06 June 2021: At just 26, Lexi Thompson is in her 15th US Women’s Open. Since arriving on the stage as a precociously talented twelve year old kid, Lexi has never enjoyed a lead at the end of a Women’s Open round. She finally got that checked on Saturday, playing some inspired golf to produce the only blemish free round of the week, a 66 in the third round. At 7-under, Lexi is one ahead of Yuka Saso, who managed an even 71 after conceding a bogey on the last.
Megha Ganne has burst out of the Olympic Club like a fresh breeze that may have even impressed the cypress trees that line this formidable course. After a 67 and 71 in the first two rounds, mostly on her terms, Ganne was struggling for rhythm on a difficult Saturday. Yet, somehow, the 17-year-old found the resilience needed to work out a fighting 72 despite making just five of fourteen fairways on the day.
In a sense, it was her best effort this week. Because it was a champion round, with Megha enduring less than her A game to extract a satisfactory outcome. On a day when she struggled to find her best, Megha found a way to keep things under and scramble her way to a round that did not cause too much damage to her position heading into the final round.
The young woman made a steady start, even moving to five-under as she made the turn. But the back nine of a major, even when it isn’t a Sunday can make the best of golfers nervous, especially with a scent of the lead hanging in the air. Her reward is a spot on the final group in the final round of a major. And she is still at school, with calculus work due next week.
In an impressive round, built around the greens, Megha took just 25 putts. That helped her overcome many misses – nine fairways and eleven greens – as she kept herself in the hunt with a steady head. “I wish it wasn’t over so quickly,” Ganne said. “It’s been so much fun. I can’t wait to go back out there tomorrow and I’m already counting down the hours until I tee off again.” She had 37 putts inside five feet this week and made each one of them.
Her composure was impeccable. Despite bogeys on the 10th and 11th, she steadied her nerves to come home on straight pars through the end of the round. “Four-day events, or ones that are even longer, you’re not going to play your best four days in a row,” said Ganne. “So just getting through those rounds or that one round that you didn’t quite have it is key, because once you have one bad round my philosophy is that the next is obviously going to be the complete opposite.”
The 2019 champion Jeongeun Lee6 will go out in the second last group on Sunday, tied at 3-under after a 73. Under-par scores aren’t common at the Olympic Club. In five US Opens that have been hosted at the club, there have been a sum total of four golfers who managed to take a shot out of the course. Shanshan Feng (-2), Nasa Hataoka (-1) and Megan Khang (-1) make up the seven golfers with an under-par score this weekend. All of that may change though on a promising Sunday to determine the winner of the 76th US Women’s Open.
Thompson was champion in the 2014 ANA Inspiration and has also 10 other titles on the LPGA. At the Women’s Open, she has enjoyed four top ten finishes including a runner-up in 2019. On Sunday she has an opportunity to join Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Amy Alcott, Inbee Park, and Ariya Jutanugarn as women that won both the US Juniors title and the US Women’s Open.
“It’s tough,” admitted Thompson. “The rough is super thick. They say that there’s a first cut, but the first cut is about 4 inches. [But] that’s how major championships should be. I played solid today and I’m just going to try to take it into tomorrow and just focus on one shot at a time.”
“It helps just to have that experience,” said Thompson. “For me, it’s no different mindset going into tomorrow. I’ve been working extremely hard on my game and the mental side (working with John Denney).
“It’s definitely a little bit more intense than any other tournament on a Sunday. But like I said before, I love playing in front of the fans and everything.”
