Soon-to-be mom Amy Olson will play US Women's Open at 7 months pregnant
As pregnant LPGA Tour veteran Amy Olson heads into her third and final trimester, the professional golfer will tee off at the iconic Pebble Beach overlooking the Northern California coastline for the 78th U.S. Women's Open Championship.
The 30-year-old LPGA star, who is six months pregnant and shot six-under during a one-day 36-hole qualifying round for the tournament, told reporters that her baby already "has got some golf mojo."
"Honestly, if it wasn't this level of a championship, I would have probably stopped a couple of weeks ago," Olson told ABC News. "I've had multiple dreams throughout my life. One has been to play on the LPGA tour and play professional golf at the highest level. But I also knew I always wanted to be a mom. And so, you know, this week kind of feels like the convergence of those two dreams."
The tournament is already set to be a historic one as Pebble Beach Golf Links hosts the most coveted and oldest major championship in women’s golf for the fist time. Which will be even more special for Olson as the first mom-to-be to play this event at this course.
Olson also said she's excited to have this special time in her life with her first baby that they can one day look back on.
"They'll be able to see footage and photos and to be able to for me to say, 'you were there, that was you.' I think that's going to be really special and something that even if they don't remember it, it is a shared memory together," she told ABC News.
Olson found out she was expecting her first child with husband and former football linebacker Grant Olson in January, announcing the news publicly in March via Instagram.
At the time, the LPGA reported that Olson reached out to her fellow competitors on the tour to get an understanding of any possible challenges of playing at her level while pregnant.
"I know multiple friends who have gone through this and played while they were pregnant. And I also knew they stopped playing at some point before they gave birth. And so I was texting everybody. 'How long did you play? What week was it?'" she told ABC News. "I kind of had looked at that based on the venue. I mean, Pebble Beach is just historic. The U.S. Women's Open is like the top level of our game. And I was like, if I could play in that, if I qualify, I'll be there. I'll waddle down the fairway, whatever it takes."
Her May 22 qualifying round at Somerset Country Club in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, opened with an even-par 72, but she said "all the magic happened in the second round," and she went on to medal in the event, beating her closest competitors by two strokes for a coveted spot in the field at the 78th U.S. Women's Open.
"Obviously, my belly's getting bigger and it's starting to impact certain things, but I still feel like I can play and I can compete," she explained. "It's just it is more challenging and the swing changes day to day. I will say that."
While playing the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythefield Country Club last month, Olson notched a hole-in-one and a double eagle leading into the weekend with her baby on board.
Olson already came close to topping the leaderboard at the storied golf event in 2020 with a second place finish at Cypress Creek Golf Club in Texas.
Now, in her 10th season on the LPGA Tour, Olson has her sights set on the $10 million purse. She will join the 156-player field at Pebble Beach looking to win her third major championship of the season.
"To be able to be part of this as we take the stage at one of the best venues, the best golf courses in the world is really special," Olson told the LPGA. "I look back and I see how far we've come even in my career, and I think about 70 years ago when our founders started this Tour. Did they even dream this was possible? Maybe, but I think they would be so proud of where we are today."
While Olson said she's "trying not to have too many expectations," and is soaking everything in, "being able to do it with a baby, all of it is a little bit overwhelming."
"I'm trying not to put too much pressure or expectation on it, but truly just enjoy the week," she said.
She also said she hopes her presence as a soon-to-be mom and professional athlete at one of the game's most famed venues will remind others just how incredible female athletes truly are.
"I think women are seriously incredible," she said. "The women that have done this over and over and they work through it, or they're caring for other kids through it, or caring for parents ... it takes a lot of selflessness and strength and courage to be able to do it," she said. "I've just gained an appreciation for it and I hope it's also just inspiring to others."
Benefits of exercising while pregnant
ABC News chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, broke down what women need to know about exercising while pregnant.
"Pregnancy is not a disease. Millions of women seeing the story are saying, yes, she's a professional athlete, yes, she's doing her job, if you will -- but for average or low risk pregnancy, this should not raise eyebrows anymore," Ashton said.
"We've heard it before with other Olympians, elite athletes. Exercise is good for a pregnancy, contrary to some myths, it does not increase the risk of miscarriage or increase the risk of low birth weight, or increase the likelihood of preterm birth. In fact, it does the opposite. The benefits are very well-established for both mother and fetus. Of course you want to speak to a midwife or obstetrician, but again -- this in some ways is a great story but it's all positive and in this day and age should not be raising eyebrows."
For women who are pregnant and want to continue exercising, Dr. Ashton recommended some of the best ways to do it safely.
"We normally say, 'do what you've done before you were pregnant.' You can maintain that for the average or low risk pregnancy. But there are some exercises that in general are good to have on the list of pregnancy options, like swimming, walking, water-based exercise, riding a stationary bike or spin bike, or modified yoga or pilates," Ashton said.
After speaking with the professional golfer herself, Ashton said Olson "has had to make some little tweaks to her game, but again, this is what her body does, so it's great to see."
An earlier version of this story was originally published on July 3, 2023.
