After Rory McIlroy’s Masters, the unlikely runner believes that Nelly Korda can be caught

HOUSTON – Farah O’Keefe spent the rest of Friday walking around Memorial Park. When he rolled in a birdie putt on the final hole, the rookie looked at the Chevron Championship leaderboard to see himself tied for second at 7 under.

Then he looked up and saw the work that awaited him and everyone else in this first major LPGA weekend.

Korda, N. -14

Despite the big deficit, O’Keefe came close to scoring, talking to his team-mates about the latest major championship that quickly evaporated over the weekend.

“I compared it to Rory at the Masters,” O’Keefe said. “Golf really, you never know what can happen in a game of golf. There’s a lot of randomness where you get a bad break and it’s just like that.”

Two weeks ago, McIlroy held the Masters record six times in a weekend. By the time he got to the 13th hole on Saturday, his lead was gone. McIlroy shook off a tough third round and survived a tumultuous Sunday to win his second straight green jacket but shot past Scottie Scheffler.

But the promised route at Augusta National never materialized. A lot can change over 36 holes.

“Dad and I call it golf is a competitive game and you have to not blink first,” O’Keefe said. “So I’m just trying not to blink.”

Until now, O’Keefe, a junior at the University of Texas, has done just that on the big stage in front of his family and friends.

He made just one bogey in 36 holes, riding a hot putter and an impressive short game into contention. O’Keefe came into first place on Thursday and didn’t feel worried. Those come during the warm-up, but the tee box, the competition, is his safe place. When he got up and walked off the bunker on his first hole, he realized that the emotions were there, and he needed to focus to make sure that a big chance to win was not wasted. When he made a difference with No. 18 on Thursday, his ninth hole, he thought he would see the leaders come out ahead. Instead, he realized that he was out of the vineyard. He shot a 4-under 68 in Round 1 and followed it up with a 69 on Friday to become the first golfer in Chevron history to open consecutive rounds in the 60s.

O’Keefe is personable and naturally articulate. He is always talking to his child. His game plan earlier in the week was to focus only on shooting and to pass the time between shots by talking about anything and everything with his friend.

The pressure is huge in big tournaments. Everyone feels it. It becomes overwhelming for beginners when they start getting into trouble. Farah O’Keefe is emotional; he accepts them.

“I like the feeling,” O’Keefe said. “If you’re not nervous, you shouldn’t be there. I don’t know. This is what I do. This is my livelihood, my happiness. I play golf, but I do more than that. When I get a chance to play in a tournament like this, I’m just happy. I feel like everyone plays better golf when they’re happy, so the fact that I’m happy with golf to be here. It’s like, you’re playing that big.

O’Keefe remembers his caddy in Scotland, who preached positivity and energy on the golf course. “He kept saying, happy days. Every time we end up in the house, happy days. We’re good. I think that understanding, if you beat yourself up, really if you’re negative in any way, it hurts you.”

That has been his guide this week.

The veteran will arrive at Memorial Park on Saturday facing a huge deficit but believes Nelly Korda can face it again – that if she refuses to blink, and smiles along the way, she will be right there with the LPGA star come Sunday.

“I think it’s a dream,” O’Keefe said. “You know it’s something you’ve always thought about and hoped for, but I wouldn’t- I feel like I’m trying to hold back, there’s a lot of golf to be played, the work is not done and I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing because of course I have to work.

“I won’t force anything. Try not to get too confused. Keep playing my game.”

And see if the golf gods open the door for him this weekend.