Anika sits mid-pack after US women’s amateur opening round

By Rahul Banerji

Two birdies and five bogeys marked Anika Varma’s opening round of the 120^th US Women’s Amateur Championship in Rockville, Maryland, on Monday.

With Hurricane Isiaias bearing down on the area, the second day of stroke-play action in the much-postponed championship has been pushed back to Wednesday.

Anika, in shared 55^th place on 3-over par 75 will be looking to push through to the match-play round of 64 to start with even as club-house leaders Rachel Kuehn and Riley Smith returned 4-under 68s on the opening day

The teenager swapped bogey for birdie inside the first three holes, but dropped a further two shots before the turn at the par-72 Woodmont Country Club.

Cool finish

A fourth bogey on the par-4 12^th was nullified with birdie on the par-5 15^th but Anika was to drop one more shot before closing her round out with consecutive pars.

Overall, it was a spirited effort from the California-based teenager now training under Noah Mongomery.

She could also benefit from Wednesday’s late start as effects of the storm that is hosing down the US’s east coast may have settled down by then.

Encouragingly for Anika, playing partner Valery Plata of Columbia was up in tied seventh place on 1-under 71 with promising Indian-American Megha Ganne.

The third member of their group, Ami Ghiachandani is alongside the Indian on 75 as well.

First-timers

Meanwhile, at the top of the order, Kuehn and Smyth are among 51 golfers in their first US Women’s Amateur, just under 40 percent of the field, the USGA website noted.

The field has had to weather thick rough and fast greens on the opening day

Kuehn, 19, birdied six of her first 11 holes at Woodmont while Smyth, 20, made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 337-yard fourth to start her day.

She then followed that with four additional birdies against one bogey over the 6,553-yard, par-72 layout.

Defending champion Gabriela Ruffels, who played with Kuehn, opened with an even-par 72. The Australian’s two early birdies were offset by bogeys on the back nine.

Maria Fernanda Escauriza of Paraguay carded a bogey-free, 3-under 69 on Monday to share third place alongside Americans Rachel Heck and Megan Schofill.

High scores

In all, 14 players from a field of 132 were under par on Monday with two players still to complete their opening rounds thanks to the threatening weather.

This is believed to be just the third time in championship history that play has been called off for a full day.

The other two instances are the semi-final round in 1990 and the championship match in 1925, the USGA said.

Also read: Anika honoured to wave the flag at US women’s amateur c’ship