Michele Redman hit her 9-wood just once on Friday in the first round of the Kellogg-Keebler Classic at Stonebridge County Club, but it played a big part in her 8-under-par, first-round 64.
Redman, who is a shot behind leader Annika Sorenstam, used the lofted wood out of the rough on the 414-yard seventh hole and knocked her ball 6 feet from the hole. She made her final birdie of the day.
Sorenstam is partly responsible for Redman putting the 9-wood in her bag.
“Five years ago I was playing with Annika when she was hitting it, and then I started hitting it,” said Redman, who has switched back to her old Ping wedges in the last two weeks. “It’s unbelievable out of the rough. You can get a terrible lie out of the rough and advance it way farther than you can with an iron. For women, it’s a no-brainer. For guys–except for guys on the men’s tour–it’s a great club.”
Clubs: Ping driver, 3, 5, 7, 9 Callaway woods. 5-Pitching Wedge Ping Eye-2 irons. Ping sand wedge and lob wedge.
Ball: Titleist Pro V1 (six new, three old).
Other stuff: Bandages, anti-inflammation cream, anti-itch cream, bug spray, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, angel statue, lucky ball marker from 1999 U.S. Women’s Open, sunscreen.