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5 things we learned Saturday at the U.S. Women’s Open
We learned that 2020 was as kind to the the golfers at Champions Golf Club, as it was to the rest of humanity. We learned that sadism still has a place on the tournament set-up committee of the USGA. We learned that there is little to no hope of the fourth round finishing on schedule on Sunday. All in all, December in Houston is proving to be little better than July in Houston, just the opposite end of the weather spectrum.
It was a rough go on Saturday for the world’s finest female golfers. Just two golfers broke par on the day, and it’s a certainty that the high-ringer score would be much more impactful than the low one. In fact, two holes (1 and 15) recorded zero birdies on the day. It’s almost humorous that Chella Choi had an ace at the 180-yard 12th. That there was even one moment of perfection on such a foul day, is little consolation.
We did learn five things on this Saturday of the 75th U.S. Women’s Open, and here they are.
1. Ji Yeong Kim2 posted a round for the ages
Four birdies. Zero bogies. Fourteen Pars. The only things that Ji Yeong Kim2 didn’t do on Saturday were win the tournament (that chance comes tomorrow) and birdie 1 or 15 (no one else did, either.) To make complete sense of her round, is impossible. To understand its value, consider that Kim started the day on the other side of the draw, the one that teed off on the back nine. At dawn, there were 33 golfers ahead of her. At dusk, only two. Kim2 is tied with Moriya Jutanugarn for 3rd place, two back of Amy Olson (second place) and three behind third-round leader Hinako Shibuno. Hae Ran Ryu was the only other golfer to shoot below par on Saturday, and she managed just one stroke below the dais.
2. How about them amateurs?
There are still three amateurs inside the top 15, a tremendous feat. One of them is not Linn Grant. For the second time in her young career, Grant entered the final 36 holes with a chance at victory. For the second time in her young career, Grand shot herself out of contention, with a woeful day-three showing. In complete contrast, Kaitlyn Papp maintained a semblance of composure, returning only three strokes to Old Lady Par. She rests in a tie for 5th, just four shots out of first. Sweden’s duo of Maja “House of” Stark and Ingrid Lindblad sit tied for 15th at +2. They won’t win on Sunday, but one of them could claim low amateur, should Papp falter.
3. Hinako Shibuno preserved her lead, just barely
Hinako Shibuno was unable to increase her three-shot advantage on Saturday. In fact, the Cypress Creek course took most of it back. Shibuno made three bogies and one birdie on day three, moving to four-deep, just one shot ahead of North Dakota’s Amy Olson, the day-one leader. After making 10 birdies over the first two days, Shibuno showed that she can hold on when the well dries up. Another 74 might be enough to win tomorrow. It would keep her under par for the week, but I don’t think that it will get the job done. Shibuno will have to be sharper to claim a second career major title.
4. The golf course got away again
It’s not Shinnecock Hills yet, but it might be by tomorrow. The sayers of the USGA had to have an idea that weather would play a role in the event. What were they thinking, that 1974 Winged Foot was a nice throwback? That bogey golf would keep viewer interest up in December? The USGA had an opportunity to showcase women’s golf at a time of year when it is an afterthought, and failed miserably. Let’s hope that the Olympic Club in 2021 offers a manageable set-up, or at least a plan B. After all, Olympic has a proven record of providing awkward event conclusions.
5. Prediction time
It’s a super-safe bet that Danielle Kang will not call me anytime soon to be her life coach. My unwavering support ends today, after Kang super-struggled to a 79. What I do know is this: there is no clear favorite to win on Sunday, but there are so many players for whom a victory would represent a lifetime achievement. There’s Lydia Ko, trying to regain her teenaged dominance. How about Moriya Jutanugarn, who would love to step clear of her sister’s long shadow? Amy Olson, for one, who has been here before and misfired, and would love to put those memories away in a closet. I’ll take Yealimi Noh for the win, however. Noh played well last week at the VOA, and will have enough good shots and putts left to hold on while the golfers around her falter.
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If you follow Pat Perez at all on his social media, his love for the Air Jordan brand will become apparent pretty quickly.
This love affair, which has evolved into the Phoenix native having a dedicated Jordan shoe room full of over 1,000 pairs, had humble beginnings: the first Jordans Pat got his hands on were a beat-up pair out of a trash can in high school.
“To go from pulling a pair of cement gray Jordan IVs out the trash when in junior high—unable to afford such a luxury—to MJ telling me last summer in Monte Carlo that he would make that for me in a golf shoe…never in my wildest dreams.”
Double P is now living his wildest dreams as he has become an unofficial bridge (but official brand ambassador) for Air Jordans in the golf world: He gets early access to unreleased Jordan golf shoes, most recently the Air Jordan 4 Bred in a golf version back in July of 2021.
Based on the comments on his IG post, these will likely sell out and trade at a premium on the multi-billion dollar sneaker reselling market.
Pay more attention to Pat’s feet on tour, and you’ll see he wears Jordans more often than not.
Here are some pictures we snapped on the PGA Tour this year. Perez is wearing Air Jordan 5’s in black metallic and wolf grey.
Pat’s collection off the golf course will inspire insane levels of envy in any serious sneaker collector. Living in his vast collection are several pairs of rare shoes worth five to six figures apiece.
He recently flexed a Friends & Family only release of the Board of Governors Jordan 1’s.
At only 88 pairs with none currently on the market at the moment, these are estimated to have a resale value of $20,000-$40,000 based on a Friends & Family release of the same model in a similar colorway.
StockX listing of the Jordan 1 Retro Fragment Friends and Family at $34,000+.
Pat’s favorite shoe is the Jordan IV, specifically the Wahlburg IV, which recently sold at Sotheby’s for nearly $33,000.
PGA pro Pat Perez got his @Wahlburgers Air Jordan 4s signed by the man himself ? pic.twitter.com/9FPdKNgeTm
— Complex Sneakers (@ComplexSneakers) February 13, 2019
The 45-year-old is all about sharing his passion: he recently gave away part of his collection to his Instagram audience.
We don’t blame you if you’re starting to consider an upgrade of standard spikes to Jordan golf shoes after hearing about the level at which Double P loves and flaunts the iconic brand.
Additionally, you can even make money owning and trading Jordan golf shoes. For example, the Jordan 11 “Concord” golf shoe retailed at $220 in 2019 and now trades consistently between $350-$700 per pair on StockX.
And we wouldn’t be surprised if Pat Perez comes out with a shoe that will appreciate in value in a similar fashion.
You can learn more about this market at Six Figure Sneakerhead, a top educational resource for sneaker resellers worldwide.
Featured image: Double P holding a pair of 1999 Air Jordan 4 White Cement in front of his massive Air Jordan collection
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Rory McIlroy took on a VERY strong Sunday leaderboard at the CJ Cup and walked away with a 1 stroke win over a hard charging Collin Morikawa. This is Rory’s 20th PGA Tour win and a great bounce-back from a tough Ryder Cup. While holding the unconventional trophy in the setting Las Vegas sun, he was wearing a very special piece on his wrist!
WOTW Specs:
Name: Omega DeVille Tourbillon CO-AXIAL Chronometer Numbered Edition
Reference: 513.53.39.21.99.001
Limited: No, Numbered
Date: ?
Case: 18k Red Gold
Bezel: 18k Red Gold
Dial: Sapphire Crystal
Size: 38.7mm
Movement: Omega 2635
Power Reserve: 45 Hours
Glass: Domed Saphire Crystal, Anti-Reflective
Waterproof: 30 Meters
Bracelet: Black Alligator Leather Strap
Price: $137,000
Omega has been making watches since Louis Brandt founded the company in 1848. The original name was La Generale Watch Co. and in 1903 added the Omega name. Omega has a long history with the British Air Force, United States Army, and even NASA supplying watches to them all. Omega has also been the official timekeeper of the Olympics since 1932, making them a very experienced sports watch brand. Rory McIlroy has been part of the Omega team since 2013 and even has had his own signature model. Usually he is wearing a Speedmaster or Aqua Terra 150 model when you see him after or before rounds. But this weekend he was wearing a very special, and rare, Omega DeVille Tourbillon CO-AXIAL Chronometer Numbered Edition in Red Gold. Omega’s DeVille was released in 1960 and originally part of the Seamaster lineage but became its own line in 1967. The design of the DeVill is far more classic and dressy compared to the sport watches Omega is known for. Rory’s DeVille is special because it is one of the few models in the line that contain a tourbillon. A tourbillon (toor-bil-yuhn) is a mechanical complication found in high-end watches and originally designed for pocket watches. Since a pocket watch sat vertical for most of its life, gravity could effect the mechanical movement and make it less accurate. So Abraham-Louis Breguet invented the tourbillon in 1795 to counteract those gravitational forces, making the pocket watch much more precise. Today the tourbillon is far less effective on making a wrist watch more accurate, but it is still an amazing piece of engineering that watch lovers covet. Omega places the tourbillon in the dead center of the dial to show off the beautiful, rotating masterpiece. The Omega 2635 movement is a self-winding, automatic movement that also features Omega’s CO-AXIAL escapement for better efficiency when using stored up power. The baseplates of the movement are brown PVD coated and everything is hand-polished. The rotating weight that moves with your wrist movement is made from solid platinum and the 2635 is a certified chronometer. The dial on the DeVille is made from sapphire crystal so you can see all the parts, especially the center mounted tourbillon, of this special movement.
The case is crafted from 18k Red Gold, Omega’s own alloy with copper and silver, measuring in at 38.7mm across. The Red Gold is very corrosion resistant as well as being hypoallergenic. The caseback is solid Red Gold and engraved with the number of the series. The bezel is non-rotating and made from matching Red Gold, polished perfectly. The strap on Rory’s DeVille is made from black alligator leather, coming together with a Red Gold deployment buckle. This is not a piece that you will find at just any Omega dealer, seeing that the retail price is $137,000. The Omega website states that you can signup for a waiting list or you need to contact a boutique in order to pursue getting one of these timepieces. I haven’t been able to find out if this is a limited edition that is numbered or when it was originally released, so if you have some information please let me know in the comments.
I think most golf fans are excited to see Rory back winning again, along with some other big names playing well. I know Rory has a pretty solid watch collection and I can’t wait to see what piece he has on next!
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Ethan
Dec 13, 2020 at 1:24 am
Questionable takes.
4: The idea that golf should be showcased with -16 or more under par over four round courses or else its a failure is a sad idea of golf. The ability to overcome hard golf courses and post the lowest score should be celebrated.
The men’s US Open this year was hyped up of people waiting to see people face a difficult course and for scores to be high. The LPGA and USGA should not be criticized differently.
5: Kang is 1st in the CME race and 3rd on the money list year. Support should stay strong.
Ronald Montesano
Dec 15, 2020 at 11:06 pm
Thanks for stopping by. Keep the comments coming.
Nick
Dec 12, 2020 at 10:54 pm
I don’t know if the course got away from them. Cypress is a long, hard golf course. The USGA does not play preferred lies, so everyone has to play the same course. I’m pretty sure Jackie Burke would tell the players to suck it up and go play.
Ronald Montesano
Dec 15, 2020 at 11:09 pm
I’m not certain that “preferred lies” has anything to do with everyone playing the same course. The rules of golf dislike LCP because there are no mud balls on sand-based courses. Golf on farmland is a different animal, so not playing LCP actually made Saturday more random and less like playing the same course. Does that make sense?