Despite bumps and bruises, Andrews is contender at 68

She has surmounted back and shoulder injuries to become a challenger.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
VIENNA -- Even with all the bumps and bruises she's endured while playing on the LPGA tour, Donna Andrews has time to joke about herself.
"My name is Donna 'Rehab' Andrews," said the tour veteran, who put herself in contention Friday after the first round of the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic.
"Between backs and shoulders, I feel as if I've lived the last 10 years doing rehab," said Andrews, who shot a 4-under-par 68 at Squaw Creek Country Club, putting her two shots back of leader Gloria Park.
Shouldering the load
The latest of Andrews' three shoulder injuries came about 10 weeks ago. She dislocated her right shoulder while pulling her 90-pound Akita away from another dog.
"I knew it right away," she said of the injury, which she suffered in mid-May. "But I couldn't live life without my four-legged critters."
After the injury, Andrews set out to rebuild her golf swing and sharpen her fundamentals.
"I think I rebuilt it better after being hurt than probably it was prior to getting hurt," she said. "I have a lot of confidence in my golf swing."
But she knew she could only do so much.
Andrews' injuries have forced her to adapt to life on tour. She uses rubber bands to strengthen her muscles and prevent future dislocations.
"I'm trying to figure out how to balance rehab when I'm playing," she said.
Altering schedule
And sometimes, Andrews simply must alter her schedule -- as was the case last week when she missed the Canadian Women's Open after tiring in the U.S. Women's Open the previous week.
"I learned what I need to focus on when I played the Open, because [the shoulder] did get tired," Andrews said.
Bottom line, she's been forced to pace herself. That means, she can't practice consistently on the driving range after a round. Instead, she'll spend time on the practice green and then go home.
"The biggest thing is not to fatigue [the shoulder] to the point that the muscles can't continue to hold it in," said Andrews, who also dislocated her right shoulder in 1999 when she fell off a horse and her left shoulder last fall.
Soaring
Friday, she did enough to climb the leader-board and strengthen hopes of her seventh career victory and first since 1998.
"I've been very frustrated with my putter," she said. "A lot of it is from losing a lot of feel in my shoulder."
Only within the past two weeks has Andrews changed her putting grip to a left-hand low, which gives much of the control to the left hand.
Friday, with the help of her putter, Andrews birdied five holes on the front nine to shoot up the leader-board.
"It was a very hot front side," she said. "It gave me a lot of confidence."
richesson@vindy.com