But if you happen to be a woman, and your last name happens to be “Lee”, you truly have some work cut out for you.
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LPGA veteran Kerr relished playing the opening round in the company of the pacesetting Lee. It was the sixth eight-under-par round in the Women’s Open and the first since 1999. But one sure way to trump all that is to open a major championship with a 64.
Lee holed 10 birdies and dropped just two shots as she posted a dominant eight-under-par 64 in San Martin, California on Thursday.
But Thursday at the U.S. Open — whether it’s the men’s or women’s — is only Thursday.
When Mirim Lee walked off the course following her record-tying round, she described her day with words usually not heard when talking about the U.S. Women’s Open. The lowest total score in a round in U.S. Open history is a 63 by Helen Alfredsson in 1994 at the par-71 Indianwood in MI.
And to show you just how tough it can be being a Lee, she needed nearly every bit of it to keep from sharing the spotlight with – you guessed it – another Lee.
The 2007 victor Cristie Kerr went round with Lee and is among the players in second place, three shots behind the leader.
Kelly Tan, Brittany Lang and Anna Nordqvist were all four shots back at 4 under, and six other golfers finished the morning round at 2 under, including Americans Christina Kim and Lizette Salas. It’s very impressive. She must have hit a lot of fairways and made good putts.
“Everything was good, like driver is good and then (my) irons were good”, a beaming Lee said after covering her back nine in a sizzling five-under 31. It’s stated mission is to protect the integrity of par, not undermine it. Kerr, this championship’s 2007 victor, a participant for the 21st time, can corroborate. “I don’t think the USGA likes when we shoot 8-under on their golf course”. “You have to expect it to change”.
“It’s a very straightforward course …”
“The course is ideal now, ” Mirim Lee said. The names that matter are there come Sunday afternoon.
The trio of big names made just seven birdies combined – three fewer than Lee achieved by herself. “And then … just okay”.
So young, she would be considered a phenom in some professional arenas.
Ko was solid, without being spectacular, early on at the CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin on Thursday (Friday NZ time).
In this genre, Minjee, who was co-medalist with Alison Lee at the 2015 LPGA Qualifying school, is just another good young player, just another “Lee”.
“I don’t know if you looked at Mirim’s card and my card, but we might have shot 59 best ball, or close to it”, said Kerr, who won the Open way back in 2007 as one of her two majors. “I think obviously that’s the key”.
“I gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdie”. I had a couple missed putts, but not bad. “I’m just anxious about what’s going to happen tomorrow”.
While it’s not unusual in any golf tournament for early-in-the-day scores to be better than those in the later hours, the first day of this Open was pretty stark.
Only 20 players managed to break par at Castle Stuart.
Players who teed off before 9 a.m. enjoyed ideal, windless conditions and greens that were still holding approach shots.
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The threesome combined to make 14 bogeys with Ko finishing with a 1-over 73, Thompson a 74 and Henderson a four-over 76.
