Amateurs Megha Ganne, Maja Stark in hunt at U.S. Women's Open

June 5, 2021 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

Megha Ganne (USGA photo)

Ganne tied for third while Stark is just five back heading into Saturday's third round.

Of the 31 amateurs in the field at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, four have made the cut and will be playing the weekend, while two are on the front page of the leaderboard heading into Saturday’s third round.

The biggest story of the tournament is Megha Ganne, a 17-year old high school junior from Holmdel, NJ who became the first amateur since 2006 to lead or co-lead after any round at the U.S. Women’s Open, finds herself tied for third place at 4-under par 138 after rounds of 67 and 71. Ganne, the No. 1 player in the Golfweek Junior Rankings, made two bogeys over her first six holes on Friday but carded three birdies over her next 12 holes to stay squarely in the mix heading into the weekend. She followed a birdie on her penultimate hole on Friday with a gutsy, eight-foot par save on the last to close with a 71, which arguably was more impressive than her opening round 67 considering she only hit nine fairways and 10 greens, usually a death sentence at the Olympic Club.

Ganne is just two strokes back of leader Yuka Saso of Japan heading into Saturday’s third round and will be paired with veteran Megan Khang in the second to last group on Saturday.

Oklahoma State’s Maja Stark, who tied for 13th last year at Champions Golf Club in Houston, is tied for ninth place at 1-under 141 following rounds of 71 and 70. She is one of just 11 players who has managed to navigate the first 36 holes at the treacherous Olympic Club under par.

Gurleen Kaur of Baylor (71-73-144) and Stanford’s Rachel Heck (75-72-147) will also be playing the weekend.

Catherine Lacoste of France, the daughter of tennis pro and Crocodile logo maven Henri, is the only amateur ever to have won the U.S. Women’s Open, claiming the title at the Homestead in 1967.

Results: U.S. Women's Open

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
T14	Megha Ganne	Holmdel, NJ	1000	67-71-72-77=287
T16	Maja Stark	, Sweden	900	71-70-73-74=288
T35	Rachel Heck	Memphis, TN	700	75-72-75-72=294
66	Gurleen Kaur	Houston, TX	500	71-73-80-81=305
MC	Isabella McCauley	Inner Grove Heights, MN	0	80-70=150

View full results for U.S. Women's Open

About the U.S. Women's Open

Amateurs Megha Ganne, Maja Stark in hunt at U.S. Women's Open

The U.S. Women's Open has the biggest payout in women's golf. It is one of 15 annual championships conducted by the USGA. The event is open to any professional or amateur female golfer. There is a handicap limit for amateurs; for the 2024 event it wa...