Kiwi amateur Amelia Garvey has made a dream start to her Major championship career, finishing under par and among the leaders after the opening round at the US Women's Open in Texas.
Starting on the par-four 10th hole of the Cypress Creek course - one of two at the Champions Gold Club used for the event - she rolled home a long put for three.
The Cantabrian teed off at 5:04am (NZ time) in her first tournament since the NZ COVID-19 lockdown eight months ago.
Garvey fell to earth on the second hole, bogeying another par-four to fall to even par, but was back in the red soon after, when she birdied the par-four 15th and then the par-three 16th.
At two under, she found herself tied for second after seven holes, but finished with a birdy and two bogeys on the back nine to card 70, tied for second amateur behind Swede Linn Grant.
Shooting for her third Major title, fellow Kiwi Lydia Ko wasn't so steady, bogeying her first hole - the par-five 10th at the Jack Rabbit course - to immediately fall one over.
An eagle on the par-four 14th had her one under par among the leaders with Garvey, but mixed three more birdies with a bogey and double bogey to finish at even par.
American Amy Olson aced the par-three 16th at Cypress Creek en route to a first-round lead at four under, one stroke clear of Japanese Hinako Shibuno, Korean A Lim Kim and Yuka Saso of the Philippines.
