MIKE GROSS | Sports WriterThis year’s U.S. Women’s Open, called “the biggest and most important women’s golf event ever to be held,” by NBC’s Morgan Pressel, ended Sunday at fabled Pebble Beach.
Next year’s Open, to be held at Lancaster Country Club, came up in some post-final round press conferences, and not only that of In Gee Chun, who won the USWO in Lancaster in 2015:
(So Yeon Ryu, Brooke Henderson - and Pressel, no longer a full-time player - all tied for fifth in the 2015 Open, Henderson as a 17 year-old qualifier not yet old enough for LPGA membership.)
Q. Next year's U.S. Women's Open is at Lancaster, a very special place to you. How excited are you to go back there?
In Gee Chun: I think everyone is so excited to go back to Lancaster. They changed a lot the course. They took a lot of trees. They made a lot of bunkers. They build a new putting greens and like new pro shop. Lancaster community, they are so happy to have back the U.S. Open there. I can't wait.
Q. After your win you established your foundation in Lancaster. What does the community mean to you, and how excited are you to be back there in that role?
In Gee Chun: When I won the 2015 U.S. Women's Open, it was my first tournament in the U.S., then when I played during the tournament it was so like surprised because they already know my nickname Dumbo and they called me like, let's go, Dumbo.
It was a great memory, so after I won there, I wanted to do something to give back to the community. That's how it start the foundation there. Then we like decide to make the In Gee Chun Lancaster Country Club Educational Foundation, so we help to the caddies and employees and their dependents.
It feel very honored and feel great to see the foundation growing every year. I hope I can play well and help more the people in Lancaster. I think I'm a really lucky person because all the board members, they help the foundation a lot, and for sure Lancaster community.
I can't explain for everything, but I'm always very happy and I feel really I'm a lucky person.
Q. Next year you're going back to Pennsylvania, a course that you played well on eight years ago. What are your memories of Lancaster and the crowds?
Brooke Henderson: I loved that one. Yeah, the crowds were amazing. I had a really good finish there, T5 back in the day, so I'm excited to get back there. I feel like that course really suits my eye, and hopefully have another top finish.
Q. What is it about that course that fits your style of play?
Brooke Henderson: Well, one, the energy that the crowd brought was incredible, and I look forward to that again. But just the style of play, the greens, they break a lot, I remember, and you really have to be a solid ball striker. The rough was really thick, as well. I think ball-striking will really be key, and hopefully I hit a lot of greens and see if I can make some birdies.
Q. Can you talk about playing in the 2015 U.S. Women's Open in Pennsylvania and what are your memories of it?
So Yeon Ryu: Actually I remember we had a lot of rain before we start the tournament, so I think the golf course just got a little soft. I think we were kind of lucky and unlucky to have that kind of rain because the greens were softer, so it was a little easier to play, but at the same time the golf course was a little longer.
I think it's going to be a little different if we are going to have decent weather, not like wet golf course.
Q. You had a good result there, so is it a course that fits your eye?
So Yeon Ryu: Yeah, I remember that the greens were quite slopey and that I had to deal with a lot of speed control putts. I definitely felt like there was a lot of challenge of speed control on the putting green. I think I had a lot of fun, too, shaping the shots on the golf course, as well.
Q. Do you remember the fans, how many fans there were?
So Yeon Ryu: It was incredible, as well, and I'm sure it's going to be even bigger next year.
