Tee Sheet: Thoughts on Thursday's U.S. Women's Open Super Group

ERIN, WIS. — As soon as tee times and pairings were announced, I had my mind made up on which group I'd follow the most intently during the opening round of the 80th U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills.

Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Lexi Thompson—three powerhouses in women's pro golf, and arguably the most popular figures on the LPGA playing alongside one another for the first two days of a major is what every golf fan dreams of.

The world No.1 skyrocketed her stardom after a stellar 2024 season, winning seven titles, five of which came in consecutive starts. Hull became a viral sensation after her in between shot cigarette pulls. (She's since quit.) And Thompson, well she's been a star since we met her at her USWO debut in 2007, at just 12 years old.

The clear fan favorites would draw in the biggest crowds around the famed course, and I quickly learned that this was the day to walk ahead. The key to a massive grouping like this is to always be a beat or two ahead—post up on tee boxes or jump ahead to greens—that's your best bet on being close to the ropes.

The first hole was crowded, folks lined up to see the blockbuster group.

I sat back to watch the crowd, listen in on what fans who came out had to say.

The general consensus was just how cool witnessing a group of this magnitude was. Adults and kids alike were hitting a polite jog just to secure their pictures.

After the first few holes, especially on the 6th tee box, I noticed a very obvious dynamic. Hull was chilling, sitting criss-cross applesauce on the ground when Korda walked up. They engaged in about a 60 second exchange, meanwhile Thompson and her caddie were off to the side on their own.

Photo from Addie Parker

I wasn't close enough to hear what they were chatting about but folks online had a few educated guesses.

Hull was seen again sitting down waiting for her turn on the next hole, on the "diabolical" par 3 ninth.

For context, both Hull and Korda looked visibly frustrated on the front nine as I followed along—neither was playing well. Hull had several poor reads, and missed putts. She'd miss crucial fairways (at Erin Hills every fairway is crucial) finding herself in bunkers.

Korda often ended shots with an uncomfortable one-armed finish, signaling her unhappiness with her swing feel. Plus, the group ahead was a hole behind. Championship golf isn't lightning fast when there's so much on the line.

Is slow play a component of rhythm loss and playing out of sorts? Sure.

Is Lexi Thompson a notoriously slow golfer? No, not even remotely. She certainly takes her time around the greens but she's not known to be the slowest golfer on tour.

In fact, last November when the British golfer suggested some strong cures to slow play, Thompson echoed Hull's approach saying, “Hers [Hull] was a bit of an aggressive comment. I don’t disagree with it. It has to be done. Something has to be done to quicken up the play out there, whether it’s fines or whatever it is. Needs to be done because we need to play quicker.”

Ultimately the problem (if you want to call it one) lies in Korda and Hull being two of the fastest players on the LPGA Tour, if you put anyone with them, that third party will look slow.

After the group made the turn, I hung back to watch another impressive featured group: Minjee Lee, Mao Saigo, and Jin Young Ko.

As for the supergroup? Thursday's opening round left much to be desired. Good shots were struck, but occasional misses costs them a stroke or two. So, it'll be interesting to watch Friday and the rest of the weekend unfold.

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