SAN FRANCISCO – A total of 15 players broke par in the opening round of the 76th U.S. Women’s Open. On a day when the USGA moved up several tees, a Solheim Cup veteran (Mel Reid) and an amateur (Megha Ganne) topped the field at 4 under with a number of big stars lurking.
Major champions Brooke Henderson (-3), Shanshan Feng (-2), Lexi Thompson (-2) and Jin Young Ko (-1) also started the week in the red at The Olympic Club’s demanding Lake Course, where the scoring average was 75.111.
“They moved up a lot of tees, which was really nice,” said Henderson, who hasn’t cracked the top 10 in the USWO since 2015. “Gave some more birdie looks than everybody was expecting. I feel like (sister/caddie) Brit and I, we capitalized on those quite a bit. Made a lot of birdies, which was fun.”
Thompson made three consecutive birdies on Nos. 13-15 to make a big move.
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“It’s honestly just a blessing to be out here and playing this golf course,” said Thompson. “It’s unbelievable. I’m just looking forward to the week. I’ve just been trying to enjoy myself more and not really have golf be life or death.”
Top-ranked Jin Young Ko hit 10 fairways and 16 greens in an opening 70 that included a birdie on her last hole, the par-3 eighth. The two-time major winner finished tied for second last year at the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston.
Also at 1 under is Jennifer Kupcho, the highest-ranked player in the world without an LPGA victory, and 2019 USWO champ Jeongeun Lee6.
There’s another group of heavy-hitters at even par worth keeping an eye on: Inbee Park, Ariya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko and last week’s winner, Ally Ewing.