2021 US Women's Open, June 3-6

[stingerfade]

4 minutes ago, KBong said:

Unless they truly pour a TON of money, staff and resources at any course to get all the rough consistent.....I'll call it rub of the green....it comes with playing golf.....some good luck some bad luck.....no different than landing in a divot.

 

Hit it in the fairway and one need not worry about the variables in the rough.

Only the variables of landing in a divot…

[KBong]

4 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

Yeah, she was my favorite once she got into contention. She of course won her US Open here in SC so I figured I'd pull for her. Hated to see her miss all weekend. I feel like she finally sort of gave up towards the end. Looks like she ended at +2. Such a shame. 

I was a bit shocked to see Lucky6 using an interpreter in an interview on Sat???...then on Sunday we saw Lucky6 walking with her young road manager who is bilingual....obviously she was busy somewhere else.

 

Lucky6 could have won on 06.06....June 6th.

 

JYK was just a tad out of form on proximity to the hole and putting too.

[KBong]

3 minutes ago, stingerfade said:

Only the variables of landing in a divot…

More unlikely at a premier private course vs the clowns at my course who are too entitled and/or lazy to fix/repair divots and ball marks.

[Argonne69]

Some times winning is just about being in the right place to capitalize on the mistakes of others. Sun Young Yoo was in position to force a playoff when In Kyung missed her short putt on the 18th at the ANA in 2012. Stewart Cink did it when Tom Watson bogied his final hole at the 2009 Open Championship. Saying they didn't deserve the win is a disservice to their solid play. They shot the best score for the week, and they hoisted the trophy.

 

[MelloYello]

18 minutes ago, mhdena said:

Saso deserved every bit of this win, she's the one who persevered. Depends when the mistakes are made usually, as you say everyone makes them.

 

To think any other way is a delusional opinion

 

Don't take it as a slight. 

 

What I mean is that anyone near the top could've come out with the victory. Nobody who was in contention (Saso included) played anything close to perfect golf. We saw bad drives and big numbers from everybody. 

 

It wasn't just Lexi and Nasa who were close. Khang and Feng were right there coming down the stretch. If you look closely enough, I think you'll find this came down to where a player made bad swings. There were certain spots where bad drives were terribly punished and others where it didn't seem to matter. Take it as a slight if you will, but I think Saso came out on the better end of that variation. She seemed to manage the rough better than other players who were equally as strong (e.g. Lexi) which suggests to me she got better lies. 

 

Heck, it ended in a Play-off. To say that one person earned it while another didn't is really not fair to all the others who were so close and played just as well. Saso drove it in the rough and managed to hole a putt at the end. It hardly means we should credit her more than Nasa who played an outstanding tournament and goes home with nothing from a title perspective.  

 

Reality is, Yuko got the title, but I'm not sure people are going to remember this for her having won if she remains a marginal player ranked somewhere in the 30s who rarely climbs up leaderboards. 

 

We see Lexi and Nasa near the lead all the time in the tournaments they play thus we'll probably remember this tournament more for being their losses than it was for the person who won. 

 

I think "delusional" is lazily crediting the person who won the Play-off as being the best. Yeah, it's easy to say that. But it was WAY closer than that. This tournament wasn't about 1 person. And let's be honest, if this tournament was about 1 person, it was Lexi because she's the one who had a 5-shot lead on the back-9. 

 

To me, I look at the overall picture. Saso got the win. Give her credit for that. But there were a slew of other parts to the story. 

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by MelloYello

[18majors]

1 minute ago, Argonne69 said:

Some times winning is just about being in the right place to capitalize on the mistakes of others.

 

 

I totally agree.  Besides, the tournament is over, nothing nobody can do anything about.

 

People should analyze to predict what's going to happen in the future, not to rehash what's already happened.

 

How will Yuka Saso develop as a player because of this win?  How will Nasa Hataoka deal with her disappointment?  How big a setback is this going to be for Lexi?

 

The list can go on and on.

