For Michelle and Annika, first Open at Pebble will be too short

PEBBLE BEACH — Years ago when a certain sports columnist (hmm) would point out that Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus were not in the field of a tournament, some golf officials were distressed.

“Why don’t you write about the other players, the ones who are here,” he was told. “Then they would become as popular as Arnie and Jack.”

The story came to mind Thursday during the opening round of the first U.S. Women’s Open to be held at glorious Pebble Beach.

The probability is of the dozens of skilled entrants who teed off Thursday, only two, Michelle Wie West and Annika Sörenstam, could be listed as prime attractions.

And unfortunately for the Open, not to mention Wie West and Sörenstam, both seem destined to miss the 36-hole cut, leaving to decide who might be the choice among the seven golfers with the last name of Lee. All are from Korea where, no surprise, the game is both wildly popular and well-played.

Wie West, who at 33 with children and in the rear-view mirror an Open champion, said this Open will be her last event. She shot a 7-over 79, and while there may be better ways to precede a farewell, she almost knew what would happen.

Golf gives no favors.

When you don’t spend hours hitting practice shots the response will appear on the scorecard. 

“I felt like I played great,” said Michelle, without a trace of sarcasm. “Just made a lot of really stupid, rusty bogeys.”

Including several missed short putts, the type when you’re playing for fun and are conceded, meaning, “Never mind, just pick it up.”

Annika Sörenstam is a treasure. She’s won numerous majors, Opens included, and competed with the men in a PGA Tour tournament. But she’s also 52, so shooting 80, 8-over, was more a sign of the times than of any sort of failure.

She was all about precedent and all about history. It’s one thing to measure yourself against pros 20 years or 25 years younger than you. It’s another to measure yourself against a golf course where Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer played.

As is the situation with Juli Simpson Inkster, also a U.S. Open winner, too many years had gone by before the Women’s Open came to Pebble.

And just to make it an authentic Pebble Beach morning, as well as a memorable one, the marine layer arrived with dampness and gloom.

“It was great to be on the first tee,” said Sörenstam, sounding like a golfer whose life dream was a round at Pebble. “It was a little misty, a little cool because it was an early start. Like I said, it’s great to be here and soak up the atmosphere. Lots of friends, lots of support. I was excited to play.”

As we were excited to watch you and Michelle, if for too short a time and too late in your great careers.