When Lucy Li teed it up in her first US Women’s Open in 2014, she was as much a novelty as she was a novice, an 11-year-old who earned the right to play at Pinehurst No.2.
She wore fun, non-golf clothes, ate ice cream during a press conference, sat down in the fairway when she was hot and tired, shot 78-78 to miss the cut and spent the weekend following eventual champ Michelle Wie around. It was all very cute and impressive at the same time. To be that young and in the position she was in allowed everything to appear to be a victory.
Four years later, the vibe feels far different for 15-year-old Li as she teed it up on Thursday in her second Women’s Open. She’s by no means a veteran – she remains the youngest player in the field – but she’s no deer in the headlights, either. She’s the No.1 in girls junior golf, the 2016 Junior PGA champion, who has played in the US Women’s Amateur, will play next week for the US in the Curtis Cup and earned an invitation to play in the ANA Inspiration last March. She missed the cut with rounds of 70-76, but made an impressive. Still inexperienced by tour pro standards, Li feels like she belongs at Shoal Creek.
Her play during the first round supports that theory.
Through 15 holes, the teenager from California was three under, two strokes off the leaders. After a few missed putts, she finished with three bogeys to end the day with an otherwise respectable even-par 72.
Li carded a two-over 74 on Friday to be T-40 and 12 strokes off the lead held by Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith.
“I have a lot more experience now,” Li said in comparing the 2018 US Women’s Open to 2014. “I hit the ball farther, so the course doesn’t feel as long.”
While being longer makes aspects of this championship easier, there’s some new pressure this time around.
“I feel like when I was younger, I didn’t have a lot of expectations,” Li said. “I didn’t feel a lot of pressure. Now I feel a lot more experienced, so it’s less … I know what I’m doing more, so I expect more.”
What stays the same is that Li is happy to be here.
“Getting to compete on such a big stage and seeing how your game is against the best,” Li said, “that’s the fun part of the US Open.”
