Comfortable 68 puts Hurst in front


Associated Press
Friday, March 23

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- A lot has changed in Pat Hurst's life since she first played what was then the Nabisco Dinah Shore as a 17-year-old amateur in 1987. She's gotten married, had a baby and found success on the LPGA Tour.

 Pat Hurst
Pat Hurst's second career title came at the 1998 Nabisco Dinah Shore.
What hasn't changed is how much she feels at home on the Mission Hills Country Club course.

That showed again Friday when Hurst, playing a course that holds a special place in her career, shot an almost trouble-free 4-under 68 to take the midway lead in the Nabisco Championship.

With the wind down from the opening round and the temperature approaching 90, Hurst used her length to an advantage in making five birdies against a lone bogey.

Her 138 total gave her a one-shot lead over Carin Koch, who bogeyed the first hole and then played nearly flawless in shooting a 69. Four others were four shots back, including Annika Sorenstam, who shot a 59 last week and is trying to win her third straight tournament.

"I do enjoy coming here and I do like to play in this event," Hurst said. "I feel very comfortable here."

Hurst, one of five first-round leaders, managed for the most part to stay out of the thick rough that has bedeviled many players. She missed only two fairways with drives, and only the one on the par-4 15th cost her a bogey.

One of the longer hitters on the LPGA Tour, Hurst reached two par-5s in two and two-putted for birdies to get to 6-under through two rounds of the first women's major championship of the year.

The round reminded Hurst of the way she played when she won the Nabisco in 1998 for her only major championship -- which could be bad news for those chasing her on the weekend.

"My life is a little bit different than it was in 1998, but I think in a better way," Hurst said. "But you know, I feel like I am in control and I felt like I was in control in 1998 also."

Hurst, who finished sixth on the money list last year, hasn't fared as well so far this year, although she has a pair of top-10 finishes in seven events.

Her game, though, seems suited for the Mission Hills course that demands accuracy and rewards distance.

"I feel like I have the length to play and I feel like I am strong enough to hit it out of the rough so I can get away with a little bit of being a little erratic at times," Hurst said. "On par-5s sometimes I can knock it on in two and stuff like that which I did today."

Koch can't do that, but she makes up in hitting it straight for what she loses in distance. She ranked 143rd in driving distance last year but was sixth in accuracy, hitting four of every five fairways.

Koch was among those bunched atop the leaderboard with an opening 70, but she stumbled with a bogey on the first hole Friday before rebounding by making four birdies and the 13 pars the rest of the way in.

"It's a great tournament to play well in," said Koch, who has never won on the LPGA Tour.

Koch played in the afternoon, after Hurst had posted her score.

"It was kind of fun because I had something to shoot for," she said. "It was fun to try and get ahead of the rest of the pack so Pat and I could play together tomorrow."

Among those in the pack at 2-under is Se Ri Pak, who shot a 69 and was four shots back.

Pak, who burst onto the LPGA Tour in 1998 by winning the LPGA Championship and the U.S. Women's Open, ended a yearlong victory drought in the first tournament this year by winning the YourLife Vitamins LPGA Classic.

"The golf course is not easy," Pak said. "The thing is today I didn't miss too many fairways.

Divots
  • Hall-of-Famer JoAnne Carner was disqualified for a rules violation involving a tee shot she thought was out of bounds. The 61-year-old Carner was disqualified after finishing for not announcing her second ball as a provisional after the first tee shot she believed had gone out of bounds actually hit a house and came back into play on the third hole.

  • Juli Inkster's husband, Brian, is on her bag this week because her regular caddie's wife is having a baby. Carin Koch's husband, Stephan, used to caddie for her occasionally but no more. "He doesn't caddie for me because we want to stay married," Koch said.

  • The 14-year-old Wongluekiet twins both shot 73 Friday and both made the cut. Aree Song Wongluekiet, who finished 10th as a 13-year-old last year, was at 149, while sister Naree Song was at 147.