SOUTHERN PINES, NORTH CAROLINA | Bronte Law withdrew in the first round of the Cognizant Founders Cup due to hitting a tree root. But despite that setback she fought her way into contention at the U.S. Women's Open presented by ProMedica on Friday, shooting her second consecutive round of 69 to enter the weekend inside the top 10.
"My thumb was super inflamed. It just flared up. I couldn't actually finish the round,” Law said. “I tried five holes after, and the pain was pretty bad. I've only ever withdrawn one time in my life, and I was in the hospital, so it's pretty difficult for me to pull the plug. I'm not that kind of player. I will always battle until the end.”
Law said she took a step back to get healthy and prioritize the U.S. Women's Open and succeeding in majors. Her recovery back home and patience during the opening rounds at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club haven't gone unnoticed. She enters the weekend five shots off the lead but among the contenders with two rounds remaining.
"I had a good start. Two birdies off the bat, and then kind of stalled a little bit. Wished that I had kept pressing a little bit harder. That's something that I'm working on, and I told myself that halfway through the round, and then had a good backside," she said.
Historically, U.S. Women's Opens are known to be a challenge, and it's hard to get through a single round bogey-free. Bronte said she has to just keep reminding herself that she is hitting a lot of good shots given the difficult course.
"I've been working really hard on my putting. Now those good shots, I'm feeling a lot more confident and like I can hold those putts. When you start feeling a little more confident with the putter, then one bad shot here or there, you don't feel the need to get too stressed over," she said.
After missing several cuts last year, Bronte went back to the LET and won the 2021 Dubai Moonlight Classic. Since then, she has continued to battle her way through the LPGA Tour.
"It's been tough. COVID made life tough for everyone, but I think we were so isolated as humans. Even being able to go and see my coach wasn't really allowed in the U.K. until very late on, so my practice was into a net sending him videos," she said.
Law said that she has started to regain some lost confidence on the course with the LET win under her belt and better access to her coach.
"Yeah, I worked on technical things in the putting stroke that really made a big difference, but I have been grinding on that putting green. It doesn't just happen. You have to work incredibly hard. I will do whatever it takes," she said.
Attacking this year's U.S. Women's Open, Bronte said her mindset was to look at the green and judge each pin depending on where she wanted to position herself.
"I did a good job, I think, doing that with my caddie in the practice rounds. We looked at some crazy pins and said, well, even though you've got a wedge in your hand, you've got to aim here. I'm pleased that I stuck to the game plan in that respect and was aiming away at some relatively short shots from the pins," she said.
The 27-year-old ended day two with some of the most consistent rounds on the leaderboard, and Law said she doesn't plan on changing her strategy moving forward in the tournament. Law is in a competitive position to earn her first top-10 LPGA finish since the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play hosted by Shadow Creek in 2021.
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