Julia Engstrom won the Ladies British Open Amateur two weeks ago and thought she had earned an exemption into the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open. It wasn’t until Monday, June 27, that Engstrom learned from the USGA that she was in this year’s championship at CordeValle.
Engstrom hustled to California from Sweden for her first tournament on U.S. soil.
“I had five days to prepare,” she said.
Engstrom, who at 15 became the youngest player to win the Ladies British Amateur, opened with an even-par 72. Her longtime instructor/caddie, Thomas Lindstrom, was pleased with the performance. Engstrom stuck to the strategy of playing away from the flagsticks and using the slope of the greens to get near the hole locations.