This year’s 2010 LPGA U.S. Open hosted on the treacherous greens of Oakmont Country Club will be full of red and white.
Canadians have certainly never reigned in the world of men’s golf, but the LPGA is seeing its fair share of Canadian golfers this year. The U.S. Open at Pebble Beach only hosted three Canadian players and the upcoming British Open at St Andrews will only see a single Canadian golfer in the form of Mike Weir.
Remarkably, ten Canadians are playing this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont that started yesterday. Four are tour professionals and six are amateurs. This is the biggest sporting event for the LPGA making it somewhat momentous to have so many Canadians take the field.
The Oakmont Country Club has hosted 17 professional Opens and is renowned for its treacherous greens and tricky bunkers. After the first day, Korean child prodigy-turned-pro, Michelle Wie finished with a large number of 80 demonstrating the difficulty of shooting a low score on these greens.
American professional, Brittany Lang, however managed to stay in the 60s and she told The Globe & Mail: "You said it couldn't be done, but on any golf course you can shoot a low number…If you're hitting the ball good, you can for sure shoot a low score out here. But if you're not on your game, you can shoot a big one.”
With scores ranging from the low 60s to 80s, temperatures rising to unhealthy degrees and very tricky greens turned brown—it is anybody’s game out there—so why not a Canadian? After one day of play, Hamilton, Ontario native Alena Sharp is in the lead among the Canadians playing the course with eighth place (tying 13 other golfers) with 1 over 72.
Sharp’s game is sharp
Sharp is representing Canada well but complained to The Star Phoenix: "[The course] was hard as a rock...You just have to hit and hope that it stops. You know, there's carries out here. You have to carry the false front, and then it bounce as way from you and then you have a long putt. You just gotta be patient."
The front-running Canadian is obviously a player to watch.
Sharp turned professional in 2003, played some minor tours and the joined the LPGA Tour in 2005. With a long drive, controlled putting and a remarkable ability to withstand the heat, no doubt Sharp is a force for all other players to watch out for.
Other Canadians with killer wedge
Our Canadians are certainly feeling the heat and the difficulty of the course, but three others are still likely to play into the weekend: Richmond, Ontario’s Rebecca Lee-Bentham with a 76, British Columbia’s Christine Wong with a 73 and Paris, Ontario’s Jennifer Kirby also with a 73. Four out of ten Canadians to make it to the final would certainly make a mark for Canada in the LPGA Tour’s honours.
Rebecca Lee-Bentham is Canadian Gold
She may only be 18 years old, but the Ontario native has already placed at almost every Canadian championship in existence, including but not limited to: placing third at the Royale Cup Canadian Junior Girls Championship, fifth at the Future Links Ontario Championship and placing third at the CN Future Links Pacific Championship. She is in second place in terms of Canadian players at the U.S. Open and could stand a chance of catching up to Sharp with her infamous consistency and persistence.
Jennifer Kirby and Christine Wong tied with a 73
Ontario native amateur-Jennifer Kirby is a young 19 and a serious contender for the U.S. Open. Mic Potter-head coach for women’s golf at Kirby’s University of Alabama, summarizes Kirby’s potential to TideSports: “She’s one of the longest, straightest drivers I’ve ever been around. Usually, you get one or the other, but she’s both long and straight. And for the U.S. Open, that kind of game really fits the bill. She’ll be as good as anyone from tee to green.”
British Columbia amateur-Wong could also bring the victory to Canadians and she played her first day with confidence and astute caution. What Wong knows about Oakmont, is that it is a course with a difficulty level like no other but she is not intimidated. "Yes, this week is going to be tougher," Wong tells The Gazette, "But the B.C. Am was a nice way to warm up for it and should be a confidence-booster for me."
The second day of the U.S. Open is another chance for all four girls to climb up the ranks and for those losing their spots to try and hold on. Anything can happen at Oakmont, maybe even cooler weather, lower numbers and a Canadian in first place.
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