LaRee Sugg

Diary Entries

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UR Official Sugg Claims Spot In Women's Open - Richmond Times-Dispatch

Pressure on UR's Sugg light in Women's Open - Richmond Times-Dispatch (Thursday June 28)

Wrap-up

Firstly, I really need to thank all my friends who came to watch, sent me notes, encouraging emails, and birdie vibes. It was a fantastic week and a very special US Open. Simply to have qualified while maintaining a full-time job is a great accomplishment in itself. I am of course disappointed not so much in not making the cut, but in the fact I did not play up to where I thought I could this week. However, I had many moments of glory and still feel that I have the game to compete at this level.

The best part of the week was seeing so many old friends. The worst part of leaving the tour is leaving many friends behind. You never really get a chance to properly even say good-bye. Everyone from players, fans, officials, and LPGA support staff were really genuinely as happy to see me as I was to be with them again. Everyone from Annika Sorenstam to Paul in the club repair van had big hugs and was really pleased to hear about my job at UR as we got caught up on each others lives.

At the end of the day, this experience has reaffirmed that it was never about what I shot, what tournaments I won or lost, but was always about positively touching people's lives along the way. I am so lucky to have seen this illustrated many times.

As a closing I will share one quick story with you from my last year on tour in 2001. I was playing in Springfield, Ill., during the second round, when I noticed a woman in the crowd who had always followed me with her son during previous years I had played this event. At the end of my round, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. I had just missed another cut. However, I was happy to see this woman again and wanted thank her for coming out to support me that day. I inquired about her son to see how he was doing and if he still had an interest in golf. Her eyes welled up with tears as she told me that her son had committed suicide the previous winter. There was nothing else for me to do but embrace and cry along with her. After we were able to compose ourselves a bit, she shared with me that coming out to watch me play was good for her. Coming out and watching that tournament with her son was a cherished memory. She told me that her son had always kept the glove I had autographed for him in his room. Just being out on the course walking around was healing to her. This was a positive experience she had shared with her son, an experience she would never forget.

I am honored to have shared in this experience and in being just a small part in something that brought joy to these two people's lives. It did not matter what I shot, if I made the cut, or who won. Golf allowed me, at times, to be apart of something greater than the sport itself. I guess this is why I play, this is why I still compete, and why I think sports is such a valuable thing in all our lives. It facilitates people being connected and able to touch one another's lives.

To play in the Open and feel this again was amazing. The love I felt from fans and friends is something I will carry with me always... whether I am making double bogeys or birdies.

The course really had started to finally dry out. However, with the drier conditions brought the wind. The course would still play tough.... as it should in an Open Championship. I had a feeling that the cut would be between 7 and 9 over par. At this point, I felt that shooting 2 or 3 under was within my capabilities of achieving. I had some momentum built up from the day before. However, I knew that I would have to play my best golf. The key to accomplishing this would be to play aggressive when feasible.

Again, I was off to a rough start with bogeys on the first two holes. I recovered quickly with a birdie on my third hole and a solid par on my fourth hole, a long par 3 into a left to right cross wind where I had to hit a 5 wood. I was pleased to get onto the green and give myself a birdie putt.

I moved to my fifth wanting to stay aggressive which led me to take a very tight line off the tee. Unfortunately I pulled it, catching the edge of the heavy grass in the fairway bunker. DEAD!! I took my medicine and pitched the ball out safely to the fairway, but two poorly subsequent executed shots lead to a triple bogey. This really took the air out of me. This kind of mental mistake is very out of character and is definitely a result of not playing under pressure for four years. But you have "to get over it and move on with it.” You never know what is around the corner.

The next hole I rallied back with a birdie set up by a 7 wood out of the rough from 175 yards that hit the pin and nearly went into the hole. What a great feeling! I still have it!

The rest of the day was a bit up and down. I played much better overall, but too many holes with big numbers really decided my fate for the championship. I would not be making the cut this time around.

Play finally began on Friday. We had wonderful weather despite all the fog drama of the day before. I had goose bumps as I teed off on the first hole. Thoughts of my grandfather were very present on my mind. This was the first US Open without him since he passed away in 2003. However, I was able to get my emotions in check and was off.

The start was rough to say the least. Double bogey on the first hole is not how one likes to start the championship. However, I tried to keep things in perspective knowing every competitor will have a bad hole or two along the way in Open conditions. With this said, it still took most of the front nine for me to settle in and get into a good positive groove. Not playing in any real professional tournament competitions for four years had finally caught up with me.

By the back nine I got my act together and was starting to hit the ball well. I had to...I could not show my face back at UR if I couldn't break 90... Jim Miller would fire me for sure. I moved my ball position back just a bit with my tee ball to correct the left drives I was hitting on the front nine. This shot contributed to most of my bogeys.

I had a great group. I was paired with two women, Cindy Figg-Courier and Kristal Parker-Manko, who represent the best of what professional women's golf has to offer in terms of dignity, competitiveness, and sportsmanship. These are women who mentored me along the way and maybe unbeknowst to most fans have contributed significantly to the forward progression to women's golf.

I hung in there like a champ on the back nine improving in all aspects of my game. I was able to take many positive things from this nine into my next round.

After playing, I was beat. I decided not to practice, but to enjoy a bit of Providence and have dinner with a few local friends. What I needed most was a mental break and some relaxation after a hard fought battle on the course.

Fog Fog Go Away!

So what do tour players do in the locker rooms during weather delays anyway? Well, if I tell you, I will have to kill you. Just kidding.

