Gustafson Leads at Rainy Chick-Fil-A

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Posted 10:58PM on Friday, April 25, 2003

STOCKBRIDGE - Sophie Gustafson got off to a good start at the tournament where she claimed her first LPGA victory. Michelle Wie barely got started at all. Gustafson shot a 6-under-par 66 to claim the lead in the abbreviated first round of the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship on Friday. Heavy rains pushed back the first shot 4 1/2 hours, which means only half the 144-player field was able to finish before darkness halted play. The 13-year-old Wie, playing in her fifth LPGA event, had to wait all day before teeing it up at 6:20 p.m. in the final group to go off at No. 10. She never felt comfortable enough to pull out her driver, which has been known to produce shots of 300 yards. But Wie did birdie her final hole of the day to get to 1-under, nearly holing out a 72-yard lob wedge. "I kind of started to get the grip of it," she said. "But now I have to wait again." She is scheduled to return to the course early Saturday morning to complete the opening round along with 71 other players. Gustafson got rolling with an eagle at the par-5 second, sinking a 60-foot putt after reaching the green with a driver and 3-wood. Her round was marred by only one bogey, and the Swedish golfer surged to the lead with birdies on four of the last seven holes. "I hit almost every fairway and almost every green," she said. "I don't think that I made too many mistakes." Gustafson won this event in 2000 for the first of her three LPGA victories. She had a chance to repeat the following year, but lost in a playoff to Annika Sorenstam. "I have some really good memories from here," said Gustafson, who has been dating LPGA Tour commissioner Ty Votaw since last fall. Sorenstam, the world's most dominant female player, is taking the week off as she sets her schedule to play with the men at the Colonial next month. Still, 92 of the top 100 players from the 2002 money list are at Eagles Landing. Then there's Wie, the Hawaiian teenager who stunned the golfing world by finishing ninth at the first major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Wie played five holes after lounging around most of the day. She slept until 10:30 a.m., came to the course for some practice, then went back to the house to watch TV and eat "half a dinner." "I'm going to eat the other half now," she said with a smile. The course was drenched with 1.72 inches of rain overnight, which cast doubt on whether the first round would even be held Friday. While some parts of the rough were still flooded, the fairways and greens were in pretty good shape. The players were allowed to lift-and-clean their golf balls, as well. "They did the best they could do," said Cristie Kerr, who was two shots off the lead after shooting 68. "The greens are fine, just a little bumpy in spots." Denise Killeen also shot 68, while 11 players were at 69. Of those who started late, Karrie Webb and Deb Richard were both at 4-under. Webb had played 10 holes, Richard nine. Wie carried only two woods in her bag, but she never pulled out the driver. She even stuck with the 4-wood at the 515-yard 13th, the longest hole on the course. "I just didn't feel comfortable with the driver on the range," Wie said. But she looked just fine on her next-to-last shot of the day at 14. After driving about 270 yards with the 4-wood, she took a half-swing with the lob wedge from the middle of the fairway. The ball stuck within a foot of the cup. Wie didn't even need to mark it, tapping in for her first birdie after beginning with four straight pars. "I feel more comfortable now," she said. Wie didn't get a chance to build on that momentum. The horn sounded, ending play as darkness approached. Divots:@ Defending champion Juli Inkster was struggling, standing 4-over through 12 holes when play was suspended. ... Barb Mucha struck a fan with her tee shot at the par-3 11th, which kept the ball from sailing far over the green. "I'm glad I hit you," Mucha quipped while handing the woman another ball to keep. "I'm honored it was your ball," the fan replied.