Flashback - 2009 Sybase Classic: Wie's Pleas are a Wheeze

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I got in around 7:20 AM, paid brief visits to the range and practice green, then looked for a pairings guide.  There were 60 groups (including 18 Sisters) teeing off shotgun style.

This is my fourth pro-am, so I figure I know the drill.  However, I saw something new for me.  Through the opening of the grandstands on #18, I noticed pros on the green.  Obviously they went out before the first pro-ams started at 7 AM.  Likewise, some players went out for practice late in the day on the heels of the last pro-am groups.

Marisa Baena was one of the practice players coming off the 18th green, so I asked if she could stop for a picture, which she did.  Then her caddy asked if I wanted a picture with her, so I said okay.  A little later, I got a pic of Becky Lucidi with her caddie at the same spot.  Then Becky asked if I wanted a pic with her, so I agreed.  She asked me my name and shook my hand.  She began the week as an alternate, but got into the final field...good for her.

Vickie Hurst had a 7:40 AM time and I wanted to see how long she was.  Last week, the TV people said she was averaging 276 off the tee.  However, her drive at # 10 was only 251.  Maybe she was just getting warmed up.  I noticed this was one of drive measuring holes.  The edge of the fairway has yellow spray painted numbers in ten-yard increments.

I returned to the range area where Joo Mi Kim’s caddie was by himself with her bag.  Her irons say MAX on the soles.  I asked him what brand was this and he said, “I don’t know, some Korean brand...as long as they go straight, that’s all I want!”  Joo Mi arrived and I got her pic too.

I decided to follow Hee Young Park’s group for the first hole, starting at # 1 at 9:20 AM.  I was surprised she teed off with a driver on this short narrow par-4 dogleg hole.  Then she surprised me by hitting 3-wood at # 2, which is straight and wide open.  Maybe she was experimenting on both.  It didn’t hurt her team; they won by five strokes with a score of 54!

After HYP’s group teed off on #2, Michelle Wie’s group approached the 4th tee, so I took a look.  They were accompanied by cop in a cart (more favoritism for MW;  Natalie Gulbis had a security guard on foot!).  Wie hit a rotten drive...low and left, but her parents didn’t follow her down the fairway right away.  A guy in a RULES cart had driven up and handed B.J. a sheet of paper.  Without eavesdropping too blatantly, I heard two things.  First, the paper described the rule differences between a practice round and a pro-am round.  Second, the rules guy said that the tour is trying to encourage the pros to be more engaged with their amateur partners in pro-ams.  B.J. had a LOT to say in return, but he spoke too softly to be heard.  When they finally finished, the rules guy drove them down the fairway to catch up with MW.  I didn’t know what this episode meant and I didn’t care.  Team Wie is a tiresome act and I had no interest in following them.

I did my usual bouncing between the course and the clubhouse area in the morning and afternoon.  Some observations at the driving range:

Suzann Pettersen – She’s the first player I’ve seen use a bungee cord or rubber tubing loop to stretch and warm up.  She stood on part of it with both feet, then started stretching it over her head and around her body in all directions.

Eun Hee Jee – It’s fascinating to watch her Sergio Garcia dropdown move directly from behind.  But, I wonder if her swing is high maintenance.  She had two shafts on the ground pointing left.  I don’t know what she was trying to do or how she normally hits the ball.  Everything was hit left-to-right...the power fades to the left were good, but the slices into the right rough were not.  Her body language expressed dissatisfaction.  However, the LPGA stats say she’s 3rd in driving accuracy.

Michelle Ellis – She was with her coach and she hit a ton of balls with just her right hand holding a short iron.  The coach was taking pictures or videos of this.  He wanted her to focus on getting the club over her right shoulder in a certain position.  She hit some two-handed shots at the end of the session, but not in a way that makes someone say, “Wow, who is that?”

Michelle Redmen – She would stop her driver at the top for a second before starting her downswing.  I later realized this was a drill, not a new swing.

Na On Min – How does someone so little rank 14th in driving distance?  Well, she hits a high, sweeping draw.  Finding the short grass is the issue (ranks 140th).  Ji Yai Shin practiced next to her, but spent considerable time watching and coaching Min.

A few observations at the practice green:

Jimin Kang gave an interview to a reporter...don’t know what media outlet it was for.

Se Ri Pak’s caddie turned to me asked if I knew what was the weather report for the day.  I said there was a small chance of a brief shower in the afternoon.  The sky was partly cloudy.  He forgot to bring an umbrella and said he didn’t want to get fired.  When I suggested the collapsible mini umbrella hanging from my belt, he said, “If I use that, I’ll get fired for sure!”  Pak was not in the pro-am.  I felt a couple drops in the afternoon, but that was it.

