Author: lenz

Quad Cities should be considered as a golf destination spot

MOLINE, IL. – For years now I’ve told my golf-media buddies from the Quad Cities that they reside in “the golf capitol of Illinois.’’

They think I’m kidding but, after four decades of covering the PGA Tour stop in that community, I’m not so sure. In fact, I can now say that the area encompassing Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa could be a golf destination – and I’m NOT kidding.

The clubhouse at TPC Deere Run.

Golf in the Quad Cites is relatively inexpensive. That’s a big plus. Nothing is very far away, either. More than anything, though, I like the diversity of the area’s golf options.

You can play a PGA Tour site. TPC Deere Run has been the home of the John Deere Classic since 2000. Golf’s premier circuit has come to the Quad Cities every year since 1971, a clear indication the PGA Tour respects the passion in one of its smallest markets.

TPC Deere Run, a D.A. Weibring design, is plenty challenging but hardly the brutal test that some of the other tour layouts are. A serious recreational play can have a good time at Deere Run without feeling beat up afterwards. The par-17th hole (shown here) exemplifies the beauty of this layout.

OK, so there’s a tour course. What else?

If you want tradition there’s the Rock Island Arsenal military facility, which has a sporty layout – now called Arsenal Island — that dates back to 1897. Through 2011 it was a private club. Now the public can play this interesting 6,254-yard layout, which borders on the Mississippi River.

If you want upscale public without paying much for it there’s Glynns Creek, in Long Grove on the Iowa side of the Mississippi, and Byron Hills, in Port Byron on the Illinois side. Glynns Creek is excellent, the site of an American Junior Golf Association event in 2012. Byron Hills is noted for its greens, which some say are the best in the Quad Cities.

A key here is price. Two of us played both Glynns Creek and Byron Hills on a weekday with cart for $56 – that’s total, not per person.

Those are the most notable public offerings. If you’re fortunate enough to get a round on one of the area’s private clubs there’s three of them – Crow Valley, in Davenport; Davenport Country Club, also in Iowa; and Oakwood, in Coal Valley, IL. – which have been sites of PGA Tour events in the past.

There’s more to a golf getaway than the courses you can play. You have to have lodging, and the Quad Cities has most all of the chain hotels and motels. But, if you want someplace special there’s Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport. It dates back to 1915 and was renovated in 2009. Charming is the best way to describe it.

You also have to eat, and we found some good ones. The well-established Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, in the heart of the Moline business district, is my favorite. It’s fairly-priced, with good food and pleasant atmosphere.

Duck City, located near the Blackhawk, seems to be the in hot-spot, but it’s not very big and difficult to get a table many times. Granite City Food & Brewery has one of its locations in Davenport and is much bigger with a varied menu, good food and a energizing atmosphere.

For a getaway from your golf getaway there’s Faithful Pilot, Cafe in LeClaire, Ia. This is a most interesting waterfront place in a quaint little town with shops offering all sorts of antiques.

If you don’t mind spending big-time, there’s the Red Crow Grille in Bettendorf. I don’t have this place figured out completely. It has a disarming location in a small shopping mall and an exotic menu. Our dinner there was a pleasant one, even after the check arrived.

Biggest bargain on the culinary side was at Ryan’s, on John Deere Road in Moline. You may not be aware of it – we weren’t, either – but Ryan’s is no longer a chain of steak places. This chain is now specializing in buffet spreads and the two of us had a dazzling Sunday breakfast there for $16 – again that’s the total for both of us.

The problem with going to the Quad Cities for the expressed purpose of playing golf is that there aren’t golf packages. You have to book your tee times, lodging and meal reservations separately. Cost-wise, though, we found it well worth it.

ILLINOIS OPEN: New pro Scodro is thriving on state Opens

Wednesday’s final round of the 63rd Illinois Open didn’t have the spectacular shots that were so abundant in Round 2, but it certainly had more drama.

Recent Notre Dame graduate Max Scodro and Eric Meierdierks, the tourney’s 2010 champion, waged a two-man duel all day long at The Glen Club in Glenview before Skodro took the title on the fifth hole of a playoff. It was the longest playoff in the tourney since Marty Schiene outlasted Gary Groh over six holes at Royal Fox in St. Charles 20 years ago.

