By Rahul Banerji
Seventeen-year-old Megha Ganne created waves on the opening day of the 76th US Women’s Open by taking a share of the lead at the Olympic Club in San Francisco on Thursday.
Megha, born to first-generation Indian immigrant parents Hari and Sudha, was alongside experienced Briton Mel Reid on 5-under par 67 with a host of former winners strung out behind them.
The teenager, who took to the game while accompanying her father to the course, is the first amateur to hold a share of the lead at the US Open in the last 15 years.
She is in her second US Women’s Open, having played the Charleston edition as a 15-year-old, two years ago.
Four strokes behind Megha on the leaderboard is another Indian-American, Gurleen Kaur of Houston, Texas, on level par 71 and in a share of 16th place.
Both Megha and Gurleen came through the series of Open qualifiers, the former from Spring Lake, New Jersey, and Kaur via the Humble, Texas event at the Golf Club of Houston,
A third Indian-American, Natalie Srinivasan was further down the field in tied 119th on 7-over par 78 alongside LPGA and LET winners Nelly Korda and Thai star Moriya Jutanugarn.
Flashback
Remarked Megha after her opening round that had six birdies and two bogeys, “This morning had this really strange flashback when I was marking my golf balls,
“I remember when I was in Charleston for my first US Open, I couldn’t even write the circles on my golf balls properly because my hands were shaking so badly.
“And this morning, I was just going away at it. So I definitely feel like I’ve matured and able to handle the pressure better than the first time around.
“I think the key is just playing in these more and more and you get better at it.”
Megha, coached by New York’s Katie Rudolph of The First Tee, dropped her second shot of the day on the par-5 18th when she found the green-side bunker and couldn’t manage a clean exit.
Megha hit consecutive birdies on her in-bound nine for the sole lead on 5-under, but the bogey dropped her back into a tie alongside Reid on the Lake Course of the Olympic Club.
“I think just my ability to play smart and not take any unnecessary risks, and I didn’t panic when I got into the rough a couple of times out there,” Ganne said later.
Tough stuff
“Because there are definitely holes I wasn’t keeping in the fairway, and it’s easy to panic out there, and I didn’t do that.
“I think the first time is nerve-racking for anybody and meeting your idols and being on the stage for the first time,” the Stanford-bound Megha said.
“But the second time around, even the practice rounds, I wasn’t as nervous. I felt like I could come here and just play my game instead of soaking that all in.”
In all, just 15 players brought in under-par cards including US legend Lexi Thompson, who was two shots behind the leaders. Canada’s Brooke Henderson, and Americans Angel Yin and Megan Khang were on 3-under 68s in shared third.
Defending champion A Lim Kim of South Korea had 6 over 77 while 2014 champion Michelle Wie West shot a 74.
Reid was quoted as saying that she was helped by a couple of long conversations with two-time men’s US Open champion Brooks Koepka that she carried over into the round.
“He gave me a few things that he follows by in a Major, so obviously appreciate his help,” she said.
“What he told me was, I thought, invaluable honestly, and it made me have a little bit different approach. That’s why I feel like I prepared the best.”
Also read: Srinivasan, Theegala emerge top US collegiate golfers
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