Sirak: Tseng in Attendance at Torrey Pines

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- Yani Tseng is a lot like many other 19-year-old female golf fans -- she giggles when she sees Adam Scott. The only difference between Tseng and those other groupies following the glam gang of Scott, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the first round of the U.S. Open is that five days earlier she won a major championship of her own: the McDonald's LPGA Championship.

Tseng, a native of Taiwan who lives in Beaumont, Calif., a couple hours drive from Torrey Pines, was the guest of NBC commentator Dottie Pepper Thursday and got to walk inside the ropes as they followed the top three players in the World Ranking.

"I saw Tiger play in the Battle of the Bridges a couple years ago, but that's the only time," Tseng said as she arrived shortly after 7 a.m. with her father, Mao-Hsin Tseng, and U.S. sponsor Ernie Huang. "We had a huge party Tuesday at Oak Valley [her home course]. They closed the course and all the Chinese in the area played for free."

Wednesday night Tseng had a celebratory dinner at The Bridges that included former player and putting guru Dave Stockton, her coach Glenn Daugherty, Greg Rose of the Titleist Performance Institute and Hall of Fame player and commentator Judy Rankin. "It's amazing the attention," Tseng said. Then she was off to watch Scott -- oh yes, and Woods and Mickelson.

-- Ron Sirak