Scodro was surprised to learn the playoff format called for three holes first, the winner to be decided by aggregate score, but it didn’t faze him after he had drilled a 12-foot birdie putt to pull even with Meierdierks at 10-under-par 206 for the regulation 54 holes.

Moments before Scodro made the big putt Meierdierks uncorked a 6-iron from 180 yards into the wind that stopped six feet from the cup. But he couldn’t convert for birdie, and that gave Skodro a chance to stay alive.

“I willed that one in,’’ said Scodro. “I couldn’t believe it went in, but I had a good feeling going into the playoff.’’

That feeling wasn’t so good on the first hole of sudden death, when Meierdierks’ 15-footer for the win hit the back of the cup.

“It was such a good putt. The majority of the ball was in the hole. I thought it was over,’’ said Scodro. So did Meierdierks.

“It looked like a fist-pumper,’’ admitted Meierdierks, who had to cut his celebration short. “It didn’t go. That’s golf.’’

The end came on their third playoff trip down No. 18. Meierdierks hit his drive in the left weeds for the third straight time couldn’t scramble for par. After Meierdierks settled for bogey Skodro needed two putts from 10 feet for his par and the win. He had no problem negotiating that.

Scodro, 22, turned pro after his college graduation last month and won the Arizona Open in his first start. State Opens seem to be his thing, and the Iowa Open is on his schedule for August.

Wednesday’s win was worth $17,000 to Scodro, who spent three years at Chicago’s Francis Parker Academy prior to attending Notre Dame. He’s been playing out of Olympia Fields Country Club, and that’s where the trophy he won on Wednesday is likely to go first.

“I had never met Max or heard of him,’’ said Meierdierks, a mini-tour veteran who will make his next start at the Colorado Open. “He’s got a lot of talent, and I enjoyed playing with him. I made a friend in him.’’

ILLINOIS OPEN: Back-to-back eagles, 263-yard hole-out ignite Round 2

Wilmette’s Eric Meierdierks shot 68s in both the first and second rounds of the 63rd Illinois Open at The Glen Club in Glenview. His second 18, on Tuesday, was the more notable on a day in which the weather was so hot players were allowed to wear shorts for only the fourth time in the history of the championship.

Meierdierks was the hottest, pulling off the extremely rare feat of posting back-to-back eagles. And he would have had three eagles in a five-hole stretch had a 12-foot putt dropped at The Glen’s 18th.

Starting his second round at the tenth hole, Meierdierks had his two-hole hot streak on No. 14 – a 534-yard par-5 – and No. 15 — a 358-yard par-4. Meierdierks put a 7-iron second shot to within 20 feet at the 14th and drove the green at the 15th before converting from 20 feet again.

“I’ve had two eagles in a round before, but this is the first time I’ve ever had them back-to-back,’’ said Meierdierks, who has been playing on the Gateway Tour in Arizona.

As good as he was, the shot of the day was the 263-yard 3-wood that amateur Shane Smith of Godfrey, IL., holed out for double eagle at No. 1 a few hours after Meierdierks finished.

The 68s put Meierdierks at 8-under-par 136 for 36 holes, good enough for a one-stroke lead over first-round leader Travis Johns and recent Notre Dame graduate Max Scodro entering today’s final 18.

Meierdierks and Johns, a teaching pro at both Glencoe and the Twin Lakes facility in Palatine, hope to regain their form from the 2010 season. That year Meierdierks won the Illinois Open at Hawthorn Woods and Johns won five tournaments en route to becoming the Illinois PGA player-of-the-year. Last year Johns won only twice and Meierdierks missed the cut in his Illinois Open title defense.

“I like where my game’s at,’’ said Meierdierks, who overcame a one-stroke deficit after two rounds to win in 2010. “ We’ll see what happens’’

Meierdierks had a comfortable pairing his first two rounds when he played with Phil Arouca, the 2011 Illinois Open champion. Arouca, a Glen Club member, and Meierdierks are both 27-year old New Trier High School graduates.

