Cristie Kerr has carved out a reputation as one of the tour's most tenacious competitors.

This spunky South Floridian endured a past weight problem and a back injury, plus 41 straight majors without a win, to take the U.S. Women's Open trophy last summer. Kerr talks and walks with a command that belies her 5-foot-5 frame; she even hangs out with hockey players in her free time.

So, Interlachen, with your sharply sloped greens and your longest yardage in tournament history, bring it on.

"Winning U.S. Opens are not necessarily about making a hundred million birdies. It's about who makes the fewest mistakes, and who can be the most heroic coming down on Sunday," Kerr said.

That was her at age 30 last year in North Carolina, when she waited out the thunderstorms and took on Lorena Ochoa at Pine Needles to win that long-sought major by two strokes. She collapsed to her knees and cried after tapping in for par on that final hole, showing a rare sign of weakness as she leapt into the arms of her husband Erik Stevens.

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