EVIAN, France, 21 July 2005 — Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam, the world No.1, and teenage sensation Michelle Wie, failed to live up to their star billing in the first round of the 1,882,375-euro Evian Masters yesterday.
While New Zealand’s Lynnette Brooky, Colombia’s Marisa Baena and Swede Carin Koch shared the lead on six under par 66, Sorenstam had a couple of uncharacteristic blemishes in a level par 72, while Wie blamed a lack of luck on her 75.
Sorenstam, aiming to become the first three-time winner, drove out of bounds and ran up a seven at the long 15th. She then hit her second shot into water at the par five 18th and closed with a six to finish six shots off the lead on a course that had been ravaged by a hailstorm on Monday. “It wasn’t a good day,” admitted the champion from 2000 and 2002 and the runner-up to Australia’s Wendy Doolan a year ago.
“The hail had made the greens very bumpy, although it’s amazing the staff managed to get the course into a playable condition.”
Wie, who tied for 33rd on her debut last year, also struggled on the greens, a miss from eight feet for an eagle at the 475-yard par five 18th one of many misses under ten feet.
“The score sounds bad, but it was just that I got a lot of really bad breaks,” claimed the Hawaiian 15-year-old, who has played on both the LPGA and PGA Tour this summer and finished second behind Sorenstam in last month’s major, the LPGA Championship.
Brooky had eight birdies to set the target of 66 as she drew inspiration of the US Open win from her fellow-Kiwi Michael Campbell.
“We grew up together and played a lot of golf together as juniors,” said the 37-year-old.
