In an impressive upset Wednesday morning, Sage Erickson took down three-time World Champion Carissa Moore at the US Open. It was a huge upset, not only because of Moore's herculean status on the Championship Tour, but also because she's won here at Huntington Beach before. Erickson will move on to the Quarters, where no matter what happens, she will have already achieved her best contest result this season. And it shouldn't be a surprise: Erickson's career has arguably been defined by slow, steady progress rather than explosive displays of overt success. For the first three years of her tenure on the women's Championship Tour, she ground her way through the Qualifying Series to requalify and keep her CT spot. That worked until 2014, when she fell off tour and questioned what her next move might be. But true to form, she returned, stronger than ever, finishing at World No. 9 for the past two seasons running. Currently sitting at that very spot on the Jeep Leaderboard, her result here in Huntington Beach will likely fuel her to push upward -- no matter how incrementally.
