Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Friday 30 June 2017
Big-hitters Henderson, Wie stake major claim at Women’s PGA

By JIM LITKE U.S. Women’s Open — at
AP Sports Writer Pinehurst.
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. (AP) Praise for Olympia Fields,
— Michelle Wie launched a tree-lined classic layout
a 3-wood into swirling just south of Chicago, is
gusts and toward the 18th nearly unanimous. But it’s
green, wondering if the being tempered by players
shot had enough steam struggling to navigate the
to get there. A shift in the changing wind, with gusts
wind took the guesswork up to 16 mph. Oh called
out of the equation. that a “massive” factor in
“It died down and I got a her decision-making.
little surprise,” Wie said. “I “We kind of anticipated it,”
got all the way there.” she said. “It’s the ‘Windy
The 215-yard shot rolled City.’ But it was like this
within 30 feet of the flag from the very beginning
to set up a two-putt birdie and I stayed patient out
and a 3-under 68 that left there.”
Wie two shots off the lead The Women’s PGA marks
during the opening round the start of a stretch of
Thursday in the KPMG three majors in six weeks,
Women’s PGA Champion- which should provide
ship. She wasn’t the only Chella Choi, of South Korea, hits out of a bunker on the 17th hole during the first round of the 2017 some clarity at the top of
long-hitter to benefit from Women’s PGA Championship golf tournament at the Olympia Fields Country Club Thursday, June the game.
29, 2017, in Olympia Fields, Ill.
windy conditions and a Associated Press So Yeon Ryu, who beat
tough front nine at Olym- Lexi Thompson in a play-
pia Fields Country Club. outright lead when play at 68 were Alison Lee and The second major on the off at the ANA Inspiration
Defending champi- was suspended at 7:01 Su Oh. Kim Kaufman and women’s tour is again be- to claim the season’s first
on Brooke Henderson p.m. because of danger- Emily Pedersen also were 3 ing played at the site of pre- major, also took over the
matched the 3-under start, ous weather in the area. under late in their rounds. vious men’s majors, where No. 1 spot this week after
which left her two back Brittany Altomare shot a 67, “I was able to carry a big tee shots can pay big becoming the only repeat
of Chella Choi and Amy and Joanna Klatten also couple of fairway bunkers, dividends. Henderson won winner through the first 16
Yang. Choi shot a 66 in the was 4 under with two holes which is huge, because not her first major at Sahalee tournaments on the LPGA
morning, and Yang was on left. a lot of players are able to last year, and Wie claimed Tour. Ryu finished at 69,
the 18th hole at 5 under Joining Henderson and Wie do that,” Henderson said. her only major — the 2014 and Thompson at 70.q
with a chance to grab the
‘Spooky’ in Salem Continued from Page 17 ing to pay a real penalty Instead, he matched it.

out here.”
“Do they pay you for that?”
Doug Garwood was third at he said with a smile. “It’s
Triplett is the 10th player to 6 under on the 6,815-yard- Thursday night, and there’s
shoot 62 in a senior major course. a whole bunch of guys that
— including Browne, who Paul Goydos, who made are really close.
did it at the Senior Play- the turn at 5 under to take So I’m more about the tour-
ers Championship in 2012 an early lead but bogeyed nament than about the
and missed it by one stroke his final hole, was at 65 individual rounds accom-
Thursday. along with Tom Lehman, plishment. I just feel great
“Even though there’s some Kenny Perry, Jerry Smith, to be in the thick of it.”
red numbers on the board, Barry Lane and Duffy Wal- After winning the first two
if you got overly aggres- dorf. senior majors this year, Ber-
sive and you missed on The 55-year-old Triplett nhard Langer shot a 67 and
the wrong side, you were has five victories on the was tied for 13th.
cooked,” said Browne, the 50-and-over tour after win- Fred Couples, who won
2011 Senior Open cham- ning three times on the last week in Madison, Wis-
pion. “The greens were PGA Tour. By the time he consin, was at 68. Defend-
receptive and the wind arrived at the course for his ing Senior Open champion
Kirk Triplett tees off on the ninth hole during the first round of the was down today, so the 1:58 p.m. tee time, there Gene Sauers had a 73.
U.S. Senior Open golf tournament, Thursday, June 29, 2017, in were already a handful of Waldorf had a hole-in-one
Peabody, Mass. ball was going where we players in the clubhouse at on the 149-yard third hole.
Associated Press started it. But if you didn’t 5-under. Goydos and Browne each
hit good shots, you’re go-
Triplett birdied four of his first shot 30 on the back nine.
six holes, hitting his 3-iron on “Thirty is usually a six- or sev-
the par-3 15th 20 feet past en-hole score for me this
the hole but “I just rolled year,” said Goydos, who
that right in the jar.” shot 59 in 2010 in the John
“My partners are looking at Deere Classic on the PGA
me, ‘OK, all right. It’s going Tour. “You’re going to think
to be that kind of day,’” he about the last hole for a few
said. minutes. ... It might put a
He missed a 10-footer for little taint on my sandwich,
birdie on the final hole for yeah, but that’s the men-
budgetaruba@setarnet.aw the record. tality of who we are.”q