A common adage is that the golf ball doesn’t know the age of the person hitting it. That certainly applies to the first round of the 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay, where Alice Ziyi Zhao, the second-youngest player in the field at 13 years/6 months, shot a 6-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead.
This is the first USGA championship for Zhao, who was born in Shenyang, China, and now lives in Irvine, Calif. She showed no sign of nerves, however. Starting on No. 10, Zhao carded six birdies over her first nine holes to make the turn in 30. She cooled off a bit after that with an even-par score on her inward nine but still topped a field of 156 that includes USGA champions, Curtis Cup Team members and players who have competed at the highest levels of the game.
“Coming into today I didn’t really have any expectations,” said Zhao. “The course is really beautiful, and I just tried to enjoy my round and not think about shooting low.”
One stroke behind Zhao at 5-under-par 68 is another Chinese-born Irvine resident, Angela (Yilin) Liu, along with Laney Frye of Nicholasville, Ky., and Casey Weidenfeld of Pembroke Pines, Fla. Three more players are tied for fifth place at 4-under 69: Kelsey Bennett and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, both of Australia, and Brooke Seay, of San Diego, Calif.
Chambers Bay, a municipal course built on the site of a former gravel quarry overlooking Puget Sound, is known for its sloping fairways and challenging green complexes. Many players are seeing it for the first time, and they emphasized the importance of hitting to the proper sides of greens and staying out of the tall, wispy fescue rough.
“Everything went pretty well, including my putting,” said Liu. “I was pretty concerned about the greens because they are very sloped, but it worked out because my approach shots were really good, so I didn’t have to worry too much.”
Frye, a University of Kentucky teammate of defending champion Jensen Castle, put in some extra work leading into the championship.
“It’s amazing. I came out here Thursday so I could walk it on Friday,” she said. “I played 18 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. I might be dragging later for it, but I love the course. I could play it a million times.”
Castle began her title defense with an even-par 73, good for a tie for 29th. Other notable players who scored par or better today include a number of players who were on the 2021 and/or 2022 USA Curtis Cup Teams: Rachel Kuehn (70), Megha Ganne (71), Latanna Stone (71), Amari Avery (72) and Rachel Heck (73). World No. 6 Tsubasa Kajitani of Japan shot a 1-under 72.
Seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port, who at 60 is the second-oldest player in the field, birdied her last two holes to shoot a 1-over 74, good for a tie for 45th place.
What’s Next
Round 2 will take place on Tuesday, with tee times again beginning at 7 a.m. and continuing through 2:12 p.m. Pacific Time. The low 64 scorers after 36 holes will advance to match play. If a playoff is necessary to determine the last match play spots, it is scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening.
Notable
The 6-under 67 turned in by leader Alice Ziyi Zhou on Monday is a women’s course record at Chambers Bay.
Warren Schutte, who became the first international champion of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship when he won in 1992, is serving as caddie for his daughter Abbey this week. The 50-year-old South African now runs his own instructional academy at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Laney Frye, one of the longest hitters in the field, took advantage of her distance to make two of the seven eagles recorded on Monday on Holes 1 and 13, both par fives that she reached in two shots.
Three players led the field by making eight birdies in Round 1 (Zhou, Rachel Kuehn, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard).
In the previous three U.S. Women’s Amateurs combined, 48 players have shot under par in Round 1 of stroke play; 47 of them advanced to match play. That bodes well for the 28 players who finished under par on Monday.
The 424-yard, par-4 7th played as the most difficult hole in Round 1. There were more double bogeys and others (12 combined) than birdies (7).
