Having Barely Gotten in, Tardy Leads U.S. Women's Open

View full size image

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- So far, the hardest part of the U.S. Women's Open for Bailey Tardy was just getting into the tournament. 

The 26-year-old former University of Georgia All-American hadn't played in any qualifiers for a while "because I don't like them."  So she procrastinated and kept putting off entering the Open. 

"I knew there was going to be a site that I could sign up for, but I just wanted one in my week off," she remembers. "And I mean, my mom could tell me, 'You need to sign up. You need to sign up. You need to sign up.' And then I never did. That's just kind of how it happened."

By the time Tardy, who is in her first year on the LPGA Tour, did get around to signing up, there were only two qualifying sites left -- St. Louis and Mendota Heights, Minn. 

She chose Mendota Heights, where she would be playing Somerset CC. There were two spots available. Things went well in the first of the two rounds. She shot 69. But she missed a short par putt on the 18th hole of the second round, and ended up with a 71, for a 36-hole total of 140. Assuming that she had missed, she showered, changed clothes, packed her golf bag and was ready to go to the airport, thinking: "I'm first alternate. I'm done. Get me home." 

And then fate intervened. Amy Olson, the former Minnesota PGA Junior Girls champion (2009), U.S. Junior Girls champion (2009) and North Dakota State All-American (she set an NCAA record by winning 20 tournaments during her four college seasons with the Bison), was the medalist with a 138 (72-66). Late in the day, it appeared that Jennifer Chang would get the available second spot, with a 139. But she three-putted the last hole of regulation play, which dropped her back into a tie with Tardy at 140, meaning that there was going to be a playoff -- Chang vs. Tardy -- for the second spot.

"So I was like, 'Oh, my gosh. I've got to go hit golf balls. I've been sitting down for an hour and a half.," Tardy recalled Friday, remembering the sense of panic she felt. "So I threw golf clothes back on, found my golf shoes, hit about 15 balls, and just went out and played four more holes, which felt like an eternity." 

Having missed the short par putt on 18th hole a little less than two hours before, she missed another short one on the first hole of the playoff -- a 4-footer for birdie. But she reminded herself that she was still in the playoff, and about a half hour later she made a 20-footer for birdie on the fourth extra hole (No. 18), and that got her into the Open.

Now that she's in the Open at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links,, Tardy is making the most of it. She shot a 4-underl-par 68 on Friday, and is leading the tournament afterr 36 holes with a 137 total. Hyo Joo Kim, who won a major title (the 2014 Evian Championship) when she was 19 years old, is tied with Allisen Corpuz for second place, two shots behind Tardy at 139. Hae Ran Ryu is another two back in fourth at 141, and Nasa Hataoka and Leona Maguire are tied for fifth at 143.  

As for the Somerset medalist, Olson, a two-time major runner-up (the 2018 Evian Championship and 2020 U.S. Women's Open), isn't in peak golfing form -- she's seven months pregnant and hasn't played in an LPGA event since 2022. She did break 80 in both rounds, but her 156 (79-77) missed the cut by six shots.    

After opening with a 3-under-par 69 on Thursday, Tardy was the first player off the first tee for Friday's second round -- and. she went right to work, making a 9-footer for birdie on the first hole. She made a 20-footer for another birdie at the third. There was a bogey at the fifth, but she more than made up for that soon enough.

Tardy is one of the longest hittrers on the LPGA Tour, averaging 285.13 yards with her driver, and she launched a 304-yard tee shot at the par-5 sixth hole Friday. She followed that with a 184-yard second shot to 4 feet and made the putt -- for her second eagle on that hole in as many days. At the 100-yard, par-3 seventh, she spun her wedge shot back to 5 feet, and made that one for a birdie -- also for the second day in a row. 

In other words, Tardy has played the sixth and. seventh holes in 6 under par during the first two rounds. She hit a wedge to 8 feet at the ninth hole and made the putt for a front-nine 31. That was the last of her birdies, though, and she made eight pars and one bogey (the dauntingly long par-5 14th) for a back-nine 37.

She doesn't seem nervous so far. But this is definitely unfamiliar terrotory for her. Before this week, she had never made the cut in a major.

Having turned professional in 2019, Tardy needed four years to make her way to the LPGA Tour. She played pretty well on the Epson Tour in 2021, but finished 12th on the Epson money list -- and missed moving up by two places. The top 10 on the Epson's season-ending money list gain status for the next year's LPGA Tour. In 2022, Tardy made $76,846 -- and finished 11th on the money list, just missng a promotion to the big tour once again. But she got her LPGA Tour Card by finishing second last fall in the LPGA Q-Series (Final Stage), a 144-hole physical and psychological ordeal that's stretched out over 11 days on a couple of Jones Trail courses in Alabama.

Ran Ryu was the Q-Series medalist with an eight-round aggregate of 545. Tardy wound up two behind her at 547.

But she has struggled in her inaugural season on the LPGA Tour. In the 10 events she's played, she's made $37,438, and is No. 130 on the money list. She's missed the cut five times, and she withdrew from the JM Eagle LA Championship after shooting 85 in the opening round. Her best finiish thus far was a tie for 23rd in April at the Lotte Championship. That, however, could be a good omen. In 2003,, Hilary (Homeyer) Lunke, a former Stanford All-American and Minnesota state high school champion from. Edina, went into the U.S. Women's Open at Pumpkin Ridge, near Portland, Ore., having had to go through the qualifying process (no one had ever done that and won) and having never finished higher than a tie for 23rd in an LPGA Tour event. She then proceeded to win the tournament in a playoff with Kelly Robbins and Angela Stanford. That was 20 years ago Friday -- July 7, 2003.


U.S. Women's Open

At Pebble Beach Golf Links

Par 72, 6,546 yards

Pebble Beach, Calif. 

Second-round results 

1. Bailey Tardy                      69-68--137 (-7)

T2. Allisen Corpuz                  69-70--139

T2. Hyo Joo Kim                     68-71--139

4. Hae Ran Ryu                     69-72--141

T5. Nasa Hataoka                  69-74--143

T5. Leona Maguire                69-74--143

T7. Ayaka Furure                  74-70--144

T7. In Gee Chun                   72-72--144

T7. Angel Yin                         71-73--144

T7. Jiyai Shin                         71-73--144

Missed cut -- 150 

Amy Olson                            79-77--156