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10 Things I Think…U.S. Women’s Open Style

by Jeff Skinner

1.  Inbee Park was a putting machine all week at Sebonack.  The only real drama was Jessica Korda’s mid-round dumping of her caddy.

2.  Credit the USGA for testing new courses and bringing the Women’s Open to Sebonack.  With the Men’s Open history at neighbor Shinnecock and The National Golf Links of America, the womens flaghome of the initial Walker Cup (and again this fall) Southampton, Long Island is some very fertile ground for championship golf.

3.  Inbee Park has one smooth putting stroke but somebody check if she has a pulse.  You can’t tell if she hit it good or bad, or is up or down.  That’s a great formula for winning.

4.  A real highlight for me was being able to chat with Tom Doak for a few minutes.  It was a chance encounter that I wasn’t going to let slip by and it says a lot about Doak that he would take the time to talk.

5.  Sebonack proved to be everything the USGA had hoped it would be.  Fair but tough, real tough and able to identify the best golfer.  It worked like a charm and those views of the bay don’t hurt either.

6.  I will say that Sebonack isn’t the easiest walk for the patrons.  There are plenty of ups and downs and many times you are walking on soft, beach sand. It’s not an easy trek for fans that inbee winwant to head out and see the entire course.  But the views are phenomenal.

7.  Stacy Lewis was trailed by “Team Stacy” all week.  Her sponsor, KPMG, had a bunch of their staff outfitted in Stacy’s hats and shirts.  She had a large crowd wherever she went.

8.  I spent some time trailing her and was able to chat with her dad.  On Saturday it wasn’t Stacy’s day and it showed on her and her dad.  She may be a pro but she’s still his daughter.

9.  Inbee Park likes to say that she’s happiest when she’s on the golf course.  And that the only time she feels pressure is off the course when she “thinks about it.”  Well get ready Inbee as you countdown to the Women’s British Open and that Grand Slam.  You ain’t seen pressure yet.

10.  The top three finishers were the only ones to finish under par.  And they are all from South Korea: Park, I.K Kim and So Yeon Ryu.  Is that another statement of the state of American Women’s golf?

Bonus.  Michele Wie had another disastrous week compounded with her “withdrawal for illness.”  That’s bush league.  As far as her game goes I have two words that would fix it: Butch Harmon.

Bonus.  This was the first USGA event that I attended on media credentials and it was a blast.  Mike Davis and crew certainly know what they are doing.  Especially when it comes to awarding credentials to me.  At least that’s how I see it.

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