Arouca enters the final round five strokes behind Meierdierks. He’s tied with, among others, Illinos coach Mike Small who is seeking a record-tying fifth Illinois Open title. Gary Pinns won the tournament five times, the last in 1990.

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC: Johnson steals the thunder from Stricker this time

SILVIS, IL. – Steve Stricker’s bid for an historic four-peat at the John Deere Classic fizzled on Sunday, but the end result was almost as good for an emotionally-drained gallery at TPC Deere Run.

Zach Johnson, almost as popular as Stricker in the Quad Cities, got the win in one of the strangest playoffs in PGA Tour history. Johnson, considered the tourney’s hometown favorite since he grew up in Cedar Rapids, Ia., and has long been on the JDC’s board of directors, put both his drives on the two playoff holes in the same fairway bunker.

The first time he scrambled to make double bogey, but that wasn’t so bad because his opponent Troy Matteson did the same. Both players hit their approaches into a green-side pond, an indication neither was ready to win.

Johnson, winner of the 2007 Masters, changed that mindset the second time around when he put his second bunker shot – a 6-iron from 193 yards – to within six inches of the cup. Matteson missed a birdie try from 43 feet, then Johnson tapped in for birdie and his ninth win on the PGA Tour – but his first in 12 JDC appearances. He had a second and a tie for third in the last three years when Stricker was winning his three titles.

“I was shocked that I got into a playoff,’’ said Matteson, the solo leader three the first three rounds and 14 holes into the fourth. Then he made double bogey at the 15th to fall out of the lead before rolling in a 60-foot eagle putt at the 17th to set the stage for the playoff.

“All in all, you go into a playoff and lose to a shot like that after Zach put it in the bunker twice…..My hat’s off to Zach,’’ said Matteson.

“It just feels awesome. I can’t put it into words,’’ said Johnson, who won earlier this year at the Colonial National Invitation tourney in Texas and also finished second twice. This win came without his regular caddie. Damon Green, who had been on Johnson’s bag for 173 straight tournaments. Green spent the week in Michigan where he finished tied for 17th at the U.S. Senior Open.

Mike Bender, Johnson’s swing coach since 2000, carried in Green’s place but Green, thanks to a ride on Tom Watson’s plane, arrived in Moline in time to join Johnson on the direct flight to next week’s British Open. Matteson also made that charter flight, as his runner-up finish gave him the final exemption to the year’s third major championship.

Matteson, who had tried to qualify for the British nine previous times, will make his first appearance across the pond. Stricker will be there, too, undaunted that his bid to join golf legends Tom Morris Jr., Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods as the champion of a major professional tournament four years in a row came up short. He finished in a tie for fifth with Luke Guthrie, the University of Illinois product who finished with the day’s best round – a 64 – to conclude his second tournament as a pro.

“It was a lot of fun trying to do it,’’ said Stricker. “I don’t know if I was tired, but it just didn’t feel like something good was going to happen. It was weird. I never got any momentum.’’

But he was within one shot of then-leader Matteson, his playing partner in the final twosome, after 11 holes of the final round. Hooked drives at Nos. 14 and 15 led to bogeys that brought Stricker’s dreams of a four-peat to an end.

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC: Stricker, Johnson both have a chance to win this time

SILVIS, IL. – As far as the multitudes of fans pouring into the John Deere Classic are concerned the leaderboard couldn’t be any better than this for today’s final round.

Steve Stricker, going for an historic fourth straight title, is in the final twosome. Iowa resident Zach Johnson, a long-time tournament board member who has spurred the JDC’s popularity among PGA Tour players, will be playing just in front of him.

The only trouble is, Troy Matteson owns a three\-stroke lead and shows no signs of giving it up in the lone PGA Tour stop in Illinois in 2012. He’ll be trying to become the 41-year old tourney’s first wire-to-wire winner since D.A. Webring in 1995, when the event was held at Oakwood Country Club instead of TPC Deere Run – a Weibring design that has been the home course since 2000.

Matteson, Stricker and Johnson all shot 66s on Saturday. Matteson is at 18-under-par 195 for 54 holes. Stricker is three shots behind and Johnson, tied with Brian Harman for third, is four back. Matteson won twice on the PGA Tour, both at the Frys.com Open, but that won’t help his popularity today.

