PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Bailey Tardy lines up her putt on the sixth green during the second round of the 78th U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on July 07, 2023. | Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Many Georgia Bulldogs have made their mark in golf. Now Bailey Tardy, a rising star on the LPGA Tour, is contending at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Pebble Beach is hosting the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time, and Bailey Tardy is the latest Georgia Bulldog to contend at a major championship.
Tardy, who has never made the cut at a U.S. Women’s Open before, fired a 4-under 68 on Friday to vault up the leaderboard at Pebble Beach.
As of this writing, she holds a share of the lead at 7-under for the championship.
Tardy is somewhat of a journeywoman, making her easy to root for.
The former Bulldog is currently the 455th-ranked player in the world and has yet to finish better than 23rd on the LPGA Tour this season.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Bailey Tardy plays her shot from the eighth tee during the second round of the 78th U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on July 07, 2023.
Yet, she looks like a seasoned pro. Hardy dominated the famous par-5 6th hole at Pebble Beach, making an eagle there on both Thursday and Friday to put her in contention.
Now she hopes to become the first Georgia Bulldog to win a major since Bubba Watson won the 2014 Masters Tournament.
Other Bulldogs have contended at majors since then and have become stalwarts on the PGA Tour.
Harris English recently tied for 8th at the 2023 U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club. He won twice in 2021, with the Travelers Championship two years ago being his most recent PGA Tour victory.
Brian Harman, a left-hander, finished in a tie for 6th at the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews. He also has two wins on tour.
Austrian Sepp Straka shot a 5-under 65 in the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill to tie for seventh.
Chris Kirk recently won the Honda Classic in a thrilling playoff, defeating Eric Cole to win his first PGA Tour event since 2015. Kirk also tied for fifth at the 2022 PGA Championship.
Plenty of Bulldogs continue to thrive on tour, and if Georgia fans want to rally around an LPGA player, Bailey Tardy is an easy choice.
Maybe Tardy does something that English, Harman, Straka, and Kirk have yet to do: win a major championship.
She has her best chance yet through 36 holes at Pebble Beach.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
