The U. S. Women's Open always has some amazing moments, and one of the most special ones happened off the scoreboard. It began with a surprising phone call from one of the top golfers in the world, Scottie Scheffler.

Amateur sensation Farah O'Keefe was recently surprised during her practice round at Riviera Country Club. She received a sudden ring that left her completely starstruck and visibly shaking with excitement, as found in the video posted by the US Women's Open on Instagram on June 4.

"We just wanted to wish you congratulations," Scheffler warmly told O'Keefe during the surprise call. The 2024 Masters winner reached out specifically to mark O'Keefe's big win.

O'Keefe, still processing the shock, smiled brightly, looking at her phone while on a call with Scheffler.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," she responded. "Just trying to follow your lead."

The world number one then checked on her positioning, inquiring about her play. He wanted to know if she was in the fairway or up near the green.

"I just hit it in the right rough by the green," O'Keefe replied. She explained her ball had veered off toward the trees and was up against a tough recovery shot.

Every stroke mattered for her, transitioning from chatting on the phone with the best player in the world to playing in the major championship at the Riviera Country Club.

Scheffler's Motivation Powers O'Keefe's Elite Campaign

Scheffler praised her resilience and called it right. He appreciated her grit to handle pressure situations. This toughness played a big part in her winning the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Golf individual national championship, where she took first place by two strokes.

"Alright, Hook 'Em, have a good one, congrats again," before hanging up, Scheffler offered a final sign-off, saying,

The legendary phrase celebrated their shared Texas heritage.

"That is so cool. I'm shocked," O'Keefe was left completely stunned after the call ended.

She tried to get back into golf mode before facing the tricky 6,699-yard championship setup.

This unique interaction inspired her at the start of the tournament. She began well, birdying the 499-yard par-five opening hole and moving to one under par early on.

But the tough Riviera course tripped the young amateur up pretty quickly on the front nine. She dropped three quick shots after carding consecutive bogeys on holes two, four, and five, slipping down the leaderboard.

O'Keefe recovered brilliantly on the 394-yard par-four seventh, carding a fine birdie. A frustrating double-bogey on the tenth hole forced her to dig deep for the remainder.

In the end, O'Keefe held steady with eight straight pars and turned in a three-over-par 74. That result put her tied for 85th spot, eight strokes from the top position held by Jennifer Kupcho.

What do you think of Scheffler's thoughtful gesture? Share in the comments.

Read more at Club Golf.

Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar