In Lisa Schlesinger's mind, she's chasing the illusion of perfection.
It doesn't matter if it's stroke or match play. She simply wants to be the best. In a nip-and-tuck quarterfinal match, Schlesinger barely survived Mary Jane Hiestand, 2 and 1, on Wednesday.
"Omigosh," said Schlesinger, "I'm a very competitive person at anything. I just want to be the best."
She had the upperhand against Hiestand, who had held the lead just one hole in the entire match. Hiestand, though, relied on gritty play to stay close. In the end, she couldn't overcome two costly mistakes. The first one occurred on No. 12. With Schlesinger clinging to a 1-up margin, Hiestand found herself in a front greenside bunker with virtually no play. The ball, in the sand, was next to a stiff hill. Hiestand needed two shots to get out. She skulled her second shot and the ball took off across the green. "Your hole," said Hiestand, which put Schlesinger 1 up.
Hiestand's second mistake came on No. 17, wich turned out to be the final hole. Hiestand again found herself in a bunker, this one in the fairway. Hiestand grabbed a rescue club and proceeded to watch as the ball hit the lip of the bunker before bouncing back. Hiestand slapped her thigh in frustration. It didn't matter that on her next shot she hit it stiff, to within 3 feet of the flagstick.
"I made a mistake in the middle of the fairway and you can't do that," said Hiestand.
Hiestand was disappointed but maybe more so in the fact that she no longer can play the course.
"I'm going to miss playing here. It's so beautiful."
For Schlesinger, she marches into the semifinal.
"Physically I feel fine," said Schlesinger. "Emotionally, I'm a little tired."