BRADENTON, Fla. – It wasn’t just the power of positive thinking. Alabama junior Emma Talley stood on the first tee here at Concession Golf Club, looked around at all of the potential trouble, gushed, “I love this place!” – and actually meant it.
Unusual, you see, because many players have been embarrassed by a course they view as excessively penal. Through two-and-a-half days there have been more rounds in the 90s than 60s. The cut line for match play will fall somewhere around 65 over par, which makes Talley’s even-par 216 total all the more impressive.