Published: November 07, 2009 12:50 am      

U.S. takes control at Spirit

Americans stay hot, build 11-stroke lead heading into today’s final round

TRINITY — The United States team took a commanding lead at The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship on Friday with a chance to return to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2003.

Going into today’s final round at the Whispering Pines Golf Club near Trinity, the U.S. leads Denmark and England by 11 strokes and Korea by 12. Everyone else seems so far back they might as well be lost in a fog.

Which is what everyone would have been lost in if they had teed off as scheduled Friday.

A one-hour and 15-minute delay seemed at first to cool an American charge that had begun Thursday, and a Chinese Taipei female golfer with the basketball name of (Hsuari-Yu) Yao birdied three of the first four holes to wipe out the U.S. lead.

The tie didn’t last long, as Ben Martin rolled in a putt from off the green at the fifth and minutes later Jennifer Johnson made one on the sixth. After that, Lexi Thompson birdied seven and eight and the team rout was on.

The tournament calls the teams composed of females, “women’s teams,” but that might not be appropriate in the case of Thompson. Although just 14, she finished her third round with 14 birdies for the week, two ahead of Argentina’s Martina Gavier, Chinese Taipei’s Yao, and Korea’s Hyo-Joo Kim.

Teammate Johnson is not far back with nine birdies, and the two have taken a commanding lead in their team competition by seven shots over Colombia, eight over England, nine over Denmark and France and 10 over Argentina and Korea.

In the three team events to be decided Saturday, the USA men have the biggest challenge. They trail Italy’s 21-under par by three with Taipei, Denmark, Germany and Korea at 16-under and Canada, England and Sweden at 15.

The USA men also seem to be peaking.

“I think we have something special going with the back nine,” Spieth said after he made birdie on No. 18 to get them to their 18-under total.

He had just drilled a 7-iron to within three feet from 181 yards away, concerned because his ball had a glob of mud on it.

“That would normally have been a 6-iron,” Spieth said. “But I was feeling a little pumped up, so I said, ‘just give me the seven.’ The mud didn’t do much to it.”

USA team captain and LPGA star Paula Creamer was proud that her team did indeed move up during the third round “moving day,” as it is known on the professional tours.

“We made some great birdies in the middle of the round,” Creamer said. “You’ve got to make as many as you can in this format because anyone can get hot, like Korea did today.”

Korea was 11 under par for its first 12 holes Friday.

“Tomorrow we’ll have to go out like it’s a one-day tournament and win it,” Creamer said, and she speaks from experience.

The USA’s last gold medal was in 2003 when they swept all three team events and Creamer was the women’s individual winner.

Since then England has won four of the six medals awarded, with the other two going to Germany and Korea.

The three team and two individual champions will be decided today beginning at 9:36 a.m. (women) and 9:48 (men), fog permitting. Both USA teams will be paired with Denmark.

Then there is this little unofficial contest going on between the U.S. men and women. Spieth and Martin are two strokes back and if they lose there could be some unmanly consequences.

“We have a little bet going,” Thompson said as she and Johnson watched the guys finish up Friday. “Boys against the girls. I don’t know what they’ll have to do if they lose — maybe paint their nails red. That’s pretty dramatic.”

Those USA golfers are really some wild and crazy guys, and gals.