Each year, the U.S. Open welcomes the amateur qualifiers from specially recognized USGA events, landing as many as 50-some-odd non-professionals a shot at the premier women’s golf event.
This year, 47 women qualfied via open events to compete at the Women’s Open in Charlestown. S.C. One of them is Amy Ruengmateekhun, who also happens to be a high school girls golf coach in Texas. In fact, Ruengmateekhun had just capped a Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) state title with Ursuline Academy (Dallas, Texas) two days before she earned her qualifying spot in an open qualifying event at Canyon Creek Country Club in Richardson, Texas.
According to our friends at Golf Week, Ruengmateekhun gave up her spot on the Symetra Tour after the 2018 season, taking on a teaching professionals role at Brookhaven Country Club in the Dallas area and coaching the Ursuline Academy squad.
So, it was a surprise when she finally qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open on her ninth attempt, and first since she stepped away from being a full-time touring pro.
Though, perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise after all. In fact, the coach herself said that her student athletes were a major motivating factor behind her magical run to a U.S. Women’s Open berth.
“My girls are a huge inspiration for me,” Ruengmateekhun told Golf Week. “Coaching and teaching made me fall in love with (golf) again.”
