Daniel Makes Most of Opportunities : She Takes Advantage of Meyers’ Poor Finish to Win by Two

RANCHO SANTA FE —  Throughout the LPGA Kyocera Inamori Tournament, Beth Daniel was able to look positively upon negative events.

“I’d say that was the story of the tournament for me,” said Daniel, who struggled to make 18 pars on Sunday and shot a two-under 286 to win her first LPGA tournament in 20 months.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to death,” she said. “I feel like I’ve got a monkey off my back. Every time I’d get in contention, I’d wonder if this was going to be the time.”

Thanks to her consistency and a couple of gifts from Pat Meyers on the final two holes, this was Daniel’s week.

Meyers, Daniel’s chief challenger in Sunday’s final round, could not handle setbacks the way Daniel could. And when presented with opportunities, Meyers faltered.

Daniels parred the final three holes, and Meyers surrendered a one-stroke lead by going birdie, bogey and double bogey.

On the final hole, Meyers pulled a five-iron into the water on her second shot.

That’s the primary reason Meyers finished two strokes behind Daniel, and why she drank beer as Daniel sipped champagne after the final round at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club.

Having pretty much eliminated Amy Alcott and Betsy King from the chase, the battle for the $26,250 first prize came down to Daniel and Meyers, tied for the lead at two-under par after 15 holes.

On the par-five 16th hole, Meyers sank a 20-foot birdie putt. It was the second straight day she had birdied the 16th hole, and it suddenly put the pressure on Daniel, who had bogeyed 16 on Saturday.

“I hit what I thought what was an excellent putt,” said Daniel, but the six-footer slid just past the cup. She made a par, and trailed in the tournament for only the second time since the front nine on the opening round.

The first time was after the fourth hole on Sunday. Meyers chipped in a 35-footer on the par-five first hole to pull even with Daniel. Then, on the fourth hole, Meyers made a 25-foot birdie putt, and Daniel barely saved par to trail by a stroke.

“I felt that fourth hole was a turning point,” Daniel said. “I didn’t get a birdie, but I felt that I saved at least a shot by just salvaging par.”

Meyers, whose only tour victory came at the Greater Baltimore Open in 1979 and whose top finish this year had been a tie for 10th in the GNA Tournament three weeks ago, quickly gave up the lead.

She bogeyed the fifth and seventh holes to fall a shot back, birdied the 14th to once again pull even, and then birdied the 16th to take the lead with two holes to go.

“After missing the birdie putt on 16, Beth said ‘I can’t be mad just because the putt didn’t break,’ ” said Bill Buskey, Daniel’s caddy.

She wasn’t mad, but she was even more aggressive than normal.

She used a driver to blast her tee shot on the par-four, 380-yard 17th hole. Meyers, who said she was really trying to make another birdie on 17 and take a commanding lead, hit her tee shot into the right rough.

“When Meyers made that putt on 16, she looked pretty confident,” Buskey said. “She looked like she had solid nerves, and I was a little worried. But when she hit that bad tee shot on 17, I felt the nerves were there, and I knew we had her.”

Meyers left her second shot short of the green, and chipped three feet past the hole for what appeared to be a relatively easy putt for par.

Daniel also had about a three-foot putt for par.

That’s when Buskey proved that a caddy does a lot more than just carry clubs.

“I told Beth to just mark the ball and to let Pat putt first,” Buskey said. “The last time Meyers had a one-stroke lead, funny things happened, and for some reason, I had a funny feeling Meyers would miss the putt.”

She did. The putt rimmed the cup, and when Daniel calmly made her putt for par, it was a new ballgame.

“I was a little upset after 17,” Meyers said, “and I knew 18 was such a demanding hole.”

She also remembered all to vividly that she had hit the ball in the water on 18 on Friday. Ironically, she was also playing with Daniel on that occasion.

Daniel blasted another aggressive drive on 18, and Meyers hit her drive just short of the bunker.

It was Meyers’ next shot that she, Daniel, and the announced crowd of 7,200 will remember for a long time.

“I really thought it would catch the left front part of the green,” Meyers said. “I couldn’t believe it when it hit the water.”

A couple of minutes later, after Meyers finished with a six and Daniel two-putted for par, Buskey picked up Daniel and the two embraced at the 18th hole.

“I didn’t get a feel of what a really great player Beth was until I started caddying for her (last year),” Buskey said. “But I really think she’s the best golfer on the tour. I knew it was a matter of time before we got there.”