SAN FRANCISCO – Mel Reid wouldn’t dish on what was said, but revealed she texted Brooks Koepka on Tuesday and wound up FaceTiming with him for an hour. Reid called Koepka’s advice “invaluable” and said that it gave her a different approach going into the 76th U.S. Women’s Open at Olympic.
“I’m just trying to be a bit more like Brooks, honestly,” Reid said after an opening 4-under 67 to take the early lead.
Koepka and Reid played a lot of money games at the Floridian National Golf Club when she lived in South Florida. On occasion, she took his money. Reid has since moved up to Jacksonville, Florida, after her partner Carly Grenfell got a job with the PGA Tour.
Reid loves the toughness of Olympic. She wants even par to win this week, or somewhere close to it.
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“This is an unbelievable golf course,” she said. “As soon as I rocked up here I thought, this is the kind of golf courses we want to play.”
Angel Yin, buoyed by an eagle and birdie on the last two holes, carded a 68 to sit within one of Reid. For a while, it looked like Jessica Korda might be the one to open up a sizable lead, but four bogeys in five holes dropped her to 1 over. At the unrelenting Lake Course, no lead is safe, she said.
“You never can breathe,” said Korda. “Even when you’re on the green and you’ve hit a good shot.”
Reid, 33, might actually have a distant connection to historic Olympic. She’s not sure actually, but Wilfrid Reid, a protégé of Harry Vardon who designed the original Lakeside Golf Club course in 1917, might be related. (The property was later converted to two courses, the Lake and Ocean.)
“Apparently he’s my great uncle,” said Reid. “I was thinking about it, and his middle name is Arthur. My dad’s name is Arthur after his granddad, and he’s from Nottingham, which is just down the road. It actually makes a lot of sense.”
Reid said she was trying to look into the possible relation but hadn’t confirmed anything. In another interesting twist, Wilfrid Reid was a golf pro at Seaview Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey, site of Mel Reid’s first LPGA victory last October at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Wilfrid Reid’s best finish at the U.S. Open was a share of fourth in 1916.
Mel Reid plays her tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, June 3, 2021. (Robert Beck/USGA)
Reid came into this week feeling quite comfortable with her game. She’s in a good place in life, happily engaged and settled into a new home she and Grenfell recently purchased.
“I just try and keep the mind very, very quiet,” she said last week.
Reid believes her strength is an advantage at Olympic, given the gnarly rough. She works hard in the gym and has always been an all-round athlete, playing elite-level soccer for years while competing on the Ladies European Tour.
“I wanted to be a pro boarder,” said Reid, “so I always say I’m a snowboarder that plays golf.”
She has recently taken up surfing, too.
Reid’s flat bill hat certainly stands out on the LPGA as there aren’t many on tour. For the month of June, her lid also features her sponsor Pega’s Pride logo throughout LGBT Pride Month.
In December 2018, Reid came out publicly about her sexuality and became a pro ambassador for Athlete Ally. The goal, she said, is to fight for inclusion, to be a voice for those who may struggle. To say, “I have your back.”
When asked recently if coming out publicly lightened a load, Reid said it actually had the opposite effect. She was open to more scrutiny, of course, but she also felt an overwhelming responsibility.
“Now I feel very comfortable,” she said, “and I’m proud to do what I do, but it’s a responsibility that I want in a way … it’s a privilege to have that kind of responsibility. If you have a platform and are trying to change things.”
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