Sa-so good!
Yuka Saso closed out an incredible week at the US Women’s Open with a one-shot playoff victory over Nasa Hatoaka at the historic Olympic Club. Despite trailing by 5 with 13 to play, Saso put in a closing performance reminiscent of her swing model, Rory McIlroy, to hunt down and pass leader Lexi Thompson. Saso’s win accelerates her meteoric rise to prominence, and continues a trend started by Sophia Popov of players winning majors despite previously having little to no status on the LPGA Tour.
Death, Taxes, Playoffs at Muirfield Village
The Memorial Tournament this week yielded yet another playoff, this time with Patrick Cantlay prevailing over Collin Morikawa. Despite the highly touted redesign, the saying “horses for courses” rang especially true yet again at Muirfield Village, with the top 3 after round 3 being the last 3 winners at the course. The main story to come out of the event will be focused on Jon Rahm’s forced withdrawal after testing positive for COVID during the third round, and many questions surrounding the TOUR’s handling of the test will rightfully be asked. However, much like every other question that digs any deeper than the TOUR’s surface-level PR lines, these will likely go unanswered, and the TOUR will continue to march on.
Golf’s Longest Day
US Open Sectional Qualifying will continue June 7th, and many high-profile players will be attempting to earn their entry into the field. Rickie Fowler and 3-time major champion Padraig Harrington highlight the field in Columbus, Ohio. This will surely be one of the most underrated and exciting days of golf this year, as major champions are paired with college players and household names compete with club champions for their spot in their national championship. Scores can be found here, or on the Golf Genius site.