I saw Shi Hyun Ahn smile, which is a rarity at times.  She’s got a short haircut with no pigtail.

Have you seen Anna Grzebien?  Her lips and chin remind me of Carol Lynley (see imdb.com if you don’t know who that is).

I was surprised not to see Kyeong Bae’s dad last year, but he is back this year and carrying KB’s bag, which I hadn’t seen before.

A photographer pointed his telephoto lens at a tall Korean player in a Puma top and skirt with Callaway visor (about 10 feet away), and asked me, “Is that Michelle Wie?” (Uhh...you’re in the media and you can’t answer that yourself?!!!)  I said, “No, that’s not her, I don’t know who it is.”  I didn’t see a name on this player’s bag.  When I got home, I figured out that is was Jeehae Lee.

Two interesting facts about Jeehae:  First, her caddie also acted like a coach and I’m 99% sure it was Seol An-Jeon.  Second, she has a pair of legs that are OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Some fashion notes:  Jin Young Pak also wore a Puma top & skirt combo...not bad.  Christina Kim wore a visor...never saw that before.  Louise Friberg wore a white turtleneck that must have pleased the guys in her group.  Angela Park stood out with plaid pants...thumbs up.  Painters caps are becoming more popular...Mindy Kim had one.

At lunch, I went to my car for a sandwich I had in a cooler.  The parking area is an unused fairway and I noticed Linda Wessberg and her caddie were nearby posing for pictures.  When I returned to the course, Jee Young Lee was doing a fancy photo shoot under a tree near the amateur’s driving range.

Some more observations during the pro-am:

Soo Yun Kang – With a short iron, she took a stance much wider than her shoulders at the par-3 8th hole, which played 135.  She’s built like a rail, so a wide stance would prevent her from falling over!  Before hitting, she held a three-wood belonging to an amateur and explained to him how each part of it is supposed to work.

Birdie Kim – The par-3 17th was playing 184.  She used an iron and knocked it stiff.  Her irons are from OnOff...looks like they copied the old Mizuno T-Zoids.

Stacy Lewis – While waiting to hit her second shot, an amateur described the fun he had with the pros when the LPGA was in Atlantic City.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), he had a bad memory with names.  He said one of them, a lower echelon pro, showed him the tattoo on her butt in a bar.  He said another was a heavy-set girl who lived in Las Vegas.  All she talked about was gambling and how she wanted to hit the casinos in AC.

Seon Hwa Lee – I watched her tee shot at #18.  Her swing could be used in a ballet.  Before hitting, her caddie got lots of laughs by telling how Paula Creamer dropped an F-bomb after hitting an iron that rolled off a green at a past tournament.  He said Paula sometimes drives her caddie crazy.

After the Momoko Ueda’s pro-am group finished playing # 10, a foursome followed them for a practice round:  JY Shin, Shiho Oyama, Il Mi Chung (got a pic with her near the driving range earlier), and Lorie Kane.  Michelle Redmen and Heather Young followed one hole behind.

I was impressed with Oyama.  She was the longest of her group and made a solid swing with her second shot at #12.  Before teeing off at # 11, Shin tested her Japanese with Oyama.  After #12, Chung called it a day and left.  I later saw Shin and Kane playing # 18, so Oyama must have left early too.

At the 13th, Ueda’s group had second shots from 127.  One of the amateurs, who is built like a vending machine, took a swing and missed the ball.  His second swing took a divot, but moved the ball about one inch.  Then he put the ball in his pocket.  I know that feeling.

I walked to the front nine where another practice group was teeing off at #5:  Lisa Strom, Kim Hall, Meg Mallon, and Chella Choi.  Choi was with her parents;  daddy carried the bag.

I caught up with Irene Cho’s group at the par-3 8th.  She hit the ball four feet from the hole and the first amateur who putted knocked it in.  At the par-3 9th (last hole of day), Irene’s right foot went out from under her on her drive, which cracked her up...and she still found the fairway!  At the green, lights were turned on, although it wasn’t that dark.  After completing the hole, Irene tried to chip and putt a ball off the top of an empty beer can...her technique was lacking.  It had been a fun, but long day for this group (5 hrs. & 25 minutes) and for me.  Also, I think it’s time for some new walking shoes.

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I was lazy and got in 9:30 AM.  No one was on the driving ranges since all the morning groups had teed off.

