Garvey’s opening-day card was dotted with six birdies and three bogeys. She has managed to hold off Baylor’s Gurleen Kaur by a shot so far in the race for the No. 1 seed.
“Really, I just was grinding out there,” Garvey said. “I really didn’t hit a lot of great shots, but my scrambling was so good, and my chipping was immaculate. I’m definitely happy with this number.”
Defending champion Stephanie Lau, who plays for Northwestern, is also part of the tie for seventh.
There’s a new name in the mix after the first round, too. Nicole Adam isn’t necessarily new to these parts – she’s the only Pinehurst player on the tee sheet, after all – but the high school senior is enjoying something of a coming-out party on the national stage this summer. Last month, she played her way into the final group at the inaugural Donna Andrews Invitational in Lynchburg, Va., and finished an eventual third.
Andrews, a renowned teacher based in Pinehurst, works with Adam’s swing.
“I’m really excited,” said the 17-year-old North Carolina commit. “It’s a great experience playing against all of these really high-level college players.”
With amateur golf’s best in town, Pinehurst No. 2 looked a little different than Adam is used to seeing it. A tougher setup hardly seemed to bother her, though.
The Nicole Adam highlight reel included a made 30-footer on No. 7 for one of her four birdies on the day.
“Definitely, the greens were faster,” she said. “I knew it was going to be very important to hit the middle of the greens, and I did that today.”
“That was one of my best rounds ever on No. 2,” she added.
Quotes from Pinehurst Resort used in this report
