Cristie Kerr Golf

Kerr Claims U.S. Women’s Open for First Major Title

Monday, July 2nd, 2007 at 3:57 pm

Long before the LPGA tour became home fo scores of youngsters who turned prop immediately after they got their high school diploma or made a pit stop in collage, Cristie Kerr showed the way.

Eleven years ago, Kerr turned pro after she graduated from high school and got an advanced education in the school of hard knocks on the tour. She didn’t win until her sixth season, and by then she was a hardened veteran.

Although overshadowed in recent years by younger players Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel and others, Kerr, 29, has been on of the best players on tour, with eight wins from 2004 to 2006.

But she had to wait until her 251st event to win her first major in her 42nd attampt. Holding off world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa and 18- year-old Angela Park on Sunday, Kerr shot 5-under-par 279 to win the 62nd U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club by two shots.

With rounds of 71-72-66-70 on the hilly, sloping par-71, 6,664- yard course, Kerr bested 56 players in the field who were 22 or younger and relied on experience and wisdom gathered in her years chasing her dream.

“I was definitely fighting my swing this week,” said Kerr, who grabbed the 54-hold lead with the week’s best round, a 66 in the third round spread over two days because of rain delays. “I was trying to fix it all the way through the 18th.

“Whatever it took, I was going to win this tournament. Hitting it bad, hitting it crooked. You’ve got to be able to win in all different kinds of ways. You can’t always win when you’re playing perfectly.

“So I was able to muddle this one out.”

She did so with a blistering putter. With a Ping Craz-E putter she bought in South Korea this year, she needled just 24 putts in the third round and 29 in the final round and had the third-best avaerage for putts per hole (1.57) this weekend.

“I did hit a lot of greens this week, but putting absolutely saved me,” said Kerr, who was the low amateur in 1996 and finished fourth in 2001 when the Open was played.