Amy Olson will be teeing off for two at the 2023 US Women’s Open.
The 30-year-old golfer is set to be part of the 156-woman field at Pebble Beach this week despite having just entered the third trimester of her pregnancy. Arriving Tuesday while visibly showing with her first child, Olson said the date of the US Open arrived precisely at the time she was told she should stop playing.
Olson’s explanation:
“Yeah, just about to hit 30 weeks in two days. When I found out I was pregnant, I looked at the schedule for the year and I was like, ‘OK, how far realistically can I play?’ Started texting all my LPGA friends that have done this before, and right around 30 weeks was the cut-off. And I saw the US Open was at that point. If I qualify, it’s at Pebble, I’m going to try to do it.
“My swing changes day-to-day, which any golfer knows that already happens on a daily basis, but pregnancy is like that on steroids.”
Olson and her husband Grant found out she was pregnant on Grant’s birthday, Jan. 13, per the LPGA, and announced it in March. It was unclear if Olson would even get a spot at Pebble, as she had to get through a qualifying round in May at Somerset Country Club in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.
The one-day, 36-hole qualifier began with Olson posting even par in the first 18 holes, leaving her some ground to make up in the final 18. She responded with a 6-under round that pushed her two shots clear of the field . Apparently, fate was on her side:
“All the magic happened in the second round when the wind was picking up. There was one point – it was maybe hole 11 on that second 18. I pulled my drive a little left, it hit a tree and it bounced forward over a bunker . I was like, that doesn’t happen normally. This might be my day.”
Olson tied for second at the 2020 US Open, and posted a T2 at the 2018 Evian Championship as well. She got in some practice on Tuesday with her family along for the ride.
Olson is one of many stories that will be on display at Pebble this week, with the biggest being rising star Rose Zhang’s pursuit of her first major championship. The former top amateur currently sits as a +1100 favorite for the tournament after winning her first professional tournament at the Mizuho Americas Open in May and finishing in the top 10 of her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.