 

[HMHS]

7 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

 

Don't take it as a slight. 

 

What I mean is that anyone near the top could've come out with the victory. Nobody who was in contention (Saso included) played anything close to perfect golf. We saw bad drives and big numbers from everybody. 

 

It wasn't just Lexi and Nasa who were close. Khang and Feng were right there coming down the stretch. If you look closely enough, I think you'll find this came down to where a player made bad swings. There were certain spots where bad drives were terribly punished and others where it didn't seem to matter. Take it as a slight if you will, but I think Saso came out on the better end of that variation. She seemed to manage the rough better than other players who were equally as strong (e.g. Lexi) which suggests to me she got better lies. 

 

Heck, it ended in a Play-off. To say that one person earned it while another didn't is really not fair to all the others who were so close and played just as well. Saso drove it in the rough and managed to hole a putt at the end. It hardly means we should credit her more than Nasa who played an outstanding tournament and goes home with nothing from a title perspective.  

 

Reality is, Yuko got the title, but I'm not sure people are going to remember this for her having won if she remains a marginal player ranked somewhere in the 30s who rarely climbs up leaderboards. 

 

We see Lexi and Nasa near the lead all the time in the tournaments they play thus we'll probably remember this tournament more for being their losses than it was for the person who won. 

 

I think "delusional" is lazily crediting the person who won the Play-off as being the best. Yeah, it's easy to say that. But it was WAY closer than that. This tournament wasn't about 1 person. And let's be honest, if this tournament was about 1 person, it was Lexi because she's the one who had a 5-shot lead on the back-9. 

 

To me, I look at the overall picture. Saso got the win. Give her credit for that. But there were a slew of other parts to the story. 

 

I'm willing to bet my entire reputation here -- and you can crucify me for this if, barring injury, Yuka doesn't end up in leaderboards once she's settled in the LPGA -- Bianca might have been lighting in a bottle in 2020 but Yuka shouldnt be encountering what Bianca is doing in 2021 (again, barring injury).        If Yuka sucks for a year or two, yup, she'll end up like Pernilla... I highly doubt it... 

[MelloYello]

3 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

 

I totally agree.  Besides, the tournament is over, nothing nobody can do anything about.

 

People should analyze to predict what's going to happen in the future, not to rehash what's already happened.

 

How will Yuka Saso develop as a player because of this win?  How will Nasa Hataoka deal with her disappointment?  How big a setback is this going to be for Lexi?

 

The list can go on and on.

 

 

I know it must pain Lexi a great deal to let something like the U.S. Open slip away but I kind of feel she's used to this. Don't crucify me for saying that but I feel like she's more equipped to deal with this. 

 

I think this is definitely a tough on for Nasa then again, she's got such a great game I'm sure she'll capitalize on this period of strong play. 

 

I don't know where Saso goes from here. Clearly it's her biggest moment but I feel like she made a lot of questionable swings coming down the stretch. She managed to avoid the huge numbers but it was sort of like those around her fell away and she edged them out. Add another 4-5 holes to this tournament and I'm not sure she ends up the winner. I think she just happened to have the lead at the right time if that makes any sense. 

[HMHS]

1 hour ago, 18majors said:

 

 

I totally agree.  Besides, the tournament is over, nothing nobody can do anything about.

 

People should analyze to predict what's going to happen in the future, not to rehash what's already happened.

 

How will Yuka Saso develop as a player because of this win?  How will Nasa Hataoka deal with her disappointment?  How big a setback is this going to be for Lexi?

 

The list can go on and on.

 

How will Yuka Saso develop?  Nobody knows relative to competition etc... What has happened in the past though --

 

At the age of eight, Yuka had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to start running even when she’s on vacation in Japan. - OK SO WHAT?

 

When she decided at the age of 8 she wanted to become a top-ranked player like now-retired Japanese golf star Ai Miyazato, her father relocated the family to the Philippines where the cost of living was a lot cheaper. Saso's mother is a Filipina. -- AGAIN, SO WHAT?

