You would think that 18 holes of championship golf in the summer heat would have been enough for Marina Alex, who fired a blistering 66 in the opening round of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club.
It wasn’t.
After finishing her second round on a Friday afternoon in July with a brilliant approach to the 18th green that stopped about 10 feet from the hole, Alex sank the putt, signed her scorecard, spoke with the media and headed for the practice range.
On the way, she spoke one-on-one with LititzDailyNews.com.
“I struggled today”
“I struggled today,” said Alex, who found the rough off the tee on nearly a third of the holes. “I’m going to try and work that out for a couple minutes, and then I have tomorrow to do it too.”
Her goal: “Try to get better off the tees.”
“I missed, I would say, five or six fairways, which is penalizing enough out here, so I just want to get my driving back into a little bit more solid shape for the weekend,” she said.
Her short game and putting kept her under par for the tournament despite a 1-over second round.
“Any rounds or total rounds under par at a U.S. Open, or any major, is, I think, really good, so I’m happy with it, and ready to go for the weekend,” she said.
In contention
Sixty-three players at 4 over or better made the cut and moved on to the weekend.
At the end of play Friday, Alex sat near the top of the leaderboard. Amy Yang led at 7 under, with Stacy Lewis and Shiho Oyama at 4 under.
How was Alex handling the pressure of contending at a major?
“I’m just trying to stick to my routines and then working on things that I’ve been working on, you know, process stuff, shot shaping, and all of that,” she said. “I just try to hone in on that and not worry about what’s going on around me.”
She had made rest a priority after each round.
Enjoying Lancaster County
Alex had not done any sightseeing yet, but she liked what she had seen.
“I like it a lot. It’s beautiful here. The course is nice, the area is pretty,” she said.
The rest of the week
Alex teed off for the third round at 2:05 p.m. Saturday, with Fox43 carrying coverage. South Korea’s In Gee Chun went on to win the championship on Sunday, finishing one stroke ahead of Amy Yang.
About Marina Alex
A New Jersey native, Alex starred at Vanderbilt University before turning professional and joining the LPGA Tour. Her strong showing at Lancaster in 2015 was an early highlight of a career that later included LPGA Tour victories, beginning with the 2018 Cambia Portland Classic.
A historic week for Lancaster
The 2015 U.S. Women’s Open was the 70th playing of the championship and the first held at Lancaster Country Club, whose William Flynn-designed course earned rave reviews from players. Huge crowds turned out all week, and the USGA brought the championship back to Lancaster in 2024.
The mental game
Athletes in individual sports often say the hardest part of a multi-round competition is staying in the moment. A strong early round can create pressure to protect a lead, while a rough one can tempt a competitor to force things. Coaches stress routine, breathing and focusing on one shot or one play at a time.
Hometown support
Friends, family and neighbors from Lititz followed along closely, and local supporters often say watching a hometown athlete compete on a bigger stage is a source of pride for the whole community.
This article was originally published in July 2015.