A SURPRISE FINALE TO THE USGA'S 73RD U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

When Ariya Jutanugarn stood on the 10th tee Sunday afternoon in the U.S. Women’s Open, her lead over Hyo Joo Kim was a seemingly insurmountable seven shots. It appeared the rest of the field was playing for second place and a nice piece of the biggest purse on the LPGA Tour schedule. Five birdies and a bogey by Jutanugarn had bettered her score by four shots to 16 under par. A couple of hours later, she stood over a five foot  bogey putt to secure a spot in a playoff against Kim, who carded a bogey-free 67, with two birdies on the back nine, including a chip in on the 15th hole, to erase the huge deficit. I’m certain Ariya was asking herself, “How did this happen?”

It began with a pushed three wood on the 10th hole that found the water hazard on the right side of the fairway. She had to play a short third shot because of tree issues and finally brushed in a short putt for a triple-bogey seven. The shock of the score was not just the three lost shots, but the break down by the most reliable club in Jutanugarn’s bag: her three wood. Without a driver in her bag, Ariya had depended on the length and accuracy of her fairway metal to forge the big lead and it was surprising to see that wayward drive on the 10th hole. Compounding her problems, she decided to abandon the three-wood for most of the rest of the round in favor of a driving iron and it appeared to shake her confidence and rhythm.

Ariya Jutanugarn With Her Driving Iron

Meanwhile Kim, the 2014 Evian Championship winner, was putting together a flawless inward nine holes. The similarities between the 22 year-old Korean and Jutanugrn are interesting. Both share a birth year, the same number of majors as well as only a single previous  made cut in the U.S. Women’s Open in 2016. Of course, there was nothing similar about what transpired for the players on Sunday’s back nine. Kim entered the two-hole aggregate playoff without a bogey in her last 31 holes and was beaming with confidence before teeing off on the 14th hole. Her mood further improved after her birdie on the first playoff hole. giving her a one-shot lead going to the 18th hole. Forty-five minutes later, Ariya Jutanugarn was holding the trophy after somehow averting one of the biggest collapses in major championship history after Kim bogeyed the 18th hole twice, the second time after the playoff had gone to sudden death when the two players were tied after the end of the two-hole aggregate portion.

Hyo Joo Kim

Initially, this piece was going to be about the weekend dominance of Jutanugarn, who had turned a five shot deficit to Sarah Jane Smith at the beginning of her second round into the large lead with nine holes remaining. It was going to be about how far she hits the ball, out-driving most of her competitors using a three wood off the tee. It was going to be about her calm under pressure and her ability to make big putts at the right time, as she’s done to chalk up eight LPGA titles, including the

2016 Ricoh Women’s British Open. It was going to be about we might be looking at the next dominant player in women’s golf, especially with the way she can close out wins after leading going into the final round. The question is did a bad nine holes, including a pair of closing bogeys, change all of that? If all we look at is the result, perhaps not. She won her second major championship at the age of 22 and did so by demonstrating incredible resiliency by hanging in there despite falling a stroke behind with one hole left in the playoff. A bad nine holes certainly doesn’t diminish her power and poise. In fact, coming back and winning despite a collapse of that magnitude should actually enhance the impression we have of the best golfer to ever come out of Thailand. It was no surprise that Ariya Jutanugarn was holding the trophy as the light faded Sunday afternoon at Shoal Creek, but the three hours leading up to the moment certainly was.

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Offsetting Penalties - A PK Frazier Novel" at  Amazon.com. Also check out www.thechtonsports.com for our podcasts and live broadcast on Tuesday's at 8:30 pm EST. I can also be reached via email at kevin@pkfrazier.com.

MOTHER NATURE MAKES A COMEBACK AT THE 73RD U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

Shoal Creek, Alabama: Mother Nature decided the match wasn’t quite over, making another run at the U.S. Women’s Open Friday afternoon. Play was suspended at 2:27 p.m., just before the final groups of the afternoon wave teed off, because of dangerous weather conditions, primarily due to lightning in the area. Three hours and 49 minutes later at 6:16 p.m., with darkness looming, players returned to the course and made it to 7:20 p.m. before play was suspended once again due to weather. With sunset  at 7:50 p.m., it was doubtful, given the cloudy conditions, that the players would have

had enough light to play much longer. There was little or no rain that fell during the initial suspension, so officials had hoped to begin play at Saturday at 6:45 a.m. with 78 players still on the course. This is where Mother Nature decided to try to even the match, dumping just short of an inch of rain on the course overnight and delaying the start of play until 7:45 a.m.

