The evacuation carts and crews were positioned, ready to take wet golfers and caddies back to the clubhouse.
As the first drops fell around 4:30 p.m. at Ko Olina Golf Club, the umbrellas came out, yet again. And Cristie Kerr promptly birdied No. 18 to put the cap on a spectacular 62. (Really, though, what other kind of 62 is there?)
Meanwhile, a few hundred yards away, Alena Sharp played through the rain with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes, keeping herself in contention going into today’s final round of the Lotte Championship.
Hey, a few sprinkles aren’t going to bother a 36-year-old who learned to golf in Hamilton, Ontario.
Before missing her par putt on 18, Sharp had as many bogeys Friday as she has LPGA Tour victories in her 14-year professional career: zero. She’s won nine times as a pro, just never at the highest level.
Today is one of her best chances to change that.
On Friday, Kerr had the eye-catching round and Su-Yeon Jang held her off and kept the lead with her 65. But Sharp hung tough, too, with a 66 that had her tied with Kerr at the end of the round, three strokes off the pace of Jang.
Although never winning an LPGA Tour event makes her hungrier, Sharp says it’s no cause of anxiety.
“Obviously I would love to win, but if I don’t, I’m really proud of how I played this week coming back from having a rough month in March,” said Sharp, who missed three cuts since finishing 59th at the HSBC Women’s Champions.
After Wednesday’s first-round 67, she credited time well spent on practice greens near her home in Chandler, Ariz.
“I just feel like I worked hard in the off week. … I really practiced hard and worked on my weaknesses last week,” she said. “I’ve been hitting it well, playing well, just not getting the ball in the hole. From 4 to 12 feet I haven’t been making as many as I usually do. That’s what I work on a couple hours a day. … Just needed to spend the time.”
That showed again on Friday, as she consistently converted those harder-than-they-look 10-footers to keep pace with the other leaders. Sharp appeared she might be losing her edge before the turn. But par saves on 7 and 9 kept her momentum going.
She also credits knowledge of the Ko Olina course attained through playing here in all previous five years of the Lotte’s existence. Sharp has made the cut here four times now, with her best finish a tie for 25th in 2012. But, in relation to par, last year’s 3 under was two strokes better.
She’s clearly playing at another level now. Instead of viewing one of the LPGA’s longest non-winning streaks as a study in futility and burning out, Sharp continues to improve. In 2016, she was a career-best 41st on the money list with $446,245 in earnings.
Sharp said she never considered giving up on the tour or the game itself through the many lean years.
“I still love traveling,” she said. “It’s hard to win out here. You have to play good golf. I just love playing golf, so I don’t think about it as I need to win. I just love the competition. I love traveling to all the different places we play and the amazing courses we play. I just have a lot of passion for the game itself.”
That love of the game includes serving as a mentor to 19-year-old rising star Brooke Henderson, a fellow Canadian.
Henderson — who already has three career wins and tied for 10th in her Lotte debut last year — said Sharp taught her about the tour’s courses, as well as the logistics of being a touring pro.
“She really took me under her wing,” said Henderson, after her 70 on Friday put her 7 under and tied for 15th. “As I gained more confidence I think we’ve really pushed each other. And every win she’s out there to pour water on me. She’s played great all week and it will be fun to see if she pulls it off. Hopefully I can return the favor.”
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Click here to read his blog. To see more photos, click here.
