2008 US Women's Open

Bobby Jones’ lily pad shot during the 1930 U.S. Open is Interlachen’s most famous story. It is part of his legend and the club’s lore. Seventy-eight years later, Jones’ story of skipping the ball over the pond on No. 9 remained a popular topic during coverage of the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open at Interlachen.

Annika Sorenstam created “The Moment” of the Women’s Open that will rival Jones’ shot and be retold for decades. Sorenstam was the sentimental favorite to win before retiring at the end of the season. When she reached the final hole (the member course’s No. 9) on Sunday, it was apparent that she would not win after having a balky putter all week. But the crowd cheered her on and lined the fairway several rows deep. The spectators wanted to witness the end of a remarkable era – the last hole in Sorenstam’s Open career, which included three victories (1995-96-06).

After hitting her drive into the right trees, Sorenstam was forced to pitch out short of the pond. From 199 yards, she hit a 6 iron that bounced in front of the green, rolled toward the hole and dropped in for an eagle 3. She threw her club in the air in celebration as the crowd erupted. Heard around the course, the ovation was tremendous and lasted for 10 minutes. Fairways away, spectators asked, “What did Annika do?” No one else but the Swedish star could elicit such a deafening response. It was a special moment of which legends are made and will go down as a defining moment in her hall-of-fame career.

NBC analyst Johnny Miller said, “You talk about destiny.”

Playing partner and defending champion Cristie Kerr said, “That’s the best shot I’ve ever seen.”

Young Guns

Although it was Sorenstam’s Women’s Open “Swan Song,” the event also validated a new generation of young talent on the LPGA Tour. The final-round chase came down to three women under age 23 and veteran Helen Alfredsson, 43, who remained in contention through the final nine holes with an eagle on the par-5 13^th hole and held on for second place.

Sunday’s final pairing was Americans Stacy Lewis, 23, and Paula Creamer, 21. Both stumbled early, making double bogeys on the par-5 second, a hole that ranked easiest of the tournament. In gusty conditions, their struggles continued on the front nine. On No. 9, both hit it where they should not – over the green – resulting in a bogey for Lewis and double bogey for Creamer. Both posted 78 to dash hopes for an American winner. Lewis tied for third and Creamer tied for sixth.

In the group ahead, Korean Inbee Park birdied Nos. 1 and 2 en route to a 2-under 71. “That was very important to my round,” Park said of her opening birdies. “I played even the rest of the round.” With 28.75 putts per round (second best in the field), Park was the only contender to make the key putts on Sunday. Her 9-under 72-hole total beat Alfredsson by four strokes. At age 19, Park became the youngest Women’s Open champion in her first professional victory.

International Game

Park dominated a deep international field. Indicative of the Tour’s depth, there had been nine different winners in the 10 major championships leading into the 2008 Women’s Open. World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa won two of them, but was a non-factor at Interlachen.

The field also demonstrated the international scope of women’s professional golf and the dominance of Asian players. Of the 74 players who made the 36-hole cut, 26 were American, 26 were Asian (including 20 Koreans) and eight were Scandinavian including six Swedes. Following the Open, eight Asians (including six Koreans) were in the top 20 on the LPGA Money List. Three of the four majors in 2008 were captured by Asians: In addition to Park, Yani Tseng (Taiwan) won the LPGA Championship and Ji-Yai Shin (Korea) won the British Women’s Open.

A Fair Test

Interlachen proved to be a great and fair test. Players agreed the greens were the most difficult aspect of the course.

“These greens are something else,” said Ochoa. “The scariest ones, I think are No. 3, No. 5, No. 9, No. 17.”

Kerr said there is no other course the LPGA plays that has greens that compare to the severity of slope of Interlachen’s. She believed that putting would be the key to winning.

While Sorenstam’s ball striking was solid (tied for eighth in greens in regulation at 72 percent), she fell victim to the greens (tied for 53^rd in putts per round with 31.75, which would have been worse without her hole-out on the 72^nd hole and a chip-in from in front of the 9^th green on Saturday).

“I haven’t had a flat putt all week,” Sorenstam said. “These greens are quite tricky. I would say they make the golf course.”

The difficulty of the greens was offset by an inviting USGA set-up that provided great scoring opportunities. On various days, tees were moved up on the five par-5s to allow long hitters to get home in two shots – there were 15 eagles – and on the par-4 seventh hole to entice them to drive the green – there were no eagles, but many shots in the front bunkers. Additionally, it was curious that the rough was not longer as it only cost the players .34 of a shot. But then again, they hit the fairway 64.1 percent of the time.

Although Interlachen was advertised as the longest Women’s Open set-up ever at 6,789 yards, the longest it played was 6,696 yards on Sunday. As expected, the three hardest holes were the par-4 17^th (4.426 stroke average), par-3 eighth (3.294) and par-4 ninth (4.270). On Sunday, No. 8 played 234 yards, the longest par-3 in Women’s Open history. The six easiest holes were the five par-5s and the par-4 seventh hole.

A shotmaker’s course, Interlachen suited the women well.

Promising Future

It was disappointing to Sorenstam’s fans realizing this was her last U.S. Open. However, the strong performances of many young players, including several amateurs, were reassuring, offering great promise for the future. Columbian Maria Jose Uribe, 18, made a lasting impression. The fast-swinging reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion tied for 10^th to earn low amateur honors. She was only the second amateur, along with Grace Park in 1999, to finish under par in an Open. Four American amateurs also made the cut: Alison Walshe (tie for 31^st), Amanda Blumenherst (tie for 38^th), Sydnee Michaels (tie for 64^th) and Tiffany Lua (tie for 71^st).

A Special Week

The Women’s Open was a special week for Interlachen. Not only did the course win the praises of the players and media, but also golf-enthused Minnesotans turned out in large numbers. Fans were awestruck by the players’ tremendous skills, which are almost impossible to appreciate on television. In addition to great length – Jee Young Lee led the field in driving distance at 289.38 yards – perhaps most impressive was their accuracy. Unlike the PGA Tour, where it is common to see Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson bounce their wayward drives off the crowd, the women rarely missed the fairways. And when they did, it was not by much.

The Women’s Open created many lasting memories for Interlachen, most notably Sorenstam’s slam-dunk for eagle on the last hole. Because we only have heard the story of Jones’ lily pad shot passed down through generations, it was fun for the gallery to see her shot in person and to be part of the club’s next great story.

Written by Christine Geer Dean

2008 US Open - Annika Eagle Shot on 18

2008 US Open Champion Inbee Park

Final Results