RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. - Stacy Lewis finished the first round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship five shots off the lead after opening with a 1-over-par 73 at Mission Hills Country Club, and enters the second round of the LPGA’s first major championship with the possibility of not having her regular caddie, TravisWilson, on the bag.
Lewis, the former Arkansas Razorbacks All-American who is world’s top-ranked woman’s golfer, overcamea triple-bogey six on the par-3 14th, her fifth hole, to play the final 13 holes in 2 under to stay within reach of leaders Na Yeon Choi of South Korea, Suzann Pettersen of Norway and England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff, who are tied atop the leaderboard after shooting 4-under 68s.
Forty three golfers shot par or better on a day when temperatures reached the low 90s, with 21 players at even par.
The heat was too much for Wilson, who was taken to an urgent care center with flu-like symptoms after Thursday’s round by Dale Lewis, Stacy’s father,according to Lewis’ management team. Wilson did not feel well before the round but was on the bag anyway. After the round, Wilson visited medical staff on site, who told him he needed an IV but they were unable to administer one.
If Wilson cannot caddie today, Jeff Chilcoat, who teams with J.S. Kang at Sterling Sports Management as Lewis’ agents, is on call as a replacement.
Lewis, who spoke with reporters immediately after her round, did not comment about her caddie’s condition but did discuss her round, one which started on the back nine with four consecutive pars before a triple bogey on the par-3 14th, when she clipped her tee shot into a pond in front of the green, took a drop,pitched onto the green before three-putting.
“I came out really flat and had a lot of in-between numbers, was in a couple divots, had some weird shots,” Lewis said. “I was definitely disappointed, but I made some putts there on the back nine, which was important.”
Lewis, 28, has played well at Mission Hills in the past, recording her first career victory in 2011, and has finished tied for fifth or better three times in five starts. Lewis opened with a 74 last year and tied for fourth.
“This course you are never really out of it,” she said. “You can shoot a good number one day and be right there. I just kind of had to fight through it.”
Lewis said she was happy with the way her round turned out.
“Considering I made a triple and I shot 1 over, yes, it’sgood,” she said.
Pettersen and Choi, playing together, took advantage of perfect morning conditions to share the first-round lead with Jodi Ewart Shadoff, who played in the afternoon group.
Finishing before the temperature climbed into the low 90s on Thursday in the Coachella Valley, Pettersen and Choi had bogey-free rounds. Ewart Shadoff matched them late in the afternoon in more difficult conditions, reaching 5 under on the back nine before bogeying the par-4 16th.
PGA TOUR 2 share Texas Open lead
SAN ANTONIO - Matt Bettencourt looked more like the former PGA Tour winner that he is Thursday than someone who’s 183rd on this year’s money list.
Peter Tomasulo looked like anything but a player fighting to keep his tour card.
Bettencourt and Tomasulo each shot 5-under-par 67s Thursday to earn the surprising lead after the first round of the Texas Open, holding off a field that includes world No. 2 Rory McIlroy.
They took advantage of warmer and calmer afternoon conditions and held a one-stroke lead over a group of four players - including three-time major winner Padraig Harrington and Conway’s Bryce Molder - at 4 under. Molder had six birdies and two bogeys in his 68.
Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) were another stroke back. Ridings had a birdie and two bogeys in his 73, while Duke had two birdies and three bogeys.
Scott Gardiner (Farmington) shot a 76 with one birdies and five bogeys, and David Lingmerth (Razorbacks) had a 77.
Sports, Pages 15 on 04/05/2013