Ace on 9th puts Gedes at 3-under

It was her fourth hole-in-one of the tour.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
VIENNA -- Jane Geddes couldn't enjoy her perfect shot entirely.
"I actually couldn't see it at all," Geddes said of her hole-in-one on the 137-yard ninth hole. "It was tucked behind the bunker, so you can't see the bottom of the hole."
Geddes' fourth ace on tour came using an 8-iron, and it dropped her to 3-under-par 69 Friday in the first round of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic.
Geddes joined 11 other golfers two strokes off the lead of Marnie McGuire, Se Ri Pak and Maggie Will.
Geddes' hole-in-one came on the same hole in which she lost a sudden-death playoff to Deb Richard in 1991.
"I played very consistent, very patient," said Geddes, a Tampa, Fla., resident seeking her 12th career victory. "I had a couple of chances at birdie; I made a couple, and I missed a couple. So that [hole-in-one] made up for the ones I missed."
Steady play: With the exception of her ace, which occurred at her final hole of the round, and a birdie at the par-5 13th, Geddes played evenly.
"[The course] played tough," she said. "There are a lot of pins that were very difficult today, and it's playing long -- the ball's not rolling that far in the fairways."
Joining Geddes at 3-under were Dina Ammaccapane, Audra Burks, Diana D'Alessio, Dorothy Delasin, Jane Egan, Suzy Green, Tammie Green, Mi Hyun Kim, Janice Moodie, Vickie Odegard and Sherri Steinhauer.
Suzy Green found herself playing well again in the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. In 1999, the Franklin Village, Mich., resident tied for a career-best 19th at Avalon Lakes Golf Course.
"I seem to play well here," said Green of the tournament. "I came in late Wednesday night, got a good practice round with my pro-am team [Thursday] and was just ready to go this morning."
OSU alumna: Making Green more of an attraction for galleries is the fact that she graduated from The Ohio State University.
"I got some greetings this morning -- 'Go Bucks!' -- so that's always fun," Green said.
In a round that included consecutive birdies at Nos. 4 and 5 and Nos. 7 and 8, Green scrambled for par at the par-4 18th to remain 3-under.
"I strung some birdies together," she said. "On the par 5s, I was able to knock my wedge close a few times, and I was able to capitalize on that."
Green said she has played rounds well recently.
"But what I haven't been able to do is have three or four in a row," she said. "That's really what the focus is all about the next couple of days."
Like Green, Scotland's Moodie has played well at this tournament. Last year, she tied a career-low round of 65 during the second round at Avalon Lakes.
"It's nice to get a good [round] under your belt, especially with it being a three-day tournament," Moodie said. "I just played really steady. I didn't get into trouble."
Moodie has been playing well this year, having recorded eight top-15 finishes in 18 tournaments. Her best is a tie for second at the Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in March.
"I've been playing well," she said. "I'm feeling good because I took two weeks off. Before that, I did a lot of traveling. All that travel wears you out."