Despite the weather delays, there were some highlights of round two. First round co-leader Sarah Jane Smith of Australia birdied six holes in an 11 hole stretch to get to 11-under par and take a six-shot lead on Ariya Jutanugarn, who was in the afternoon wave. Smith eventually cooled off, playing her final six holes in one-over par to finish at 10 under par for the tournament, the same total she was able to post for the back nine. “I think the side sets up nice for a fade and there’s been a few pins tucked on the right side of greens and that’s made it a little easier for me to get at them, I think,” the leader remarked after her round. Smith’s caddie also happens to be her husband. “We’re experienced together. He knows me better than anyone on the course and off, probably. So I think it’s just a comfort level that comes with that.” Smith has been on tour since 2006 and has yet to record a victory. Her best finish in a major were a pair of ties for second at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2010 and 2017. This is her seventh U.S. Women’s Open and she’s only made one cut, when she finished in a tie for 46th in 2013. Her 2018 season has been disappointing, with six made cuts in 13 tournaments and a highest finish of just a tie for 26th at the Kia Classic. To categorize her hot start as a surprise would be a vast understatement.

Ariya Jutanugarn’s presence on the leaderboard is no surprise, as she’s coming off a victory at Kingsmill, her eighth win on the LPGA Tour, including a major title in the 2017 RICOH Women’s British Open. Her record in the U.S. Women’s Open isn’t nearly as impressive, with only one made cut in five appearances. Jutanugarn birdied her first hole and stood at six-under when play was halted Friday evening, putting her in a tie with Su-Hyun Oh, another Australian who completed play in the early groups. No one else was better than three-under par for the tournament, with only Jutanugarn among the late starters in the top ten.

In other news, there was a somewhat premature announcement that Brittany Lincicome will be competing in the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship, July 19 - 22 in Lexington, Kentucky. Lincicome will be playing on a sponsor’s exemption in the event held opposite The Open Championship. “I love competing with the guys. I feel like I step up my game when I play with them. I always thought it would be cool to try,” the two-time major champion commented following her round on Friday. “I just got a text from my agent. We weren’t going to announce it until Monday, so I don’t think anyone knows.” Well, that all changed in a big way following  her quick appearance before the press. The seven time winner on the LPGA tour will join Annika Sorrenstam and Michele Wie as the only women to play in a PGA Tour event.   

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Offsetting Penalties - A PK Frazier Novel" at  Amazon.com. Also check out www.thechtonsports.com for our podcasts and live broadcast on Tuesday's at 8:30 pm EST. I can also be reached via email at kevin@pkfrazier.com.

         

73rd U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN ONE UP ON MOTHER NATURE

Shoal Creek, Alabama: In a golf match where Mother Nature took a big lead on the USGA in the opening holes, the staff and grounds crew scored a comeback and despite heavy rains earlier in the week inflicted by Tropical Storm Alberto, the U.S. Women’s Open started on time at 6:40 a.m. Thursday morning. Under cloudy skies, groups teed off on the first and tenth holes, and with the only rain in the forecast coming on Friday afternoon, it appears the tournament will end as expected on Sunday. The players are playing the ball as it lies, with the USGA choosing not to break with its tradition of never having held a round in any of its championships where they went with lift, clean and place rules. “Our intention is to rely on our considerable experience. We played 72 of these U.S. Women’s Opens, in fact, 117 U.S. Open Championships playing the ball as it lies, finishing the competition and so it’s our intention to do that this week as well,” commented John Bodenhamer, Sr.Managing Director of the USGA during an interview Tuesday afternoon. So far he’s been true to his word.

Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie on the 8th green

I’m here at Shoal Creek to continue my coverage of U.S. professional golf. My first experience with the U.S. Women’s Open was as a nine year old wandering the fairways of The Cascade Course in Hot Springs, Virginia. That tournament boasted some of the pioneers of women’s golf, including Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, Louise Suggs and Patty Berg, who between them had 11 U.S. Women’s Open titles. The course was brutally difficult, with the winner posting a score of 10 over par 294 on the par 71 layout. It turned out to be an historic finish for Catherine Lacoste of France, still the only win by an amateur in the history of the event. I remember watching her joyfully running through the parking lot after her victory, back in the day when the players were much more accessible to the spectators than they are today. Former champions Betsy Rawls and Brittany Lang both came close as amateurs, finishing second, but neither matched the feat of Lacoste, from the famous alligator shirt company family.

Shoal Creek Clubhouse

Shoal Creek, which opened in 1977 and  hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA  Championships, as well as U.S. Amateur in 1986 and the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2008, was the first solo design by Jack Nicklaus. It’s situated southeast of Birmingham and offers beautiful, rolling terrain, not unlike another of Nicklaus’ designs, Muirfield Village where the PGA Tour’s Memorial is taking place this week. Although the grounds of the course are wet, the fairways and greens themselves appear very playable. I watched several groups come through the par 4 eighth hole and didn’t see any mud on the balls. The putting surfaces, which have sub-air drying systems, are still firm. With the weather forecast of sunny conditions, light winds and no rain, it’s possible the course will get dryer and firmer as the weekend moves on. 

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Offsetting Penalties - A PK Frazier Novel" at  Amazon.com. Also check out www.thechtonsports.com for our podcasts and live broadcast on Tuesday's at 8:30 pm EST. I can also be reached via email at kevin@pkfrazier.com.