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Strom wins second Ohio Women's Open title in three years

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By JASON STEIN

cnsports@crescent-news.com

Lisa Strom played Kettenring Country Club exactly the way she needed and wanted to after carrying a 3-stroke lead heading into Tuesday's final round ... pretend you're the one behind but stick to your gameplan.

That strategy worked for Strom, an Ohio State alum and current resident of North Carolina, as she collected her second win in three years at the Ohio Women's Open.

This time she fired a two-day total of 139 (68-71), 3-under par to win the 2009 First Federal Ohio Women's Open Presented by the Defiance Clinic/Mercy Hospital by five strokes over last year's runner-up Whitney Wade (144), who shot a 2-over 73 on Tuesday. Leanna Wicks (146), Kendall Dye (147) and Seul-Ki Park (148) and Jennifer Creech (148) rounded out the top five, with Park and Creech the only golfers to shoot below par on Tuesday, both had 70s.

Loretta Young was the low Senior Professional and Alyssa Shimel was the low amateur, both shot 152 over the two days, and Nancy Kromar shot a 162 and was the low Senior Amateur.

For both Strom and Wade, numbers in the red were at a premium at Kettenring, something that the pair has learned is just the normal at this tournament.

"I've played here enough to know that you don't have to try and overpower the golf course," commented Strom, noting that with Wade effectively hitting her driver she had to avoid the temptation to pull out the same club. "It's a lot like Lima where we had the FUTURES Tour event down at Lost Creek, so just knowing to take your medicine when you need to, if you do hit it a little off line, just chip out, make your five and get out of there."

"It's just a sneaky, tricky course," Wade said of the difficulties in scoring in the red at KCC. "You have a few holes like five (a 307 yard, par 4) and then 16 (a 410 yard, par 4) plays long and there's another couple holes that the greens ... well first you have to place it, cause some of them are tight. Lisa and some long hitters are taking irons or hybrids off (the tee), where as I'm able to hit driver cause that's my strength. You can have some big numbers real quick, I mean, Cheryl (referencing 206 champion Cheryl Fox who Wade played with on Monday) is a great player and she had two big numbers (on Monday) and if you get rid of those she played good ... its just those few holes."

Strom came out strong in the early holes of Tuesday's second round and after parring the first two holes of the late morning, she scored her first of two birdies on the day when she drained a 10 foot putt after sticking her tee shot on the green at No. 3 (130 yard, par 3).

Wade, on the other hand, actually stuck her tee shot inside of Strom's, but had to settle for par after failing to make her first putt, something that would plague last year's champion throughout the match.

"I think I'm a confident putter but the past two days and even in London (Kentucky), the second and third day I just wasn't making any putts," said Wade. "Whether it be a three footer or a 10-15 putt, you have to make some of them and I wasn't making any of them."

Now with a four stroke differential for the tournament, Strom really grabbed control after both ladies parred No. 4.

Wade's tee shot at No. 5 cleared the hill but went just into the far rough, leaving tree branches potentially in the way. Meanwhile, Strom used a 5-wood off the tee and landed her ball in the fairway just 50 yards from the pin.

After Wade's second shot clipped the branches and her ball came to rest short and left of the green, Strom grabbed her 60-degree wedge, hit a "nice and crisp" shot, playing the bank and watched as the ball landed on the green and rolled into the hole for an eagle.

Coupled with Wade two putting after needing three shots to get on the green, Strom now grabbed her biggest lead of the tournament at seven strokes.

"I really tried to start the day off thinking it's a new day and anything can happen," began Strom when asked about being 3-under for the day after just five holes. "So if someone gets hot, starts making a few putts here and there, the gameplan may have changed, but I really did stick to just playing the golf course the way I have the last few years and taking my chances when I could, accepting a five here and there if I need to knowing that it really wasn't going to shoot me in the foot or anything."

For Wade, however, she knew she was up against an LPGA player and while catching her was going to be difficult, she still had to play her game if she wanted to keep second.

