Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 9, 1994 TAG: 9408090102
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HOT SPRINGS LENGTH: Medium
Lee Shirley merged into the fast lane of women's amateur golf Monday. The Salem teen-ager discovered the traffic to be rather severe.
Moments after shooting her career round at The Homestead's Cascades Course - a 6-over-par 77 - Shirley's elation was dashed when she got her first look at the early scoreboard of the 94th U.S. Women's Amateur Championship.
``I was feeling pretty good about my score until I saw this,'' Shirley said. ``Just look. There are all kinds of 73s, 74s, 75s up there. Seventy-seven doesn't mean much with this bunch.''
Welcome to life in the big leagues, youngin'.
``Yeah, it's sort of depressing to play so well, only to see so many other players shoot better,'' Shirley said. ``Oh, well. I knew this wasn't going to be easy.''
Shirley, who was only 3-over until bogeying three of the final four holes, likely will need another 77 today to finish in the low 64 of qualifying and advance to Wednesday's start of match play. Sixty-seven players shot 78 or better Monday, meaning today's projected cut will be in the 154-155 range.
``I would have taken 77 before I teed off today and I'll take another one tomorrow,'' Shirley said. ``The scores are lower than I thought they'd be. I was figuring on more like 158-160 making the cut. But it doesn't appear that will be good enough.
``Wow! There are some players out here. I'm in awe of them.''
Shirley started slowly, failing to hit a green in regulation while bogeying four of the first six holes.
``I was nervous,'' she confessed. ``I had a hard time sleeping last night thinking about this thing.''
The 18-year-old then got rolling, playing the next eight holes in 1-under, including birdies at Nos. 9 and 13. She slipped a little coming home, blowing a 2-foot par putt at No. 15, and missing greens at Nos. 16 and 18, miscues that both led to bogeys.
``It's still a good score,'' she said. ``I'm a little disappointed to let it get away at the end. But I'm right in the middle of the pack with a chance to make the cut. That's all I could ask for.''
Defending champion Jill McGill of Denver, Colo., and Italy's Caterina Quintarelli led the 147-player field with 1-under 70s.
McGill, 22, competing in her final amateur tournament before turning professional, made six birdies, including three on the first five holes. A double bogey-6 on the par-3 8th and three bogeys kept her out of the 60s.
``I made a bunch of putts,'' she said. ``I started 3-under through five, every putt was falling, and then I got a little greedy. I'm happy with the round, though. I'm right where I need to be.''
Quintarelli, 28, was 3-over through six holes before rallying with consecutive birdies at Nos. 7, 8 and 9. She dipped into red figures with a birdie at the par-5 17th.
Quintarelli is no stranger to the U.S. Am. She was a quarterfinalist in both 1991 and '93.
Scotland's talented Catriona Matthew, Erika Wicoff of Hartford City, Ind., and Leta Lindley of Tucson, Ariz., each matched par on the tough 5,998-yard layout.
SAND BLASTS: U.S. Curtis Cupper Stephanie Sparks of Wheeling, W.Va., was forced to withdraw after only four holes due to a recurring tendinitis in her right elbow. ... Hollins College graduate Carol Semple Thompson, the '73 champion, shot 73. Three-time winner Anne Sander of California had a 79. ... Besides Shirley, the two other Virginia entries - Arantxa Sison of Arlington and Chris Epperly of Virginia Beach - shot 74 and 92, respectively. ... New Yorker Eve Marie Lux faced a long ride home Monday night. Lux incorrectly signed for a ``4'' at the par-4 7th where she actually made a ``5'', disqualifying her fine round of 74. ... Scotland's Janice Moodie, who made the putt that enabled the Great Britain-Ireland team to tie the U.S. in last week's Curtis Cup, had 78 after making one of the day's two ``10s'' at No. 16. ... Floridian Briget Boshell played the last four holes 3-10-5-2. The 10 at No. 16 and an 8 at No. 5 turned a 74 into an 82.
by CNB