WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Annika Sorenstam's winning streak is on
hold again.
Rain wiped out the Michelob Ultra Open on Friday, and the second
round will start anew Saturday morning. The final 36 holes of the
tournament will be played Sunday.
"We just didn't feel like it was going to be fair," said Jim
Haley, an LPGA rules official. "Some players that didn't tee off
yet were going to come tomorrow and play in sunshine while half the
field is playing in this muck. We just didn't feel like that was
fair to the field."
The storm could have been a huge break for Sorenstam. After
shooting a 5-over-par 76 on Thursday, she's got work to do just to
make the cut, let alone keep her quest for a record sixth straight
victory alive. She's nine strokes behind first-round leaders Silvia
Cavalleri and Catrin Nilsmark, and several off the projected cut
line.
But she was making up ground Friday without even setting foot on
the course.
More than a half-inch of rain fell on the River Course at
Kingsmill between 7 a.m. and noon, wreaking havoc with the scores
of the morning groups. Only a few players were below par for the
day. Almost everyone was over par, some by several strokes. No one
played more than 12 holes.
When play was halted about 3½ hours after it started, a cheer
went up from some waiting caddies. Sorenstam, already bundled up in
her rain gear, wandered the halls near the locker room, chatting
with the drenched and chilled players who'd been out on the course.
"It was a miserable day, plain and simple," said Laura Diaz,
who was at even par after five holes. "I think most of us felt
like we shouldn't have played, and obviously in the end, officials
agreed with us with the wash of the round."
Natalie Gulbis was one of the few who wouldn't have minded
holding onto her score, a 1 under for the day that put her atop the
tournament leaderboard.
"It's just frustrating, but what can you do?" said Gulbis, who
was 2 under after the first round. "I'm still in a good spot. Take
the day off and start over tomorrow."
Haley said play began Friday morning because the course,
renovated over the winter, was in good shape. But the steady rain
quickly drenched the fairways and tee boxes, making the course
unplayable. The rain was scheduled to continue the rest of the day,
but the forecast for Saturday and Sunday is clear.
Both tees will be used for the rest of the tournament, and
playing groups will be the same for the third and fourth rounds.
Shortening the tournament to 54 holes was considered to make
sure it was completed Sunday. But Haley said both the LPGA and
Anheuser-Busch want a full 72 holes. If necessary, he said the
tournament could spill into Monday.
"It is a significant tournament on our schedule with a
significant purse," he said. "We think in the best interest of
the Tour and the tournament, we should play 72 holes."
The $2.2 million purse is the third largest on the LPGA Tour.
All this puts Sorenstam right back where she started Friday
morning: trying to climb the leaderboard to keep her winning streak
alive.
Her victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship was her fifth
straight, tying Nancy Lopez's long-standing record. She took a
five-week break, then returned this week for what she hopes will be
a record sixth consecutive win.
Things haven't exactly gone accordingly to plan, though. Her
first-round 76 was her highest in relation to par since a 5-over 77
in the second round of the 2002 British Open. That, by the way,
also was the last time she missed a cut. She shot a 76 in the
second round of the Kraft Nabisco last year.
It also was her highest score in an opening round since a 76 in
the 2000 Rochester International, and it ended a stretch of 43
rounds at par or better.
"I don't know what to say about this round," she said
Thursday. "I thought I played pretty good today. It just didn't go
my way at all."
If Sorenstam makes the cut, though, there's some good history on
her side. The last time she played 36 holes on a Sunday was at last
year's LPGA Championship. She won that one, shooting a 64 in the
morning and a 72 in the afternoon to win her seventh major
championship.