While the 60 or so competitors in the U.S. Women’s Open Qualifier included LPGA Tour veterans, it also included teenage up-and-coming players from Arizona.
For more Local News from KPHO: https://www.azfamily.com/
For more YouTube Content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrgpHvUm1FMtv-C1xwkJtw
They call it golf’s longest day. Two rounds, 36 holes, walking about 10 miles in 10 hours. I would describe them as a golf marathon. It’s tiring for sure. Tiring, especially if you’re a middle schooler because while the 60 or so competitors at Arizona Country Club Monday included five-time major champion, former number one player in the world, Yanni Sen, and LPGA winner Ryan Oul. There was also identical twin 13-year-olds from Scottsdale, Claire and Caroline Brooks, and 12year-old out of Mesa, Abby Kelly, who has a unicorn head cover and a sunflower head cover. Was there any kind of an intimidation factor to today? Well, it definitely was like nervous going in today, but it wasn’t like a bunch of pressure trying to like make it. What made you want to compete in this today? knew that I play against like some of the best players in the world, but I just wanted to see how I would do compared to like everyone else. The youngsters did very well in their first endurance test that is a US Women’s Open qualifier, finishing the day at 12 over par. Do you have big picture goals? I definitely want when I’m older to go to the LPGA tour, but that’s like big picture. I probably want to like make it professionally. There were also a number of Valley High Schoolers testing their games, including Lichfield Park 16-year-old Ashley Shaw, who’s already in her fifth qualifier and had her best finish after a one under par second 18 holes. Do you kind of take stock of who else? I mean, there’s some LPJ tour winners, major champions competing today. Were you even aware of that? No, I did not know that. So, you just said that. I didn’t really look at the field. I just looked at what my tea time was. Former UFA star Yang Ho shot the low score of the day, four under. And Sen came out of a five-person playoff to claim the second and final ticket to the open. The US Women’s Open begins May 29th at Erin Hills Golf Course in Wisconsin at Arizona Country Club in Phoenix. Nick King for Arizona’s family.