Shibuno halfway to another Major title

In 2019 at England’s Woburn Golf Club, Japan’s Hinako Shibuno, nicknamed Smiling Cinderella for her ever-present grin, found her glass slipper by capturing the AIG Women’s Open title. Little more than a year later, Shibuno is inching ever closer to a second fairy-tale moment. On Friday, the 22-year-old shot a 4-under 67 on Champions Golf Club’s Jackrabbit Course and pulled three strokes clear of the field at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open at -7 overall.

“Today my tee shots found the rough more often. However, my second shots were pretty stable and able to par on to the greens,” said Shibuno, who had six birdies and two bogeys on Friday. “So my golf today was pretty safe, stable condition. At the same time, when it comes to the chance for a birdie, my putting was pretty good.

If Shibuno can emerge victorious on Sunday, she would join Se Ri Pak and In Gee Chun as the only players in history to win majors as their first two LPGA Tour titles. Pak won her titles at the 1998 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open, while Chun won the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2016 Evian Championship.

Swedish amateur Linn Grant, a sophomore at Arizona State University, opened with back-to-back 69s to secure solo second. Another amateur follows her on the leaderboard, as University of Texas senior Kaitlyn Papp is tied for third at -3. She is joined by two LPGA Tour players looking for their first victories in Megan Khang and first-round leader Amy Olson. Olson followed her first-round 67 with a 1-over 72 on the Jackrabbit Course on Friday, while Khang shot a bogey-free 2-under 69 on the Cypress Creek Course.

2007 U.S. Women’s Open champion Cristie Kerr, who was involved in a golf-cart accident last week that left her playing chances in doubt, battled through the pain to finish at -2. She is one of eight players tied for sixth, a group that includes sisters Ariya Jutanugarn and Moriya Jutanugarn, as well as Houston native Stacy Lewis.

“I've definitely missed shots I would normally not miss because I'm in pain, but it's kind of a nice mental place to be,” said Kerr. “I'm not happy how I got here, but maybe it's meant to teach me a lesson, I don't know. God moves in mysterious ways.”

The defending U.S. Women’s Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 shot a second-round 2-under 69 on the Jackrabbit Course and heads into the weekend tied for 20th at Even. While daunting, her seven-stroke deficit is not insurmountable. Two of the last five U.S. Women’s Open champions trailed by seven strokes after 36 holes – Sung Hyun Park (2017) and Brittany Lang (2016).

The cut came at +3, with 66 players reaching the weekend. Notable players to miss the cut include U.S. Women’s Open champions Brittany Lang (+4), Eun Hee Ji (+4), In Gee Chun (+4) and Sung Hyun Park (+7), as well as Rolex Rankings No. 3 Nelly Korda (+4) and 2020 ANA Inspiration champion Mirim Lee (+6).

AMATEURS MAKING MOST OF MAJOR EXPERIENCE

While the first name atop the U.S. Women’s Open leaderboard is familiar to golf fans, the next two represent the up-and-coming generation of LPGA Tour players. With major champion Hinako Shibuno leading, Swedish amateur Linn Grant heads into the weekend in solo second, while fellow amateur Kaitlyn Papp, one of seven Texans in the field, is tied for third.

Grant followed in the footsteps of fellow Swedes Anna Nordqvist and Linnea Strom by competing collegiately at Arizona State University. After years of looking up to her compatriots and learning from her first U.S. Women’s Open experience in 2018, Grant is making quite a splash on the international golf scene.  

“I think we've been raised looking at a lot of good players, and we've been able to look at them through like Instagram and see what they do, and we just copy what they do,” said Grant, who made the cut at the 2018 championship. “When we feel that we've reached that level, we kind of move on, and I think it's the same for the generations coming after us. I think people are just going to get better.”

Papp is also playing in her second U.S. Women’s Open after a missed cut in 2019. Her high-school teammate Kristen Gillman is already on the LPGA Tour and with Papp in her senior year at the University of Texas, she could soon join her best friend. But not before finishing her collegiate career.

“I feel like college golf really prepares us for the next level and to play well in championships like this, and also internationally for the girls who are coming from overseas, there's been a lot of playing opportunities,” said Papp. “I feel like with this whole COVID year we've all had the chance to get better at our golf games.”