Quotable
“My four-ball partner and I, Jillian Bourdage, we’ve been the runners-up two years in a row, so having that experience in USGA championships really helps me in any long tournament.” – Casey Weidenfeld (68), on experience being an advantage
“The more experience, the better. These championships are built up pretty big with the welcome party and all that kind of stuff. This is what you want to win. So there’s extra motivation, extra nerves and extra preparation too.” – Laney Frye (68) on playing in her fourth USGA championship
“I know going into match play it is a whole different game. Even if you’re the 64 seed, you can still win. So I try not to think ahead too much.” – Alice Ziyi Zhao (67), on whether her score today changes her approach for tomorrow
“Even through the practice rounds I just really enjoyed the course and felt like it set up well for my game. I hit it well off the tee, which I think is key around here. I did slip up and make a double on #8 but I managed to get [the strokes] back.” – Kelsey Bennett (68), on her first-round performance
Results from Monday's first round of stroke play at the 2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, played at 6,541-yard, par-73 Chambers Bay
1 Alice Ziyi Zhao, People's Republic of China - 37-30--67
T2 Angela (Yilin) Liu, Irvine, Calif. - 34-34--68
T2 Laney Frye, Nicholasville, Ky. - 33-35--68
T2 Casey Weidenfeld, Pembroke Pines, Fla. - 34-34--68
T5 Kelsey Bennett, Australia - 36-33--69
T5 Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Australia - 34-35--69
T5 Brooke Seay, San Diego, Calif. - 34-35--69
T8 Taglao Jeeravivitaporn, Thailand - 35-35--70
T8 Rachel Kuehn, Asheville, N.C. - 37-33--70
T8 Lauren Gomez, Murrieta, Calif. - 35-35--70
T8 Cassie Kim, Yakima, Wash. - 33-37--70
T12 Han Hsuan Yu, Chinese Taipei - 36-35--71
T12 Kayla Smith, Burlington, N.C. - 37-34--71
T12 Lynn Lim, Gallatin, Tenn. - 36-35--71
T12 Megha Ganne, Holmdel, N.J. - 37-34--71
T12 Melanie Green, Medina, N.Y. - 38-33--71
T12 Latanna Stone, Riverview, Fla. - 38-33--71
T12 Brianna Navarrosa, San Diego, Calif. - 37-34--71
T12 Zoe Campos, Valencia, Calif. - 34-37--71
T12 Leigha Devine, Windsor, Colo. - 35-36--71
T21 Sera Hasegawa, Japan - 38-34--72
T21 Tsubasa Kajitani, Japan - 36-36--72
T21 Nicole Abelar, Philippines - 38-34--72
T21 Jennifer Rosenberg, Laurel Hollow, N.Y. - 36-36--72
T21 Mia Hammond, New Albany, Ohio - 35-37--72
T21 Amari Avery, Riverside, Calif. - 36-36--72
T21 Kaleiya Romero, San Jose, Calif. - 38-34--72
T21 Jennifer Cleary, Wilmington, Del. - 38-34--72
T29 Annabel Wilson, Republic of Ireland - 39-34--73
T29 Saki Baba, Japan - 39-34--73
T29 Katie Li, Basking Ridge, N.J. - 36-37--73
T29 Lilly Thomas, Bentonville, Ark. - 38-35--73
T29 Catherine Rao, Camarillo, Calif. - 36-37--73
T29 Jensen Castle, Columbia, S.C. - 37-36--73
