Eleven-year-old Lucy Li started Friday with high hopes of advancing in the U.S. Women’s Open, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
The sixth-grader shot a 78 in both rounds at Pinehurst No. 2, failing to make it to the third round after beginning the day one shot inside the cut line.
Still, Li is the youngest player ever to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open.
“It was a lot of fun,” Li said, via USA Today. “I guess that it was fun because I had two great playing partners (Catherine O’Donnell and Jessica Wallace). They were really nice.”
Li also talked about what she learned from playing with the world’s best competition: patience.
“It was fun I guess because I did a good job of staying patient and going to the next shot and not caring about what happens,” Li said.
All in all, the young golfer impressed most everyone around the course during her time — even her caddie, Matt Bush.
“We would have an uh-oh hole, and next thing you know, she would hit a hybrid or a fairway wood inside eight feet,” Bush said. “You don’t see many of the adult pros doing that. And when she hit the 3-wood on 16 today, just a little left, and it goes in the bunker, she asked, ‘Did that go in the bunker?’ I said yes. She goes, ‘OK. Oh, well.’
Li’s next action will be at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., starting July 14.