"Obviously I'm going to keep playing my game but seven shots is a lot," Wade recalled of her thoughts after Strom's eagle. "She's not going to make many mistakes out there but all that I can do is keep going, try and put a little pressure on her. I could have got a little closer at the end, but I knew she wasn't going to make that many mistakes. She was in trouble a little bit on nine and still got up and down for par, she's a good player. I didn't know about second place anyways so I had to make sure and worry about that. So I just kept focused, kept playing my game and whether it be a two putt for par, just get in and get out."

Strom bogeyed the ensuing hole, her first of the tournament, at the 165 yard, par 3 No. 6, but Wade failed to drain a makable birdie putt and had to again settle for par, making up just one stroke.

Wade chipped away at the lead, and while both players bogeyed one more hole on the front nine and played the first four holes of the back nine at 1-under, Strom's lead proved to be just too much as the putter continued to keep the 2008 champion from getting close.

Strom went right on her tee shot at No. 16 (410 yard, par 4) and while she was behind a tree, forcing her to play a safe shot out, she first watched as Wade's second shot went over the green and into a trap.

The newly crowned 2-time champion, Strom, said that Wade's errant approach didn't effect her own plan to chip out on her second shot, but once Wade eventually missed her par putt and they both bogeyed the hole, she felt more comfortable since she didn't lose any ground.

Strom nearly made a lengthy birdie putt on No. 17 (175 yard, par 3) but settled for par as did Wade, who had another makable birdie putt.

Despite a tee shot at No. 18 which left her ball 123 yards from the green, but with a somewhat impaired view of the hole, Strom continued to finish her round with a determined, cool look on her face. Her second shot found the bunker, but her shot out left little to do besides collecting her award and a $6,000 check.

"I really tried to hit each shot, hit each putt and accept the outcome and not worry too much about how it was going to be at the end of the day," concluded Strom, who, like Wade, expressed interest in coming back next year if her schedule allowed. "The bunker shot at the end was pretty sweet just to have that left to finish it off."

First Federal Ohio Women's Open

Presented by the Defiance Clinic/Mercy Hospital

Kettenring Country Club

Par 71-71 -- 142; 6,040 yards

Total Purse: $22,000

139 - Lisa Strom. 144 - Whitney Wade. 146 - LeAnna Wicks. 147 - Kendall Dye. 148 - Seul-Ki Park, Jennifer Creech. 149 - Taryn Durham, Dawn West. 150 - Jennifer Hong. 152 - Kristina Langton, Loretta Young (Sr. Pro), Taya Battistella, Alyssa Shimel (a). 153 - Jody Fleming, Karen Davis, Laura McGehee (a), Katy Jarochowicz, Courtney Aili (a), Christine Cho, Brooke Bettis. 154 - Laura Nochta (a), Cheryl Fox, Darby Peters (a). 155 - Jessica Schneider, Caroline King (a), Faith Egli. 156 - Megan Weaver (a). 157 - Madelle Jo Swaney (a), Elizabeth Dotson. 159 - Alex Carl (a), Ashley Garrison (a). 160 - Paula Tucker (Sr. Pro), Anne Marie Palli, Stephanie Bevington (a), Mckenzie Jackson (a), Caroline Powers (a). 161 - Erin Cahill (a), Lisa LaFollette. 162 - Nancy Kromar (Sr. Am), Jill Frantz. 163 - Ashley Duff (a), Lorna Miedema, Katelin Davis (a), Stephanie St. Jean (a), Esther Moon. 164 - Brandi Underwood, Jamie Zimron (Sr. Pro). 165 - Ashley Gubser (a), Rachel Ingram, Karen Bennett. 166 - Lisa Smith (a), Kathleen Robinson. 168 - Emily Hardcastle (a). 169 - Devon Newell, Kathryn Hoops (a), Michelle Hui. 170 - Amy Ninlawong, Meryl Weaver. 171 - Jordan Fesh (a), Megan Hall (a), Kaitlyn VanGunten (a). 172 - Rachel Brown (a). 173 - Allison Schultz (a). 174 - Diane Patterson (Sr. Pro). 176 - Erin Szekely (Sr. Pro). 177 - Lisa Quinn. 180 - Jennifer Johnson, Lina Pasquali (a). 187 - Lauren Miller (a).