“I’m not going to be the guy people are rooting for,’’ said Matteson. “I’m in a different position in life. (Stricker and Johnson) are Ryder Cuppers. People buy tickets to watch them. If Steve or Zach play good it does so much for the tournament. If Steve wins it’ll be a real big story, but I’ll be trying as hard as I can.’’

Stricker hopes to join four golf legends – Tom Morris Jr., Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods – as the only players able to win a major professional tournament four years in a row over the last 140 years. Being the pursuer rather than the leader might work in his advantage.

“I’ve been in the position Troy is in,’’ said Stricker. “The bigger the lead you have, the more you expect to win and there’s lots of guys chasing you. It’s hard to put it away sometimes. That what he’s got to deal with.’’

The Stricker mystique could also be a factor for Matteson.

“But I wouldn’t be intimidated by me,’’ said Stricker. “Troy’s been around long enough. He’ll go about his business. It’s in his hands, really.’’

Well, ITAL not END ITAL really. Stricker must play the front nine better. He’s 3-under-par on the front nine this week and 12-under on the back.

“It’s good to play with the leader and see what happens,’’ said Stricker. “I’ve got to get off to a strong start, though, and put some pressure on him.’’

Johnson has done wonders behind the scenes to help the tournament grow, but the former Masters champion has never won here. He was second to Stricker in 2009 and tied for third last year. Johnson has called the JDC “my fifth major’’ and has played in it 11 times – more than he has played in any other PGA Tour event.

“It’d be very special for me to win because I sit on the board and for what this tournament has done for me in the past,’’ said Johnson, who’s performed well this week without his regular caddie. Damon Green earned a spot in the U.S. Senior Open in Michigan, so Mike Bender – Johnson’s swing coach – is on his bag.

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC: Stricker’s still within striking distance after Round 2

SILVIS, IL. – Steve Stricker is still very much in contention for an historic fourth straight win midway through the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic, but the battle lines were more clearly drawn on Friday.

Stricker, hoping to become only the fifth player in professional golf’s last 140 years to win a major tournament four straight times, posted a 4-under-par 67 in the second round to close within three strokes of leader Troy Matteson. Matteson followed his 61 on Thursday with a 68.

So, entering the weekend rounds, Matteson is at 13-under-par 129, with Jeff Maggert and Brian Harman one stroke back. J.J. Henry, Gary Christian, Ricky Barnes and Robert Garrigus are another shot back and then comes Stricker, in a tie for eighth place. And Stricker’s satisfied to be that close.

“I’m three back; yesterday I was four back. I picked up a shot on the lead,’’ said Stricker, and there’s a long ways to go. I just have to keep doing my thing. One of those two rounds on Saturday or Sunday I’m going to have to put up a real low one and get right in there.’’

His predecessors with four straight wins in a tournament were Tom Morris Jr., Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Tiger Woods. Only Woods, who did it twice, compiled such a winning streak in the last 90 years. Morris strung British Open titles in the late 1800s. Both the Hagen and Sarazen streaks came in the 1920s.

Stricker started 71-61 when he won his first JDC in 2009. He opened 60-66 in 2010 and 66-64 last year.

In 2009 he was three shots off the lead after 36 holes. In 2010 he had a one-shot deficit and last year he was two-back entering the final 18. He’ll likely need to go a bit lower on the weekend rounds if he’s to four-peat.

Stricker finished 20-under-par for the 72 holes in 2009, 26-under in 2010 and 22-under last year. Though only 10-under for 36 now, and the players in front know he’s lurking.

“We expect big things out of him,’’ said Matteson. “Steve’s not a guy you want to see two or three shots behind you because out here he can shoot 60. And he probably will shoot 60 sometime this week. We’ll see how right I am on that, but Steve is an unbelievable player. It’s just a matter of time before a bunch of birdies come reeling off for him.’’

Matteson had his career-low round on Thursday and has an interesting connection to TPC Deere Run. His college roommate at Georgia Tech was Matt Weibring, the son of D.A. Webring who designed TPC Deere Run.

“He would always talk to us about how he designed the course and how he meant for it to play,’’ said Matteson. “I do have a little advantage in that sense.’’

