“It's been a while since I felt that good on a golf course.”
From anyone else, they might be throwaway words, but when they come from Karrie Webb’s mouth, the ISPS Handa Vic Open field would do well to pay heed.
The World Golf Hall of Fame member, whose resume is almost without peer but whose playing schedule is now only part-time, shook off months of tournament inactivity to card a day’s-best 65 today, a course record for the Beach Course at 13th Beach.
And by the smile that broke widely across her face when asked to recount it, Webb clearly hasn’t lost either the drive, nor capacity, to give the title a shake come Sunday.
“I'm really excited about it,” Webb beamed.
“I haven't played that good from tee to green for quite some time, probably been a couple years.
“So yeah, it feels good.”
And it could easily have been even better than the seven birdies on her card.
“I got off to a pretty good start, but then I three-putted (the par-five) fifth for a par which I was really frustrated with,” she said.
“But I shook that off pretty well and then played a really great stretch from 7-13. But yeah, really solid the whole day.”
Five birdies in that seven-hole stretch, including three on the bounce from the 11th, was the key to Webb’s charge.
“Yesterday (in round one on the Creek Course) I think the longest putt I made was four feet, so it was good to see some go in today,” said Webb, who thrived on the generous crowds who rallied around her climb up the leaderboard.
“Yeah, the crowds were good today, and it is good because it's close and they feel a part of it as well.”
And you can bet that if the seven-time major champ gets rolling again across the weekend that those galleries might well be worth a shot to their idol.
“I think so. I think there's a couple Aussies up there, too, so I think the Australian crowd will be pulling for all the Aussies, so that will be good.”
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