Several years ago, during the early part of the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open, I was hitting balls at the driving range of the Player Course here in The Woodlands. I figured that I would hit balls for awhile and then catch the final part of the Women’s Open on television.

It was quite hot that day and so the only other person hitting balls that day on the range was a young woman and her father. In between hitting balls, I watched the young woman hit some shots. Her swing was impeccable and frankly much better than most of the professional golfers who I had seen during the earlier rounds of the Women’s Open. As I left the range that day, I complimented the young woman on her swing and observed that, with that swing, she really ought to be playing that afternoon in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open. The young woman and her father thanked me graciously for my compliment.

Well, what do you know. That young woman — Stacy Lewis — is now playing in her first tournament as a professional and leads the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open going into the final round. Read about Stacy’s remarkable story here.

Update: Lewis faded to a 78 in the final round and finished third behind Inbee Park.