Matteson hasn’t had a top-25 finish this season but he has two wins on the PGA Tour , at the Frys.com Open in 2006 and 2009, and he has two top-10s in six JDC appearances, the most recent in 2010.

JOHN DEERE CLASSIC: Stricker within 4 of leader after Round 1

SILVIS, IL. –If Steve Stricker is to make golf history by winning the John Deere Classic for a fourth straight year he’ll have to pick up his game on the front nine of TPC Deere Run.

Stricker struggled badly on the front nine in Thursday’s opening round, the shot 6-under-par on the back side to post a 65. That put him in a tie for third place, four shots behind leader Troy Matteson.

“It was like the pro-am yesterday,’’ said Stricker. “I was 1-over on the front and lit it up (5-under) on the back. Today I didn’t feel too comfortable at the start. I hit it great on the range, but didn’t have the same rhythm when I was out there playing.’’

In today’s second round Stricker will start at No. 10 with a 7:30 a.m. tee time. He figures that should be a help, since the greens will be fresh and relatively free of ball and spike marks. Every little bit helps when you’re trying to put yourself into the select company awaiting Stricker.

Over the last 140 years of professional golf only four players have won a major tournament four straight years – Tom Morris Jr. (in the early days of the British Open in the late 1800s), Walter Hagen (PGA Championship), Gene Sarazen (Miami Open) and Tiger Woods, who did it twice (Bay Hill Invitational and Buick Invitational).

Woods was Stricker’s playing partner for the first two rounds of last week’s Greenbrier Classic. “He told me to get it done,’’ said Stricker, but that simple advice at least so far hasn’t been heeded.

A standing-room-only crowd greeted Stricker warmly when he arrived at the first tee and he was given a lengthy introduction.

“It reminded me of a time I played with Tom Watson at Phoenix many year ago,’’ said Stricker. “They ripped off all of his accomplishments, and then he hit it to a foot on the first hole and a foot at the second. This wasn’t anything like that.’’

Not by a long shot. Stricker’s first tee shot landed in a fairway bunker, he chunked a chip shot at No. 2, missed the green right at the par-3 third, hit a tree in the center of his fairway with his drive at No. 4 and then missed that green to the left. Then Stricker hit his drive at No. 5 into thick rough. Somehow he got through the front side at even par, then made birdies at Nos. 10 and 12 before holing out for eagle from 78 yards at the 14th.

“I couldn’t see the pin. I liked up with a divot in the bunker and hit it well, but you don’t expect to make those things,’’ he said. “It gave me a big momentum boost.’’

Stricker made birdies at the next hole as well as the par-5 17th coming in and saved par at the 18th after hitting his tee shot far left, close to where he uncorked his spectacular bunker shot that led to his win here last year..

The only players ahead of Stricker are Matteson, who made 10 birdies, and Ricky Barnes who shot 64. Barnes played early, Matteson late, like Stricker, and was aware of the low scoring likely at TPC Deere Run. He and his playing partners joked about that.

“We saw a guy (Barnes) with 7-under on the leaderboard and we said, why is it only 7-under?’’ said Matteson. “Then we saw Steve Stricker on the range and figured he was in the afternoon wave, so we figured the low one was still coming.’’

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN: Choi ignites another Korean celebration

KOHLER, Wis. – There was a poignant moment midway through the final round of the 67th U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday.

Se Ri Pak, who won the tournament at Blackwolf Run in 1998, was finishing her round just as two other Korean golfers – Na Yeon Choi and Amy Yang – were making the turn for the back nine. Choi and Yang were first and second on the leaderboard while playing in the final twosome, and the greens at Nos. 9 and 18 were adjoining.

Pak wanted to give Choi an encouraging look, but through better of it.

“I knew she was focused, and I didn’t want her to lose her focus,’’ said Pak. “So I tried not to give her a look, but she had been there many times. She had already won five times (on the Ladies PGA Tour).’’

When their paths crossed Pak was finishing off a 71, which eventually got her into a tie for ninth place. Choi had maintained the six-stroke lead on Yang that she had at the start of the round. Their status at the top of the leaderboard never changed, though Choi’s lead dwindled.

