SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. – Mina Harigae hasn’t felt confident on the greens all year.
Until today.
The 32-year-old carded nine birdies in a sizzling 7-under 64 to take the first-round lead at the 77th U.S. Women’s Open. Her effort ties the second-lowest round in championship history. It also marks her first round in the 60s in 36 previous career rounds at the Women’s Open.
Harigae leads amateur Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden by one stroke.
“It was Jordan Spieth-esque out there today,” she said as she walked off the flash podium late Thursday evening.
Harigae’s 24 putts leads the field. She credited boyfriend Travis Kreiter for finding the key to such a wildly successful day on the greens. All of a sudden, her stroke felt like 2021 again.
“She has a tendency to get her left shoulder up and out,” Kreiter said, “and kind of hit putts weak and right. I just had her hit putts and I put my finger on the top of the grip while she hit putts and she started to hit it more solid.”
Mina Harigae hits the ball off the 16th tee during the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at the Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Thursday, June 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Harigae, who enjoyed a breakout season last year making the U.S. Solheim Cup team, made a 10-footer for birdie on the first hole that Kreiter said got her going. Her white-hot round included two bogeys, including one on the par-5 10th.
While she played at Pine Needles as an amateur in the 2007 Women’s Open, she only remembered the putting green and first and last holes. The California native spent one semester at Duke, but feels more of a tie to North Carolina due to her affinity for Michael Jordan.
“Must be the shoes, right?” she said, smiling.
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