Competing against the best juniors in the world, Greenwood’s Kathleen Gallagher finds herself near the top after the first day of the 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at Lake Merced Golf Club near San Francisco.
Gallagher, 15, who will be a sophomore at Pillow Academy this year, carded a 1-over-par 73 Monday and enters today in third place.
“I was just real excited about being here,” said Gallagher, the junior medalist at the 2011 Mississippi Women’s Golf Association’s State Amateur Championship. “I played really well in my qualifier, and I was so excited. I’ve been trying to play in this thing for about two years, and this year was good.”
Gallagher, the daughter of former PGA Tour player and current Champions Tour player Jim Gallagher Jr. and former LPGA Tour player Cissye Gallagher, became the third member of the family to qualify for a USGA championship.
With temperatures hovering in the 50s and winds gusting as high as 23 miles per hour, Gallagher managed three birdies against four bogeys on a golf course where the scoring average through the morning wave was nearly 82.
“It was chilly and windy for sure,” said Gallagher. “I just had to play a lot of clubs different because of the wind and the slope. The course is real slopey, uphill and downhill.”
Gallagher, who helped Pillow to a State AAA golf championship this year, was the leader in the clubhouse after the morning wave of play.
Gallagher had older brother Thomas on the bag and mom watching from the gallery.
Her father is in Madison prepping for the True South Classic, which starts Thursday at Annandale Golf Club.
Defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand carded a 1-under 71 for the only sub-par score of the first round of stroke-play qualifying at Lake Merced Golf Club.
Jutanugarn is attempting to become the first player since Inbee Park in 2003-05 to earn medalist honors in consecutive seasons. She could also become only the third consecutive champion in U.S. Girls’ Junior history, joining recent World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Hollis Stacy (1969-71) and Judy Eller (1957-58).
Canadian Brogan McKinnon, 17, sits one stroke back at even-par 72. Both McKinnon and Gallagher are newcomers to this prestigious event.
The 2012 U.S. Girls’ Junior will continue today with the second round of stroke-play qualifying. Then the 156-player field will be trimmed to 64 for match play, which begins on Wednesday and concludes with the 36-hole final on Saturday.
• Contact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow on Twitter:@Bill_Burrus.
