After two days at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open – a jumbled two days because of a long first-round weather delay – a pair of Swedes top the leaderboard. The one who came into this event as the hands-down favorite is predictably at the very top.
Annika Sorenstam is playing her first USGA championship in 13 years this week. The three-time U.S. Women’s Open winner has put together rounds of 67-69 to reach 8 under at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Connecticut, and take an three-shot lead over countrywoman Liselotte Neumann.
The two share more than a country. They both have Solheim Cup captaincies under their belts, too, with Sorenstam having captained the Europeans in 2017 while Neumann led the team (to victory, no less) in 2013.
Sorenstam, who started on No. 10, ended her day with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 7-9.
Play was halted mid-afternoon on Thursday because of inclement weather. Many players’ second-round tee times were pushed way back given that so much of the first round still needed to be finished. Sorenstam even got in some laps in the pool before teeing it up on Friday.
“I really felt like I hit the ball well today, so it was nice to see them go in and get some red numbers there on the board,” she said. “Overall it’s just a good finish always makes the round feel a little sweeter than maybe it was.
“Glad we finished. Going to have a good night’s rest. Our kids came into town, so maybe I should take the rest away. We’re just going to have a good night. How about that? And have a fun weekend.”
The @NBCOlympics are inspiring @ANNIKA59 this morning!
@USGA #USSeniorWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/2YZm26QgnM
— Mike McGee (@MikeMcGeeAnnika) July 30, 2021
Sorenstam may be a Hall of Famer, but she’ll have an amateur on her tail entering the weekend. Seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port backed up an opening 71 with a second-round 69 on Friday and at 4 under, is tied for third with Japan’s Yuka Saito.
Port, a gregarious St. Louis native who captained the Americans to victory in the Curtis Cup in 2014 – and made match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 2018 when she was 56 – got emotional post-round talking about contending in this championship.
“Yeah, I am shocked, to be honest with you, that I stayed in the present as much as I did and kept things simple,” she said. “I have a lot of thoughts go through my mind normally in a given hour, so I just tried to really – I trained and I trusted, and that’s really the two Ts I’ll put on my golf ball.
“I’ve trained the best I could at this juncture, and now it’s time to trust it.”
Port was part of an all-star pairing in the first two rounds that included fellow longtime amateur Carol Semple Thompson as well as JoAnne Carner. Between them, they have 22 USGA titles.
On Thursday, Carner shot her age – 82 – and on Friday, she came back with a 79. Though she’s going to miss the cut, Carner still garnered several new fans over two days at Brooklawn.
How to watch
Golf Channel will have live coverage Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m.