The coolest hole and presser moments at the U.S Women’s Open

Hello, friends, and welcome to Wednesday at the U.S Women’s Open! Despite a very rainy day here at Erin Hills, there are a lot of good things happening on the eve of the first round of the tournament. My coworkers and I arrived first thing in the morning to walk some holes before the bad weather rolled in, and I found my very favorite spot on the course thanks to my coworker and pal, Sean Zak. We went to the highest point on the course, where you can see just about every single hole on property.

If you’re looking for me this weekend, that’s where I’ll be. Also, if this video of Sean doesn’t show you just how hilly this place is, nothing will.

My favorite hole at Erin Hills (so far!)

When I’m actually playing golf, there’s nothing I love more than arriving at a short par-3. Maybe my appreciation for a sub-150 yard hole comes from my junior golf days, where the only fighting chance I had at reaching a green in regulation came on those holes. My dad also lives right next to a 136-yard par-3, so I see golfers of all abilities play it all day long whenever I’m home. Either way, nothing piques my interest at a professional golf tournament like a very short hole, which is exactly what No. 9 at Erin Hills is.

When asked what the most challenging hole on the course is this week, amateurs (and teenagers!) Asterisk Talley and Jude Lee agreed that it’s No. 9. That green and the surrounding bunkers are no joke, especially when the wind gets blowing. I’m very ready to watch the best players in the world take on this hole over the next four days. After all, they don’t call it the shortest par-5 in Wisconsin for nothing.

The best merchandise on site

Shoutout to my coworker Zephyr Melton for discovering perhaps the most random and fun piece of merchandise at Erin Hills this week: A long sleeve t-shirt with Bigfoot on it.

The best part about this item of clothing is the fact that there is literally no backstory to it.

I’m used to people reaching out to me with requests for merchandise from the Masters, but I was not expecting a handful of friends and family members to text me asking for this completely random shirt. Even my sister, who never wants anything from the tournaments I attend, called me the second she saw this post and requested that I purchase one for her. Who would have thought that a Bigfoot sighting at the merchandise tent in Wisconsin would help grow the game?

The best press conference moments

Obviously the play is always the best part of major championships, but press conferences are a close second. It’s fascinating to hear what the players in the field have to say ahead of the tournament, and this week was no exception. Let’s kick things off with Yani Tseng, who gave the best presser of the week so far (in my humble opinion).

At 36 years old, Tseng is returning to this major for the first time in nine years and it’s safe to say she’s focused on enjoying her experience this week.

“I don’t feel any expectations. I feel very happy this week. Once I got here, I told my parents, ‘Mom, it feels good, it feels so good.’ Like, the hospitality, and we have a gym, we have recovery. We got everything. It was so different than nine years ago; we had nothing. Now it’s like — like I said, I feel like a kid. This is so new to me. So I was very happy. Playing a course like this and enjoying all the hospitality here and the great practice facilities, I just love it. I feel like my expectation is just see how much I can enjoy out there. I don’t want to be stressed. And I didn’t win the U.S. one before, but I’ve won a tournament before, I never think — I know everybody wants to try to win this week, but I really just want to be here and enjoy every moment I can.”

On the other end of the spectrum, we have 16-year-old Asterisk Talley and 17-year-old Jude Lee teeing it up this week, and they were asked what it was like from going to sitting in a high school classroom to the biggest stage in golf.

Talley: “Yeah, it’s pretty hard just sitting in a classroom until you have to leave for the U.S. Open. But it’s pretty boring the week before, and then you are kind of just waiting until the flight comes and you’re coming to play this course. I just think you’re trying to grind it out before this and you’re trying to not think about it too much until you come. You’re just — the same practice is always just keeping that routine and then coming to this and still keeping that same routine.”

Lee: “For me it was just super hectic. This is actually my finals week, so I kind of just took all my final ahead of time and did all my AP tests. I don’t really have time to think about the future. It helped me stay in the present for sure.”

To go from like, biology class to teeing it up at the U.S. Open is grounds for a Disney Channel movie. It’s practically unheard of! I know that Lee and Talley are much more chill than I’ll ever be, because I would have been unable to sit still at school the week before attending a major championship — never mind playing in one. The only thing cooler than being in high school the week before teeing it up in a major has got to be being in high school the week after a major. I’d be sitting in the lunch room reliving my entire experience to anybody willing to listen.

Alright folks, that’s all I’ve got for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with the best things from Round 1 here at Erin Hills.

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