Soon after receiving the happy news, Amy Olson surveyed her friends on the LPGA to see how long they played while pregnant. The consensus: 28 to 30 weeks.
Olson will be 30 weeks pregnant when she competes at historic Pebble Beach Golf Links in the most anticipated U.S. Women’s Open since the men and women played in back-to-back weeks at Pinehurst No. 2 nine years ago.
Olson, who turns 31 on July 10, was six months pregnant when she qualified for the first women’s major ever held at Pebble Beach, taking medalist honors at the Minnesota qualifier with a 36-hole score of six-under 138.
“It’s one of those memories I’ll talk about forever,” said Olson of playing a major while pregnant, “and the fact that it’s at Pebble is really cool.
“The fact that there will be two of us walking down the fairway together, that’s pretty awesome.”
Olson’s only experience playing Pebble Beach so far came last winter on a simulator. The North Dakota native said she stopped by the resort with her college team once and again while on tour to experience the atmosphere of the 18th. The Women’s Open will be her last tournament before the baby arrives.
Olson led a rain-delayed Round 1 at the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor when she was a junior in college. The 2009 U.S. Girls’ Junior champion, who won an NCAA record 20 college titles at North Dakota State, said she had a carefree attitude back then and likely didn’t think much about it.
In 2020, Olson aced her way to another first-round lead at a December playing of the championship at Champions Golf Club. The week took a sorrowful turn, however, when Olson learned that her father-in-law Lee Olson, a tough West Point grad who had a soft spot for the women in his life, died unexpectedly on Saturday evening. Husband Grant flew home to be with his mother and brother and prepare for the funeral.
On Monday, a grief-stricken and gutsy Amy held the solo lead early on the back nine before being overtaken by A Lim Kim, who birdied the last three holes to win the crown jewel of women’s golf in her first attempt.
It marked the second time in Olson’s career that she’d finished tied for second in a major.
“I allowed myself to think about what I’m grateful for,” she said, tearing up after the final round. “And I’ve got a long list.”
Olson’s limited status this season has only gotten her into three events thus far and she played in two of them in June, missing the cut in each.
She did, however, make her seventh ace ahead of the Meijer LPGA in Michigan and then followed it up with an albatross two days later in the pro-am. While Olson said the baby was certainly bringing her some “serious golf mojo,” she noted that they needed to work their timing.
Heading into Pebble Beach, Olson said she was past the point of the extra body weight yielding any positive returns as her distance off the tee diminished.
A veteran of 34 major championships, Olson has played enough to know that length is key, so fairways will be an even bigger premium this week.
She also made adjustments to her setup on the greens, making sure that her right arm doesn’t run into her belly.
“I’m kind of going on a day-by-day, week-by-week strategy here,” Olson said.
Brittany Lincicome played the KPMG Women’s PGA while 30 weeks pregnant with her second daughter Sophia last summer at Congressional. She played 10 times total while pregnant that season, with her best finish, a T-6, coming at the ShopRite.
Stacy Lewis played the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open while four months pregnant with daughter Chesnee. At that point, she hadn’t lost any yardage or stamina. Her short game had actually improved.
Catriona Matthew, a 48-year-old mother of two, said loss of distance usually hits after the five-month mark.
“You just start hitting it nowhere,” Matthew, who famously won the Women’s British Open 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daugther, once said. “You’ve lost the speed. You don’t realize, I suppose, how much your body is working. You don’t think you should be tired, but you are.”
Juli Inkster won four of her seven majors after becoming a mom. Kathy Cornelius won the 1956 U.S. Women’s Open after giving birth to her first daugther, Karen.
Susie Maxwell Berning, a 2022 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee, is a four-time major winner and mother of two, who won two of her three U.S. Women’s Open titles after giving birth.
Seven-time major winner Inbee Park is currently on maternity leave as is 2020 Women’s British Open champion Sophia Popov and veteran Solheim Cup player Caroline Masson.
Olson, who has yet to win on the LPGA, isn’t sure what comes next after maternity leave. She’s never had more than one year of status at any point in her career, so taking it year-by-year isn’t anything new.
“Truly I like couldn’t tell you either way,” said Olson. “I want to see how it goes. I have been super, super blessed and thankful for everything I’ve been able to do out here. I love it, and I think I probably will never do what I’ve done over the last nine years, playing 25 weeks out of year.
“But will I ever come out again? Couldn’t tell you.”
