PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Rose Zhang of the United States and Lydia Ko of New Zealand talk as they walk the 14th hole during the first round of the 78th U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on July 06, 2023. | Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Rose Zhang battled through difficult conditions at the U.S. Women’s Open, but Michelle Wie and other stars had a tough time at Pebble Beach.
The chilly and windy conditions at Pebble Beach have made things difficult for the best female golfers on the planet at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Only 20 players finished under par after the opening round.
Xiyu Janet Lin of China and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea lead at 4-under par after carding rounds of 68 on Thursday.
Rose Zhang, meanwhile, shot a 2-over 74 for her first round.
She struggled at times but played better than her score indicated.
The former Stanford Cardinal began the day with birdies at the par-4 3rd hole and the short par-4 4th.
She dropped a shot at the par-3 5th, but at the famous par-3 7th, where she landed a tee in her back pocket during a practice round, Zhang stuck her tee shot to a couple of feet, leading to her third birdie of the day.
Rose Zhang set up birdie with signature accuracy off the tee on the iconic par-3 7th at Pebble Beach.
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— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 7, 2023
But her round completely unraveled at the tough par-4 8th.
After finding the fairway, Zhang rifled her second shot down into the ravine that bisects the 394-yard hole.
She made a double-bogey and could not shake that off on the back nine. Bogeys at the 10th and 15th, both par-4s, dropped her farther down the leaderboard.
At the 17th, a tough par-3 that faces the ocean, Zhang made an unbelievable par, echoing Gary Woodland during the final round of the 2019 U.S. Open. She needed to use a wedge from the putting surface to carry a severe slope on the green.
Zhang made it look easy.
The 20-year-old phenom battled the tough conditions Thursday and finished six shots off the lead at day’s end. Six strokes may seem like a lot, but for the U.S. Open—especially in windy and chilly weather—that is not a huge margin.
Players can never win tournaments on Thursdays, but they can certainly lose them.
Michelle Wie West likely lost the tournament Thursday after carding an opening 7-over 79.
Wie West failed to make a birdie and instead bogeyed the 4th, 8th, 13th, and difficult par-5 14th. She finished with an ugly triple bogey at the closing hole, the famous par-5 along the coast.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Michelle Wie West of the United States walks up the 18th hole during the first round of the 78th U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links on July 06, 2023.
Wie West’s triple at the last likely sealed her fate at the final major championship of her storied career.
Other notable players struggled too.
Jin Young Ko, the number one ranked player in the world, also shot a 7-over 79 on Thursday. She made just one birdie at the par-5 6th.
The next three highest-ranked players in the world—Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, and Lillia Vu—did not have their best stuff Thursday either.
Korda and Ko carded 4-over 76s while Vu shot a 79.
Ko made waves on social media after hooking her tee shot at the par-3 5th.
She made a quadruple-bogey seven and played the rest of her round at even par. One bad swing completely sent her round sideways.
Friday’s weather on the Monterrey Peninsula calls for similar conditions as Thursday, winds ranging from 15-20 mph, cloudy skies, and temperatures hovering around 60 degrees. Tough conditions for sure, but whoever can make a move at Pebble Beach will surely have a chance at the title come Sunday.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
