Predictions for the Womens US Open at Olympic

[Joel_Stewart]

And 2 rounds in the 90s.

[David_Tepper]

Now 7 left under par after 3 rounds.


Only 6 rounds under par posted today, despite plenty of sunshine and the course playing quite short.

[Mark Kiely]

Definitely don't want to start a new thread for this, but does anyone know why they would play twosomes on Saturday and then switch to threesomes on Sunday?

[David_Tepper]

Mark K. -

Yes, I was very surprised to see that. They may be using split tees as well. My guess is they need/want to finish play on Sunday for TV purposes by 4:00pm local time, rather than finishing at almost 7:00pm like today.


DT

 

[Tim Leahy]

The winning score will be over par!  I would take +4 now if given and watch everyone struggle.

I'll give you +1 and still take under par for the winner and runner up.

[David_Tepper]

A small bit of USWO trivia as Celine Boutier and Celine Herbin (both +3 and both from France) are playing in the same group today. How many women named Celine have you met in your life?

Boutier made a 9 on the par-5 #1 hole on Thursday afternoon. She has played her other 53 holes 1-under par.

[Joel_Stewart]

The winning score will be over par!  I would take +4 now if given and watch everyone struggle.

I'll give you +1 and still take under par for the winner and runner up.

I would have taken that at the start of the week but honestly I'm shocked at how far up they are placing the tees. If I knew they were going to play the Senior tees then I would have revised my prediction. 

[Tommy Williamsen]

From the scores it appears that the USGA setup fits the championship.

[Kalen Braley]

The winning score will be over par!  I would take +4 now if given and watch everyone struggle.

I'll give you +1 and still take under par for the winner and runner up.

I would have taken that at the start of the week but honestly I'm shocked at how far up they are placing the tees. If I knew they were going to play the Senior tees then I would have revised my prediction.

Joel,

Have you seen Ben's post in the other thread?  Quite frankly that myth is entirely busted.  I think what we're seeing this week is something the fragile male ego just won't admit....that when comparing apples to apples, the women may in fact just be better.

"In 2012 the course averaged 7,037 yards. The women's this year have played at an average of 6,361. 9.6% shorter in 2021 vs 2012.

When you compare the average driving distances between the two tours, 287.3 in 2012 vs. 258.2 in 2021, the women are 10.1% shorter.

While those two stats don't tell the whole story, it does suggest that length wise the USGA has done a good job at equalizing the course between the men and women.

If the men are hitting wedges and short irons into greens the response is about how far players today hit the ball, but when women have short irons and wedges into greens the course is short?"

[Kevin_Reilly]

Lexi just hit an amazing shot from the rough on #5....she is terrific.  Glad I saw her play (for the first time) on Friday.

[David_Tepper]

5 golfers under par at the finish. 10 rounds under par today. No one shot par or better for 4 rounds.

Congrats to Terry Lavin, who nailed it at -4!

[Tommy Williamsen]

Arnie broke my heart at Olympic in 66. The course lived up to its reputation as a leader killer today.

[Garland Bayley]

-4

I'm thinking this is a good estimate. So I will take -5.

I just wasn't as quick as Terry in getting my estimate in. When I went to play it was at -8. I doubted it would fall that far in 9 holes.

[Tom_Doak]

I thought the course was very well suited to testing the games of the women.  [That's not intended as a knock.]  They hit the ball a good deal straighter than the men, and the rough was difficult but certainly not impossible, judging by the shots played out of it in the playoff.  Also, the greens were entirely holdable and puttable, whatever speed they were for the championship.


There are so many good players among the women, and many of them are so young!  It's honestly kind of hard to keep track of them all.  Junior women's golf has produced a remarkable number of talented players; they are the future of "growing the game".  I hope that the LPGA can capitalize on them and get some more attention in the years ahead. 

[David_Tepper]

Tom D. -

In both tennis (Chris Evert & Tracy Austin) and more recently golf, women (teenage girls) seem able to compete against their elders at a much younger age than on the male side.

Has any teenage boy been on the first page of the leaderboard at the end of a major since Justin Rose in the 1998 Open?


DT

[Tom_Doak]

Tom D. -

In both tennis (Chris Evert & Tracy Austin) and more recently golf, women (teenage girls) seem able to compete against their elders at a much younger age than on the male side.

Has any teenage boy been on the first page of the leaderboard at the end of a major since Justin Rose in the 1998 Open?

David:


I agree.  Some of that may be physical, and some is sociological -- several top players have retired in the prime of their careers to raise a family, leaving more opportunities for the next generation.  But I think we are also seeing a real surge in the number of young women from around the world who entered the game a decade ago and have been pursuing it aggressively, with good coaching.

