Webb Wins U.S. Women's Open
G U R N E E, Ill., July 23, 2000 -- Karrie Webb had no idea when she teed offtoday how hard it would be to claim the U.S. Women’s Open trophysitting not 10 feet away.
She dunked a tee shot in the water and blew a four-stroke leadbefore collecting herself, then playing the back nine with a steelyresolve that buried her challengers and gave her the trophy she’swanted so badly.
After birdieing the 18th hole, Webb hugged Meg Mallon, herplaying partner, and Evan Minster, her caddie. She finished at6-under 282, five strokes ahead of everyone else.
Webb and Woods
The world’s No. 1 golfer has won three of the last four majorchampionships. She won the du Maurier Classic last year and theNabisco Championship earlier this season, and needs only the LPGAChampionship to complete the career Grand Slam.
It seemed only fitting that Webb won this weekend. Just as TigerWoods has dominated the PGA Tour, Webb has been his equal on theLPGA Tour, winning 21 times in 4 1/2 years. Today, just about 20minutes before she teed off, Woods completed his career Grand Slamwith a record-setting victory at the British Open.
“You kind of feel like there’s a sense of fate in it all,”said Cristie Kerr, who finished tied with Mallon for second at1-under 287. “When people tee it up with Tiger, they’re playingfor second. When Karrie plays well, we kind of all feel likethat.”
Not Perfect Today
Even when Webb doesn’t play her best, she makes it very, veryhard to beat her. She won by five strokes despite shooting a1-over-par-73, her worst score of the week.
She looked so vulnerable after her tee shot on the par-3 7thbounced into the water, dropping her into a tie with Mallon whobirdied No. 9. But Mallon bogeyed three straight holes on the backnine.
Mi Hyun Kim came within a shot, but she, too, fell off. She wentinto the water on the 16th hole and missed her bogey putt,finishing tied with Rosie Jones at even-par 288.
Like all champions do, Webb recovered and finished strong,making birdies on 10 and 18. As she walked up the 18th fairwayafter putting her ball on the green, she grinned and slapped handswith Minster.
She wins $500,000, the largest prize ever in women’s golf. Shealso gets a $250,000 bonus for the Nabisco Grand Slam Challenge.She’s earned $1.486 million this year and needs just $106,324 tobreak the LPGA single-season earnings record, which she set lastyear.
The victory also gives Webb the points she needs to qualify forthe Hall of Fame. With 27 points, three major championship titles,two Vare trophies for lowest scoring average and one player of theyear award, all she needs now are 10 years on the LPGA Tour. Shewill be eligible for induction after the 2005 season.
Stays Tough to Win
Webb said this week that this was the one tournament she’salways wanted to win, her nerves showed early on. On the firsthole, her drive strayed just a little to the right, landing in thefirst cut of rough. No big deal — except that she only missed fourfairways all day Saturday.
Her putting stroke, so sharp Saturday, was a little off, too. Onthe first hole, she had a 12-foot birdie putt that rolled along theedge of the cup — and kept going, stopping two feet past the hole.
Her worst hole of the whole week came on the No. 7, when her teeshot hit the small bank on the front left side of the green andbounced into the water. She hit again from the drop area, and thisshot landed about 15 feet from the hole. Her par putt went 11/2 feetby the hole, leaving her with a double-bogey and cutting her leadto one.
But Webb kept fighting. Coming out of the rough on No. 8, sheclipped a tree and dropped back into the rough. This is no ordinaryrough, either. It’s so thick and heavy it almost feels like theartificial turf some people have in their patios.
Webb had little choice but to lay up 75 yards short of thegreen, but she still managed to put her next shot six feet from thepin and made the par putt, drawing roars from the crowd.