In the end the Korean domination of the biggest championship in women’s golf continued. Choi, 24, became the fifth Korean player to win the title in the last eight years and – for the second straight year – Korean players finished one-two. Paula Creamer, the top American, tied for seventh.

“Last year a couple of Koreans went to a playoff,’’ recalled Pak of the duel in which So Yeon Ryu defeated Hee Kyung Seo. “Again (two Koreans) played together in the last round. I’m really happy to see that. I’m very proud of both of them.’’

Choi and Yang, 22, continued the tradition that Pak started 14 years ago. They took charge of the competition in Saturday’s third round when Choi shot a tournament third-round record-tying 65 to open a six-stroke lead.

No golfer had ever come from six back to win the Women’s Open, and Yang couldn’t do it, either. Choi maintained the six-shot lead until passing Pak at the turn. Whether their brief, silent encounter affected her she wasn’t saying, but pressure did creep in.

“I wasn’t nervous at all. I was calm on the front nine,’’ said Choi. “I had one missed shot on 10 tee box and got a triple bogey.’’

That brought Yang within twi shots, but Choi recovered with a birdie at No. 11, saved par after a tee shot into high grass at No. 12 and got a big break at the 13th when her tee shot bounced off high rocks into a safe place.

From there it was easy. Choi finished with a 73 for 7-under-par 281. Yang carded 71 and 3-under 285. They were the class of the field on a course that was 400 yards longer than it was when Pak won her title in a 20-hole playoff. The scoring was much better than it was for Pak’s storied run to the title. Six-over-par golf was good enough when Pak won.

“I just can’t believe this,’’ said Choi, who added Sunday’s $585,000 first prize to the $6 million she earned since joining the LPGA in 2008. “Maybe tomorrow I will feel it – when I get to Korea.’’

After Pak the Korean winners of the U.S. Women’s Open included Birdie Kim (2005), Inbee Park (2008), Eun-Hee Ji (2009) and Ryu. Choi’s victory was more special, though, because it came on the same course on which Pak won.

“It was like 14 years ago when Se Ri won,’’ said Choi. “I watched it, and I call her legend. She inspired all the Korean players.’’

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN: Another Korean golfer is poised to win

KOHLER, Wis. – There doesn’t seem to be a question about whether a South Korean golfer will contend for the U.S. Women’s Open title. After all, four players from that little country won the biggest tournament in women’s golf in the last seven years. Now the question is, which one will win it next?

Na Yeon Choi appears the best bet after her third-round 65 on Saturday at Blackwolf Run. Making seven birdies in her first 12 holes, Choi came from four strokes off the pace to open a six-stroke lead over Amy Yang, another South Korean, entering today’s final round.

Choi’s 7-under-par score tied the record for low third-round in the 67-year history of the U.S. Women’s Open. It was also the lowest at Blackwolf Run, one stroke better than American Michelle Wie shot on Friday. Choi hit 15 fairways on a windy day and needed only 26 strokes on the very undulating putting surfaces designed by architect Pete Dye.

Wedge shot approaches set up four of her eight birdies, the longest of which came from 20 feet at No. 7. That run of good play left Choi at 8-under 208 for 54 holes.

“I had a really good feeling about my swing,’’ said Choi. “The last two months I’ve been playing so-so, but this got me back on track. I wasn’t nervous. I played one shot at a time. It was windy when we started and it looked like a difficult day, but I made birdies on the first two holes and that gave me confidence.’’

Blackwolf Run is where this astonishing Korean success story began, when Se Ri Pak won the first U.S. Women’s Open held here in a dramatic 20-hole playoff in 1998. Pak — now an LPGA Hall of Famer –was the first champion among the Korean players, and she was Yang’s playing partner on Saturday.

Since Pak’s win Korean players have averaged seven LPGA titles a year and the U.S. Women’s Open has been their greatest stage. Yang started 10 groups in front of Choi and carded a 69.

Today Choi hopes to follow Birdie Kim (2005), Inbee Park (2008), Eun-Hee Ji (2009) and So Yeon Ryu (2011) as recent Korean winners of the Open. Ryu won last year by beating another Korean, Hee Kyung Seo, in a playoff. They have built on the success that Pak started.