[Joel_Stewart]

The winning score will be over par!  I would take +4 now if given and watch everyone struggle.

I'll give you +1 and still take under par for the winner and runner up.

I would have taken that at the start of the week but honestly I'm shocked at how far up they are placing the tees. If I knew they were going to play the Senior tees then I would have revised my prediction.

Joel,

Have you seen Ben's post in the other thread?  Quite frankly that myth is entirely busted.  I think what we're seeing this week is something the fragile male ego just won't admit....that when comparing apples to apples, the women may in fact just be better.

"In 2012 the course averaged 7,037 yards. The women's this year have played at an average of 6,361. 9.6% shorter in 2021 vs 2012.

When you compare the average driving distances between the two tours, 287.3 in 2012 vs. 258.2 in 2021, the women are 10.1% shorter.

While those two stats don't tell the whole story, it does suggest that length wise the USGA has done a good job at equalizing the course between the men and women.

If the men are hitting wedges and short irons into greens the response is about how far players today hit the ball, but when women have short irons and wedges into greens the course is short?"

I had not seen that.


I took an LPGA member to San Francisco GC and we played the mens white tees and she kicked my butt.  She shot 71 and had never seen the course.


Having been a member at Olympic for 19 years, they didn't play the white tees.  They played tees I had never dreamed about playing they were so far forward.

[Bruce Katona]

I watched some o the final round yesterday to see the course.....WOW.......what a visually outstanding offering with SF in the immediate background.

[David_Tepper]

Good article on how the course was set up for the USWO:

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/us-womens-open-2021-olympic-club-big-bad-but-playable

[Tim Martin]

For those that are familiar with the course was the pitch that Thompson had for her third at 11 that difficult? To watch her make double bogey gave me an uneasy feeling which was born out at the finish.

[jeffwarne]

I thought the course was very well suited to testing the games of the women.  [That's not intended as a knock.]  They hit the ball a good deal straighter than the men, and the rough was difficult but certainly not impossible, judging by the shots played out of it in the playoff.  Also, the greens were entirely holdable and puttable, whatever speed they were for the championship.


There are so many good players among the women, and many of them are so young!  It's honestly kind of hard to keep track of them all.  Junior women's golf has produced a remarkable number of talented players; they are the future of "growing the game".  I hope that the LPGA can capitalize on them and get some more attention in the years ahead.

Very true.RE: Olympic AND setup...


The women are very watchable.
Anecdotally, I was amazed how many casual fans watched the women this weekend, and how few watched the Memorial.


While the PGA Tour worries about social media and teenage "feuds" between tools.
Women's tennis has rivaled men's in interest at times.

[David_Tepper]

"For those that are familiar with the course was the pitch that Thompson had for her third at 11 that difficult? To watch her make double bogey gave me an uneasy feeling which was born out at the finish."

Tim M. -

She was pitching/chipping off an uphill tight lie. Nothing especially difficult there. No reason she could not have gotten it within 10-15 feet of the hole. Just US Open nerves and final round pressure.

Jeff -

The real treat for me was getting to watch these women hit balls on the range. Some great, seemingly effortless swings, with beautiful tempo and rotation thru the ball.

DT

P.S. I don't know who is teaching golf in Korea now and over the past 10-15 years. Regardless, they are doing a great job. 16 of the 66 golfers playing on Sunday were from Korea.

[jeffwarne]

"For those that are familiar with the course was the pitch that Thompson had for her third at 11 that difficult? To watch her make double bogey gave me an uneasy feeling which was born out at the finish."

Tim M. -

She was pitching/chipping off an uphill tight lie. Nothing especially difficult there. No reason she could not have gotten it within 10-15 feet of the hole. Just US Open nerves and final round pressure.

Jeff -

The real treat for me was getting to watch these women hit balls on the range. Some great, seemingly effortless swings, with beautiful tempo and rotation thru the ball.

DT

P.S. I don't know who is teaching golf in Korea now and over the past 10-15 years. Regardless, they are doing a great job. 16 of the 66 golfers playing on Sunday were from Korea.

DT-agreed re the technique.I often wonder how so many have such great , similar technique.
However,
I think their dominance has way more to do with how many other "choices" our girls aged 12-18 have, vs. the incredible work ethic of the South Koreans.
Jr. programs in the US are usually 50-50 boys to girls, but about that age we lose many girls to other activities, generally social, often due to affluence and lack of hunger, and sometimes other sports that simply require less time and dedication.(2 hrs a day can suffice for a great athlete in many other team sports)
That seems to be changing but is still a major issue.

[Garland Bayley]

Reporting seems to indicate that the best way to get a date with a South Korean female is to offer to take her to the driving range. Topgolf should make a killing there!