CHARLESTON, S.C. — Despite being one of the better, younger American players on the LPGA Tour, Jaye Marie Green is probably not a name many golf fans are familiar with, outside of the avid LPGA follower. She's working to change that on Sunday at the U.S. Women's Open, where Green, 25, will play alongside fellow American Lexi Thompson in the second-to-last group, the duo tied at six under and just one off the lead.
It will be a position Green is not all-too-familiar with, especially of late. She's missed four consecutive cuts, though her last made cut actually came in a major, the ANA Inspiration, where she tied for 12th. Green has had plenty of respectable finishes in her career, 24 in the top 25 since turning pro in 2014, to be exact, but has yet to have a Sunday that could truly prepare her for what's she's facing at the Country Club of Charleston.
Green is well aware of this, at least judging by this hilariously self-deprecating answer she gave on Saturday when asked about being in serious contention at a major for the first time in her career.
"Yeah. I think the only way you learn is to be in the position. I've been close to this.." said, Green before pausing and changing course. "Who am I kidding? I've never been this close in a major before. I've had good finishes at majors, but I think I'll be in the second to last group or -- I'm not really sure what that looks like."
You've got to love the honesty.
Green's right about having good finishes in majors though. In 20 major starts, she's made 10 cuts and finished T-26 or better four times. Three of those four have come in her last four majors, a T-18 at the 2018 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, a T-15 at the 2018 Women's British Open and the T-12 in April at the ANA Inspiration. That strong trend appears to be continuing at C.C. of Charleston, where she has a chance to put name on the map on Sunday.
"I feel calm. I feel like my game plan has been working, so I'm not going to change it. And if that's what's good enough to get it done tomorrow, so be it. Either way, I get another notch in the belt of what it's like now to be in this position."
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