ERIN, Wis. — It’s been two years, but Yealimi Noh is really reaping the benefits from switching to a broomstick putter. The 23-year-old shot a first-round four-under 68 at the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills and was tied for the lead after the morning wave.
Noh earned her first career LPGA win earlier this year at the Founders Cup. On Thursday, she needed just 28 putts to get through the round and a USGA setup where the greens aren’t easy to navigate. She was +1.17 in strokes gained/putting when she ended her round, sitting well inside the top 20. Her previous putting woes are so far in the rear-view mirror that she was candid about how bad they got it, even using the “y” word.
“I was not in a good spot with my putting before the L.A.B. To be honest, I was having the yips, and it was really difficult,” Noh said. “I didn’t know what to do, and I just needed something completely different. My coach introduced me to a long putter, and then I moved on to the L.A.B. I think the L.A.B. makes the best broomstick putter. It’s just been good from there.”
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Noh is using the L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick. Throughout the season, various players have asked her about it and some have taken it for a test spin.
“L.A.B. in general has been so popular these days,” Noh said. “I’ve seen a lot of girls out there not only using a L.A.B putter, but the broomstick or the sweeper, whatever it’s called now. A lot of girls trying it out, which is great. It’s really, really good … some players have already asked me, ‘can I try it again?’ I’m like ‘you asked me this a couple months ago.’ Now they’re like, ‘oh, can I like try it, try it?’ I’m like, OK.”
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Yealimi Noh (-4) is in the clubhouse with a share of the U.S. Women's Open lead.@Ally pic.twitter.com/0aqoJIceHM
— U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) May 29, 2025
Noh’s 68 is her lowest U.S. Women’s Open score in 15 rounds. All phases of her game were working, and she even chipped in for eagle on the 14th hole.
“I actually had the same exact chip during one of my practice rounds, same spot, same pin. I made it in the practice round, and my caddie and I were joking that I used it up, but apparently not,” Noh said. “So that was nice.”
She hits it long off the tee, which is an advantage on the 6,829-yard course. The only blemish on her scorecard came at the par-3, 139-yard, ninth hole, one that has most everyone befuddled. That’s the green World No. 1 Nelly Korda described as “diabolical.”
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“I had 130 or so into the green, and I hit a pitching wedge. I thought I hit it perfect,” Noh said. “Actually, it was just left of the pin. It just hit the top of the hill, and it came all the way back into the rough. Not in the bunker, so I was in a really bad lie. I just wanted to go away with bogey on that hole.”
Wisconsin seems to suit Noh so far. She said she’s been eating a lot of cheese—sharp white cheddar is her favorite. If she wins her first major, she could buy a lifetime supply. And it all might be because of that putter change.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
