Brooke Henderson, Gary Woodland, and the wild Sunday finish

Woodland will get all the headlines, and we have to tip our hat. Gary has been a grinder for years. We celebrate guys like Gary finally breaking through. He took down Brooks Koepka. Not an easy task.

Brooke Henderson had her hands full, as well. Holding on for a 1 stroke victory over the likes of Lexi Thompson, she set a record for most tour wins by a Canadian, with 9. It’s worth pausing here to reflect on her record run. Canada, for much of the year, is VERY COLD. There is a lot of snow and mud between October - May. It’s hard to practice. Jupiter, Florida, it isn’t. Henderson had 9 birdies on Saturday to create the bit of breathing room she would need on Sunday. It is worth noting that it would take us months of regular play to record 9 birdies.

Last point about Woodland, he really kept it together and hit some quality shots over the closing holes. He’s basically a clone of Koepka. The same weight and size; the same swagger; the same length off the tee. These guys could be the face of American golf for the next century, with the occasional nip-at-the heal by Chez Reavie, Ricky Fowler, and Jordan Speith.

Higa cards a 65 in the lowest debut in a U.S. Womens Open

Lots of surprises during the opening round of the U.S. Women’s Open.

Japan's Mamiko Higa shot the lowest round in an open debut with a bogey-free 6-under 65. Pretty impressive considering she had played the course only once, a few days before teeing off this morning.

To put things in perspective, I’ve played RTJ in Gainesville, VA once, but the notion that I could return tomorrow morning and post an 81 is hard to fathom (even if I am successful at keeping it together — even more unlikely if it’s an early morning tee time)

Higa was a shot ahead of another first-timer in 20-year-old Esther Henseleit of Germany and 19-year-old American amateur, Gina Kim.

Hat tip to all three who now have the jump of the world’s top ranked players. We’ll be rooting for them on the weekend.