Wichanee Meechai has taken everyone by surprise at the U.S. Women’s Open. She began her Friday with an impressive four consecutive birdies and tied for the week’s lowest score with a 3-under 67, leading by two shots heading into the weekend. Sadly, the weekend won’t feature Nelly Korda.
Meechai, a 31-year-old from Thailand, has only one victory that counts towards the women’s world ranking, which was nine years ago on the Taiwan LPGA. Despite her 20 previous appearances in majors, she had never finished in the top 10. On Friday, after initially going five shots ahead of Andrea Lee, she fell two shots behind over the course of five holes but managed to stabilize her game with two birdies in the last six holes. She finished at 4-under 136, two shots clear of Lee, with only two other players under par.
Minjee Lee, a previous Women’s Open champion, and Yuka Saso, who also holds a Women’s Open title, were three shots back at the Lancaster Country Club. Meechai attributes her success to her strategic approach to the game. ‘I feel like I might not be making a lot of birdies on the easier courses. I’m not that person,’ she explains. ‘I like when you need to think a lot, when you need to land it shorter and be patient.’ This patience paid off during her opening four holes, all birdie putts inside six feet. ‘I just picked the club that’s shorter and hit it hard,’ she added.
The tournament opened with a surprising announcement from Lexi Thompson, sharing her plans to retire from a full schedule at the end of the year. Her likely final U.S. Women’s Open ended early with rounds of 78-75. Nelly Korda also missed the cut and will be returning home to Florida. Korda struggled with the 12th hole, hitting into the water three times on Thursday and making a career-worst 10. Despite a better run on Friday, she couldn’t recover fully, missing the cut by two shots. ‘I wanted to make a birdie to get my revenge on that hole, but par will do,’ Korda said about her performance.
Several other notable golfers, like Rose Zhang, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, and the defending Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz, also missed the cut. However, the 15-year-old Asterisk Talley, whose first name means ‘little star’ in Greek, managed to stick around with a consistent performance, concluding at 1-over 141 along with U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill.
Andrea Lee had a notable round herself, rolling an eagle followed by three straight birdies and at one point leading Meechai by two shots. However, she faltered with a bogey on No. 5 and another on the par-3 eighth, bringing her back behind Meechai. Both Minjee Lee and Yuka Saso, with more experience, steadied their games by avoiding mistakes over the rest of the course.
Meechai, in her typical self-deprecating style, said, ‘I’m the person who has no confidence at all. I think about missing the cut because I know that I can shoot like 1 under and next day 8 over. It’s so easy for me. Trying not to think about it is the hardest part for me so that’s why I’m so nervous.’
Among the amateurs making the cut was Adela Cernousek from France, a junior at Texas A&M and recent NCAA title winner. She nearly missed the cut when her chip shot miraculously hit the pin on her final hole, saving her from an 80 and securing her spot in the weekend rounds.
With big names making an early exit, Meechai continues to impress. Her strategic approach and mental toughness will be critical as the tournament progresses. Fans will be keenly watching to see if she can hold her nerve and secure a major win.
