University of Georgia Athletics
Tardy, Mitsunaga Making Open Returns
July 05, 2016 | Women's Golf
We take an in-depth look at Tardy and Mitsunaga's return to the Women's Open.
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Bailey Tardy remembers her first swing in a U.S. Women's Open. It was in fact the very first swing of the tournament for anyone, and it wasn't pretty.
"I think the most intimidating moment of my life so far is teeing off first at the U.S. Open in 2014," said the Georgia golfer, who was a first-team All-American and SEC Freshman of the Year last year. "Going out there, ... it just kind of looked like the U.S. Open was a giant bear."
What an image to have in your head on the first tee. The USGA should put that on a poster and hang it up at every golf club in the country.
Of course, it's hard to imagine Tardy -- so focused, so driven and ranked No. 9 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings -- intimidated by anything. But she was just a 17-year-old then, only a month or so removed from her junior year at Norcross High School, and there she was in the U.S. Open and playing her first hole on the legendary Pinehurst No. 2 course.
"I hit a hybrid and it was like a chunk hook," she said, laughing.
That "chunk hook" wound up in the fairway and Tardy went on to birdie her first hole in a U.S. Open. How many folks can say that? She wound up shooting 81-78 in the first two rounds, missing the cut, but because she was in the first group off and she birdied the first hole, Tardy was leading the U.S. Open for about 10 minutes.
"My coach took a screenshot on his phone," Tardy said last week at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
This week Tardy is back at the U.S. Open, this time in San Martin, Calif., at the CordeValle Golf Club. She's two years older, a whole lot better and she's not alone. Joining her will be Georgia teammate, and fellow standout freshman last year, Rinko Mitsunaga.
"I think having such a good friend out there will calm my nerves a little bit and make me feel like I'm just playing another tournament," Mitsunaga said.
Like Tardy, Mitsunaga will be teeing it up at the Open for the second time. In 2012, at just 15, Mitsunaga made her Open debut, playing at Blackwolf Run, in Kohler, Wis. Her first U.S. Open swing was not too different from Tardy's.
"I wanted to cry," said Mitsunaga, who shot 87-81 in 2012 to miss the cut. "I thought I was going to faint, I was hyperventilating -- my 15-year-old heart couldn't handle it. I remember I snap-hooked it into the trees or whatever that was over there on the left side."
That was four years ago. Mitsunaga has, like Tardy, played on a lot of big stages since then. Mitsunaga won the Lady Bulldog Invitational in February and was in the lineup for every Georgia event as a freshman.
Tardy qualified for the U.S. Open in 2014 at Butler Country Club, in Butler, Pa. In May, two years later, she won the 36-hole qualifier with a 4-over score of 146. She's physically and mentally a much improved, much more mature player -- especially mentally, Tardy said.
"On the golf course I just make a lot more decisions, correct decisions, instead of getting myself in spots where I don't need to be," she said.
And playing well anywhere, but especially in a U.S. Open, is often comes down to making smart decisions about where to put the ball in the fairway or on the green, and when to be aggressive and when to back off and just get through a hole without risking any damage.
Mitsunaga posted three top-10 finishes during Georgia's season and qualified for the U.S. Open in early June, shooting a pair of 69s to win the sectional qualifier at Sugar Mill Country Club in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
At Pinehurst two years ago Tardy was in the very first pairing, taking her first swing before 7 a.m. She's in the third group this time, teeing off on No. 1 Thursday morning at 7:22. Mitsunaga will go off No. 10 at 9:17. Tardy and Mitsunaga are two of 25 amateurs in the field.
Unlike their previous appearances in the U.S. Open, when they were largely just happy to be there, Tardy and Mitsunaga are going in this time with the goal of being competitive, of being around for the weekend.
There will be nerves, of course, but they shouldn't be as severe as the first time around, and the two Bulldogs are much better equipped to handle them this time.
"I just need to calm down and say, `Hey, this is just golf,'" Mitsunaga said, adding, "I think I'm just going to go in not thinking about anything, just seeing my target and just trying to hit it straight at it."
Maybe it is just that simple.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
