PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – A couple of amateurs from Stanford – Kelly Xu and Sadie Englemann – hit the opening tee shots off Nos. 1 and 10 at Pebble Beach and with that, history was a made. The first women’s major ever contested on this American treasure was underway and, well, it was a rough start for many of the best.
World No. 1 Jin Young Ko and No. 2 Nelly Korda started on the 10th tee and dug a hole early, carding a shocking 79 and 76, respectively. As bad as that was, rookie Natthakritta Vongtaveelap had it worse: She was disqualified after five holes.
Meanwhile, as is often the case, several amateurs had career days with three of the 27 inside the top 10.
Here’s the lowdown on how Round 1 unfolded on a damp and chilly day for some of the biggest names in the field, including rookie sensation Rose Zhang: