June 24 — The men had their turn at last month’s U.S. Open. Now it’s time for women golfers from New England to show their stuff at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Jon Curran (Hopkinton, Mass.) and J.J. Henry (Fairfield, Conn.) missed the cut at Pebble Beach, but LPGA Tour pros Alison Walshe and Liz Janangelo looked forward to teeing it up at Oakmont Country Club from July 8-July 11.
Walsh (Westford, Mass.) will play in her third consecutive Open, while it will be the fifth for Janangelo (Hartford, Conn.). Both golfers had heard horror stories about Oakmont’s greens, which will demand as much skill and imagination as those that tortured the world’s best players at Pebble Beach.
“I try to block it out when people talk about [Oakmont’s fast greens and challenging rough],” Janangelo said in a phone interview. “I tend to scare myself, so I’ll make my own opinion when I get there.”
Wanted: Quick greens. Walshe, for her part, was working on her short game to prepare for Oakmont. On the road in Ohio and Illinois before a quick visit home, the 25-year-old Boston golfer said that wherever she travels, she seeks speedy, firm putting surfaces on which to practice.
“I try to find quick greens because I’ve heard Oakmont’s are undulating and lightning-fast,” Walshe said. “I’m working on putting because the greens are so crazy, and just hitting fairways because the rough will be out of control.”
Hectic week. As for the guys, Henry, 35, was an old hand, playing in his sixth U.S. Open. For 23-year-old Curran, however, his first major championship experience was a cyclone of unexpected activity.
Just earning entry to the Open was as rigorous a test as Curran had had in his stellar amateur career. He won playoffs at Rhode Island and New Jersey qualifiers simply to earn eligibility.
Once he was in, life got seriously crazy. He suddenly needed a place to stay, but was surprised to learn that the USGA, which runs the Open, took care of everything.
No Priceline this time. “I’m usually driving to tournaments and going on Priceline [to search for deals] for hotels,” Curran told New England Golf Monthly before the Open.
Despite missing the cut, Curran’s life did not slow down. Some 24 hours after flying back to Boston from California, the Hooters Tour golfer fired a 67 on the first day of the Massachusetts Open at Wellesley Country Club.
Curran ended in a tie for 19th, at 5-over, for the hometown event, and then it was on to the next stop.
Despite his non-stop schedule, Curran had time to reflect on a job well done at Pebble Beach, especially on the spirit-killing 14th hole.
Indeed, Curran could take pride in not being one of the many top golfers to get their butts kicked on a patch of real estate that derailed many a round. In fact, Curran bogeyed and parred the treacherous par-5 hole on which Zach Johnson posted a nine, and Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, and Y.E. Yang each made an eight.
“It sounds silly, but for a hole that could be devastating, it wasn’t that bad,” Curran observed.
Third time’s a charm. This year was Curran’s third attempt to qualify for an Open spot. With his confidence and tenacity, it surely won’t be his last.
“When you keep trying to do something and you miss by a little bit, you can get frustrated,” he said. “You keep trying and it’s not quite going your way, and then you finally make it. Yeah.”
Mental challenge. The women also hoped to make their marks at this year’s upcoming major.
“The Open is truly a challenge in every way,” said Janangelo, who’s engaged to Nationwide Tour and Cape Cod golfer, Jason Caron. “It’s a difficult course and takes a toll mentally [as well as physically]. So many factors play a role, but it’s the most incredible experience.”
Another New England golfer, Brittany Altomare (Shrewsbury, Mass.), will be teeing it up at the Open as well. Golfworld lists the 19-year-old NCAA All-American freshman at the University of Virginia as one of the Top-50 Players to Watch. Altomare missed the cut in her first Open try.
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. She also writes the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner blogs.)
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