Aces gird for war as US Women's Open begins

MANILA, Philippines – Most, if not all, in the elite US Women’s Open field agree that the outcome will be virtually decided on the undulating surfaces of Pine Needles. The early consensus is that the player who would walk away with the coveted Harton Semple trophy would need not only to outdo the rest in multiple different areas but also “throw darts with the wedges.”

“I think it’s going to be a great challenge for all of us. The course is very difficult, especially the greens, there’s a lot of falloffs,” said Yuka Saso, seeking to become the third player to repeat as champ at Pine Needles after Swede legend Annika Sorenstam (1995-96) and Aussie great Karrie Webb (2000-01).

The ICTSI-backed Saso will start at 8:32 a.m. with reigning US amateur champion Jensen Castle and 2009 Women’s PGA Championship winner Anna Nordqvist of Sweden.

With the big guns expected to cancel out the long-game battle, the question will be on how accurate one must be or can be from 100 yards in.

“Though the greens look bigger, the landing area is smaller, so we need to like dart irons,” said World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, who has racked up six victories in 18 LPGA events since last year’s US Open. “The course is tough but it’s fun to play.”

She kicks off her drive on No. 9 at 8:39 a.m. with Lexi Thompson and Jennifer Kupcho.

World No. 4 Minjee Lee is also putting premium on ball-striking and chipping, saying: “The course is a mixture of everything. Come the weekend, I think it’s going to be really tough, depending on how hard they make the firmness of the greens.”

“Obviously, ball-striking is going to be huge around here. There’s really big greens, so a lot of the lag putting will be important for me, and just chipping around the greens,” added Lee, who will tee off in front of Ko’s group at 8:28 .am. with Nasa Hataoka and Brooke Henderson.

Thompson is back on the very course she had first played in when she was 12, underscoring the need to drill the irons in an attempt to cut the putting average per round and get into title contention.

“I guess this is a second-shot golf course, obviously keeping it in the fairway is very important, not getting into the sandy areas,” said Thompson, out to erase the stigma of her backside meltdown in the final round of last year’s US Women’s Open won by Saso in playoff fashion over Hataoka at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

“But with the runoff greens and just kind of placing it at center of the green, taking your par and getting your two-putts and getting off the green is sometimes important out there,” she added.

Despite being out of competitive play the last two months, Nelly Korda has kept her spot at world No. 2 and has kept a positive mindset in pursuit of a follow-up to her first major feat in the Women’s PGA Championship last year where she also bagged the Tokyo Olympics gold medal.

But like the rest, she’s wary of Pine Needles’ surfaces.

“It’s really nice small greens, lots of falloffs,” said Korda, who launches her bid on No. 1 in a tough matchup with Thai ace Atthaya Thitikul and fellow American and multi-titled Danielle Kang. “The greens are definitely going to be hard.”

Perhaps, harder than they would think. Some pins might look accessible but at the same time, if one misses it just by two or three yards, one can be off the green 30 yards away.

“It’s a good mix,” said world No. 3 Lydia Ko on the layout's makeup. “I knew that it’s going to be a great golf course, but I really didn’t know what it was going to be like and how my game would have to play around here.”

She added she doesn’t think the course suits one type of player and not someone that‘s super long or super short.

“I think you do have to drive it really well and with these greens having a lot of falloffs, having good ball-striking and giving yourself even 30- or 40-footers for birdies is not the end of the world,” added Ko, who drew Hannah Green and Jessica Korda at 9:05 a.m., also on the first hole.

But no one comes into the $10 million championship with as much confidence as Saso, who is hoping to recall the putting brilliance she had flaunted in pulling off an incredible major breakthrough last year.

At the Olympic Club, she led the field in make percentage from 5 to 10 feet (81.3%).

While focus is on Saso, who has slipped from world No. 5 to No. 15 with a string of mediocre finishes marred by two missed cut stints this year, and the rest of the world-ranked aces, Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina also go all out to spring a surprise with a strong start as they try to fuel their respective title drive in LPGA’s most prestigious championship.

Ardina, who broke through in the Epson Tour with a victory at Copper Rock Championship last month, hopes to cash in on an early start at 7:22 a.m. on No. 9 with Sarah Kemp and amateur Emma McMyler while the power-hitting Pagdanganan gets going at 1:03 p.m., also on the ninth, with Maude-Aimee LeBlanc and amateur Sara Im.

Also in the fold in 2014 champion Michelle Wie West, 32, who has signified her intention to retire after the Open, ending a 13-year stint on the world’s premier circuit where she nailed five victories. She tees off at 1:36 p.m. on the ninth with Brittany Lang and former world No. 1 Sung Hyun Park.