MEGAN KHANG SHINES ON DAY TWO IN HOUSTON
Megan Khang quickly erased any memory of a 3-over 38 on Thursday’s back nine, including the double bogey that concluded her round on No. 18 of the Jackrabbit Course. She turned the page on her chapter at the 75th U.S. Women’s Open with a bogey-free, 2-under 69 performance today on the Cypress Creek Course.

“I’ll take that any week, any day, any tournament,” said Khang, who is tied for third at -3 overall. “It’s always a good feeling to be bogey-free and just really hoping to move that into the weekend.”

The 2019 Solheim Cup Team USA member will be part of the penultimate grouping off No. 1 tee on the Cypress Creek Course at 11:24 a.m. CT tomorrow. Khang was pleased that she played the Jackrabbit Course on Thursday, giving her three consecutive days on the championship’s main course, Cypress Creek.

“I was personally very happy when I got the draw because it was nice to get through Jackrabbit the first day then know that I have three days to play Cypress,” said Khang. “I personally really liked it. Everyone here is so good, so I don’t think it actually matters too much. I think it’s just personal preference.

“I want to stay in the moment and just keep doing what we’ve been doing. It’s the 75th U.S. Women’s Open, and you don’t get a lot of them.”

JUTANUGARN SISTERS LURKING HEADING INTO WEEKEND
Two of the eight players in a tie for sixth at -2 overall at the halfway point of the U.S. Women’s Open are Moriya Jutanugarn and 2018 champion Ariya Jutanugarn. For the sixth consecutive year, and seventh time overall, they are competing together in the championship.

Ariya carded three birdies and two bogeys this afternoon for a second straight 1-under 70 at Champions Golf Club in Houston. With 36 holes remaining, there is one aspect of her game that needs fine-tuning if she is to make a weekend run in the Lone Star State.

“I hit a lot of good shots, but my putting wasn’t working well today and yesterday,” said Ariya, a 10-time LPGA Tour champion. “I’ve been trying to work on it, but it’s not getting better yet. My speed is not that good, and my ball didn’t start on line that much. I’m really happy about my game right now even though I don’t feel like my putting is working well.”

Older sister Moriya fired the first round’s only bogey-free round and followed it up with a 1-over 72 today on the Cypress Creek Course. Despite her younger sister winning the Harton S. Semple Trophy before, it is not a subject of discussion among the Thai sensations. Their contrasting style of play also shapes a more intricate, analytical approach for Moriya this week.

“Everyone wants to play good every week, and of course to win a major, especially a first major for me, it would be big,” Moriya said. “I just want to focus on what I have to do and be present because out here you can’t really be so aggressive and you have to play smart.”

Only two pairs of sisters have ever won USGA championships: Harriot (1906) and Margaret Curtis (1907, 1911, 1912) at the U.S. Women’s Amateur; and Hollis Stacy (1969, 1970, 1971 U.S. Girls’ Junior; 1977, 1978, 1984 U.S. Women’s Open) and Martha Leach (2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur).

Moriya and Ariya will head off No. 1 tee of the Cypress Creek Course at 11:02 a.m. CT tomorrow, with Stacy Lewis rounding out the trio.

HERE SHE COMES – WATCH OUT FOR SEI YOUNG KIM, EVEN AT SIX SHOTS BACK

There aren’t many players you’d think about in the same situation. Six shots back, two rounds to play, a tough golf course with double-bogey potential at every turn, and a recent history of winners coming from the last couple of groups: why would anyone look twice at a player six off the pace and in a tie for 14th, barely in red figures and four major champions among the slew of players ahead of her? 

The reason you look is because the player is Sei Young Kim, the birdie-making maverick of women’s golf who could throw a couple of mid-60 rounds at the field over the weekend and vault up the board at this U.S. Women’s Open without batting an eye. That is how she plays – naturally aggressive. When the Sei Young wave starts rolling, it leaves a lot of wipeouts in its wake.  

But it isn’t just her history that makes you think Kim has a chance to capture back-to-back majors in the waning days of 2020. It’s how she’s played Champions Club so far. Kim has made 12 birdies in her first 36 holes, two more than championship leader Hinako Shibuno.