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Sarah Jane Smith takes command at soggy U.S. Women’s Open

By David Salituro

ANN ARBOR, MI - MAY 25: Sarah Jane Smith, of Australia, watches her tee shot on the fifth hole during the second round of the LPGA Volvik Championship on May 25, 2018 at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan.(Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - MAY 25: Sarah Jane Smith, of Australia, watches her tee shot on the fifth hole during the second round of the LPGA Volvik Championship on May 25, 2018 at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Michigan.(Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Aussie Smith, without a win in 223 career starts, leads by four as the second round is suspended due to rain.

Sarah Jane Smith is not among the stars on the LPGA Tour, but she played like one on Friday.

The 33-year-old Aussie shot a second consecutive round of five-under 67 at the U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek and leads by four over Su Oh and Ariya Jutanugarn. Smith came out strong, making five birdies on the second nine after beginning on the 10th hole. The only blemish on her scorecard was a three-putt bogey at the eighth hole, her 17th.

“It was nice. It was kind of weird early. Like, everything was going in, so it was kind of a bit of a surreal feeling. But there was a little more reality on the front side, the back-nine,” she told LPGA.com after the round.

It was hard to see Smith’s strong start coming. She missed the cut in five straight tournaments before tying for 32nd last week at the LPGA Volvik Championship. Her best finish this season has been a tie for 26th at the Kia Classic in March. The 97th-ranked player on the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings, Smith has made 223 career starts on the LPGA Tour without a win.

“It’s unfamiliar. But at the same time it’s fun. I’ve always wanted to be in this position. It’s definitely a lot more pressure than just being, you know, somewhere in the back. I’m looking forward to seeing how I deal with it,” she said.

Her fellow Aussie, 22-year-old Oh, is in second place at six-under. Her round of 68 included an eagle on the par-four 15th. Oh says she is not feeling any pressure to catch Smith, and just has to continue focusing on her own game.

“I really tried my best out there. I don’t think I could have played any better out there,” Oh said. “Sarah is just ripping the course apart. But for me, I’m just trying to stay in it.”

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Unlike Smith, Oh has shown solid form recently. She tied for fourth last week at the Volvik. But she made the cut just once in three prior U.S. Women’s Open appearances. Her best Major Championship result was a tie for eighth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2016. Like Smith, she has also never won on the LPGA.

Smith has a familiar face to help her deal with the pressure this weekend. Her caddie is her husband, Duane Smith, whom she married in 2009. Duane had a promising golf career of his own before giving it up to caddy for his wife.

“I always say we’re really lucky. We definitely have our bad days, but they’re not that bad and they’re not that often,” Duane told Golfweek in February.

Shoal Creek continued to feel the effects of Subtropical Storm Alberto, which hit the area earlier this week. Play was halted at 2:27 CDT, restarted at 6:15 and suspended for good at 7:20. The second round will resume at 6:45 a.m. CDT on Saturday. Among the players who failed to finish were Jutanugarn, who got through only eight holes and is tied with Oh for second.

The projected cut currently lies at four-over par. Notables below the cut line include world No. 2 Shanshan Feng (+5) and defending champion Sung Hyun Park (+9). Canadian Brooke Henderson was one-over before withdrawing from the tournament, citing personal reasons.

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