American amateur Megha Ganne and Brit Mel Reid were tied for the lead after the first round of the 2021 U.S. Women's Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Ahead of the second round, here is a look at the leaderboard courtesy of USGA.org:
T1. Megha Ganne: -4 (67)
T1. Mel Reid: -4 (67)
T3. Megan Khang: -3 (68)
T3. Brooke Henderson: -3 (68)
T3. Angel Yin: -3 (68)
T6. Shanshan Feng: -2 (69)
T6. Lexi Thompson: -2 (69)
T6. Yuka Saso: -2 (69)
T9. Seven players at -1 (70)
Ganne has been the story of the tournament thus far, as she is a 17-year-old high school student from New Jersey, per Stina Sternberg of Discovery Golf.
According to the Associated Press (h/t LPGA.com), Ganne is the first amateur in 15 years to hold a share of the lead at the end of any round in the U.S. Women's Open.
After the round, Ganne spoke to reporters and said she felt much more comfortable this time around than prior to her first entry in the U.S. Women's Open:
While Ganne is in prime position after one round, there are many big names within a few shots of her, including 2016 Women's PGA Championship winner Brooke Henderson and 2014 ANA Inspiration winner Lexi Thompson. Henderson is tied for third at three under, while Thompson is tied for sixth at two under.
There are also two huge stars lurking just outside the top 10 in Lydia Ko and Inbee Park, who are tied for 16th at even par.
Ko is a two-time major champion and Park has won seven, although Park is without a major win since 2015.
Both Ko and Park have a legitimate chance to add to their major title totals if they can close the gap a bit during Friday's second round.
One final big name to watch is Michelle Wie West, who is seven shots off the pace and tied for 54th at three-over.
Wie West was once a teenage prodigy like Ganne, and while she didn't become the dominant force many expected, she did win the 2014 U.S. Women's Open.
If Wie West is able to get in the mix, it would be fitting considering how well an American amateur like Ganne is playing in the early going.
