SAN FRANCISCO – Megha Ganne plans to remember it all. The 17-year-old amateur from Holmdel, New Jersey, who captivated hearts and played her way into the final group of the 76th U.S. Women’s Open, knocked in a 6-foot par putt on the 72nd hole and basked in the ovation after clinching low-amateur honors.
“It’s everything I’ve wanted since I was little,” she said, “so it’s just the best feeling.”
Ganne opened with a double-bogey and found herself 5 over through the first five holes on Sunday. The chance at becoming only the second amateur to win a U.S. Women’s Open title faded quickly, but Ganne dug deep. She recorded her first birdie of the day on the 17th and finished tied for 14th after a closing 77.
Thirty amateurs teed it up at The Olympic Club but only four made the cut. Oklahoma State’s Maja Stark finished T-16 on the heels of a share of 13th at the 2020 USWO in Houston.
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“It was very much up and down today,” said Stark. “I didn’t make a par until hole 8, so that was – I mean, I felt like I played better than what happened kind of. But I’m happy that I made a lot of birdies. So that’s something, but I’m a little bit deflated.”
Stanford’s Rachel Heck, who won the NCAA individual title just last week, tied for 35th and Baylor’s Gurleen Kauer finished 66th.
Ganne, who will join Heck at Stanford in the fall of 2022, played alongside eventual winner Yuka Saso and Lexi Thompson in the final group. She called it an honor but also said it felt kind of natural. As for the fans, she felt the love every step she took around the Lake Course this weekend.
“Oh, it was just electric,” said Ganne, who had Olympic member Mike Finn on the bag. “I can’t thank all these fans enough. They’ve made my week so much better than it could have been. I just felt like there was so much love and so much support, and all of them are really excited to be out here, which is so great to see because I feel like in a small way I’m making an impact on the game, which is really cool.”