 

"We are not rich. It was impossible for us to keep playing golf in Japan" --HMMM... DOES THIS MEAN SOMETHING?  MAYBE?

 

They said the turning point in Saso's golf career came when she was 13 and competing in a tournament in the United States, and she saw a significant difference -- about 50 yards -- between the distances she was achieving with the golf ball and a 17-year-old player.

"It was frustrating. I told myself I would learn to swing as hard as her by the following year," Saso said, reflecting on a time that had made her cry out of anger. --- OK THERE'S THAT, BUT SO WHAT?  YOU NEED TO WORK ON IT TO BEAT HER RIGHT?

 

Despite her plea, Masakazu was conflicted over whether he should force his daughter to keep up with a demanding training structure, so much so that he made her sign a pledge promising not to hold a grudge against him. 

 

"I will commit myself to rigorous training but I will not hate my parents for it. I will not dislike them. I will never forget to show a daughter's smile," the pledge read. - OK THIS IS SOMETHING NOW...

 

From then on, Saso's mornings began with a 5:30 a.m. run, followed by 10 sets of 50- and 100-meter sprints wearing 2-kilogram weights and 30 minutes of repetitive side step jumping before taking actual golf swings. -- OK, SO THIS IS WHY SHE HAD TO DO IT IN THE OPEN AIR BASKETBALL COURTS - I've SEEN THIS HAHA

 

Then, she would do 30-kg barbell squats, and sometimes even include dry swing training with a baseball bat while using ankle weights or shadow boxing to add variety to her workouts. 

 

"I want to remember to have fun while I play. I want to rank No. 1 in the world," she said.  ---YES arrogant to state publicly, but no doubt she has the tools... only time will tell.  

 

Good luck Yuka  your goal is within reach (now #9 after rolex rnkng yesterday) 

 

ADDENDUM/ EDIT:  That statement of Yuka I doubted (#1? really?) --Not anymore... (i want her to prove me wrong actually even as i root more for her "compatriot")... yuka also trains differently now of course... 

Edited June 8, 2021 by HMHS
added current ranking, removed too many capitalized stuff

[Golf Dino]

2 minutes ago, MelloYello said:

I don't know where Saso goes from here. Clearly it's her biggest moment but I feel like she made a lot of questionable swings coming down the stretch. She managed to avoid the huge numbers but it was sort of like those around her fell away and she edged them out. Add another 4-5 holes to this tournament and I'm not sure she ends up the winner. I think she just happened to have the lead at the right time if that makes any sense. 

 

For all the glamour of a player making a Sunday charge to win a major championship, more times than not, it is not the big Sunday charge (a la 1986 Masters, 2020 ANA, 1960 US Open) but rather the combination of steady play, making a birdie here/there or making par at critical points and some players dropping strokes at inopportune times.    Yuka was clearly the best at that on Sunday.  Perhaps she could have taught Greg Norman in 1996 how to right the ship.   

 

Saso has the game to compete.  She has been in and around the leaderboards at the majors in the past, even if it was fleeting.  This week, she consistently played poorly off the tee, but her ability to rescue shots from the rough and still find greens were well above average.   It was Yuka's putting that was top notch ... she was near the top of the field in that category all week.   

 

Barring a significant injury, Saso will not be Pernilla -- her game is just too good.

 

 

[MagicClassic407]

36 minutes ago, stingerfade said:

Only the variables of landing in a divot…

According to Cristie Kerr, landing in a fairway divot is no big deal for a pro as they practice this shot all the time.

[Argonne69]

When was the last time any player played perfect golf at a U.S. Women's Open? Anyone remember Ariya blowing a 7 shot lead, and managing to salvage the win in the playoff? Hye Jin rinsing her tee shot on the par 3 16th and making double to lose by two shots? A Lim's final round last year was pretty close, with bogies on the 10th and 11th, but three closing birdies for the win. Heck, even In Gee's 66 in the final round in 2015 had three bogies on the scorecard.

