CROMWELL, Conn. – The smile never wavered from Suzy Whaley’s face. At least not after the three-putt from three feet on the first green, turning what would have been a nice-way-to-start par into a humbling double bogey.
At least her score was a stroke better than playing partner Anthony Painter’s. The Australian hit his first tee shot out of bounds and wound up with a triple.
If anything, the early gaffe made clear two things: One, Whaley wouldn’t threaten shooting an even-par 70, and two, she might as well enjoy herself regardless of her score.
The latter was a given. No one could possibly have had more fun, shooting a 5-over-par 75 than Whaley did yesterday in the first round of the Greater Hartford Open. A 30-footer that rolled in from just off the 18th green was her only birdie on the round. But what a way to finish.
This was nothing like the Colonial last May when Annika Sorenstam became the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA Tour event. Shooting even par and making the cut were goals Sorenstam thought realistic. When she shot 71-74 and missed the cut by four strokes, it was still considered a triumph. This was more of a feel-good event, a Connecticut celebration.
“I’m thrilled for her,” said Whaley’s sister Tracy as she watched from outside the ropes on the ninth hole. “I think she’s playing great.”
Of course, great is a relative term when it comes to golf. Jay Haas and Peter Jacobsen played great, shooting a pair of 7-under par 63s in the morning to lead the tournament.
Rain had made the TPC at River Highlands play longer than the measured 6,820 yards, but the greens were left defenseless. “The greens are receptive, so you can run at them pretty good,” Haas said. “I thought the scores would be much better than they are.”
The lack of roll in the fairway, however, would work against Whaley, who was left with either a wood or long iron into the greens. She chipped from just off the green on No.1 and looked as if she would salvage par when her ball rolled to within three feet. But she pushed the putt about a foot past the cup and then missed the comeback emitting a gasp from the large gallery.
After a steadying par on the second hole, her third shot from just off the green on the par-4 third hole stopped 12 feet short of the cup and she missed the putt to go 3-over. Three straight pars followed, including an incredible 30-footer for a par 5 on the 574-yard sixth. But another bogey came on the 443-yard, par-4 seventh when she missed her first fairway on the front, hit her second shot into a greenside bunker and couldn’t get up and down from 12 feet.
At 4-over par and 11 shots off the lead, it wasn’t about what she would shoot, but how well she presented herself. The head pro at Blue Fox Run in Avon, Conn., was bathed in support from the galleries, who were rewarded with her constant smile.
Already 5-over, she twirled her arms in celebration after making a long putt to save par on 12. She wouldn’t make another bogey until the par-3 16th, when she flew the green and couldn’t get up and down. But a dramatic save for par on 17 and the birdie finish earned her a well-earned standing ovation.
“To handle the crowds and everybody pulling for her was pretty cool,” said LPGA player Michelle McGann, whose father Bucky carried Whaley’s bag. “The way she drove the ball was beautiful and to make that last putt was awesome.”
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GH0 leaderboard
Jay Haas 63 -7
Peter Jacobsen 63 -7
Dennis Paulson 64 -6
Craig Barlow 65 -5
Kenny Perry 66 -4
Jonathan Kaye 66 -4
K.J. Choi 66 -4
Notables
Phil Mickelson 67 -3
Suzy Whaley 75 +5
David Duval 83 +13
