ST. GEORGE — A familiar face will be at the U.S. Women’s Open when the best female golfers in the world tee off at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this weekend.
Savannah Vilaubi, winner of the 2023 Epson Tour Copper Rock Championship in Hurricane, Utah, will compete with the rest of the field at Lancaster Country Club starting Thursday.
“It’s such a special opportunity,” Vilaubi told St. George News via telephone after a 9-hole practice round at Lancaster Tuesday morning.
“All my family are coming out and friends in the area are here, and my husband is on the bag, so I have a great team of supporters,” she added. “We have to be as diligent as we can be in getting ready and prepared, but not get so caught up that we forget to look around and enjoy the moment.”
The 79th U.S. Open will be her first major championship.
Vilaubi said her practice week has been “rolling right along.” She noted that the course at Lancaster Country Club is what she expected to see at a U.S. Open venue.
“The course is in superb shape, it’s beautiful, and it’s a great test of golf,” Vilaubi said. “It is a real test of your ball striking.”
She said the fairways are narrow but definitely reachable from the tees. The key is to hit safely into the fairways.
“If you miss by just a couple of feet, you get into some really thick rough,” she said. “The rough is just treacherous and will be a challenge.”
If golfers can successfully navigate the approach, she added, they should fare well on the greens.
“If you’re on the green, there’s nothing getting in the way of making birdies,” Vilaubi said.
Vilaubi and her husband Hunter (who, as she noted, is her caddie as well) moved to Santa Clara and became official St. George residents.
She said her win at Copper Rock played a major role in getting her ready for the U.S. Open.
“It just really helped me from a confidence standpoint,” Vilaubi said. “I tell younger golfers, whatever tour you’re on, the sooner you can prove to yourself that you can compete on the next level, the better off you’ll be.”
The win at Copper Rock was just like that for her, she said.
“I finally got it and had a great breakthrough,” said Vilaubi. “I really feel like I was firing on all cylinders at Copper Rock and it gave me that confidence in my routine and in my process.”
She carried that confidence into the open qualifier at Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale, Arizona, last month.
Vilaubi shot 3-under at the two-day event, posting scores of 72 and 69 for a 141 total. She had to go to playoff holes to win the tournament, as she did when she won at Copper Rock.
Winning in those high-pressure moments forged her character, she said.
“At those times I think of my grandpa, a World War II veteran. He always said in moments like that, ‘If you’re scared, you die.’ As uncomfortable as those moments are, ultimately you can’t let nerves get the best of you,” Vilaubi said.
As has been reported in St. George News, Black Desert Resort in Ivins will host upcoming events in both the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour.
“The men’s and women’s tours have something to look forward to,” Vilaubi said, adding that she hopes to get to play at Black Desert and enjoy some home course advantage.
Photo Gallery
Santa Clara golfer Savannah Vilaubi, here in a file photo, will compete in the Women's U.S. Open this week in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, May 28, 2024 | Photo courtesy Joel Otto, Epson Tour for St. George News
Santa Clara golfer Savannah Vilaubi, here in a file photo, will compete in the Women's U.S. Open this week in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, May 28, 2024 | Photo courtesy Joel Otto, Epson Tour for St. George News
Santa Clara golfer Savannah Vilaubi, here in a file photo, will compete in the Women's U.S. Open this week in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, May 28, 2024 | Photo courtesy Joel Otto, Epson Tour for St. George News
Santa Clara golfer Savannah Vilaubi, here in a file photo, will compete in the Women's U.S. Open this week in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, May 28, 2024 | Photo courtesy Joel Otto, Epson Tour for St. George News
Santa Clara golfer Savannah Vilaubi, here in a file photo, will compete in the Women's U.S. Open this week in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, May 28, 2024 | Photo courtesy Joel Otto, Epson Tour for St. George News
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