In 1999, Juli Inkster made history at the Portland Classic, earning a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame with the victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Twenty-six years later, the 65-year-old was chasing another indelible feat on those same greens. This time, however, she fell short of sparking another celebration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Opening with a 3-under 69 in her first LPGA start since 2022, Inkster missed making the cut by one stroke, shooting 74 in Round 2.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYeah, wasn\u2019t very inspiring,\u201d Inkster, who shot 1 under in 36 holes, said after Friday\u2019s round. \u201cI didn\u2019t drive the ball as well as I did yesterday. Kind of a grind out there today. I hung in there and grinded and shot a couple over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Had the seven-time major champion shot one stroke better, she would have become the oldest player ever to secure a weekend tee time in an LPGA event. JoAnne Carner currently holds that feat, making the cut at the 2004 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship at age 64.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI frigging love JoAnne Carner,\u201d Inkster said. \u201cYeah, just kind of means that I have a passion for the game. I love the game. You know, I\u2019m really happy I played this week. Kind of when I signed up was kind of like, What are you doing?\u2019 I was free, I was out there with Hannah Green and Stacy [Lewis] and had a great time. Just love watching the young kids swing. I mean, it\u2019s so impressive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the game is in a really good shape and happy to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sitting at 1-under with one hole to play \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n
Looking to become the oldest player to make a cut in LPGA Tour history, Juli Inkster is grinding in Portland.@Kstupples<\/a> following along \ud83d\udc47 pic.twitter.com\/2ORv8PLJyE<\/a><\/p>\n