As the world now knows, there was no play today in Rhode Island. The fog settled in and decided to stay all day. Players arrived at the course anticipating the start of the biggest event in women's golf only to be met by officials who informed us that there was a half hour delay. This message was repeated every half hour from 7 am until 3 pm when it was decided to call play.

Players passed the time by playing cards, surfing the net, talking on the phone, and shopping in the merchandise tent. We are still girls after all and they were giving the players 20% off! I can never pass up a good sale. I spent the morning practicing my putting and chatting with family and friends. I did not want to go to the range and start my pre-game warm-up until I knew we were a go for the day.

After the day was called, I had a great practice session with my coach and am feeling even more prepared for tomorrow. We will have the same tee times and I am as excited as ever to get started.

Hello Spider Fans,

Well, I am sitting in the locker room killing time. We are in a two hour fog delay. Oh well... I have a great group being paired with Kristal Parker-Manzo who is a fellow Bruin and my hero as a junior golfer and Cindy Figg-Currier who is a great person as well. I have known Kristal and her family since I was 10. It really feels like old times for me. Players are just trying to waiting the delay out. Some are just chatting while others are out on the putting greens and the range.

I usually do not like to start my warm-up until one hour before play. I want to try to stick to my routine as close as possible. If I would have already been in the middle of my pre-game when the delay was announced, I usually stop and chill out until I know my new start time. However, I did anticipate that delays would be probable during this week and have mentally prepared for this.

Everyone wish me luck and send my positive birdie vibes... Look for me on the leader board!!

Well, the weather has come in with vengeance. After a perfect day on Tuesday, my practice round on Wednesday was chilly, rainy, and extremely windy. I predicted that if the tournament had started in these conditions less than a third of the field would break 75. This is how severely I rated the conditions and the course. Holes where I hit driver / 6 iron the day before, were not reachable in regulation even by the longer hitters in my group.

Again, I don't mine this weather. I love it when the conditions and the course force me to use my imagination and create different shots varying my club selection and ball flight. Patience and acceptance of what the course is willing to give you will be keys to success on days like today. The sad thing is that I have played in much worse weather than this overseas when I played in Europe and Asia. This week is going to be fun.

We decided to just play nine holes, wait out the rain, and then go to the range to work on my short game and punch shots. With the course being long and windy, I expect that I will be required to scramble getting up and down for much of the day tomorrow. Hitting a high percentage of greens will be difficult.

I am definitely enjoying the moment and taking time to absorb every aspect of having this experience. Today, I chatted a bit with members and the president of the club. I love getting their insight on the course. A little local knowledge never hurt.

In the evening, we enjoyed a lovely dinner in Providence with friends who gave us a tour of the area. I was off to bed by 10 and hope to dream of birdies.

We arrived at the course early in the morning for our practice round scheduled for 7:44 am. I wanted to have at least one early and one late practice round so I could see what the weather and wind conditions would be at different times of the day. I also scheduled my times so I could go off 10 one day and 1 on the other.

The course was still quiet with only a few spectators at this time of day. However, by the end of my round the course was starting to get packed with fans. I could feel the electricity of the event growing. The weather was beautiful, sunny with a gentle breeze. Along the way on the course, I enjoyed talking with volunteers and fans. I ran into several other "Spiders" during the day. They could not miss my Spider bag. My "Spider" head cover was a hit with the kids who were out watching.

During a practice round, I like to map the course in my yardage book particularly noting the breaks on the greens. Once in a while you will get lucky and the maintenance crew will have the hole locations mark dots of spray paint on the greens. This will give the players an opportunity to hit extra putts and chips to these locations.

The course is very wet from the rain. The grounds crew was working extremely hard trying to get the course ready for play. The course is already very long with four par 4's over 440 yards. I had to mentally prepare myself for the prospect of hitting many 3 woods into greens. This should be not problem for even with my social golf the boys want me to play from the tips with them. I am used to playing the course long at times.

The greens are very receptive because of the rain allowing for good golf shots to be rewarded. The rough is high as expected but I seemed to be able to advance the ball relatively straight and forward... not something that is an automatic assumption during the Open.

After the round, we had a long session on the driving range working with my coach, Paul McRae. Seeing that the course would play long, I took the opportunity to experiment with different drivers and ball types to try and get a few extra yards. Ultimately, we have decided to switch from the Cleveland Comp driver to the Hi-Bore... It feels awesome and I have seemed to have eliminated the left miss I have been struggling with off the tee.

We finally left the course around 6 in the evening. I have to admit that I was often distracted talking with friends I have not seen in a while. There were lots of hugs, well wishes, and looking at baby pictures during the day.

The weather forecast is ominous so I am mentally preparing myself for rough conditions which I love!!! I have always been a mudder and excel at events where par is a good score. I love sitting in the locker room and listening to many players complain about the conditions and the delays. My theory is that half of the field has already beaten themselves. I focus on staying positive and relaxed.

I arrived at the course around six pm after a long drive up from Richmond. We were caught in the terrible flooding in the D.C. area which delayed our arrival time in Newport. However, the drive and the experience were worth the wait. Seeing the majestic old clubhouse for the first time was an amazing site against the evening sun.

There were very few spectators or competitors around at this time and being anxious to see the course, my caddie and I went over to the 18th to roll a few putts just to get a feel for things. As every true competitor knows the last hole is where championships are won and lost. Winged Foot is still fresh in my mind.

We also walked just a few of the holes surrounding the clubhouse to get a feel for what shots would be required during the championship. My initial thoughts were that the fairways were generous enough for an Open. However, this did cause a moment of concern for I suspect that the course had hidden obstacles that were unseen waiting for me.

With this said we were off to our housing in Providence and looking forward to the secrets that Newport Country Club would reveal for us during our practice round the next day.