World No.1 Nelly Korda was among the big names to endure a first-round horror show as Lee led a faltering Australian challenge with a steely even-par 70 at the beautiful but beastly Lancaster Country Club outside Philadelphia.
Lee shook off two sloppy three-putts and a painful long-range lip-out on the back nine to be tied for fifth, just two shots off the pace in pursuit of a third major championship in three years – and a $US2 million ($A3 million) pay day at the richest event in women’s golf history.
It was no coincidence fellow former winner Yuka Saso topped the leaderboard with a two-under 68 as a raft of superstars slipped out of contention on the opening day.
Korda’s hopes of back-to-back majors – and a seventh win of the year – effectively ended on her third hole, the brutal par-3 12th, when the American hit three balls into a stream en route to a ghastly septuple-bogey 10.
World No.1 Nelly Korda was cut down at the knees by the brutal par-3 12th, penning a 10. PHOTO: Getty Images.
Korda wound up with an 80, as did New Zealand’s former World No.1 Lydia Ko and Canada’s fellow multiple major winner Brooke Henderson.
The day’s average score was more than five-over-par, the highest in a decade at a U.S Open, with American prodigy Rose Zhang (79) and retiring great Lexi Thompson (78) among those to also fall victim to the treacherous conditions.
Lee, though, held her nerve to stay right in the mix, just two back of Japan’s Saso and one behind the only other three players to finish in red numbers with rounds of 69 – Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai, French amateur Adela Cernousek and American Andrea Lee.
The 2022 champion is in a 10-way tie for fifth after offsetting five bogeys with five birdies on Thursday.
Gabriela Ruffels and Sarah Kemp are the next best Australians.
Ruffels rallied from two early double bogeys, while Kemp hit four bogeys in her outward nine, and seven overall, as both carded a 75 – one better than Lee’s in-form Perth stablemate Hannah Green.
Green, up to World No.5 following a two-win start to the year, let it slip with a back-nine 41 after making birdie at the 9th to drag herself back to even-par.
The 2019 PGA Championship winner’s troubles started with a short missed putt on 11 before she found the water on the 12th and took double.
Green racked up three more bogeys coming home and will need to fight on Friday to make the halfway cut.
Major championship debutant Keeley Marx also posted a 76, with Steph Kyriacou propping up the Australian contingent with a 77.
– Darren Walton
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