Professional golf is about keeping up with the Joneses, it seems. I can’t blame you for thinking there was no golf to watch this Friday, with the PGA Tour experiencing yet another rainout at The Players Championship. But while Steve Jones was gathering the lead in the unofficial fifth major on the PGA Tour, 45-year old Rosie Jones was surging to a share of the lead in her own major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Jones, who’s never won a major on the LPGA Tour, is tied with Annika Sorenstam at -5 after two rounds of play.
Sorenstam, playing early today after a late start yesterday, followed up her opening-round 70 with a 3-under 69. She started the day with a bogey, but birdied five of six holes from holes seven through eight before bogeying the 15th. Sorenstam’s group, despite having an entirely empty hole behind them, was put on the clock at eighteen, a 485-yard par 5 that played relatively easily on Friday, and said “I was between a 4-wood and a 7-wood and I didn’t want to be rushed into making a mistake, so I laid up.” She layed up, pitched on, and two-putted for the 69 and the early clubhouse lead.
The short-hitting Rosie Jones – who needs woods and hybrids to reach many of the par 4s at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA – was one of the last players to finish. Her solid round of 70 featured birdies on the second, seventh, eleventh, and eighteenth holes. She sprinkled in two birdies at five and fifteen. Rosie finished tied for eighth in last year’s event, and finished 25th on last year’s money list.
Rounding out the top six, first-round leader Mi Hyun Kim sits at -4. Defending champion Grace Park and newcomer Reilley Rankin sit tied for fourth at -3. Each fired a 68, the low round of the day. Fan favorite (and Trump favorite) Cristie Kerr sits alone in sixth at -2. Reilley Rankin isn’t the only example of youth being served, as 16-year-old amateur Morgan Pressel sits two strokes back of the 25-year-old with Brandie Burton, Wendy Doolan, Sherri Steinhauer, Liselotte Neumann, Carin Koch, and Dorothy Delasin.
Pressel played six holes today before carding her first par, starting bogey, birdie, birdie, bogey, birdie, birdie. She closed out her second-round 73 with a double bogey on the eleventh and a bogey on the twelfth before parring in to move from -2 to -1. Michelle Wie, the 15-year old Hawaiian phenom, currently sits at +2 and is tied for 14th after rounds of 70 and 74. Her Friday included two double bogeys, including one following an out-of-bounds drive on the 380-yar par-4 sixteenth to match the six on the par-4 seventh.
Annika Sorenstam who, since filing for divorce and focusing more on golf in 2005, has been a force to be reckoned with. She’s won six of her last eight tournaments and her last five in a row, including last week at the Safeway International. Jones said of Sorenstam “she’s come out playing super strong this year. She’s got a great streak going, she’s mentally tough, and she’s the person to beat right now.” Sorenstam said of her start “I’m right where I want to be and excited about that. I’m playing well.”
Jones, who plans to retire at the end of the year, has one heckuva challenge in front of her and has 36 holes to take down the the dominating Sorenstam.
Pos Player Today Tot R1 R2 Tot T1 Annika Sorenstam -3 -5 70 69 139 T1 Rosie Jones -2 -5 69 70 139 3 Mi Hyun Kim -1 -4 69 71 140 T4 Grace Park -4 -3 73 68 141 T4 Reilley Rankin -4 -3 73 68 141 6 Cristie Kerr -2 -2 72 70 142 T7 Morgan Pressel (a) +1 -1 70 73 143 T7 Brandie Burton -1 -1 72 71 143 T7 Wendy Doolan -3 -1 74 69 143 T7 Sherri Steinhauer E -1 71 72 143 T7 Liselotte Neumann E -1 71 72 143 T7 Carin Koch +1 -1 70 73 143 T7 Dorothy Delasin E -1 71 72 143
Saturday coverage is 4:30-6 pm on ABC and the finals air Sunday 4-6 pm ET, also on ABC.
Photo Credit: © AP.