T29 Sara Im, Duluth, Ga. - 36-37--73
T29 Gianna Clemente, Estero, Fla. - 36-37--73
T29 Zoe Slaughter, Houston, Texas - 38-35--73
T29 Leigh Chien, Irvine, Calif. - 36-37--73
T29 Thienna Huynh, Lilburn, Ga. - 39-34--73
T29 Rachel Heck, Memphis, Tenn. - 36-37--73
T29 Taylor Ledwein, New Prague, Minn. - 35-38--73
T29 Amanda Sambach, Pinehurst, N.C. - 38-35--73
T29 Emma Abramson, Sandwich, Mass. - 36-37--73
T29 Annabelle Pancake, Zionsville, Ind. - 38-35--73
T45 Vanessa Borovilos, Canada - 39-35--74
T45 Savannah Grewal, Canada - 37-37--74
T45 Coco Pei, Canada - 40-34--74
T45 Lauren Zaretsky, Canada - 38-36--74
T45 Victoria Zheng, Canada - 40-34--74
T45 Jasmine Youn, Guatemala - 39-35--74
T45 Nika Ito, Japan - 37-37--74
T45 Isabel Amezcua, Mexico - 38-36--74
T45 Julia Gregg, Farmers Branch, Texas - 37-37--74
T45 Grace Curran, New Lenox, Ill. - 39-35--74
T45 Ina Kim-Schaad, New York, N.Y. - 38-36--74
T45 Sarah Lydic, Ocean View, Del. - 38-36--74
T45 Jaclyn LaHa, Pleasanton, Calif. - 39-35--74
T45 Camryn Carreon, San Antonio, Texas - 36-38--74
T45 Sabrina Iqbal, San Jose, Calif. - 39-35--74
T45 Kate Barber, Savannah, Ga. - 38-36--74
T45 Ellen Port, St. Louis, Mo. - 38-36--74
T45 Ami Gianchandani, Watchung, N.J. - 39-35--74
T63 Euna Han, Canada - 38-37--75
T63 Hsin Tai Lin, Chinese Taipei - 38-37--75
T63 Britta Snyder, Ames, Iowa - 37-38--75
T63 Helen Yeung, Clarksville, Md. - 38-37--75
T63 Hannah Levi, D'Iberville, Miss. - 38-37--75
T63 Aneka Seumanutafa, Emmitsburg, Md. - 36-39--75
T63 Catherine Park, Irvine, Calif. - 39-36--75
T63 Kaitlyn Schroeder, Jacksonville, Fla. - 39-36--75
T63 Megan Schofill, Monticello, Fla. - 36-39--75
T63 Kynadie Adams, Nashville, Tenn. - 38-37--75
T63 Aliea Clark, New York, N.Y. - 37-38--75
T63 Julia Misemer, Overland Park, Kan. - 37-38--75
T63 Isabel Sy, San Gabriel, Calif. - 38-37--75
T63 Megan Yang, San Jose, Calif. - 37-38--75
T63 Anika Dy, Traverse City, Mich. - 38-37--75
T78 Justice Bosio, Australia - 38-38--76
T78 Angela Arora, Canada - 39-37--76
T78 Monet Chun, Canada - 40-36--76
T78 Jennifer Gu, Canada - 39-37--76
T78 Jieni Li, People's Republic of China - 38-38--76
T78 Bohyun Park, Republic of Korea - 38-38--76
T78 Fiona Xu, New Zealand - 40-36--76
T78 Tomi Arejola, Philippines - 41-35--76
T78 Morgan Miller, Austin, Texas - 41-35--76
T78 Sophia Burnett, Bluffton, S.C. - 40-36--76
T78 Megan Whittaker, Elkhorn, Neb. - 39-37--76
T78 Elina Kuang, Murrieta, Calif. - 40-36--76
T78 Izzy Pellot, Orlando, Fla. - 37-39--76
T78 Ellie Roth, Plano, Texas - 40-36--76
T78 Meagan Winans, Richardson, Texas - 37-39--76
T78 Anna Fang, San Diego, Calif. - 38-38--76
T78 Gracie McGovern, Scottsdale, Ariz. - 38-38--76
T78 Brooke Biermann, Wildwood, Mo. - 38-38--76
T96 Valentina Rossi, Argentina - 37-40--77
T96 Brooke Rivers, Canada - 40-37--77