I spent the morning on the front nine.  H.J. Choi, Audra Burks, and Ashleigh Simon teed off at #1.  I followed them half way down, then reversed direction to follow the group coming up the 2nd fairway:  Birdie Kim, Kris Tschetter, and Janice Moodie.  Tschetter had a small folding chair attached to her bag;  I read she had a double hip replacement.  She was walking okay, but you wouldn’t say she had a spring in her step.

Michelle Ellis, Sung Ah Yim, and Marisa Baena were next on #1.  For Ellis, I was curious to see if that long lesson she had on the range Tuesday was having an effect.  Yim (who wears Ben Hogan brand pants) chose driver and hit a good one.  Baena chose 3-wood and hit it almost as long as Yim’s shot.  Ellis chose driver and hit a horrid low slice into the rough, about 214 yards.  Then I noticed the standard bearer...Ellis was +11 after 27 holes.  It may be an optical illusion, but she takes the club back low and around her body...looks weird.

As I walked to the approach shots, I passed Baena’s sister (the one that plays pro golf, according to a spectator).  Ellis hit a weak iron that was headed for the water in front of the green.  But, the ball hit a weird spot on the stones flanking the far side of the brook and caromed backwards at least 60 yards.  From the fairway, she pitched on and made par!

Ellis straightened herself out on #2 and cranked her drive about 250, the longest of the group.  But, seriously, she needs to get in better shape.  There are other big women out here, but most aren’t as mushy.  In contrast, her partners looked quite firm, especially Baena.

I watched some of the action at the par-3 3rd hole.  Paige Mackenzie (playing via sponsor’s exemption) probably had the best shot of the day there.  It hit four inches from the cup and rolled four feet...made birdie.  I heard Paige is a great player to get for a pro-am.  A bombers group dropped by later:  Laura Davies, Maria Hjorth, & Jee Young Lee.  But, a par-3 is no fun for this group.  I walked over to the par-4 4th with the expectation that they’d all pull out the big stick...but Davies used an iron.  Boo!

For a brief moment, I thought I was at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.  While hanging out near the 8th tee box, a burly, rough-looking woman showed up.  She wore a sleeveless green t-shirt and long camouflage shorts...tattoos covered her arms and legs.  A small older blonde woman was with her who looked totally opposite.

Regarding the green t-shirt, it had two rows of gold lettering in front.  ‘Choi’ in English was printed on top.  Korean characters were printed below, but the wrinkles in the shirt made them hard to decipher.  Then H.J. Choi walked over from the 7th green, approached this fan, pointed at the t-shirt and cracked up.  I have no clue if they knew each other from before...and I don’t need to know!

I got a little closer and figured out the Hangeul: chin-gu (friend).  This fan followed H.J. after she completed the 8th hole (her 17th of the day).  Obviously, it’s a myth that American fans won’t relate to the Korean players!

(I don’t know if Chella Choi and Na Yeon Choi met the ‘welcoming committee’ this week).

I finished up the morning with the group of Seon Hwa Lee, Hee Won Han, and Katherine Hull.  I noticed that Han wore those cool Adidas Tour 360 3.0 golf shoes...I assumed they only made those for guys!  This was my first look at “Hully” in action.  On #9, she teed the ball unusually low for a driver and hovered the club head before beginning the backswing.  For me, this has “top” written all over it, but for her it was a long bomb down the middle.

Lunchtime – on the way to my car, I stopped at the practice green.  Shi Hyun Ahn had the Gary Player look...black top, black pants, white shoes and a white frisbee visor.  Has she lost weight in the last few years?  She certainly had no need to do that.  It’s still bizarre that she has very little on display for endorsements compared to ‘junior’ Korean players.

In-Kyung Kim and Michelle Wie left the practice green to start their round.  Inky was given a “Pighting!” (Is this the right pronunciation?) cheer from a Korean guy.  I watched Wendy Ward, Inky, and Wie tee off at # 10.  What a mob scene.  Normally, I’d want to check out Inky, but I didn’t want to deal with crowds.

After lunch, I noticed Christina Kim giving a video interview near the 10th tee to a Korean media outlet (might have been American-based).  I didn’t hang around long, but she discussed her bubbly personality.  She said the American and Euro players also have their share of stoic players...meaning that the Koreans are not unique in this regard.

I returned to the front nine to follow Angela Park’s classic swing for a while.  She and her partners (Sun Young Yoo and Brittany Lang) already had their balls in the fairway on the par-4 6th hole.  Angela was away and hit the green to make her fourth straight birdie.  The other two missed the green and had to scramble for par.

