by Only 11 months until people start making “May the fourth be with you” jokes again. Start preparing now.
Francisco, that’s fun to say!
If you’re in the mood for a diverse leaderboard featuring different styles of play, a multitude of personalities, and a mixture of top players and amateurs, we have the tournament for you! The 2021 U.S. Women’s Open got off to a rousing start on Thursday, and the first-round leaderboard promises an entertaining weekend. U.S. Women’s Open Leaderboard
Thursday notes
The story of the day was 17-year-old Megha Ganne firing a 67 for a share of the 18-hole lead with Mel Reid. A high school junior, Ganne recently took the top spot in the Golfweek junior rankings and clearly has the game to back it up. She qualified for the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open and was invited to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April.
A healthy amount of big names are in the mix through one round. Brooke Henderson (T-3), Lexi Thompson (T-6), Jin Young Ko (T-9), Jennifer Kupcho (T-9), and Jeongeun Lee6 (T-9) are all in the top 10. Both Henderson and Thompson stumbled on the 18th hole but are in position to make a run at their first U.S. Women’s Open title.
After conceding the consolation match at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play last weekend, Shanshan Feng shot a 69 on Thursday (T-6). Feng noted that she flew in on Sunday, took Monday off, and felt well rested. So to all the haters and losers who said she should be penalized for not playing for third place last weekend, Shanshan doesn’t give a damn.
The Lake Course played as expected on Thursday. Extremely penal rough meant that players who were out of position were fighting for pars. On the greens, subtle slopes combined with speedy surfaces to wreak havoc. In short, it’s… U.S. Open-like!
While we understand it’s a major championship and the course is tough, we’d be remiss not to note that slow play ran rampant at the Olympic Club on Thursday. It should never take threesomes nearly six hours to get through a round of golf. Hopefully things pick up a bit (read: a lot) this weekend.
Dress for all occasions
Thursday at the Olympic Club certainly brought that old “coldest winter was a summer in San Francisco” chestnut to life. Temperatures in the low 50s greeted the morning tee times, and the wind bucked its head in the afternoon. Make sure you’re prepared for any weather scenario with B. Draddy!
B.Draddy’s catalog has everything from their Sport polos, which feature lightweight fabrics for the summer months, to all the layers you’ll need when the temperatures drop. To celebrate the upcoming U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, B. Draddy has a U.S. Open collection featuring a limited edition logo! Also, the Draddy line is full of great gift options. (Remember, Father’s Day is right around the corner!)
Right now, you can save 30% on everything on bdraddy.com and zerorestriction.com using the code TFEDAD at checkout!
Wave of emotion
Wednesday was two years in the making for coach Michael Beard and the Pepperdine men’s golf team. Facing off against Oklahoma in the championship match of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, the Waves fought off one of the top teams in the country to win their first national title since 1997. Redshirt senior Clay Feagler sealed the title with a 1-up victory over Ben Lorenz. NCAA Championship Results
Heading into the spring last year, the Pepperdine men’s golf team was riding high. The Waves were the top-ranked team in the nation, senior Sahith Theegala was the frontrunner for the Haskins Award, and they already had three team victories on the season. Then the pandemic hit, Theegala turned professional, and Pepperdine’s future turned uncertain.
But this year, anchored by fifth-year Clay Feagler and All-American William Mouw, Pepperdine leaned on its depth: namely, transfer Joey Vrzich, Joe Highsmith, and Dylan Menante. The Waves finished the regular season ranked No. 9 in the Golfstat rankings and found a postseason gear that propelled them through the top three teams in the nation in NCAA match play. This past year wasn’t exactly what Pepperdine had envisioned, but it ended in a national championship all the same.
Quick Hooks
Storms forced multiple stoppages of play during the opening round of the Memorial Tournament. Many players will finish up their rounds on Friday. Collin Morikawa, the 2020 Workday Charity Open champion at Muirfield Village, currently leads after a 66. Leaderboard
Andrew Novak rattled off eight birdies and an eagle en route to a first-round 61 and the lead at the REX Hospital Open on the Korn Ferry Tour. Leaderboard
Former world No. 1 Jason Day seems likely to miss his first major championship since 2012 at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Now No. 69 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Day is outside the top-60 exemption, and he withdrew from the Memorial Tournament on Wednesday, his last chance to earn his way in. He previously said he would not attempt sectional qualifying, but we’ll see if he ends up giving it a go on Monday.
Years before Joey Vrzich was born, his dad was given 24 hours to live. Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine explores how a horrible accident shapes the new national champion’s life today. Full Story
Joe LaCava is back on the bag for his old boss Fred Couples this week. Wait, Joe? Is that you?
Xander Schauffele thinks armlock putting should be banned, but he’s giving it a go at the Memorial Tournament. “If everyone else is going to use it and I feel like they have a bigger advantage, I may as well do the same,” Schauffele said. He opened with 68 on Thursday and is just two shots behind Collin Morikawa.
The Latest from The Fried Egg
Conquering the Camber: The Olympic Club’s Lake Course – In our latest video, Christina Kim, Angel Yin, and Andy Johnson break down the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open venue.
Fried Egg Stories: The Qualifier
On April 26, 73 players arrived at Half Moon Bay Golf Links with hopes of qualifying for the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic Club. One of them was Juli Inkster, Hall of Famer and seven-time major champion. Now 60 years old, Inkster was paired with two teenagers who hadn’t been born when she last won a major. Also in the qualifier field was Lucy Li, who in 2014 became the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. In this edition of Fried Egg Stories, we follow all four contestants through a 36-hole day at Half Moon Bay. Who, in the end, will be the qualifier? This episode is brought to you by the U.S. Women’s Open. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Shotgun Start: Timepiece appreciators, X-man’s armlock angst, and Eye on Olympic
This late Friday episode was plagued by technical difficulties but should see the light of day in some form or fashion. Andy and Brendan begin with their reactions to the primetime and commercial-free U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday night. Andy has a new affinity for a watchmaker, while pondering an amount he’d pay annually for regular commercial-free golf. Then they get into their reactions to the early leaderboard and conditions at Olympic, where the quick ejection seems to be lurking. The Memorial discussion mostly focuses on Rickie’s eyesight issues and Xander Schauffele’s pointed comments about the armlock putting method. The NCAAs get a quick review, and there are some questions about Pepperdine being an underdog school. They close with an Eye on Olympic focusing on Meghan Khang, who is T3 after the first round and whose family has one of the most improbable American Dream back stories in golf. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.
