My golfing buddy told me he bought tickets to attend the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament.  It was to be held at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota, not far from where his sister, Sherryle and her husband Bill live.  Never one to pass up an opportunity, I invited myself along.

Wednesday was the practice round.  The crowds were small and cameras were allowed on the course [no cell phones, though].  We got up early, had breakfast at Perkins near Southdale Mall, then boarded a school bus in the mall's parking lot.  Fifteen minutes later, we were at the front gate of Interlachen.  Nick poses above in one of the several viewing stands on the course, this one behind the #14 green.

We put on several miles walking the course on Wednesday, looking for spots to watch the action the next day.  This little shack was one of the houses abutting the course.  We talked to one of the hundreds of volunteers on the course who was a member of a different country club in the Twin Cities.  He told us the fee to join his club was $25,000 with annual fees in the $5-6,000 range.  "What about Interlachen," I asked him.  "You have to be somebody," he said.  "It's not just money.  I could put my name on their waiting list but would probably wait 20 years to get in."

Juli Inkster celebrated her 48th birthday the day before this photo was taken of her practicing on the putting green.  The 1999 and 2002 Open Champion shot under par on her opening round but ballooned the second day and missed the cut.

Media favorite Michelle Wie played solidly until she took a quintuple-bogey [9] on the par 4 ninth hole.

She hits the ball a long way, averaging 280 yards a drive.  She, too, missed the cut.

Laura Davies, the 1987 Open Champion, uses a technique for teeing up her ball not seen on most courses since the gutta percha ball gave way to surlyn.  She took her iron and pounded the earth into a small mound on which she set her ball.  Laura also had a good opening round but could not sustain that momentum on Friday and missed the cut.

Cristie Kerr, a 29-year-old Miami, Fla., native held off Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, with a final-round, 1-under-par 70 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., to register a two-stroke victory at the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open.

Cristie played consistently but finished two over par for the tournament in a tie for 13th place.