Australia’s LPGA stars have put themselves in the hunt on a testing opening day of the US Women’s Open at Erin Hills Golf Course in Wisconsin.
The lightning fast greens coupled with thick rough surrounding the fairways and greens made birdies hard to come by, and bogeys prevalent, in the first round of the second women’s major of the year but Grace Kim and Hannah Green fought hard to sit four shots off the lead in the US$12 million (A$18.6m) major.
There is a six-way tie at the top between Korean duo A Lim Kim and Jin Hee Im, American pair Angel Yin and Yealimi Noh, Japan’s Rio Takeda and Spain’s Julia Lopez Ramirez, who all shot four-under par rounds of 68, at the venue which hosted Brooks Koepka’s triumph in the men’s US Open in 2017.
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World No.8 Green opened her tournament with an even par 72 that included a gallant fight back late in her round.
ERIN, WISCONSIN – MAY 29: Hannah Green of Australia plays her shot from the third tee during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally 2025 at Erin Hills Golf Course on May 29, 2025 in Erin, Wisconsin. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Stacy Revere / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
The 2019 Women’s PGA champion stressed before the tournament that patience will be the key to success around Erin Hills’ brutal 6745-yard (6167 metres) layout, which is the longest a US Women’s Open course has played since 2016, and she reaped the rewards of doing so with back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth, the final two holes of her round.
That burst followed a double bogey seven at the par 5 seventh, as Green made five birdies and three bogeys for the day.
Green: Patience key to US Open success | 00:48
She gave herself plenty of scoring opportunities however, as the 28-year-old missed just one fairway.
Kim meanwhile, appeared headed for an under par round until a bogey at the last, the par 3 ninth, dropped her back to even par.
The 24-year-old was rock solid off the tee as she did not miss a single fairway, and capitalised on her stellar driving by making birdies at the par 5s 14 and 18.
ERIN, WISCONSIN – MAY 29: Grace Kim of Australia plays her shot from the 14th tee during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally 2025 at Erin Hills Golf Course on May 29, 2025 in Erin, Wisconsin. Patrick McDermott/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Patrick McDermott / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
A bogey at 17 ensured she reached the turn in 35 before making eight straight pars across the front nine, her second nine.
Minjee Lee and Gabriela Ruffels are just a shot back from Green and Kim after signing off on respective 73s, the same score as world No.1 Nelly Korda, whose sole birdie for the day came at the last hole.
Lee, the 2022 US Women’s Open champion and a two-time major winner, started strong with a birdie at the first hole but a double bogey at the fourth and a bogey at the seventh dropped her back to two-over par.
But a birdie at the ninth ensured she book ended a front nine 37 in style, before a solid back nine that contained just one birdie and on bogey kept her at +1.
ERIN, WISCONSIN – MAY 29: Minjee Lee of Australia looks on as she walks to the third tee during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally 2025 at Erin Hills Golf Course on May 29, 2025 in Erin, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Earlier in the afternoon field, 25-year-old former Australian number one junior tennis player Ruffels disappointingly bogeyed the par 5 18th to finish her round by dropping shot.
But Ruffels was consistent throughout the day, making two birdies and three bogeys, as her short game bailed her out several times as she hit just ten greens in regulation.
Stephanie Kyriacou is a shot back from Ruffels after shooting a 74.
The 24-year-old spoke to foxsports.com.au earlier in the week about her rise that has her sitting 26th on the LPGA’s money list this season, having pocketed US$415,567 (A$644,899) so far, but she will need to turn things around in the second round after carding four bogeys to off set her two birdies.
ERIN, WISCONSIN – MAY 29: Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia follows her shot on the third tee during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally 2025 at Erin Hills Golf Course on May 29, 2025 in Erin, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Jennifer Elliott, who came through qualifying to earn a place in the 156 player field, had a tough initiation in her major debut as she shot a six-over par 78.
The 24-year-old, whose family moved to Perth from South Africa when she was age seven, is a rookie professional on the ANNIKA Womens All Pro Tour, named for women’s golf legend Annika Sörenstam and designed as a pathway to the secondary Epson Tour, after playing college golf in the United States at Sam Houston State University in Texas.
