UNITED STATES TAKE EARLY LEAD
IN INAUGURAL HANDA CUP

By LISA MICKEY
The United States Team took a 7-3 lead in the morning matches of the inaugural Handa Cup, being held at the Slammer and Squire course at the World Golf Hall of Fame, St Augustine, Florida today.
Led by the World Golf Hall of Fame pairing of Pat Bradley and Patty Sheehan, the US team secured its first win (worth 2pt) in the nine-hole, alternate-shot format against the World Team's Alicia Dibos of Peru and Australia's Jan Stephenson.
The Americans were one up going into the final hole, which both squads parred, giving the US. an early jump in the points race of this weekend's inaugural Handa Cup.
"We played a great team this morning and there was no room for error out there," said a relieved Bradley."And with only nine holes, you have to get out there fast," added Sheehan. "There's a little bit of urgency to it."Bradley and Sheehan both have played on, as well as captained US Solheim Cup teams. And both felt similar nerves going into this morning's matches.
LOT MORE FUN
"The competitive juices are there, but this is a lot more fun," said Bradley. "The Solheim Cup felt more like life and death."
"I'm glad to know I still have a heart," said World Team member Anne-Marie Palli of France. "My shirt was just pounding because I was so nervous this morning."
Canada's Dawn Coe-Jones and Japan's Nayoko Yoshikawa evened the overall points count in the morning alternate-shot matches with their one-up victory over the US team of Martha Nause and Marilyn Lovander.
Yoshikawa chipped from the right greenside rough to four feet and Coe-Jones converted the putt for par on the ninth green.The Americans won the first two holes in that match, but three-putted the fourth. Then the World Team won the sixth and seventh holes and the Americans could never square up the match.
"We made a good team," said Coe-Jones. "She's a very consistent partner with a phenomenal short game."
While she never played on a Solheim Cup, Hall of Famer Amy Alcott proved herself as a worthy partner with Solheim Cup stalwart Rosie Jones in the opening of the morning's best-ball matches.
CATHY'S BIRDIE PUTT
The pair won their match 2 and 1 after eight holes over Palli and Scotland's Cathy Panton-Lewis.The World Team three-putted their second hole (No. 11) for the US Team to go one-up, then Alcott birdied No. 12 to give the Americans a 2-up advantage.
But Panton-Lewis drained a 25-footer for birdie to trim the US lead to one.Alcott steadied the match, however, and set up her side's final birdie with an approach to two feet on the 17th hole. All Jones had to do was tap in.
"I've been waiting my whole career to play match play with Amy Alcott," said Jones after the match. "She had two birdies out there and I didn't have any."
Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner showed her old form when she sank a breaking downhill 20-footer for birdie on the 18th green to put the pressure on the World Team pairing of Barb (Bunkowsky) Scherbak of Canada and Brazil's Maria Gonzalez, who held a one-up lead going into the final hole.
With Carner's birdie, Gonzalez had to make her 12-foot birdie putt to keep the Americans from winning the final hole and squaring the match. The feisty Brazilian made an aggressive stroke, but her putt hung on the lip of the cup, giving the Americans a square match, worth 1pt to both sides.
SUPPORTING CAST
"Our match was close all the way," said Carner's partner Christa Johnson. "I was just a supporting cast member today."
The U.S. Team pairing of Jane Geddes and Hall of Famer Sandra Haynie won the final morning foursomes match two-up over Mieko Nomura of Japan and Angie Tsai of Taiwan. The Americans birdied their first hole (No. 10) from eight feet, then went two-up after the 15th hole when the World Team bogeyed. Both sides birdied the 16th.
On the 18th hole, Haynie struck her approach to four feet, setting up another birdie chance to the Americans. After a brief huddle between players and a summoning of World Team captain Chako Higuchi, the World Team conceded the final hole to give the U.S. Team the win."They had birdie putts and we were left with par putts," said Nomura. "It was not a hard decision."
Sunday's final matches will consist of 11 singles.The Handa Cup is an official event of The Legends Tour, the LPGA's official tour for women professionals age 45 and higher.
DAY ONE - MORNING FOURSOMES
Matches over nine holes.
Patty Sheehan & Pat Bradley (US) bt Jan Stephenson (SAf) & Alicia Dibos) (Peru) 1 hole.
Martha Nause & Marylin Lovander (US) lost to Dawn Coe-Jones (Can) & Nayoko Yoshikawa (Jap) 2 holes.
Amy Alcott & Rosie Jones (US) bt Anne-Marie Palli (Ita) & Cathy Panton-Lewis (Sco) 2 and 1.
Joanne Carner & Christa Johnson (US) halved with Barb Scherback (Can) & Maria Gonzalez (Braz).
Jane Geddes & Sandra Haynie (US) bt Mieko Nomura (Jap) & Angie Tsai (Tai) 2 holes.
+2pt for win; 1pt for square match - United States lead World Team 7-3
LATER INFORMATION:
DAY ONE - AFTERNOON SCRAMBLE
Matches over nine holes.
Nause & Lovander (US) bt Coe-Jones & Stephenson (World) 3 and 2.
Sheehan & Bradley (US) bt Dibos & Michiko Okada (World) 2 holes.
Cindy Rarick & Jones (US) lost to Nomura & Gonzalez (World) 1 hole.
United States increased their lead to 11-5 with two matches to finish.

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