While playing in China at the Blue Bay LPGA in March, Julia Lopez Ramirez felt pain in her stomach. She thought it was food poisoning. She kept playing, ended up missing the cut, and flew home. The pain continued, so she went to a doctor.
“I thought it was like food and I just wasn’t feeling good, and I end up going to the doctor, got scans, and end up having surgery in the same day,” Lopez Ramirez said in April.
After the surgery, she lost weight. Off the tee, she lost between 10 and 15 yards. After two weeks off, she was itching to play again. Despite her doctor advising against it—he wanted her to wait four weeks before returning to her usual schedule—she played in Arizona. As an LPGA rookie, she felt the common pressure of wanting to play as much as possible. Though she still felt some pain in her abdomen, she made the cut, shooting 66 in the second round.
Since then, the 22-year-old Spaniard has played in four LPGA tournaments, missing the cut in two. Her best finish is a T-29 at the Mizuho Americas Open.
She was the medalist at the U.S. Women’s Open qualifier in Naples, and proved she belonged right away at Erin Hills. She opened with a bogey-free 68 and ranked No. 1 in driving distance in both the first and second rounds. On Saturday, she had the low round: Another 68, on a day when only nine players shot under par. She’s only one shot behind leader Maja Stark.
“I think it’s quite overwhelming out here. Just being a rookie I think it’s very hard to get used to the rhythm, the tournaments, just like what you have to do. I think at this point I’m very used to how the tournament works and how it’s going that I feel like mentally I’m in a really good place and my swing is getting into a really good position,” Lopez Ramirez said on Saturday of the breakthrough she’s having at Erin Hills. “I think it kind of like all clicks and just got a good week.”
Patrick McDermott
Lopez Ramirez was not a player people were talking about going into the U.S. Women’s Open. But if you’re a college golf fan, you know she knows how to win. The All-American at Mississippi State won eight times in her three-year college career, including back-to-back SEC Championships. At one point, she was ranked the No. 1 amateur in the world. At Mississippi State, Lopez Ramirez had Charlie Ewing as a coach. Ewing is married to three-time LPGA winner Ally Ewing. The pair have been a strong resource for Lopez Ramirez as she navigated first college golf and then the transition to the LPGA.
“Julia’s distance and confidence with driver in her hand is something special, but once you get to know her, you see how she is able to match an aggressive but smart playing style,” Charlie Ewing told Golf Digest via text message. “I’ve never seen anyone use aggressive play so much to her advantage because she does it so intelligently. She is such a creative player and has the ability to navigate her way around a golf course, specifically to her strengths.”
Lopez Ramirez is comfortable with having a good round going, and keeping the pressure on to make it a great round. She’s learned that skill in college and amateur play, and is deftly applying it on the largest stage.
“It was just mentally a strong day for me, keeping myself present and dealing with what’s in front of me,” Lopez Ramirez said.
Some of that ability to stay in the moment might come from her favorite off-course hobby: Riding motorbikes. She’s been riding since she was 3, because her dad rides. Her parents didn’t let her compete because her father has suffered injuries from riding. But Lopez Ramirez still rides for fun.
“Every time I go home, I like to go and have my go-around,” Lopez Ramirez said. “Obviously, you don’t do anything crazy because obviously you cannot get injured. But it’s something I really enjoy and it’s exciting. Just no thoughts on it. You have to be present in that, like don’t fall.”
It’s necessary to stay present while riding motorbikes, other the consequences could be catastrophic. While the repercussions of letting your mind wander on the golf course at a U.S. Women’s Open are far less dramatic than a motorbike crash, the goal is still the same: be completely where you are. Don’t let your mind slip back to shots that have occurred, or press forward to the shots that might happen. It’s difficult to do in tournament golf. But it’s a muscle, and Lopez Ramirez has trained hers on the bike.
Moving Day 🤝 Julia Lopez Ramirez
Check out all of the televised shots from her 4-under 68.@Ally pic.twitter.com/Pa4O0VC3rH
— U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) May 31, 2025
This is the first U.S. Women’s Open Lopez Ramirez has played in. But she thinks one shot back is right where she belongs.
“It’s pretty much where I want to be, so I think it’s really exciting and gets my confidence up,” Lopez Ramirez said. “Honestly, just seeing my game in the right place and trending, it’s very exciting, and I’m excited to go play more.”
Ally Ewing isn’t surprised to see Lopez Ramirez in contention at the U.S. Women’s Open, either.
“Sometimes the hardest part of going from amateur to pro golf is feeling like you need to take on this new identity and rewrite everything behind how you got there, but I always knew if she went out there as the player she has always been, it was good enough to contend,” Ally Ewing told Golf Digest. “It’s no surprise to see her up at the top this week in a major championship.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
