Erynne Lee's 67 Sets Early Pace At U.S. Girls' Junior

By David Shefter, USGA

Bedminster, N.J. – When Erynne Lee approached the first tee of the Old Course at Trump National Golf Club Monday morning, a wave of nerves swept over her entire body. Her back ached and butterflies were circling her stomach.

Then the 16-year-old from Silverdale, Wash., remembered what Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam said at the Players’ Dinner Sunday night.

“You have to welcome the nerves,” said Lee, recalling Sorenstam’s words. “Block it out. I just told myself to breathe in and breathe out.”

After a seven-birdie, two-bogey performance on the 6,203-yard layout, it appears that formula worked quite nicely. Lee’s 5-under-par 67 gave her a two-stroke lead over Jessica Korda, Alison Lee (no relation) and Amy Anderson midway through the first round of stroke-play qualifying at the 61st U.S. Girls’ Junior.

	Jessica Korda opened her first U.S. Girls' Junior with a 3-under-par 69. (John Mummert/USGA)

Another wave of 78 golfers, including defending champion Alexis Thompson, 14, of Coral Springs, Fla., and 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Kimberly Kim of Hilo, Hawaii, had afternoon starting times.

Erynne Lee, a semifinalist at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur, finished with two long birdie putts at 16 and 17. She rolled in a 24-footer at the par-3 16th and after nearly finding the water near the green at 17, she holed a 40-footer for birdie.

Erynne Lee was unsure about her game coming into the championship. She struggled in three big June events: the American Junior Golf Association’s Rolex Girls Championship and Rolex Tournament of Champions, and the 36-hole U.S. Women’s Open sectional qualifier in Texas, where she fired 83 in round two. But a sixth-place showing last week at the McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship outside of Philadelphia provided some newfound confidence.

“I think that got me back on track,” said Erynne Lee.

Meanwhile, Korda, a 16-year-old from Bradenton, Fla., and Valencia, Calif., native 14-year-old Alison Lee were each coming off brilliant efforts two weeks ago at the U.S. Women’s Open, where they shot 9-over 293 to tie for second-low-amateur honors. Korda, the daughter of 1998 Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda, fired a 2-under 69, while Lee had a 70.

Starting on No. 10, Korda registered nine consecutive pars before making three birdies over the final nine holes. Korda couldn’t recall the last time she played a bogey-free round.

“I really didn’t do anything on the [first] nine,” said Korda, who also had a final-round 69 in the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open to share 19th place. “I was basically lipping out every putt. On the [second nine], I started getting a little momentum.

“The course is set up like the U.S. [Women’s] Open. I got into the rough on the fifth hole. My ball was sitting so deep in the grass I couldn’t get it out. I’m pretty used to [the conditions] and I’m pretty used to the speed of the greens.”

Alison Lee, the runner-up at last week’s McDonald’s Betsy Rawls Girls Championship, made five birdies against two bogeys. She closed her round by knocking a 3-wood approach from 205 yards out to 3 feet for a birdie at the par-4 ninth hole.  She said her longest birdie of the day was 9 feet at the par-4 10th hole, her first of the day.

“I tried to remember what I did [right] last week and the week before,” said Alison Lee. “I just try to think positive. If I have a bad putt or have a bad hole, I try to forget about it, and think about the birdie I made.”

This is Alison’s fourth appearance in a USGA amateur championship and she’s hoping to get past the first round of match play. She has been eliminated in the first round in each of the past two U.S. Girls’ Juniors and last year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur, where she faced reigning NCAA Division I individual champion Azahara Munoz of Spain, who eventually finished as the runner-up to Amanda Blumenherst.

“I’m not worried about missing the [match-play] cut,” said Alison Lee. “I don’t think I have to worry too much about tomorrow. As long as you make the cut, it doesn’t really matter.”

Anderson, 17, of Oxbow, N.D., did advance to the second round of the 2008 Girls’ Junior, losing to Mary Michael Maggio, 2 and 1. Her round might have been one shot better had she not been penalized a stroke when her ball moved as she brought the club back to play her second shot to the ninth hole, her 18th of the day. Anderson still got up and down for a bogey and was quite pleased with the 69.

“I totally exceeded my expectations today,” said Anderson, who will be a freshman at North Dakota State in Fargo this fall. “I was just hoping to shoot around par. I felt I played well today.”

The cut for match play will come after Tuesday’s second round of stroke play on the New Course. The low 64 scorers then advance to Wednesday’s first round on the Old Course. The second and third rounds are scheduled for Thursday on the New Course, with the final two days of match play, including Saturday’s 36-hole final, scheduled for the New Course.

NOTE: Kristen Park, 16, of Buena Park, Calif., the 2007 Girls’ Junior champion posted a 71, while 2006 champion Jenny Shin, 16, of Torrance, Calif., had a 78.

David Shefter is a USGA Digital Media staff writer. E-mail him with questions or comments at dshefter@usga.org.