Tiger who?
Even though she hasn't made the world forget Tiger Woods, Duke's Jenny Chuasiriporn did show the world a glimpse of things to come. Chuasiriporn, competing in her first U.S. Open, shot a four-day total of 297 to finish in 52nd place, tops among amateurs, in the grand slam event played in Cornelius, Ore.
Chuasiriporn, a first team All-American, was one of eight amateurs in the draw and one of two to make the cut, something which two-time defending Open champion Annika Sorenstam did not do. If Chuasiriporn was not competing as an amateur, she would have received $3,411.
Chuasiriporn, a junior, picked up valuable experience in her first U.S. Open tournament. Watching the pros allowed her to see just how much she has to develop to play on their level.
"It was cool," Chuasiriporn said. "It was a really good experience playing with the pros, since I plan on turning pro after college. It was good for me to observe the level of play that they have, comparing it with my game and just seeing their overall consistency."
After the first day of the tournament, it didn't look as if Chuasiriporn had much to learn. She shot a one-under par 70 to finish three strokes behind the leader and in prime position to make a run for the title.
"I thought I could win," Chuasiriporn said. "I knew I still had three more rounds to go, but I thought I had a chance at least. My goal was to be in the top 20."
Playing in her first U.S. Open, one might think that a person would be very nervous and easily rattled. Chuasiriporn was far from nervous; in fact, she was quite relaxed and calm.
"I wasn't nervous at all," Chuasiriporn said. "I was actually very calm when I went up to play. It didn't feel like a major tournament. It wasn't that much pressure, because I didn't really expect to win the tournament, so I had nothing to lose."
Unfortunately, the rest of the tournament did not fare as well for Chuasiriporn. Of the next three rounds, her best was a three-over par 74 on the second round of the tournament. Chuasiriporn played well but some key errors, such as a triple bogey on the 6th hole, cost her valuable strokes. Chuasiriporn's confidence grew tremendously after the Open, and she will be able to put the lessons she learned to good use.
"My game has improved," Chuasiriporn said. "Playing at the Open has given me amazing confidence, and I feel as if I can play against anyone. It also shows me what I have to work on to become a better golfer. I need to work on my short game. Every golfer can work on their short game, but I definitely need to become more consistent and stronger mentally."
In order to participate in the Open, Chuasiriporn first had to qualify. In the one-round qualifying tournament in Newcastle in Pa., Chuasiriporn shot a 70 to qualify. This was the first time in three tries that Chuasiriporn was able to qualify.
"It felt kind of relieving, because this was my third time," Chuasiriporn said. "The past two times I missed qualifying by one and two strokes. And I missed it because I kind of choked at the end. On the back nine is where nerves start to play a factor. I think that this time I was able to qualify because I wasn't nervous at all."
Even though Chuasiriporn faded after the first round, she still played amazingly well in her Open debut. Heading into the upcoming year, Chuasiriporn can use the confidence she gained to continually improve her game, so that maybe one day it will be her sinking the 4-foot putt on Sunday to win the U.S. Open.
"Oh yeah," Chuasiriporn said. "It's so weird seeing how close I was. I can go back and count all my shots. I can count all the strokes and what I needed to do. It just definitely looks that it will happen one day."
The world will be waiting for that day, and maybe at that point the world will say... Tiger who?
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.