LPGA notes

Fickle weather affected nearly every player

The first round of the Michelob Ultra Open was accompanied by weather that changed from dark, gloomy and rainy to windy with scattered clouds to bright and humid. Players were required to adjust tactics - and clothing - accordingly.

"I had my rain gear on and off about three times today," said Lindsey Wright, who shot a 6-under-par 65 for sole possession of second place.

By midafternoon, the wind that swirled through the back side of the course affected, for better of worse, club selection and shot strategy. First-round leader Lorena Ochoa caught a break. Her drive on the par-4, 382-yard 18th hole, carried aloft by a 15to 20-mph tailwind and helped by a landing area that is graded as a steep downslope, traveled nearly 300 yards.

"I thought it was good [upon contact]," Ochoa said. "But I was surprised to see what the wind did to it - surprised and really happy. It made a big difference."

Ochoa birdied the hole to finish a round of 64. She leads Wright by a stroke.

Futures Tour shaped Hurst's approach

LPGA rookie Vicki Hurst said last year's experience on the Duramed Futures Tour was little short of invaluable. In particular, said Hurst, who currently sits in 45th place on the LPGA's 2009 money list ($54,087), the summer of Futures competition taught her much about the mental nuances of the pro game.

She learned, she said, "that you have to be patient - especially on a day like this. If your putts don't go in, if your shots don't go where you want them to go, there's not much you can do about it. All you can do is the best you can. You have to be happy with what you have."

Hurst, who tied for third at last year's Duramed Futures Classic at Richmond Country Club, shot 69 yesterday. She said she tries to maintain a stoic demeanor regardless of how she is playing.

"I try to focus on what I can do and what I can control," she said. "I try to ignore the other stuff."

Such as?

"Such as who I'm playing with, the crowd, the weather. Those are all things that I can't control."

Walking takes a toll, Tschetter takes a seat

As she waited for the green to clear at hole No.8 yesterday, Kris Tschetter unstrapped a chair from her bag, unfolded it and took a seat in the fairway.

"I'm the only one who takes a chair with me on the course," Tschetter said, laughing. "I thought it would take off, but it hasn't.

"We play slow and there's a lot of standing and waiting, and I'm surprised no one has picked up on it. I love it."

Tschetter, 44, has had both hips replaced. She also has had back problems.

The chair, she said, is "a concession to my hips, back and feet, and just to being old. I just feel so much better sitting. It relaxes my back. It feels better than standing.

"People tell me that if they sat down, they'd be afraid they wouldn't want to stand up again. I feel so much better after I've been sitting down." - Paul Woody and Vic Dorr Jr.