Yealimi Noh had envisioned herself winning the AIG Women’s Open. As all talented pros do, Yealimi Noh had drawn herself in the stars before she even started to climb the pro golf ladder.
But she arrived at this year’s AIG Women’s Open “unsure” about her game. After a brutal season that saw her go six events without breaking par in a single round, the 25-year-old Noh found herself no longer enjoying golf as she once did. Golf had always been a “job,” but it was different when the game no longer loved you back. When your hard work isn’t being rewarded and when the course only brings you stress and hurt. After missing back-to-back cuts at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Amundi Evian Championship, Yealimi Noh found herself lost, adrift as she looked to rediscover her world-class game and the motivation to hone it.
As golf often does, it gives you what you need when you least expect it.
Noh opened this week’s final major at Royal Lytham and St. Annes with a four-under 67. She followed that with a 70 and then put together a gritty 69 on a chaotic Saturday to take control of the Women’s Open. Noh went to bed on Saturday with a three-shot lead over a large pack of chasers. She awoke Sunday believing it would be her day — that the unknown awaiting her in the major championship cauldron held only her dreams, not devastation.
Noh pulled her opening tee shot on the par-3 first left but got up-and-down for par. She then birdied the second and led by five early as Lytham pummeled the likes of Charley Hull, Nelly Korda, Lucy Li and Haeran Ryu. But Yealimi Noh’s Lytham exam was just getting started. She dropped a shot at the fourth and then made back-to-back bogeys at seven and eight to bring a flock of players back into the mix. Noh made another bogey at 12 to drop out of the solo lead. A bounce-back birdie at 13 provided a brief moment to exhale, but a short miss for par on 14 put Noh behind the eight-ball.
As Yealimi Noh walked home at Royal Lytham, she saw that Shiho Kuwaki had taken a one-shot lead and eventually posted five under. With three holes left, Noh needed to somehow regain control and find one circle to get to a playoff. She made par at 16 and 17 and then hit her approach on 18 to 20 feet. After playing partner Esther Henseleit drained a bomb of her own to match Kuwaki, Noh steadied her long putter and sent her ball toward her dreams.
It was tracking toward the center of the cup, but it slowed and came up a few revolutions short. As the ball hit an imaginary wall, Noh dropped her head and put her hand on her knees. She gathered herself and tapped in a par putt to finish in solo third as Kuwaki eventually won in a playoff.
With her first major championship scar still fresh, Yealimi Noh, with tears starting to well in her eyes, saw something different than pain as she exited Royal Lytham.
“I will be taking away a lot more than I thought I would be this week,” an emotional Noh told NBC’s Cara Banks after the round, wiping tears from her eyes. “It stings just being one short, but very happy with the week. I told myself this morning, no matter what happens, I’m just really happy to be in this position again. A couple of weeks ago, I wasn’t even feeling the want to play golf — obviously play — but I was losing a lot of motivation with my past results.
“But this week has really helped me feel so much better about my game and realize why I’m doing this. Coming up 18 was pretty incredible, just in front of those crowds and playing here at the Open. Very grateful.”
Sunday was Noh’s first true time in the thick of things on Sunday at a major. It’s a hand-numbing experience that can’t be described, only felt once you’re in it. Some survive their first test, but many feel what Noh felt and watch it slip away without the ability to re-grip the wheel.
But that too left Noh optimistic about what lies ahead. That the scar delivered to her in northwest England will eventually be what delivers her to her dreams. That day just wasn’t Sunday.
“I think no matter how many times I told myself to stay calm and keep up the tempo, it’s just never easy,” Noh said. “It’s not easy. But I think the more I’m in this position, I’ll get better, and I’m just very happy to be here.”
Before leaving Lytham, Yealimi Noh was asked to reflect on an unexpected week for the final time. With the green that stymied her dreams just a few hundred yards away, Yealimi Noh reiterated that while she wasn’t leaving with the trophy, she found the next best prize.
“Coming down 18 in front of the big crowds and playing at The Open, it was really special. Reminded me why I love this game and why I’m here.”