 

Nerves. Conditions. Bad judgement. It's all part of a major. 

[MelloYello]

57 minutes ago, KBong said:

Unless they truly pour a TON of money, staff and resources at any course to get all the rough consistent.....I'll call it rub of the green....it comes with playing golf.....some good luck some bad luck.....no different than landing in a divot.

 

Hit it in the fairway and one need not worry about the variables in the rough.

 

Well, it's kind of a big deal if some people got away with bad drives. If the rough is terrible for everyone that's one thing. The whole point of it being a U.S. Open with heavy rough is that it's going to penalize errant drives. 

 

Just seemed a little inconsistent for me. 

[Golf Dino]

4 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

When was the last time any player played perfect golf at a U.S. Women's Open? 

Nerves. Conditions. Bad judgement. It's all part of a major. 

 

It's part of what makes for compelling viewing. 

[MelloYello]

Yeah, in fairness, Yuka Saso and Nasa Hataoka did a great job closing out the tournament. They were the only ones in contention that shot under par on the final 9. Yuka made a bogey along with 2 birdies. Nasa made a bogey along with 3 birdies.  

 

However, a bunch of others played kind of shabby. 

 

Megan Khang made birdies but cancelled them out with 3 bogeys to remain level par. 

Lexi Thompson made 3 bogeys and a double for shoot 41 on the final 9. 

Shanshan Feng made 2 bogeys to shoot 38. 

Angel Yin carded a bogey and a double for finish with a 39. 

 

I think the fact that so many collapsed at the end soured my taste a little. 

 

So in hindsight, props to Nasa and Yuka. They were the only ones that deserved to be in that Play-off. Personally, I felt I was pulling for Nasa for some strange reason. Nasa shot a final round 68 which was 5-shots better than Yuka's final round 73. 

 

I kind of feel like Nasa was the one who went out and grabbed it. Shame she didn't win. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by MelloYello

[KBong]

54 minutes ago, Supermilo said:

How will Yuka Saso develop?  Nobody knows relative to competition etc... What has happened in the past though --

 

At the age of eight, Yuka had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to start running even when she’s on vacation in Japan. - OK SO WHAT?

t")

Hearsay says that Se Ri's dad made her sleep in cemeteries to toughen her up.🤣

[HMHS]

Just now, KBong said:

Hearsay says that Se Ri's dad made her sleep in cemeteries to toughen her up.🤣

I honestly didnt know what yuka was doing in basketball courts before - it was an injury risk - now i know... she doesnt do that anymore thankfully... she got enough to do it in a proper gym! (maybe beside a cemetery just to emulate Se Ri haha)

[stingerfade]

54 minutes ago, MagicClassic407 said:

According to Cristie Kerr, landing in a fairway divot is no big deal for a pro as they practice this shot all the time.

Except it takes her an hour to hit it 

[stingerfade]

42 minutes ago, Argonne69 said:

When was the last time any player played perfect golf at a U.S. Women's Open? Anyone remember Ariya blowing a 7 shot lead, and managing to salvage the win in the playoff? Hye Jin rinsing her tee shot on the par 3 16th and making double to lose by two shots? A Lim's final round last year was pretty close, with bogies on the 10th and 11th, but three closing birdies for the win. Heck, even In Gee's 66 in the final round in 2015 had three bogies on the scorecard.

 

Nerves. Conditions. Bad judgement. It's all part of a major. 

No one in history has played a perfect round of golf. 
 

that’s why after every round we all say, “i shot xxx with a bogey and a double”

[8602081]

I'm surprised with so many unhappy people in here..

 

I'm no Yuka fan, but she definitely earned my respect..  She grinded out on her last round, she deserve the win..  She seem very humble in her interview after..

 

 

Her swing is mirror of Rory.

 

 

 

 

[HMHS]

I know this is the past and it would open the debate again but imagine / recall 

 

if yuka went to become a georgia bulldog instead of making it in the jlpga (she failed to advance to last stage in lpga qseries in 2019)?

 

there would hv been no t13 in 2020 us open, no t6 in lotte, no 2 jlpga wins etc

 

Edited June 8, 2021 by HMHS

[Golf Dino]

3 minutes ago, Supermilo said:

I know this is the past and it would open the debate again but imagine / recall 

 

if yuka went to become a georgia bulldog instead of making it in the jlpga (she failed to advance to last stage in lpga qseries in 2019)?

 

 

Not sure what point you're trying to make?   

 

About going to play NCAA Div 1 to "develop" and get an education or just turn pro? 

[HMHS]

4 minutes ago, Golf Dino said:

 

Not sure what point you're trying to make?   

 

About going to play NCAA Div 1 to "develop" and get an education or just turn pro? 

yes, exactly --

 

i recall that was being discussed at length in the past... but wanted to add a data point...

 

was discussing that yesterday with my wife -- eg what if indeed yuka decided to go the georgia bulldog route...  i don't remember how the golfwrx forum thread discussion ended-- was it more that young guns with talent should immediately turn pro while the rest who don't have it have to go the college route to develop?

[Golf Dino]

3 minutes ago, Supermilo said:

yes, exactly --

 

i recall that was being discussed at length in the past... but wanted to add a data point...

 

was discussing that yesterday with my wife -- eg what if indeed yuka decided to go the georgia bulldog route...  i don't remember how the golfwrx forum thread discussion ended-- was it more that young guns with talent should immediately turn pro while the rest who don't have it have to go the college route to develop?

 

Or those who really want an education in addition to golf.

[HMHS]

1 minute ago, Golf Dino said:

 

Or those who really want an education in addition to golf.

yeah i didn't participate much in that discussion... but i recall it was "hotly" debated -- don't even know who was debating then... just thought about it since Bianca took the college route (in my view the  correct move) and Yuka the non-college/go straight to the pro route (in hindsight, of course correct also)...  

[18majors]

 

We've finally surpassed 40,000 views; that required many lurkers who read but hasn't posted.

 

One step at a time; we hope more fans will be posting in the future.

[DanoCanuck]

I think I made a comment Friday that Saso was "on fire". Whatever I was watching she sure seemed to be hitting it stiff. This is when both Brooke and Lexi were looking very good.
 

Don't know why the ladies don't have the same intensity as the guys. It seems necessary to elevate their game. They have the skills to do it. As soon as men tee off on Thursday it's a different atmosphere. They are focused with very little friendly banter among their partners. I've read about how players and teams use Psychologists to enhance their game. I'm thinking some of the ladies could use the same. There's no reason why Lexi should be giving up a 5 stroke lead on the back 9 Sunday at the USWO! Understand there's the "Greg Norman" effect but sheesh! Nobody took it from Lexi, she just hacked it out on her own. I'm still gutted watching that.
 

Anyway, the point being is the girls could use some out of the box thinking here. Get an edge with mental preparation. It's not unheard of and should be used in golf. I'd also like to see them increase the intensity level. Probably part of the mental prep but it doesn't mean you have to be a b&$£h. Just be more focused and that should equal better results. Regardless, it was an entertaining tourney and Fun to watch them tackle a tough course.
 

On to the KPMG! 

Edited June 8, 2021 by DanoCanuck

[18majors]

2 minutes ago, DanoCanuck said:

On to the KPMG! 

 

 

Well, you're too fast for us.

 

We all will stay in California this week.

[DanoCanuck]

14 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

 

Well, you're too fast for us.

 

We all will stay in California this week.

I'm generally a ladies Major fan so I skip the weekly tourneys in favor of the PGA Tour or  Champions Tour. It's great to have the US Open right in front of the KPMG though! Nice lead in for the ladies! 

[18majors]

8 minutes ago, DanoCanuck said:

 Champions Tour.

 

 

Are you kidding!

 

To each their own, I guess.