the morning group.
Sorenstam, who had four three-putt holes, finished her round with three straight pars, and they came when the wind seemed its stiffest.
“On my last hole I thought I was totally downwind, and by the time I’m going to hit it’s into the wind, and by the time I get to the green it’s left to right,'’ she said, shaking her head.
“I could have used three different clubs. You had to time it pretty well. It makes it difficult.'’
Gustafson missed the cut two weeks ago at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship, which Sorenstam dominated for her 60th career victory, and her only round in the 60s this year came a month ago on the first round of the Takefuji Classic.
On this day, even a tricky wind that often befuddled Sorenstam didn’t seem to have as much of an effect on Gustafson.
She tied her fellow Swede with an 8-foot birdie putt at the par-4 13th hole, the most difficult on the short and narrow Corning Country Club course.
Gustafson followed with three straight birdies, capping her impressive string with a 10-foot putt at 17.
“You’ve got to be aggressive here,'’ said Gustafson, who needed only 24 putts on the round, seven fewer than Sorenstam.
“I had a couple of bogeys where I wasn’t really sure where the wind was coming from.'’
The wind wasn’t as bad for those who teed off in the afternoon. Barring a total collapse on Friday, Turner, the 1988 Corning champion, was virtually assured of making only her second cut in five tournaments.
Her best finish this season is a tie for 51st in last week’s Sybase Classic. Tessa Teachman, a 15-year-old American, the youngest player to ever qualify at Corning, shot a 1-over 73 and was in contention to make the cut.
