04 Jun 2021 | Professional golf |
Aussies chasing Reid, teenager at Open
by Martin Blake
Australians Minjee Lee and Hannah Green made solid starts as England's Mel Reid and American teenager Megha Ganne led on the first day of the US Women's Open in San Francisco today. Lee (73) and Green (73) both controlled the damage on what amounted to a brutal test at the Olympic Club with cold atmosphere, thick rough and fast greens. At two-over they are six back from the lead and outside the top 40. The 33-year-old Reid and 17-year-old Ganne appeared to be playing a different course, starting with four under 67s.
Reid rolled in five birdies with just the one bogey for the day, at the 18th, to lead by a shot from American Angel Yin, who went eagle-birdie to finish at three under-par 68. "I didn't think that score was out there honestly," said Reid, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida and who recently won her first LPGA Tour event.
Ganne has not even started college yet, although she is one of America's best young amateurs. She had the outright lead as she walked up the last hole, but took bogey from the front, left trap and had to be content with a share of the lead at four under par.
Similarly Canada's Brooke Henderson had a share of the lead going to the last hole, but three-putted down the hill to close with a 68.
WA stars Lee and Green had five bogeys in their rounds on day one, but two over par is not a bad score at the Olympic Club's Lake course, which is notoriously tough, and they are not out of the mix.
Queensland amateur Emily Mahar (77), Sarah Kemp (78) and Sarah Jane Smith (78) are all well back from the leaders.
Only 15 of the 156 players shot under par, but Reid was comfortable with the set-up of the course. "This is exactly how a U.S. Open should be," said Reid. "This is an unbelievable golf course. As soon as I rocked up here I thought, this is the kind of golf courses we want to play.
"I think the start was good. Yeah, I just think if you play well you can get rewarded. If you don't, you can get punished very, very quickly."
MEANWHILE Jason Day withdrew from the Memorial Tournament in Ohio today with a back injury which he said that he "tweaked" recently, meaning that he will miss the US Open as well. Marc Leishman was the best of the Aussies at two under par through five holes when weather intervened in Columbus today.