Wonders of the Women's Open, Bob Mac and Dad's victory

Check in every week for the unfiltered views of our writers and editors as they analyze the hottest topics in sports, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @igalofu_com. This week, we discuss the US Women's Open, Robert MacIntyre's family victory, an exciting Ryder Cup decision and more.

Yuka Saso burst onto the scene with an unexpected win at the 2021 US Women's Open, but after several winless seasons she picked up her second LPGA win at this week's US Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club. Was this an unexpected winner?

James Colgan, news and features editor (@jamescolgan26): I'm not sure I'd call a player who finished 2nd and T3 in KPMG and Evian last year an 'unexpected' winner. Some players have the gift of playing well when the going gets tough. A 68 on Sunday – when only 13 players in the entire field played under par – seemed to be proof.

Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): It's not as if Saso disappeared a few years ago – he didn't make it. As James noted above, he finished inside the top 3 twice at majors last summer. It was only a matter of time before he broke through and hit the big stage again. I would be surprised if this is the last time Saso lifts the trophy on a big Sunday.

Josh Sens, senior author (@joshsens): I would like to have a year like Saso's in 2023. Winning is hard. Many things must go well (like, for example, Nelly Korda missing the cut). And then you have to be ready when they do. Ours was. A great combination of power and calmness. Thank you Zephyr. I'd be surprised if he doesn't do this again soon.

Alan Bastable, senior editor (@alan_bastable): Surprise: Nelly Korda missed the cut. It's no surprise: A player who has proven she can win the US Women's Open by doing it again. And Yuka did it by dropping the hammer. Four birdies on the five-hole back nine as other competitors struggle to make pars? Those are very difficult things. And it's good: that Yuka has now won US Opens in two countries where he never had one (Philippines in '21 and Japan this year).

Another player who did not perform at the weekend in Lancaster was 29-year-old Lexi Thompson, who made headlines earlier in the week when she announced that she will no longer play the full-time LPGA program after this season. Are you surprised? Aren't you surprised?

Colgan: The timing was unexpected, but the news was not. Lexi has long been seen as one of the most abused golfers. No amount of money or fame is enough to overcome dissatisfaction with the life of a pro golfer. Good on him for making the decision for his own happiness.

Melton: I was shocked by this news. Lexi has scaled back her playing schedule a lot over the past few years and hasn't played very well in the time she has played. you have connect it. And when you consider that he became a champion at the age of 15(!) he has been playing professional golf for almost half of his life. That's a long time to be vulnerable. I hope he finds happiness in the next phase of his journey.

Senses: Not surprising at all. It's a big world out there, and Thompson had long seemed ready to escape the little corner in which he lived. It's no secret that the tunnel vision required to compete at that level requires a ton of personal sacrifice. You are done. For now, anyway. It's good for him to see that. Even better, she's young enough to come back to it every time she has a change of heart.

Bastable: Okay, I'll bite. I am in awe of the colors! Yes, Thompson had a rollercoaster few years, but he regained his form in the back half of 2023 and looked to confirm his position among the alphas of the LPGA. He even got a new football contract this year! I didn't see him pull the plug. Then again, I get it. He's only 29 but has been in the spotlight at least since he played in the USWO at age 12 and, at local level, long before that. Sooner or later the grind will get to you.

Even though she wasn't playing well, Thompson had long been a fan favorite and the other women's sport was heavily marketed in the background. How much of an impact will his full absence have on the LPGA Tour?

Colgan: Well, it's obviously a huge blow to the LPGA, but mostly it means that the burden falls on all the stars of the game. I was impressed by the way Nelly Korda handled a bad week, and I thought time was telling where the attention would go.

Melton: It's going to sound real, but luckily the Tour has Nelly's marketing power now. If someone like Rose Zhang or Lilia Vu can step up to challenge him, the LPGA will be fine.

Senses: James and Zephyr said it well. I can only add that this does not sound like a sudden departure. Kind of like a gradual withdrawal, as he's been cutting back and not competing in many of the big events when he does. This is not a sudden punch.

