Robbins & Bader share opening honours

Kelly Robbins was relieved to get into the clubhouse just seconds before lightning strikes and torrential rains put the first round of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic on hold for 2 hours.

Robbins -- winless in her last 82 tour events -- had two eagles in an 8-under-par 64 to share the lead with Beth Bader as those with morning tee times gained a huge head start in the 54-hole tournament.

``They said this might come -- it's been a threat all week,'' Robbins said as she looked out a window where the deluge was flooding carts and creating small streams in the greens. ``I think most of us knew having an early tee time could be very advantageous. Obviously, it's going to be.''

Only two of the top 14 scores came after the storm.

``I thought the greens were pretty soft anyway,'' Robbins said. ``This will set us up for a rough go this weekend.''

Bader hasn't finished higher than a tie for 30th in her two years as a pro but said she planned on not getting ahead of herself.

``I've had some ups and downs -- it's not where I want it,'' she said. ``I need to chill out, relax and have fun with it. The more upset and frustrated you get, the harder it is to play. There's no point in pouting all day so I decided to change my attitude a little bit.''

Robbins holed a bunker shot on the par-5 5th, then hit driver and 3-wood to 4 feet for another eagle at the par-5 8th.

She said she couldn't remember the last time she had two eagles in the same round.

``A couple of eagles is unusual, but I won't argue with them,'' she said.

Bader had 10 birdies and two bogeys for the best score of her career.

``Nothing went wrong,'' she said. ``I putted phenomenal.''

The 64s were the lowest competitive rounds ever shot at Squaw Creek Country Club.

Lightning and heavy rains delayed play for more than 2 hours, shortly after the leaders finished their rounds.

Two-time defending champion Dorothy Delasin -- seeking to become only the eighth player to win the same LPGA tournament three years in a row -- shot a 69.

``I just wanted to have a good position going into the weekend,'' Delasin said. ``I'm in a position to have a good weekend. I'm very happy with the way I played.''

Mi Hyun Kim of South Korea was joined at 65 by Danielle Ammaccapane, while rookies Natalie Gulbis and Jung Yeon Lee each shot a 67.

Ammaccapane, who played most of her round after the suspension of play, had to hit woods to the green on the last four holes because the wet course was playing so much longer and took so much longer to play.

``We just had to get it to the hole,'' she said. ``I'm sure the superintendent will not put any water on the course this week. The grass is growing -- you can actually see it -- we were out there so long.''

Robbins, who has won nine tour events but none since 1999, turned the front side in 5-under 32. She added four birdies on the back nine -- twice hitting wedge shots that ended up 2 feet from the pin -- to move into a tie with the unheralded Bader.

Robbins won at least one LPGA event for seven straight years, including the initial tournament of 1999, the HealthSouth Inaugural.

She has gotten at least a share of second in three tournaments since, but has not won in 82 previous starts, including 12 this year.

``I've been playing well lately. I just haven't done a lot of really good things to put me into any type of real contention,'' Robbins said.

Playing in one of the first groups off the 10th tee, Bader birdied the first three holes and didn't let up. She added three more birdies and a bogey in a back-nine 30, then birdied three of the last four holes on the front side to beat her previous career-low score by two strokes.

Seven of Bader's 10 birdie putts were shorter than 10 feet.

Bader shot a 66 in the second round of the Corning in May to share the lead with Laura Diaz and Sherri Steinhauer, but then came back the next day with a 77. She finished in a tie for 65th, 17 shots behind Diaz.

Nervous and upset after her early success there, she said she learned a lot from the experience.

``I just try to walk away positive,'' she said. ``I'm not going to jinx myself, wear the same socks tomorrow, that kind of thing.''

Nancy Lopez, making her farewell trip around the LPGA Tour, had a 74.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page