AYRSHIRE, SCOTLAND - For the first 12 holes at the RICOH Women’s British Open, Maria McBride was 9-over-par. For the next 42 holes, she’s played that stretch in 11-under-par including a second-round 6-under-par 66 that will go down as the round of the championship.
It’s one of the more spectacular mid-tournament reversals in recent memory. She admitted her first-round 79 was one of the worst rounds she’s ever played considering the conditions, but there’s no question, Friday’s second round 6-under-par 66 was clearly her best round she’s ever played and was three clear of the next best in the field. Even she can’t comprehend what’s happened since she stepped on the 13th tee on Thursday.
“I don't know really. It's really just coming down to a lot of confidence and trusting myself,” McBride said. “Obviously played the 12th hole Thursday, 9‑over par, and all of a sudden I'm 2‑under par. So really you have to trust yourself in these conditions, and yesterday was really, really tough.”
“But, you know, felt like I have had a chance to at least maybe make the cut, and just kept on going. Really, really focused and hit every hole‑by‑hole. I didn't really make many putts, but I hit a few close and made what I needed to.”
McBride’s hoping her momentum can continue Sunday after a 3-under-par 69 Saturday that included a double bogey on the ninth hole.
“Yes, I think that's why you're attracted to golf. You never know what you're going to get the day that you walk out there,” McBride said. “Today was better; obviously good after yesterday, and came out today and played solid. Could have made a few more putts coming in but very happy with the situation and where I'm at right now.”
The Assistant European Captain for the Solheim Cup is 30th on the LPGA all-time career money list but had only posted one top-10 in the last three seasons heading into 2015. However, she’s found a return to form in 2015, posting a tie for fourth, tie for 20th and tie for 10th in three consecutive starts in April and May, but she had posted four consecutive missed cuts heading into this week and admitted she lost the feeling she had earlier in the season.
“I had the game going a little bit. I kind of lost the feeling a little bit off the tee the last couple months, and worked hard with David Leadbetter this week and we found something to obviously turn it around,” McBride said. “It’s always great when you get a little bit back. Obviously I’m older compared to the girls playing out here, so it’s nice that you can have some good scores.”
McBride admits the whole reason the good scores disappeared over the last two months was self-induced. The fix for her swing that she’d found she forgot.
“There were a couple little drills that we did when I started to play really well in Texas, Atlantic City and even Kingsmill, and it was just a little drill with my hip,” McBride said. “My right hip comes forward instead of going back at impact. Because I did it so well, sometimes you kind of lose those things that feel good and I’ve been kind of searching for that a little bit, and I realized that was what we did when I played well before and just kind of got it back on the range and it felt right.”
That begs the question: Could McBride’s play here earn her of four picks that European Captain Carin Koch makes? Koch already picked McBride to be one of her assistant captains earlier this year, so is assistant playing captain now in her future as well?
She’d be interested but doesn’t think it’s in the cards.
“I don’t feel like I’m in contention but you never know,” McBride said. “We still have a month to go before the announcement and all I can do is play my golf and play the game and see what happens.”
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