She loves dirt bikes and nuked drives, and she may win the U.S. Open

ERIN, Wis. — Let’s talk dirt bikes. Stay with us. No, you haven’t clicked on dirtbikes.com  

Julia Lopez Ramirez has been riding them since she was 3. Dad did, so daughter followed, though Jose Antonio Ramirez has injured himself a few times, so he stopped his girl from competing. But not riding. The younger Lopez Ramirez was on one just over Christmas. 

You learn some things, too, as you zip through the terrain. 

“Every time I go home, I like to go and have my go-around,” she said. “Obviously you don’t do anything crazy because obviously you cannot get injured in the middle of seasons.

“But it’s something I really enjoy and it’s exciting. Just no thoughts on it. You have to have present in that, like, don’t fall.”

Who knew dirt bikes could be such a swing thought, but there Lopez Ramirez was on Saturday, leaving the U.S. Women’s Open field in, well, her dust. On a day where Erin Hills tripped up mostly everyone, the 22-year-old Spaniard shot a third-round-best 68 to move up to second, one shot behind leader Maja Stark. She stayed in the present. She didn’t fall. Eagle on 1. Birdies on 7, 12 and 16. Just one bogey. 

All mostly behind DRIVES, all caps. Lopez Ramirez is a BOMBER. Here are the stats: On measured holes at Erin Hills, she’s averaging 290.8 yards a pop, 12 yards ahead of the next closest hitter. Need more proof of her prowess? Look at the picture above, taken on the 18th hole. On the left is Rayee Feng, one of Lopez Ramirez’s playing partners, and in the middle is Hannah Green, her other partner — and all the way on the right is Lopez Ramirez. That’s a serious advantage, especially at Erin Hills, which is measuring out as one of the longest-ever U.S Women’s Open courses. 

As to where it all comes from, she’d like to know, too. Earlier in the week, Lopez Ramirez said she gets the question a lot. Maybe it’s gym work. Maybe it’s a game she played with her coach growing up, competing to hit it the farthest. Maybe it’s the dirt bikes; you need forearm muscles to maneuver. Whatever the case, it’s a sight. Her caddie, Lauren Whyte, isn’t sure, either. But she knows this:

“I just admire it from afar.”

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Whyte’s known Lopez Ramirez for a while. She was an assistant at Mississippi State when the Spaniard was there, and she accepted the invite to be her caddie around the time Lopez Ramirez turned pro. The results have been somewhat mixed. The former top-ranked amateur earned her LPGA card in December through Q-School. She’s made seven starts, made three cuts and earned $38,500. She’s ranked 440th in the world. An emergency appendectomy surgery earlier this year has also slowed her.  

Then came this week. But how? To Whyte, it’s course fit. Lopez Ramirez can pull driver; at courses earlier in the year, she couldn’t. “It’s probably her favorite club in the bag,” Whyte said.      

To Lopez Ramirez, she needed just time. 

“It’s quite overwhelming out here,” she said. “Just being a rookie, I think it’s very hard to get used to the rhythm, the tournaments, just like what you have to do. I think at this point, I’m very used to how the tournament works and how it’s going that I feel like mentally I’m in a really good place and my swing is getting into a really good position.

“I think it kind of all clicks and just got a good week.”

But what about Sunday? 

Final round of a major? 

Have you been on a motor bike? She’s ready for golf. 

“Honestly it’s very exciting,” Lopez Ramirez said. “I’m very excited for tomorrow. I’m just going to keep playing my game, have a lot of fun out there and play my game. 

“It’s what I love the most. I think to be present, do my things that I can, control the things that are in my hands and see how it goes.”