Lindblad leads amateurs into the weekend at U.S. Women's Open
Credit: USGA
Amateurs continued their trend of playing well at the U.S. Women's Open, as
Ingrid Lindblad (-6),
Bailey Shoemaker (E),
Rose Zhang (+1) and Saki Baba (+3) all made the cut at Pine Needles.
Lindblad, who recently completed her junior season at LSU, is tied for fifth place overall with the world's No. 1 player in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings, Jin Young Ko. Lindblad's two-round total of 6-under 136 is the lowest 36-hole score by an amateur in U.S. Women's Open history per Justin Ray of Twenty First Group, powered by an opening-round six-under 65. The Swede beat Grace Park’s 1999 record by a stroke.
“Yesterday I don't think I ever realized what happened,” said Lindblad, who played with fellow Swede and three-time U.S. Women's Open champion Annika Sorenstam over the first two rounds. “It was just when I got back to the hotel I'm, like, well, this is pretty good. I don't think I realize how big it is. It's like whenever you come to a big amateur tournament, like when I played Augusta for the first time last year I was, like, I don't realize how big this is until you get there and all the attention you get.”
Playing in her first U.S. Women's Open and her second LPGA event, Shoemaker earned her way into the weekend with a 36-hole score of even-par, which ties her for 27th overall. The 17-year-old shot one-under-par in her second round Friday with two birdies and a par. Shoemaker shot even-par on the back nine both days in two distinct ways. She posted nine pars Friday. Thursday, she posted an eagle, two birdies, three pars, two bogeys, and a double-bogey for a 36.
Zhang, the No. 1 female amateur in the world and freshly minted NCAA women's individual champion, is tied for 36th at 1-over par. The Stanford freshman moved out of her dorm ahead of this week and is juggling completing final projects while competing in the sweltering North Carolina heat. It's the 19-year-old's fourth start at the U.S. Women's Open and the second time she made the cut (2019).
Saki Baba of Japan, who turned 17 while qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open, shot one-over-par Friday to make the three-over cutline on the dot. Baba recovered from a late second-round double-bogey on the 13th with a birdie on the par-3 16th to move back inside the cutline. It’s Baba’s first appearance at a U.S. Women’s Open.
According to the USGA, at least one amateur has made the cut in every U.S. Women’s Open, which includes the inaugural championship in 1946 that was contested entirely at match play. The week began with 29 amateurs in the starting field of 156.
ABOUT THE U.S. Women's Open
The U.S. Women's Open is the biggest tournament in
women's golf and one of 14 national
championships conducted by the USGA. The
event is open to any female who has a USGA
Handicap Index not exceeding 4.4.
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