Bastable: A big loss for sure. Not just because she brings to the women's game (and, last fall, the PGA Tour) a grip-it-and-rip-it style of golf that's a fun watch but also because she understands the value of her star power (several players last week talked about Thompson's dedication to raising the flag of the LPGA in supporting parties). I experienced this firsthand a few weeks ago at a Founders Cup pairing party in upstate New Jersey. Lexi wasn't just there to check a box. He was smiling, shaking hands again current.

What was the most surprising event of the past week? Nelly Korda recording 10 and missing the cut, or Charley Hull going viral (and getting a ton of publicity and social media followers) because of cigarettes?

Colgan: Nelly was the best player in the world, male or female, six months ago. His three-putt on the third hole at the national championship isn't just the most impressive development of the week, it's the most impressive non-prison-related development in pro golf this season.

Melton: It has to be Nelly. Seeing him do 10 scared the hell out of him. The only thing more shocking would be waking up with his mugshot, a la Scottie Scheffler.

Senses: Based on what we know about social media right now, does anything that happens on it ever seem like a miracle? Nelly has 10 all the way.

Bastable: It's hard to compare the two, but I was impressed by the reaction to the Hull video. He feels that the amount of time could have gone one of two ways: Apply! A pro golfer pulling a gig in front of a small crowd! Or…It's amazing! A pro golfer with flaws and weaknesses like the rest of us! Apparently the public accepted Hull's appeal for every woman, and the balance tipped to praise her. It's really interesting to watch this social science experiment play out in real time. If the LPGA has a PIP standard, Hull may be in a position to vote (pull?).

Robert MacIntyre, with his father caddying, shot a final round 68 to win the RBC Canadian Open for his first tour victory. This comes just weeks after the Scottish farmer spoke of battling homesickness and getting comfortable with the business-like environment of the PGA Tour. Is this an important aspect of the game that is often overlooked when it comes to non-Americans trying to be successful on Tour?

Colgan: I think the learning curve on the PGA Tour is steep for anyone, especially a proper son of Scotland like Bob MacIntyre, and I can say the same for living full time in Orlando, Fla.

Melton: Life on the road can be lonely! I have experienced it, and my travel schedule is small compared to travel professionals. I don't think I should be living out of a suitcase across the pond – let alone making Orlando my home base on my rare offweeks.

Senses: Wait, James, are you suggesting that Orlando might not be the Happiest Place on Earth? I'm canceling my Disney trip. Travel professionals are human, and so, of course, those kinds of adjustments are important. But I don't think we should ignore them. We often hear stories about personal and professional interactions, and how what happens outside of the course affects what happens in it, and vice versa. Sometimes, we hear about it in tabloid articles too.

Bastable: Credit to Bobby Mac for baring his soul and giving us the most interesting PGA Championship presser this side of Scottie Scheffler's post-incarceration songs. The camaraderie that Europeans enjoy on the DP World Tour is lacking, where there's more of an idea of ​​every player doing it for themselves. MacIntyre clearly hasn't adjusted to the life of a lone wolf, and it was wearing on him. Maybe a PGA Tour title will make him feel at home.

In a newly created role, former NBC Sports reporter John Wood has been named “Team Manager” for the US Ryder Cup team (which still does not have a captain in 2025). Do you see this as an important role that the American people need, or a simple case of overthinking after last year's bad losses?

Colgan: I like this decision. Whatever the truth was behind Patrick Cantlay's Hatgate saga last fall, it still speaks volumes for the state of the American team room that the allegations arose in the first place. John Wood lives and breathes the Ryder Cup, and giving him the opportunity to manage team building instead of captaincy is a no-brainer.

Melton: First it was the working team, now it is “Team Manager.” Have Americans considered simply not getting their **es foursomes every two years?

Senses: It looks like doing CPR on a dead person. It couldn't hurt. But I doubt it affects the outcome.

Bastable: Bringing John Wood back to the squad anywhere volume is a win. It's smart. It's funny. For music. A true Renaissance man. Good for group vibes.