Sorenstam Holds Slim Lead Over Neumann Entering Final Round

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By Ron Driscoll, USGA

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (July 31, 2021) -- Making her U.S. Senior Women’s Open Championship debut, Annika Sorenstam retained her lead heading into the final round, but it was trimmed by one. Playing with fellow Swede Liselotte Neumann in Round 3 on Saturday, Sorenstam shot an even-par 72 at Brooklawn Country Club for an 8-under-par total of 208, while Neumann shot a 1-under 71 to trail by two heading into Sunday.

“It was a roller-coaster,” said Sorenstam of Round 3, in which she struggled a bit with her patented ball-striking. “It was not as solid as the first two days. A few putts falling would have made it really sweet.”

Sorenstam averaged 16 greens in regulation the first two rounds, but she hit just eight fairways and 13 greens on Saturday. After making a birdie on the par-5 first hole for the third straight day, she bogeyed two of the next six holes and saw her lead fluctuate between one and three strokes for much of the day. After her approach from a fairway bunker on the par-4 17th ran through the green, leading to a bogey, Sorenstam led by one, but she got a stroke back when Neumann hit into a fairway bunker on the closing hole and made a bogey of her own.

“A little bit up and down today,” said Neumann, 55, whose victory in the 1988 U.S. Women’s Open is credited by Sorenstam with giving her the confidence to succeed as a professional. “Good putting, good short game, and I think starting the back nine, I started to get a little bit more comfortable. Overall it sort of got better and better as the day went.”

Catriona Matthew of Scotland, the 2021 Solheim Cup captain for Team Europe, holds down third place at 4-under 212, two strokes back of Neumann, after a 1-under 71.
Laura Davies of England, winner of the inaugural U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2018 as well as the 1987 U.S. Women’s Open, is another two strokes back at 2-under 214, tied with Yuko Saito of Japan.

Davies shot 4-under 68 on Saturday, the low round of the day, to move up nine places from a tie for 13th, while Saito rebounded from a rocky front nine to salvage a 2-over 74. She finished fifth in the inaugural championship at Chicago Golf Club.

Three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Sorenstam has pointed to this championship since turning 50 last October, and on Sunday, she gets her chance to complete the mission.

“I would love to do well, of course,” said Sorenstam. “That is why I came here. I feel like I’m as prepared as I can be. I just want to trust myself and enjoy the walk. Hopefully I can keep it in the short grass.”

What's Next
The final round will begin at 8:10 a.m., with the competitors playing in groups of two, all from the first hole. The final pairing of Annika Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann will start play at 12:45 p.m. EDT. Round 4 will be broadcast on Golf Channel from 2-5 p.m. EDT.

Notable
Sisters Hollis Stacy, a six-time USGA champion, and Martha Leach, the 2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, were paired together in Round 3, joined by Dina Ammaccapane, whose sister Danielle also made the 36-hole cut. Stacy and Leach have both played in all three U.S. Senior Women’s Opens, and Leach tied for 10th in the inaugural championship to finish as low amateur. The Ammaccapane sisters are playing in the championship together for the second time. Danielle finished fourth in the inaugural championship. Leach had the best score of the group on Saturday, a 1-under 71.

Leach is one of seven amateurs among the 52 players who made the 36-hole cut on Saturday morning. Thirty-three amateurs started the week. Seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port leads the way, having started Round 3 in a tie for third place. Port shot 5-over 77 on Saturday and is tied for seventh at 1-over 217, with a four-stroke lead on Leach for low amateur. Laura Coble, a 14-time player of the year in Georgia, and two-time U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur champion Lara Tennant are next at 8 over, while Cory Weworski, the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion, is one shot farther back.

The third hole at Brooklawn, which played as the fourth-toughest through Rounds 1 and 2 with a 4.50 stroke average, was the easiest hole of the day in Round 3. The tee was moved up some 60 yards from Round 2 to 263 yards, and players took advantage with 11 birdies, 37 pars and just 3 bogeys for a 3.84 stroke average. The par-4 fourth hole has yielded the fewest birdies for the week (15) and is playing the toughest for the week at a 4.53 stroke average through 54 holes.

Quotable
“To be honest, not really. I think I played 25 years out here. I’m enjoying being at home more and – I mean, it’s nice being out here and competing when you feel you’re a little competitive, but I’m enjoying being captain of the Solheim team and that’s keeping me involved in the game.” – Catriona Matthew, on whether she misses the week-to-week competition.

“I changed putters. I brought two with me and I went with the wrong one. I virtually had the yips yesterday. I just putted horrifically and didn't think I would hole a putt again. On the front nine I played nicely and made some putts. So good decision to put the old putter back in.” – Laura Davies, the 2018 champion, who shot 4-under 68 on Saturday.

“It’s like she’s never been away. It’s incredible. Not as powerful, obviously. Distance control is great, as you would always expect from Annika. Putted really well. Didn’t make too many mistakes, and when she did, her short game was up to it. Yeah, pretty impressive considering she’s been away. Not that she’s never not impressed me, but I didn’t expect that.” – Laura Davies on Annika Sorenstam’s return to competition, having played Rounds 1 and 2 with her.

“I’ll probably be pretty nervous tomorrow. It's a good feeling. I just love golf and love to compete. It’s just the most fun thing we can do being out here, and being able to be in the last group, it’s pretty special.” – Liselotte Neumann

“I think I just kind of started thinking about, there are cameras there and there are people here, and I just kind of got out of my little world. And I was like, Oh, my God, this is kind of cool. And then it's like, Wait, you got to play golf.” – Dana Ebster, part-time instructor and junior college coach, on losing her focus midway through Round 3 en route to a 4-over 76.

Ron Driscoll is the senior manager of content for the USGA. Email him at rdriscoll@usga.org.