PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Hello, friends, and happy U.S. Women’s Open week! I’m back at Riviera, my favorite course in the world, and having so much fun watching the world’s best players tee it up. I have a new favorite U.S. Open tradition that started last year at Oakmont, when I spent the day with Silas, a Sentry First Tee junior reporter. This week, I was thrilled when I learned that I’d get to hang out with Jamie, an 11-year-old from California and the Sentry First Tee Junior Reporter on site.
Jamie and I met up in the media center first thing on Tuesday morning. She had a notebook filled with questions for players and was eager to head out to the course. Our first stop was on the famous 10th hole, where we met up with Bianca Pagdanganan as she made the turn during her practice round. Jamie got to walk a hole with her and ask all sorts of questions about golf and life. She was a natural! As someone who does this for a living and still gets nervous, I was so impressed with Jamie’s poise with the pros.
Next we headed over to the range. I told Jamie that the range is one of my favorite places to hang out during tournament weeks, because you get to see a bunch of players at once. Also, you can catch up with caddies, coaches, agents and whoever else a player might have with them. Jamie got to interview a few more players, including Megan Khang. Then we took a break for lunch before our biggest event of the day.
At the start of our day together, Jamie told me that Lydia Ko is her favorite player. Luckily for us, Ko’s press conference was happening that afternoon. We told Jamie that we’d be attending a press conference, but we didn’t say for who. Jamie and I arrived a few minutes early, got a front row seat and looked over her questions to find the perfect one to ask.
Press conferences can feel intimidating, because you’re asking your question into a microphone in front of a room of people. That didn’t phase Jamie. She lit up when Ko walked into the room. When it was Jamie’s turn to ask a question, she introduced herself and asked Ko how she keeps herself from giving up when she hasn’t been playing her best. Ko’s answer was great:
“I truly believe that golf is never over until the glove comes off and the putt finally drops on the final hole. Golf is one of those crazy games. You’ve seen where players miss five, six cuts in a row, and then they win the next week. You feel like the odds aren’t in your favor, but golf can do it to you. I feel like sometimes I hit it decent, I putt it okay, but then I have a 30th finish. Then some weeks where I feel like it’s a little scruffy and then I finish in the top 10. So there’s no like right or wrong answer, and I think because of that, I think that helps me be more motivated and kind of, I think, not give up and just continue striving. It’s going to be hard. It is like a crazy roller coaster at times, but when there’s a down, there’s always room for you to get up. I think that’s kind of the mindset that I try and take.”
After the presser, Ko took a few minutes to chat with Jamie. She signed Jamie’s hat, took photos and thanked her for asking such a good question. It was the perfect way to wrap up the day.
I love days like this so much because I remember being Jamie’s age and wanting to work in golf. I remember going to the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open at Newport (R.I.) Country Club and following Michelle Wie. It’s now 20 years later and I got to film some content with Wie this week!
I got to watch Jamie experience a perfect golf day thanks to Sentry and the First Tee, and it was so fun to see her confidence grow as the day went on. Opportunities like this give kids who love golf the ability to experience our job for a day, and it was an honor to play a small part in Jamie’s day.