The par-5 7th hole has the markings as a measuring hole.  Park’s drive was about 233.  Lang belted hers over 265.  Yoo hit hers at least 240.

This was my first extended look at Yoo and I didn’t know she had greater length than her size would imply.  She drove it longer than Park most times...sometimes by a little and sometimes by a lot.  On the 10th hole, I thought Park hit a good drive, but Yoo must have an extra gear.  She bombed it over 20 yards past Park.  The good news is that Angela briefly disappeared from the 10th fairway to change from pants to a skirt!

On the par-5 11th, Park and Yoo hit lay-ups and made birdies.  Lang bombed her drive, but missed the green to the right with her second and finished with par.  On the par-4 12th, Lang teed off with a wood or hybrid.  After hitting her second shot, she dropped her iron...and her ball dropped in the water.

I walked back to the 12th tee to watch Eun Hee Ji, Rachel Hetherington, and Na Yeon Choi hit.  I stayed there because I could see Helen Alfredsson was in the next group on # 11.  When she came to #12, she was +3 for the day.  Hee Young Park and Jimin Kang hit first.  Jimin has put on a few pounds since last year, but she doesn’t look fat.  She still has that wicked shaft-past-parallel swing.  Alfie pulled a fairway wood or hybrid and hit a UFO into the left woods.  “I’m going to hit a provisional”, she announced to her partners.  She hit that one straight, but didn’t need it because she found the first one.  She picked up another bogey.

After consecutive bogeys, Shi Hyun Ahn (+6) arrived at #12.  She has OnOff irons.  She chose driver and hit it right down the middle – then gave the turf a two-handed chop with the club head.  A guy next to me asked, “What was wrong with that drive?”  Well, her stance was pointed left, because she planned to carry her driver over or around the big trees at the bend.  But, a straight driver down Broadway will always roll into the right rough, which is what happened.  Despite the lie, she cleared the pond with a flush second shot and made par.

I was the only spectator following Shi Hyun’s group on the par-4 13th hole, which included Moira Dunn and Wendy Doolan (-6).  Shi Hyun drove it about 240 to the top of the hill and made birdie.

On the par-4 14th, Shi Hyun busted her drive about 250 and made par.  Dunn pulled her drive dead left into a tree, but got a lucky bounce into the fairway.  She hit her second from another Zip Code and scrambled to make par.

I did some general roaming the rest of the day.  Mi Hyun Kim, Ai Miyazato, and Louise Friberg (wearing a white tank top) avoided the water (just barely for Peanut) at the par-3 15th hole.

I caught up with Kyeong Bae (+8) who was in the fairway at the par-4 16th, playing with Anja Monke and Beth Bader.  Monke was in a fairway bunker on the left with the ball well below her feet.  Her shot hit the lip, popped straight up and went about 20 yards.  Bae hit a crisp iron to the green.  I yelled, “Nice shot KB!”  She waved at me and hollered, “Thank you!”  So, what does she do after this encouragement?  Three-putt.  KB’s dad had her bag.

While standing downrange at the par-4 9th, J. Ro. crushed a drive of 271, which put her past Shanshan Feng and way past Kim Hall.  I think a slight breeze had started to pick up in that direction, too.

From # 9, I could also watch the action at the par-5 18th.  For her third shot, Shi Hyun pulled the string on a Cleveland wedge, which left her less than three feet for birdie (made it for round of 69).  From what I saw, she played well.  I don’t know how or why she frequently plays lousy to start a tournament.

I went back to the tee box at # 9 to finish my day with Mika Miyazato, Michelle McGann, and Chella Choi.  Mika has cool-looking irons (Tourstage X-Blades) and has only her first name on her bag.  She chose driver and hit it into the left rough.  McGann chose a fairway wood or hybrid and hit it into the right trees.  She stood there a moment, practiced a swing motion with her right arm, and said, “I really tried to concentrate on getting through that shot.”

We may be hearing more about Chella in the future.  She chose driver and blasted a high draw down the middle.  When I reached it, it was 274!  From about 115, she became Johnny Miller and hit a one-hopper off the flagstick!  I had to wait a while for her birdie putt, since Mika and McGann were butchering this hole with a bogey and double-bogey, respectively.  Back to Chella – she made the putt and it was no kick-in.  Later on, she and her sister(?) were enjoying popsicles with daddy in the outdoor VIP dining area.

I definitely confirmed that I need new walking shoes – got a blister under my left second toe. Ick!