A three-under-par opening round for Áine Donegan in the Women’s US Open at Pebble Beach – in her first start in a professional tournament – is truly what dreams are made of.
Donegan finished the day only one shot off the lead. She was 10 shots ahead of the world number one Jin Young Ko, seven shots ahead of Lydia Ko and a whole host of the best women pros in the world. Leona Maguire equalled her score on Thursday, giving the top of the leaderboard a distinctly Irish feel.
Her first round had a few moments she will never forget. After a nervy start with two bogeys, on the 15th hole, she holed a 96-yard approach for eagle.
“When I hit it, I knew it was good. It was just bounce, bounce and drops in. I have my family here, and some other Irish who live in the United States and there was a big scream from the Irish people. Just one of those things. I’m back to even and we start again. I was really pleas …
- July 8, 2023
