Young New Zealand golfer Amelia Garvey has made an impressive start to her first appearance at a major championship.
Amelia Garvey. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
The 20-year-old Cantabrian was just three shots off the lead, tied for 12th, after the opening round at the US Open in Texas.
With the tournament being played later in the year than usual due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the days being shorter, two different courses at the Champions Club in Houston were being used for the event.
Garvey started her campaign on the Cypress Creek course, finishing with a one-under par 70 which included four birdies and three bogeys.
The world's 25th-ranked amateur was the first New Zealander other than two-time major winner Lydia Ko to feature at a women's major in more than four years.
Ko herself returned a solid first round number of even-par 71, even if the round itself was not so steady.
Playing on the Jack Rabbit course, she had an eagle and two bogeys on her first nine, before coming in with three birdies, a bogey and a double bogey.
American Amy Olsen, who made a hole-in-one on the par-three 16th, held the outright lead at four-under par.
In a share of second at three-under were Japan's Hinako Shibuno, Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn and A Lim Kim of South Korea.