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Sunday, Jun. 6 Inkster running away with Open  Associated Press
WEST POINT, Miss. -- Fearless, aggressive golf is not the sole property of Generation X. On Saturday, it belonged to a 38-year-old mother of two who is running away with the U.S. Women's Open.
Juli Inkster has been preaching all week that par will never be
enough at Old Waverly Golf Club. She followed her own advice in the
third round for a 5-under 67 that shattered the 54-hole record and
gave her a four-stroke lead over Lorie Kane and Kelli Kuehne.
And Inkster is not about to stop now.
"I can't see playing any other way," she said. "I don't think
it's the type of golf course where you can play conservative. I
think you've got to attack it and try to make birdies. I don't
foresee myself throttling it back."
That certainly wasn't the case on another sweltering day that
topped out at 102 degrees.
With birdies on the first two holes and a relentless pursuit of
more, Inkster finished at 15-under 201 to break the Women's Open
record of 203 set by Alison Nicholas two years ago at Pumpkin
Ridge. Her score in relation to par was five strokes better than
Nicholas'.
"I think it's my tournament," Inkster said. "All the pressure
is going to be on me. That's the toughest part of tomorrow. But I'm
playing well, and I'm playing relaxed."
Don't be misled by the appearance of the charming Californian
whose schedule is built around her 9- and 5-year-old daughters.
Inkster is one of the best front-runners in women's golf, which
doesn't bode well for those trying to catch her.
"She's the kind of player who doesn't feel bad drilling it to
you," Dottie Pepper said.
The contenders in the final round may have to drill awfully low
if they want to catch Inkster.
"I know there's at least another 64 out there for us," Kane
said. "I'm going to be chasing tomorrow and we'll see what
happens. But if I were a betting person, I'd be betting on Juli
Inkster."
Kane, a Canadian trying to win for the first time, recovered
from two early bogeys for a 71 that put her at 204. She was joined
there by Kuehne, the two-time U.S. Women's Amateur champion, who
made a 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a 70.
Sherri Turner, who had broken par just once in 44 Open rounds
until this week, bogeyed two of the last three holes for a 68 and
was at 206.
Unless Inkster cracks on Sunday, everyone else will be playing
for second.
"The thing is to get off to a good start and put some pressure
on her," said Karrie Webb, seven strokes back after a 68. "That's
when she's going to feel the pressure -- if she ever feels it. If
she gets off to a good start, she's clear sailing."
In what has been the lowest-scoring Women's Open in its 54-year
history, Inkster figured there was only one way to play.
"Don't back off," she said.
A birdie-birdie start showed she wasn't kidding.
Kane, who began the third round tied for the lead, was clearly
rattled by Inkster's fast start and made bogeys on Nos. 2 and 3.
But she got a thumbs-up sign from Nancy Lopez walking down the
eighth fairway and turned it on.
Kane made four birdies to get within two strokes of the lead
when Inkster decided she had seen enough. She hit an 8-iron from
138 yards to 3 feet on the 15th for her fifth birdie of the day,
then picked up another stroke when Kane's 4-foot par putt rimmed
out on 17.
Kuehne also struggled from the start by making her first bogey
of the tournament on the opening hole of the third round.
But after hitting a 3-iron to 3 feet for birdie on the par-3
7th, she was solid the rest of the way and closed out her round
with a birdie that put her in the final group on Sunday with
Inkster.
"There's really not any pressure on me," Kuehne said. "I'll
be curious how she's doing. Instead of having to watch the
leaderboard, I can just be watching her."
That could be a scary sight.
On a day in which 21 of the 63 players broke par, no one had a
better round than Inkster.
"I can tell you that Juli Inkster is playing solid golf," Kane
said. "She is putting the ball extremely well. ... I guess all the
things you need to do to win a U.S. Open."
A victory Sunday would be some measure of redemption for 1992
Women's Open. Inkster had a two-stroke lead walking up the 17th
fairway when play was suspended by the threat of storms. When it
resumed, Patty Sheehan birdied the last two holes to force a
playoff, then defeated Inkster the next day.
But much has changed in seven years. Inkster once thought about
early retirement so she could be home when her kids got out of
school. Instead, she decided to bring them on the road with her as
often as possible, and dedicated herself to getting back on top.
This would be what she calls the "topster" to a career that
has never been fully appreciated.
Before anyone heard of Tiger Woods, Inkster was the first player
to win three straight U.S. Amateurs. Long before Se Ri Pak, Inkster
won two majors as a rookie.
"To win the U.S. Open would be the ultimate," she said. "I
think I'm up to the task."
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Karrie is weaving another intriguing Webb
Juli Inkster hits her fairway iron within inches of the cup.
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