Catriona Matthew's title defence left in shadow of resurgent Wie

Published on Thursday 29 July 2010 15:58

CATRIONA Matthew opened her defence of the Ricoh Women's British Open with an adequate 75, but it was Michelle Wie who really got the crowd buzzing with a spectacular finale to her 70 on a rather cold and blustery day at Royal Birkdale.

While Taiwan's Yani Tseng and Australian Katherine Hull led by one stroke on 68 from a group of four American Brittany Lincicome and France's Anne-Lise Caudal and South Koreans Amy Yang and Sun Young Yoo, Wie - who finished tied third in the 2005 Open when she was a bubbly 15-year-old superstar amateur - birdied the 17th and then rolled in a 20 footer at the last for an eagle and a round 70.

Older and wiser on her return to Birkdale - she suffered years of struggles after breaking her wrist in 2007 - it is a more solemn and restrained Wie who now chases her elusive first major.

Indeed, she has yet to live up to her early promise as a golfer and has actually won only won one tournament since turning professional five years ago, the Lorena Ochoa Invitational towards the tail of last season.

The 20-year-old Hawaiian has six top tens in majors, but none since the 2006 US Women's Open and she certainly she couldn't recall when she last had such a good start in one of the big four.

"Today was a good day," she said. "I bogeyed the first hole and then had a string of pars and lots of birdie opportunities. But the key was that I stayed patient and it was a great finish to the round."

Matthew, who won the title 11 weeks after the birth of second daughter Sophie at Lytham last year, hit the ball as sweetly as ever, but couldn't get the ball into the hole with a putter that is a relatively new addition to her armoury.

"She could have been three or four shots better," summed up her coach, Kevin Craggs, who had left his Falkirk home at 3.30 in the morning for a round trip that would meet her 7.14am starting time and although him to take in all of her 18 holes.

Matthew admitted she was a little disappointed. "But I'm certainly not out of it," she went on. "I was a little nervous on the first tee, but I hit a great shot and that settled me down. I played well, just couldn't make a thing."

Janice Moodie, with a wonderful eagle at the 18th for a 72, was the best of the Scots contingent, one ahead of Musselburgh's Vikki Laing. The 37-year-old from Glasgow played in the company of Yang, but outdid her at the last by hitting a four iron second shot to 30 feet and then holing the putt.

Tseng, 22, has already won two majors, the 2008 LPGA Championship and this year's Kraft Nabisco Championship. She hit 18 greens and didn't drop one shot, which was a pretty heady bunch of statistics. She also matched Wie's birdie, eagle finish, holing from 20 feet at the last.

Less than 15 players broke par and, among them, was the oldest player in the field in 50-year-old Juli Inkster. With seven majors and two daughters, 19-year-old Hayley and 15-year-old Cori, to her name she remains as competitive as ever, but admits she is probably one of a dying breed. "I would be very surprised if any of the new generation such as Brittany or Michelle played until they were 50. They've been to the academies and things and there is a lot of pressure on them," she said. "But I didn't start until I was 15 and I still love playing. The men have the Seniors' Tour. With us, there is nothing else but to keep playing out here."