T96 Yixian Guo, People's Republic of China - 40-37--77
T96 Rianne Mikhaela Malixi, Philippines - 37-40--77
T96 Ching-Tzu Chen, Chinese Taipei - 38-39--77
T96 Grace Lee, Bellevue, Wash. - 41-36--77
T96 Emilia Migliaccio, Cary, N.C. - 42-35--77
T96 Abbey Daniel, Covington, La. - 37-40--77
T96 Bailey Shoemaker, Dade City, Fla. - 37-40--77
T96 Carly Carter, Eagle, Idaho - 43-34--77
T96 Kelly Sim, Edgewater, N.J. - 38-39--77
T96 Charlotte Hillary, Englewood, Colo. - 38-39--77
T96 Emily Dunlap, Greenville, S.C. - 41-36--77
T96 Danielle Suh, Herndon, Va. - 39-38--77
T96 Ty Akabane, Honolulu, Hawaii - 38-39--77
T96 Alice Hodge, Larchmont, N.Y. - 41-36--77
T96 Lauren Lehigh, Loveland, Colo. - 39-38--77
T96 Tatum Walsh, Midlothian, Va. - 39-38--77
T96 Caroline Patterson, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. - 40-37--77
T96 Ashley Kim, Redondo Beach, Calif. - 40-37--77
T96 Molly Smith, Westford, Mass. - 36-41--77
T96 Faith Kilgore, Wimberley, Texas - 37-40--77
T96 Sarah Kahn, Windermere, Fla. - 38-39--77
T119 Sofia Benavides, Mexico - 41-37--78
T119 Amber Park, Allen, Texas - 42-36--78
T119 Allison Bray, Cape Girardeau, Mo. - 40-38--78
T119 Kendall Prince, Lake Oswego, Ore. - 37-41--78
T119 Martha Leach, Hebron, Ky. - 39-39--78
T119 Shannyn Vogler, Moline, Ill. - 41-37--78
T119 Alexandra Gazzoli, Palm Coast, Fla. - 39-39--78
T119 Adithi Anand, Redmond, Wash. - 39-39--78
T119 Leia Chung, Wahiawa, Hawaii - 41-37--78
T128 Tillie Claggett, Canada - 40-39--79
T128 Alessandra Nagayo, Canada - 37-42--79
T128 Audrey Tan, Malaysia - 42-37--79
T128 Andie Smith, Bluffton, S.C. - 39-40--79
T128 Sophie Linder, Carthage, Tenn. - 40-39--79
T128 Abbey Schutte, Goodyear, Ariz. - 44-35--79
T128 Mason Lewis, Granbury, Texas - 38-41--79
T128 Reagan Zibilski, Springfield, Mo. - 44-35--79
T128 Ryan Flynn, Truckee, Calif. - 42-37--79
T137 Brooklyn Millard, Aurora, Ohio - 40-40--80
T137 Blakesly Brock, Chattanooga, Tenn. - 41-39--80
T137 Claire Wright, Chowchilla, Calif. - 39-41--80
T137 Crystal Wang, Diamond Bar, Calif. - 42-38--80
T137 Yana Wilson, Henderson, Nev. - 41-39--80
T137 Avery Weed, Ocean Springs, Miss. - 41-39--80
T137 Kaitlyn Lee, Scarsdale, N.Y. - 43-37--80
T144 Tiffany Kong, Canada - 42-39--81
T144 Kate Nakaoka, Mililani, Hawaii - 41-40--81
T144 Lara Tennant, Portland, Ore. - 41-40--81
T147 Tunrada Piddon, Thailand - 40-42--82
T147 Ailis Tribolet, Chandler, Ariz. - 44-38--82
T147 Michelle Woo, Fremont, Calif. - 45-37--82
T147 Alison Takamiya, Honolulu, Hawaii - 39-43--82
T147 Faith Belmear, Owasso, Okla. - 44-38--82
T147 Cara Heisterkamp, Westlake, Ohio - 40-42--82
T153 Hunter Nugent, Canada - 45-38--83
T153 Emma Tang, Chino Hills, Calif. - 42-41--83
155 Alise Knudson, Dallas, Texas - 39-45--84
156 Adie Maki, Canton, Mich. - 43-46--89
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