2023 U.S. Women’s Open: Teenager Grace Summerhays second in family to tee it up in a major this year

Grace Summerhays’ first round at Pebble Beach Golf Links was the stuff of dreams. After an early-morning fog delay, Grace partnered with her dad, Boyd, in a match against her two brothers, Cameron and Preston. Fittingly, the match ended in a tie.

What made the round even more special for Grace, 18, was it doubled as a practice round for the 78th U.S. Women’s Open. The historic championship, which gets underway July 6, marks the first time a women’s major will be contested at Pebble Beach, site of six previous U.S. Opens won by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Graeme McDowell and Gary Woodland.

“I almost can’t even comprehend it,” said Grace, one of 27 amateurs in the field.

Grace isn’t the first Summerhays to play in a U.S. Open this summer. Older brother Preston, 20, made his second U.S. Open appearance last month at Los Angeles Country Club. Both Preston and Grace play collegiate golf at Arizona State and have spent time practicing together at Silverleaf Golf Club in Scottsdale with former Sun Devil Jon Rahm, the 2021 U.S. Open and 2023 Masters champion.

Their father and coach, Boyd, is Tony Finau’s longtime instructor. The Summerhays’ impressive golf legacy, however, extends well beyond the immediate family.

Bruce Summerhays, Boyd’s uncle, won three times on the PGA Tour Champions, and Boyd’s younger brother, Daniel, played eight years on the PGA Tour. His cousin Carrie Roberts, now head coach at BYU, became the first Utah-born woman to qualify for the LPGA.

Boyd, a former top-ranked junior who played collegiate golf at Oklahoma State, earned his PGA Tour card in 2003 and played the AT&T Pebbe Beach Pro-Am three times. Pebble Beach is Boyd’s favorite course, and he’ll be on the bag this week for Grace. Boyd choked up when Grace advanced through the 36-qualifier in Scottsdale. She turns 19 on championship Sunday.

“Just to share these moments with my kids, not as a coach and students but just as a dad,” said Boyd, “it’s honestly more than that I could dream.”

Grace grew up training (from the same tees) with her older brother, Preston, and carried a competitive, ready-to-go attitude to Arizona State. Head coach Missy Farr-Kaye describes the rising junior as feisty and fun.

“It’s a really a beautiful thing to watch,” said Farr-Kaye of Grace’s approach to the game, “one of those things you want to rub off on everybody.”

Preston, 20, said Grace’s driving is her greatest strength. Her ball speed is 145 mph and her swing speed hovers in the high 90s.

“She hits it very straight,” said Boyd, “and she hits great flighted, spinning wedge shots. And she can putt.”

Grace will be nervous, Boyd predicted, but she won’t be intimidated. At age 16, she became the youngest Utah State Amateur champion in the event’s 114-year history. After graduating from high school early, Grace joined the Sun Devils midseason in 2022. She finished the spring season No. 74 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings; brother Preston, the 2019 U.S. Junior champion, ranked ninth.

There was a time, Grace said, when she felt pressure to live up to Preston’s success. Farr-Kaye knows what that feels like. Still battles it from time to time, in fact, walking by a life-sized statue of older sister, Heather, on the way to her office every morning.

“I know what it’s like to try to live up to your older sibling,” said Farr-Kaye. “It’s a losing battle.

“We’ve had some good conversations about that. Your journeys are different, and they’re meant to be different.”

The Summerhays family is a tight bunch. While they don’t get to practice together as much as they did in junior golf, Grace said she’s always learning something from Preston, particularly when it comes to short game. There isn’t a chip shot, bunker shot or pitch that Grace is afraid to try, said Farr-Kaye.

“It’s an amazing dynamic,” said Grace of her relationship with Preston. “We’re super competitive and hate to lose to each other, but at the same time, we both want the best for each other.”

A self-described perfectionist, Grace said she’s most grateful for her dad’s ability to separate being a dad from being a coach.

“I’ve seen with other junior golfers and amateurs, it’s just hard for the parents to separate the two,” noted Grace.

What’s the secret to their family’s success?

“We work really hard, and really smart,” said Preston. “My dad has raised us and trained us really, really tough.”

But when it comes to game time, Boyd does everything he can to take the pressure off. Phrases like Just play free; You’re doing great; You’re getting so much experience; We’re heading in the right direction, pepper their text threads.

“I always text my kids before any competitive round to say ‘I love you, proud of you and just go play,’ ” said Boyd.

“If they train as hard, as my kids have, and invested so much of their life and time, and they’re super competitive – they’re already going to be amped up. Parents don’t need to add to that.

“Kids need to know that no matter what, just being here is a huge accomplishment, and as a parent, it’s pretty special.”