“I was only 9 years old when I was watching on TV when Se Ri inspired all the Korean players,’’ said Choi. “I remember that feeling. All of our golfers call her a legend. I want to continue that feeling, from what Se Ri did 14 years ago.’’

Choi, Pak, Yang and Ryu were among 26 players from South Korea – a country about the size of Indiana – in the starting field here. Choi , 24, has won five times on the LPGA Tour since coming on the circuit in 2008 and earned over $6 million.

In each season she ranked in the top 10 in birdies, scoring average, rounds under par, rounds in the 60s and top-10 finishes. In 2010 she had low scoring average and also won the LPGA money title. This year she’s fifth in the Rolex Rankings.

A win by Yang, 22, wouldn’t be a fluke, either. Ranked 13th, she hasn’t won since joining the LPGA in 2008 but tied for 10th in last year’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, the 36-hole leader, soared to a 78 in the third round. So did Wie, her playing partner. American Christie Kerr, one shot behind Pettersen at the start of the day, carded a 77.

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN: This is what Wie has been waiting for

KOHLER, Wis. – Finally Michelle Wie is back – well, at least for a day.

Long touted as the next superstar of women’s golf, Wie fired a 6-under-par 66 in the second round of the 67th U.S. Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run on Friday, an indication that her lengthy run of mediocre play might be over.

“At least I know I made the cut,’’ quipped Wie after moving into a tie for second place with Cristie Kerr midway through the 72-hole championship. Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, playing in the threesome behind Wie, posted a 68 and holds the lead at 5-under-par 139 entering today’s third round. Wie, though, was the story of the day after posting the best round of the tournament so far.

“Playing behind her, I never saw her make as many putts as she did today,’’ said Pettersen. “She was fist-pumping on every putt. Michelle’s a great player with a lot of game.’’

But, until Friday, it hadn’t been so evident. Wie had six missed cuts in her previous 10 tournaments this year with her best finish a tie for 33rd.

“I played out of my butt to shoot 6-under. I’m pretty stoked to be back in contention,’’ said Wie. “I felt it coming the last couple weeks. It’s nice that it all came together today.’’

Wie, 22, contended for this biggest title in women’s golf in 2005 and 2006 when she was a young phenom. During that period of her life she became the youngest player (at age 10) to qualify for a U.S. amateur tournament, the youngest win one (the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links), the youngest to qualify for an LPGA event and the youngest to make a 36-hole cut on the pro circuit. She turned pro before her 15th birthday.

She was so promising then that she even tried to compete against the men in some PGA Tour events. That didn’t turn out so well, and Wie opted to go to college while playing a limited LPGA schedule. Though now a Stanford University graduate, she has but two LPGA wins, one in the limited field Lorena Ochoa Invitational in 2009 and the other in the full-field Canadian Open in 2010.

This year she’s been bugged by putting problems, and she even briefly tried the belly putter made popular on the men’s Champions Tour. Those putting woes disappeared on Friday, when Wie had 13 one-putt greens and made seven birdies en route to her best round – by three shots, mind you, in a U.S. Women’s Open. Maybe, just maybe, that magic will carry over for two more days and Wie will get the long-awaited first big win of her career.

“It’s nice that people have had those expectations for me,’’ she said. “It’s better than them having no expectations. I don’t know if anyone gave up on me or not. I’m sure some did and some didn’t. But I never gave up on myself, and today was a good reminder that I still have it.’’

She still has to overcome Pettersen, Kerr and the flock of Korean golfers who have dominated women’s golf in recent years.

Pettersen challenged for the Open title twice, tying for second in 2010 and tying for sixth in 2009. In 1998 Blackwolf Run proved the toughest-ever challenge for the tournament, as champion Se Ri Pak, first of the Korean stars, won with a 6-over-par performance. Pettersen doesn’t think the current Blackwolf – 400 yards longer than 14 years ago – is all that brutal.

“It’s pretty straight-forward, as wide open as U.S. Open course will ever get, and the greens are pretty big,’’ said Pettersen. “The course is very playable. You hit the fairways, you give yourself a lot of chances.’’