Associated Press
Friday, March 24
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- It took nearly 5½ hours for Karrie Webb to extend her dominance in the Nabisco Championship.
Webb birdied the first three holes to shoot a 2-under 70 for a 137 total and a three-shot lead over Dottie Pepper after Friday's second round of the LPGA's first major of the year.
Webb followed her fast start by parring nine straight holes before bogeying the par-4, 403-yard 13th. Then her threesome got stuck waiting behind another group on the 17th at Mission Hills Country Club in a round that barely beat darkness.
"That's the toughest par-3 on the golf course and you've got to stand there," she said. "It's not much fun. You've got to stay patient and try and stay focused."
Webb didn't. She bogeyed the 171-yard 17th, where the pin was in the back left of the green, to fall back to 6-under. She made up on the 18th with her fourth birdie of the day.
"I'm going to have to play extremely well to win," she said. "I don't think by any means that the tournament's in the bag for me."
Pepper posted a par-72 for a 4-under 140 total to remain in second. She was 6-under after birdies at the 11th and 14th, but lost ground with three straight bogeys on Nos. 15-17.
"Nothing wonderful happened and nothing terrible happened," she said. "Even par never hurts you."
Chris Johnson shot a 68 to move into third at 141. Lorie Kane was alone at 142 with a 71 and Trish Johnson was at 143 after a 71.
Pat Hurst, the '98 Nabisco winner, Se Ri Pak and Sherri Steinhauer were tied at 144.
Aree Song Wongluekiet, who should have been in school studying algebra, English and Spanish, created the day's excitement.
The 13-year-old Wongluekiet (pronounced Wahn-gloo-KEE-it) shot a 1-under 71 and made the cut with a 2-over 146 total -- one stroke behind former U.S. Open champion Laura Davies and nine back of Webb.
Aree and her twin sister, Naree, are the second-youngest ever to compete in an LPGA tournament.
"I expected to make the cut. It was one of my goals," said Aree, who along with her sister, dominated the junior circuit in the last half of 1999.
Naree didn't fare as well as her sister, failing to make the cut after an 82 that included one birdie, a double bogey and seven bogeys. She finished at 12-over 156.
"I'm very happy for my sister. She's having a blast," Naree said. "I tried my best. I wasn't nervous. From six on, I struggled to make some putts."
That means their older brother, Chan, is out of a job as Naree's caddie. The 17-year-old, one of the nation's top junior boys' golfers, won't be on Aree's bag for the final two rounds.
"My brother tried to caddie for her in the Korean Open, and I don't think they got along very well," Naree said. "He's a great caddie."
Naree was just as popular with fans, who pushed golf balls and caps at her to sign.
"That's a long name. You're going to have to shorten it," a woman told Naree as she squeezed her name in careful script on a golf ball.
Aree double-bogeyed the par-4, 403-yard 13th when she pushed her tee shot into the thick rough on the right side of the fairway and ended up behind a tree. She sank a 6-footer to salvage the double bogey.
"When I'm out there, I don't think about anything else except just playing my game and sticking to my game plan," Aree said.
That was evident in the way she calmly bounced back with a birdie on the par-3, 148-yard 14th -- one of four in her round.
"That's what a champion does," said Sherri Turner, a 15-year tour veteran. "You forget you're playing with a 13-year-old. She's very focused, especially for a kid. I look for great things to happen for her."
Turner, 43, said playing with Aree helped her own game. She shot a 2-under 70 and was at 147, one behind Aree.
"I thought, `Man, I'm going to be really embarrassed if she makes the cut and I don't.' She had no concept how difficult this course is," she said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself before we even started."
Hall of Famer Nancy Lopez was a 17-year-old amateur when she played in her first LPGA tournament. She also made the cut and tied for 18th.
Both Wongluekiet sisters are missing a week of school in Bradenton, Fla., where they attend the private David Leadbetter Academy to hone their golf games. Their mother, who is from Thailand, and father, who is from South Korea, are here this week.
The sisters have said they'll play Monday qualifying to try to get into three more LPGA tournaments, including the U.S. Open in July. They received sponsor exemptions this week.
"My only concern is that she might get burned out. They're so programmed to do this," Turner said of Aree. "What does she do for the next five years? I hope she's allowed to be a kid."
Divots
Webb said she and countrywoman Rachel Hetherington never discussed turning pro when they competed together as juniors in Australia. "It's not like over here in the States. You talk to the Wongluekiets and they tell you when they're going to turn pro," Webb said. "In Australia, you mention it to anyone and if it gets back to an official, they're going to say it's against your amateur status."
Anyone wanting to walk in the shoes of singer Celine Dion, the most popular celebrity in the pro-am, would have to shell out $159. That's how much the handmade Italian leather yellow shoes she wore cost in the merchandise pavilion.
The late Jim Murray, who was a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and Bob Rosburg, an ABC golf reporter for 25 years, were the first recipients of the Babe Zaharias LPGA Journalism Awards presented Friday.
Friday, March 24
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- It took nearly 5½ hours for Karrie Webb to extend her dominance in the Nabisco Championship.
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| Two birdies and two bogeys left Dottie Pepper where she started: 4-under. |
