Amateurs Megha Ganne, Maja Stark in hunt at U.S. Women's Open
Megha Ganne (USGA photo)
Of the 31 amateurs in the field at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, four have made the cut and will be playing the weekend, while two are on the front page of the leaderboard heading into Saturday’s third round.
The biggest story of the tournament is
Megha Ganne, a 17-year old high school junior from Holmdel, NJ who became the first amateur since 2006 to lead or co-lead after any round at the U.S. Women’s Open, finds herself tied for third place at 4-under par 138 after rounds of 67 and 71. Ganne, the No. 1 player in the Golfweek Junior Rankings, made two bogeys over her first six holes on Friday but carded three birdies over her next 12 holes to stay squarely in the mix heading into the weekend. She followed a birdie on her penultimate hole on Friday with a gutsy, eight-foot par save on the last to close with a 71, which arguably was more impressive than her opening round 67 considering she only hit nine fairways and 10 greens, usually a death sentence at the Olympic Club.
Ganne is just two strokes back of leader Yuka Saso of Japan heading into Saturday’s third round and will be paired with veteran Megan Khang in the second to last group on Saturday.
Oklahoma State’s
Maja Stark, who tied for 13th last year at Champions Golf Club in Houston, is tied for ninth place at 1-under 141 following rounds of 71 and 70. She is one of just 11 players who has managed to navigate the first 36 holes at the treacherous Olympic Club under par.
Gurleen Kaur of Baylor (71-73-144) and Stanford’s
Rachel Heck (75-72-147) will also be playing the weekend.
Catherine Lacoste of France, the daughter of tennis pro and Crocodile logo maven Henri, is the only amateur ever to have won the U.S. Women’s Open, claiming the title at the Homestead in 1967.
ABOUT THE
U.S. Women's Open
The U.S. Women's Open has the biggest payout in women's golf. It is one of 15 annual
championships conducted by the USGA. The
event is open to any professional or amateur female golfer. There is a handicap limit for amateurs; for the 2024 event it was 4.4; please see USGA website for the current limit and entry requirements.
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