Xiyu “Janet” Lin of China set the pace early and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea joined her by the end of the day, forging a tie for the lead at 4-under-par 68 after one round of the U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links.
Lin, the World No. 9, is the highest-ranked player without a win on the LPGA Tour. Her counterpart, Kim, is ranked No. 8 in the world and won her first and only major title at the 2014 Evian Championship.
They held a one-shot lead over six players tied at 3-under 69, including 21-year-old Irish amateur Aine Donegan. She was joined there by Leona Maguire of Ireland, Nasa Hataoka of Japan, South Korea’s Hae Ran Ryu, Bailey Tardy and Allisen Corpuz.
Two more amateurs — Italy’s Benedetta Moresco, 21, and Amari Avery, 19 — were part of a tie for ninth at 2-under 70.
Lin stayed in great form after finishing tied for third at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship two weeks ago.
“I feel like when you’re on a good run, you better just get something out of it,” Lin said.
She started on the back nine and made her first two birdies at the par-4 15th and par-5 18th holes, the latter on a 30 1/2-foot putt. She added birdies at Nos. 2, 4 and 6, and her only bogey came at her closing hole, No. 9.
Then Kim went out in the afternoon wave and piled up four birdies over her first eight holes before taking a step back with a bogey at No. 9. She stayed at 3 under until the par-3 17th, where her 20 1/2-foot birdie putt fell to make her a co-leader again.
“I was quite concerned about the front nine, but I was able to do a good job,” Kim said. “Then the back nine I had some risky stretches, but I was able to make par each time, and I’m very satisfied with my overall performance to the end.”
Donegan had led for part of the morning wave before Lin passed her. In her major debut, the LSU student finished with five birdies, four bogeys and one eagle.
She started her round on the back nine with consecutive bogeys before holing out from 96 yards for eagle at the par-4 15th hole.
“Hit a driver down 15 and I had about 96 to the pin and my coach said, ‘Just play it a little bit right of the pin.’ … I hit the shot and I knew it was going to be good,” Donegan said. “Then it bounced, bounced, and kind of spins back and it just drops in.”
Donegan’s clubs did not arrive in California from overseas until Tuesday. When they finally did, she discovered her driver was “completely smashed.” She had to use a substitute Ping driver.
“Honestly I am delighted I did,” she said. “It’s like everything happens for a reason, that the clubs were late and then the driver came and it was broken and all of a sudden I have no choice but to put this Ping driver in.”
Her countrywoman, Maguire, birdied two of her final four holes to move to 3 under. She is playing for the first time since squandering a 54-hole lead at the Women’s PGA Championship.
The champion there, China’s Ruoning Yin, posted a 1-under 71 Thursday to start her week at the third major of the women’s golf season.
The U.S. Women’s Open is offering up a record $11 million purse, with $2 million to the winner. It also marks the first modern-era women’s major at Pebble Beach, which stumped some of the best players in the world early on. World No. 1 Jin Young Ko of South Korea shot a 7-over 79 and World No. 2 Nelly Korda was at 4-over 76.
Heralded rookie Rose Zhang was 2 under through seven holes but made a double bogey at the par-4 eighth and finished with a 2-over 74. One of her playing partners fared better than the other: Canadian Brooke Henderson birdied two of her last three to shoot 71, while World No. 3 Lydia Ko of New Zealand had a 76.
Michelle Wie West, in the final event of her playing career, opened with a 79.
–Field Level Media
