HOUSTON – Farah O’Keefe spent all of Friday scrambling Memorial Park. When she rolled in a birdie putt on the last hole, the amateur looked at her Chevron Championship leaderboard to see himself tied for second at 7 under.
Then, she looked up at one spot and saw the task that awaits her and everyone else this weekend in the LPGA’s first major.
Repeat, N. -14
Despite the massive deficit, O’Keefe marched towards scoring, talking her staff into a big late-major lead that quickly disappeared into the weekend.
“I compared him to Rory at the Masters“said O’Keefe. “Really golf, you never know what can happen in golf. There’s so much randomness out there that you can get a bad break and it’s just that.”
Two weeks ago, McIlroy held a Masters-record six-shot lead going into the weekend. By the time he reached the 13th hole on Saturday, his lead was gone. McIlroy shook off a tough third round and survived a chaotic Sunday to win his second consecutive green jacket, but shot over Scottie Scheffler.
But the road that was promised Augusta National it did not materialize. Much can vary over 36 holes.
“My dad and I used to say that golf is a hot race and all you have to do is not blink first,” O’Keefe said. “So I’m just trying not to close my eyes.”
So far, O’Keefe, a University of Texas junior, has done just that on a big stage in front of her family and friends.
She has made just one bogey through 36 holes, riding a short game and a dazzling short game. O’Keefe arrived at the first set on Thursday and felt no nerves. They came during the warm-up, but the tee box, the race, is her safe space. When she got up and down the bunker on her first hole, she knew the nerves were there and she needed to focus to make sure a major championship opportunity wasn’t wasted. When she made a par on No. 18 on Thursday, her ninth hole, she thought she’d see the leaders were well ahead. Instead, she saw that she was only two off the pace. She shot a 4-under 68 in Round 1 and followed it up with a 69 on Friday to become the first amateur in Chevron history to open with back-to-back rounds in the 60s.
O’Keefe is personable and talkative by nature. She always talks to her caddy. Her game plan earlier in the week was to focus only when she was on her shots and then take her time away from the intensity of the moment between shots by talking about anything and everything with her caddy.
The pressure is great in major championships. Everyone feels it. It’s even bigger for amateurs when they put themselves in the mix for the first time. Farah O’Keefe feels the nerves; she welcomes them.
“I like nerves,” O’Keefe said. “If you’re not nervous, then you shouldn’t be there. I don’t know. This is what I do. This is my livelihood, my joy. I play golf, but I do more than that. When I have the opportunity to come play in a tournament like this, I just enjoy it. I feel like everybody plays golf better when they’re so happy that I’m happy to be here. No matter what happens, it’s like you’re playing that major.
O’Keefe recalled her box in Scotland, which preached his positivity and power on the golf course. “He just kept saying, happy days. Every time we end up in a bunker, happy days. We’re good. I think positivity, if you beat yourself up, really if you’re negative in any way, it hurts.”
This has been her guide this week.
The amateur will arrive at Memorial Park on Saturday facing a huge deficit but with confidence Nelly Korda can fit in — that if she refuses to blink and smile along the way, she’ll be right up there with the LPGA’s marquee star on Sunday.
“I think it’s a dream,” O’Keefe said. “You know, it’s something you think about every now and then and you hope, but I wouldn’t — I feel like I’m trying to stay calm. There’s still a lot of golf left to be played. The job’s not done and I’m just going to keep doing what I’ve been doing because it’s just working.
“I won’t force anything. Try not to worry too much. Just keep playing my game.”
And see if the golf gods open the door for him this weekend.
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