Things You May Have Missed During Day One at Chevron...

HOUSTON, Texas — When there are 132 players teeing it up in one event, that basically means that there are just as many storylines to follow...which can be a little overwhelming.

Majors, and the high-pressure stakes that come along with them, are always a ton of fun, but it's easy to potentially miss out on the what's what and who's who.

We're all obviously stoked that Nelly Korda is playing lights out. We're also all perplexed by Poppie's Pond that's actually a pool, but is soon to be a water feature, and every one and their mothers has thoughts about it (including me...so go read that). But there are so many other things happening around Memorial Park, so here are a few key tidbits I've seen and heard on the grounds at the Chevron Championship that you may have missed.

Mudballs!

Are they the most dreaded things in golf? I'm sure there are a few others that come to mind, but this has been so much a buzzword this week you could make it a drinking game if you wanted.

With so much rain earlier in the week, players and their caddies were bracing for the worst. For those of you who are new to game, a mudball is in reference to a golf ball that has a clump of mud or dirt stuck to it, usually picked up in wet conditions, which can drastically impact how a ball is flighted, how far it goes, and which direction it goes in.

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That said, it came as a bit of a surprise that LPGA Tour made the decision to play the ball down a.k.a play the ball as it lies...mud and all. Shared by Golfweek, this was the statement issued regarding the decision: "Our intent is to play the ball down when conditions support it, and we believe they do. Our Rules team monitored the course throughout the week; worked closely with Superintendent Parker Henry, who has done a tremendous job with the course conditions; took in direct feedback from players and caddies; and made the determination that the course is playable as intended."

Some players after the first round expressed that they wished for preferred lies, and others didn't think that it was all that bad.

Parts of the course, even after the afternoon sun late on Thursday, were still very saturated.

The Wunderkind Amateurs

We have two amateur golfers inside the top-10, Farah O'Keefe (T4, 68) and Yunseo Yang (T8, 69).

O'Keefe has been the standout for me this week after her enchanting pre-tournament presser, which she then backed up with an impressive 4-under round. Read my mini profile on the University of Texas star now, who is definitely one to watch this weekend.

As for Yang, the 18-year-old from Korea scored an invite into the field through amateur exemptions, she's the 33rd ranked player in the WAGR.

There are eight total ams in the field this week including Asterisk Talley, and three stars from Stanford!

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The LPGA Moms

To juxtapose those who are up-and-coming, we have a few veteran stars in the field this week, including a handful of LPGA moms.

Among the matriarchs is LPGA legend, and truly one of the best ambassadors women's golf has seen is Stacy Lewis who is four-months pregnant with her second child competing in her final LPGA event ever. To see Lewis go is a huge loss, and I hope that we continue to see and feel her presence regardless if she's playing or not.

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Madelene Sagström is also sporting her baby bump this week, and Alison Lee is making her way back in the full-time mix after giving birth to her son Levi a year ago.

Super Grand Slam

The Career Grand Slam in golf looks different for the men and women simply because the LPGA Tour has one more major championship than the PGA TOUR. With five majors on the schedule, players have a unique opportunity to earn the special honor of the *Super* Career Grand Slam which means that they go 5 for 5.

Only Aussie player Karrie Webb has achieved this. But a handful of players have earned 4 out 5 including: Louise Suggs (1957), Mickey Wright (1962), Pat Bradley (1986), Juli Inkster (1999), Annika Sorenstam (2003), and Inbee Park (2015).

This week two players, Minjee Lee and In Gee Chun have the opportunity to join the 4x club, but have quite a ways to go if they are going to make a run at it. Both are +2 for the tournament after round one.

And funny enough, both players are three-time major winners and need either the Chevron or the AIG Women's Open to complete the slam.

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