54- year- old Inkster hangs with LPGA leaders
Though the world’s top- ranked player, defending champion Lydia Ko, owned the lead after the first round of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic at Lake Merced on Thursday, the best story of the day belonged to a woman who rates as a local and sentimental favorite.
Juli Inkster shot a 4under- par 68 to land in a three- way tie for second, one stroke behind Ko. Inkster played a morning round and when she finished, she was in a tie for first with Ha Na Jang and P. K. Kongkraphan.
“I just think it’s really cool,” Stacy Lewis ( 69) enthused about Inkster’s performance. “You should take a picture and do a hashtag with ‘ Throwback Thursday’ ” with Inkster’s name on top of the leaderboard.
For a few moments in her post- round news conference, Inkster, 54, was among those surprised to see her in first place.
“I didn’t know I was,” she said.
Then after a bit of reflection, Inkster took a mulligan in terms of expressing doubt about her early first- place standing.
“The way I played today,” Inkster said, “no, I’m not surprised.”
The San Jose State alum and Los Altos resident began her round at the 10th hole. In a sevenhole stretch, from No. 13 through No. 1, Inkster reeled off five birdies. She capped that run with an 8- iron from 148 yards to about 8 inches on the par- 4 first.
A winner of 31 LPGA tournaments and seven majors, Inkster has trimmed her tour schedule considerably in recent years. She played 14 events last year and won’t play anything close to a full schedule in 2015.
She has commitments as the U. S. captain for the Solheim Cup and as a broadcaster for Fox. She’ll also work the U. S. Amateur Four- Ball Championship at the Olympic Club next month.
Given all that, Inkster can put together a round such as Thursday’s 68.
“That’s the beauty about golf,” Inkster said. “Age matters in a lot of things, as far as how your body feels, how far you hit the ball and how much time you can put into it — but you can still go out there and compete at 54.”
Said Ko, who’s a teenager: “Juli is a legend. … What she’s done for the tour is pretty amazing.”
Inkster seems to get a kick from playing with and against women three decades ( or more) younger than she is. She joked that her daughters, 25- year- old Hayley and 21- year- old Cori, would be considered “seasoned veterans” on the LPGA Tour.
Inkster realizes she needs to stay in shape to thrive at her age, though she doesn’t particularly relish the grind.
“I hate to work out, but I love to eat,” she cracked.
Though Inkster doesn’t play Lake Merced often, she does receive some benefits of a home- course advantage.
“It’s always nice to be able to sleep in your bed and just drive a little north on 280,” Inkster said. She’s playing hostess this week as four players — Kristy McPherson, Kendall Dye, Dori Carter and Gerina Piller — are staying at her home in Los Altos.
Former PGA Tour player Jeff Brehaut has been helping Inkster with her game recently. She hasn’t won an LPGA event since 2006. She tried to put in perspective what a victory at Lake Merced would mean.
“It’d be amazing,” Inkster said. “That would be the feat of the year.”