It’s officially June. Three months of summer weather lie ahead and golf is firing on all cylinders. The U.S. Women’s Open kicked things off with a fantastic event at Country Club of Charleston, Patrick Cantlay put on a clinic at the Memorial Tournament, and Pebble Beach is on the horizon.

Chucktown Six

It was a turbulent Sunday at CC of Charleston for the U.S. Women’s Open. High winds and firm conditions made for a challenging setup that punished marginal shots and rewarded great ones. Jeongeun Lee6 emerged from a crowded leaderboard with a Sunday 70, enough for a two-shot victory. While this is Lee6’s first career LPGA Tour victory, she has won seven events on the LPGA Tour of Korea. U.S. Women’s Open Leaderboard

Six Ways to Sunday

Scoring was hard to come by this weekend in Charleston. Jeongeun Lee6 did not let that affect her, and she played very consistent golf for 72 holes. She shot rounds of 70-69-69-70, making fewer than three bogeys per round on a stern golf course. On Sunday, she was able to separate herself from the pack on the back nine, holding a three-shot lead late. She made bogeys on the 16th and 18th holes but still got into the clubhouse with the lead.

No. 17 in the Rolex Rankings heading into the U.S. Women’s Open, Lee6 has had a phenomenal season. She has now played 10 events on the 2019 LPGA Tour, finishing outside the top 20 in only her first tournament. She has now taken home a victory and a T-6 in her two major-championship starts this year.

Leaderboard Notes

  • It was a long day for the final two groups. Celine Boutier (75), Jaye Marie Green (74), Yu Liu (75), and Lexi Thompson (73) shot a combined 13 over par on Sunday. Thompson finished T-2 while the other three tied for fifth. Boutier was the only player who had a chance to catch Lee6, but a short birdie miss on 16 and a double bogey on the 72nd hole ended her chances.

  • Going out hours before the leaders, Gerina Piller held the clubhouse lead following a Sunday 68. Piller got all the way to -5 on the tournament before making two bogeys on her way to a T-5 finish.

  • Angel Yin tied Piller for the round of the day. Yin was bogey-free through 17 holes on Sunday before bogeying the 72nd hole. Still, she finished T-2, her career-best result in a major championship.

  • Maria Fassi, one of the stars of this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finished T-16 in her first event as a professional. Fassi made the cut on the number before shooting 68-70 on the weekend. The 2019 NCAA individual champion has a promising future ahead of her.

  • Low Amateur honors went to Duke sophomore Gina Kim. Kim was within striking distance most of the tournament before ultimately tying for 16th place.

It’s About Time

Winning on the PGA Tour is really hard, and no one knows that better than Patrick Cantlay. But he can breathe a sigh of relief this week. Heading into Sunday at the Memorial Tournament, Cantlay was four shots off the lead, but a final-round 64 earned him his first PGA Tour victory since late 2017. Memorial Tournament Leaderboard

Golf diehards have been waiting for Patrick Cantlay to win a big tournament for years. A dominant amateur, Cantlay has had a tough road to the top of the professional game. Back injuries and the loss of a close friend delayed his career for a couple of years in his early 20s. He pushed through these challenges to win the 2017 Shriners Hospital for Children Open, but until yesterday, he hadn’t won a premiere event. He is a generational driver of the golf ball and has the potential to win every time he tees it up. Cantlay has been particularly hot of late finishing t9th at the Masters, t3rd at the Heritage and t3rd at the PGA, his starts preceding this week. Cantlay has been due for some time, and this may just open the floodgates.

Leaderboard Notes

  • Despite a lackluster putting performance, Adam Scott finished runner-up. Scott birdied 14, 15, and 16, but ultimately fell two shots short of Cantlay. He led the field with more than 11 strokes gained on approach this week and now has five top 10s on the season.

  • Seeking his first PGA Tour win since 2014, Martin Kaymer teed off with a two-shot lead on Sunday. Kaymer was strong early, but made four bogeys over his final 10 holes and ended up third.

  • The early storyline on Sunday was Tiger Woods. Starting the day eight shots off the lead, Tiger made seven birdies in his first 12 holes. Tiger finished T-9, a solid performance in his lone tune-up for Pebble Beach.

  • Sunday left a lot to be desired for Jordan Spieth, but he still racked up his third straight top 10. The three-time major winner was in the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, SG: Around the Green, and SG: Putting this week.

  • Kevin Streelman continued his sneaky-solid season with his fourth top 10 at the Memorial. Streelman made five birdies over his final eight holes to finish in fourth place alone.

The Leven Hole

Andy put together a video for the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open on the Leven Hole. The video focuses on the 4th at Country Club of Charleston while also highlighting Chicago Golf and The Creek’s versions.

Quick Hooks

Guido Migliozzi emerged as the winner of the Belgian Knockout on the European Tour this weekend. The Italian (did the name give it away?) defeated Darius Van Driel in the final for his first European Tour victory. Leaderboard

Sebastian Cappelen shot a final-round 64 to win the REX Hospital Open by three shots on the Web.com Tour. Cappelen last won on the Web.com in 2014 and has never been a full PGA Tour member. His -21 total put him three shots clear of Zack Sucher and Grayson Murray. Murray shot a final-round 61 in Raleigh. Leaderboard

2017 Illinois State Amateur Champion Patrick Flavin won the Bupa Match Playon the Latin American Tour.

The Latest Podcasts and Articles

Shotgun Start: U.S. Women’s Open reaction, Tiger and Streelman shine at Memorial, and “The Assassin”

A packed Monday episode begins with a wide-ranging discussion on several topics from the U.S. Women’s Open. We discuss Jeongeun Lee6’s two-shot win and the relatability of some of the emotion she showed. We also discuss how the Country Club of Charleston held up and how the women promote the best and most relatable rendering of golf as it should be and how there were no player complaints about setup like we hear at the men’s Open. The pace of play problems at Charleston are reviewed, which prompts story time from Andy about how they have checked his time in the past in competition. For the Memorial, we give Patrick Cantlay his due, as well as Tiger, who appears back in form, before taking a sharp left turn off a cliff to review the career of Kevin Streelman. We also have a story about a potentially intoxicated tour pro stealing one of those famously controversial bunker rakes from the 2006 Memorial. We wrap with some stories that will build the legend of “The Assassin,” who should be your new favorite golfer. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher or Spotify