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Thursday, July 31, 2008

Here we go again! Juli Inkster (48)

leads Ricoh Women's British Open

FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
American Juli Inkster, at 48 the oldest player in the field, took a leaf out of Greg Norman's book when the Ricoh Women's British Open began at Sunningdale Golf Club today.
On a day when Annika Sorenstam kicked off her last major before retirement with only a level par 72, Inkster overcame a tee-time of 6.52am to grab an eagle and five birdies for a seven under 65.
She led by one from a large group which included England's Johanna Head, whose husband Terry is the caddie of Ian Poulter and was on the Open runner-up's bag as he started the Bridgestone world championship in Ohio with a level par 70.
Victory on Sunday would make Inkster the oldest winner of a women's major in history - and that, of course, only two weeks after 53-year-old Norman led at Royal Birkdale with nine holes to play before slipping back to joint third.
She played her first major 30 years ago and said: "I always thought I would play about five years, have a couple of kids and retire.
"I'm kind of unique. Golf is what I do. I have a family and I enjoy being home, but I also enjoy what I do."
While Norman's performance in the Open was a total surprise, Inkster's was not. The mother-of-two, already with seven majors to her name, is still in the world's top 20 and was unbeaten when America retained the Solheim Cup in Sweden last year.
Highlight of her Sunningdale round was a drive to 18 feet on the 273yd ninth to set up an eagle 2.
Defending champion and world No 1 Lorena Ochoa had a chance to match the Californian's score when she stood five under with four to go, but bogeys at the 16th and 17th meant she had to settle for a three under 69.
Sorenstam would happily have taken that, but it was never on from the moment she bogeyed three of the first six holes.
Two more English players, Karen Stupples and Rebecca Hudson, will resume on Friday only two behind. Stupples won the event when it was last held on the course four years ago, while Hudson is seeking her third victory of the season.
Catriona Matthew was in joint 13th place with a 68, one shot better than Janice Moodie. Mhairi McKay had a 71.
Curtis Cup amateur Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) had a 76. Scroll down to an earlier story from Sunningdale to find out her figures.

FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 72
Players from US unless stated.
65 Juli Inkster.
66 Johanna Head (Eng), Ji-Young Oh (Kor), Stacy Prammanasudh, Ji-Yai Shin (SKor), Yuri Fudoh (Jpn), Momoko Ueda (Jpn), Laura Diaz.
67 Karen Stupples (Eng), Sherri Steinhauer, Kristy McPherson, Rebecca Hudson (Eng).
68 Minea Blomqvist (Fin), Marianne Skarpnord (Nor), Shi Hyun Ahn (SKor), Paula Marti (Spa), Catriona Matthew (Sco), Eun Hee Ji (SKor), Ji-Hee Lee (Jpn), Ai Miyazato (Jpn), Bo-Bae Song (SKor)
69 Lotta Maria Wahlin (Swe), Jane Park, Lorena Ochoa (Mex), Maria Hjorth (Swe), Helen Alfredsson (Swe), Na Yeon Choi (SKor), Natalie Gulbis, Sophie Gustafson (Swe), Nicole Castrale, Janice Moodie (Sco), Hee Young Park (SKor), Katherine Hull (Aus), Felicity Johnson (Eng), Reilley Rankin, Jimin Kang (SKor), Maria Verchenova (Rus),
70 Laura Davies (Eng), Lora Fairclough (Eng), Ya-Ni Tseng (SKor), Mi-Hyun Kim (SKor), Anna Nordqvist (Swe) (am), Angela Stanford, Becky Brewerton (Wal), Suzann Pettersen (Nor), Jeong Jang (SKor), Tania Elosegui (Spa), Brittany Lang, Joanne Mills (Aus), Teresa Lu (Tai), Rachel Hetherington (Aus),
71 In Kyung Kim (SKor), Hee-Won Han (SKor), Amy Yang, Angela Park (Bra), Cristie Kerr, Wendy Ward, Christina Kim, Meredith Duncan, Leta Lindley, Jee Young Lee (SKor), Sakura Yokomine (Jpn), Mhairi McKay (Sco), Maria Jose Uribe (Col), Hwa seon Lee (SKor)
72 Meena Lee (SKor), Annika Sorenstam (Swe), Karrie Webb (Aus), Nikki Garrett (Aus), Lisa Hall (Eng), Sandra Gal (Ger), Candie Kung (Tai), Paula Creamer, Grace Park (SKor), Becky Morgan (Wal), Karin Sjodin (Swe), Trish Johnson (Eng), Hye Jung Choi (SKor)
73 Heather Young, Sun Young Yoo (SKor), Il Mi Chung (SKor), Song-Hee Kim (SKor), Kris Tamulis, Gwladys Nocera (Fra), Gloria Park (SKor), Lydia Hall (Wal), Stacy Lee Bregman (Rsa), Anje Monke (Ger), Lee-Anne Pace (SAf),
74 Linda Wessberg (Swe), Morgan Pressel, Martina Eberl (Ger), Lindsey Wright (Aus), In-Bee Park (SKor), Pat Hurst, Katie Futcher, Karine Icher (Fra), Martina Gillen (Ire), Marta Prieto (Spa), Se Ri Pak (SKor), Moira Dunn, Diana Luna (Ita), Elizabeth Bennett (Eng) (am).. Stefania Croce (Ita).
75 Kelli Kuehne, Jill McGill, Irene Cho, Carin Koch (Swe), Jin Joo Hong (SKor), Melissa Reid (Eng), Brittany Lincicome, Margherita Rigon (Ita), Naomi Edwards (Eng) (am), Marjet Van der Graaf (Net), Louise Friberg (Swe), Erica Blasberg.
76 Lisa Sorensen (Den), Iben Tinning (Den), Caroline Hedwall (Swe) (am), Miki Saiki (Jpn), Maria Boden (Swe), Krystle Caithness (Sco) (am), Emma Zackrisson (Swe).
77 Na On Min (Jpn), Veronica Zorzi (Ita), Yukari Baba (Jpn), Alena Sharp (Can), Louise Stahle (Swe), Allison Fouch, Shanshan Feng (Chn), Clare Coughlan-Ryan (Ire).
79 Kiran Matharu (Eng), Leah Hart (Aus), Rebecca Coakley (Ire), Kyeong Eun Bae (Kor)
80 Diana D'Alessio, Johanna Westerberg (Swe)
81 Young Kim (Kor), Ludivine Kreutz (Fra)
Retired: Samantha Head

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