SAN FRANCISCO – Fans chanted her name all day at The Olympic Club. She’s 17 years old and will be teeing it up tomorrow in the final grouping at the U.S. Women’s Open.
She’s the one and only Megha Ganne – who didn’t just smile when fans went crazy on Saturday, but encouraged them to cheer louder.
“I’ve always imagined myself engaging with the fans like that just because when I was younger and watching events, I knew I would love it when I would see the pros just even look at the crowd or smile or do anything like that, so I really wanted to embody that today,” said Ganne, following her third round.
There's no bogey like a #USWomensOpen bogey!
— U.S. Women's Open (USGA) (@uswomensopen) June 5, 2021
Amateur Megha Ganne is soaking up all the support from @TheOlympicClub's crowd. pic.twitter.com/rN5QdiK4VE
Her favorite members in the crowd are the little ones. It reminds her that she used to be that young(er) girl looking up to the pros.
“Every single small girl I saw out there I waved to and I couldn’t help but smiling,” she said. “They’re just so adorable and it’s crazy to think that they’re like here for me and want to watch me play.”
Ganne, who carded a 1-over 72 on Saturday, needed to put on a short-game clinic on her back nine to remain in contention for the final round. “I just hit no greens, like, ever on the back nine,” Megha said with a laugh.
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“It was really mentally a grind out there and I’ve never had to perform from such bad lies and situations, hole after hole, and still believe that I was going to do it again on the next hole. It was a lot, but I’m confident in how I’m playing.”
Believe. Dream. Achieve.
Megha is doing what every champion does best. She trusted in the parts of her game that were on and didn’t get frustrated when shots didn’t go her way.
“I know I didn’t have it [today], so I was, like, you have trust in your short game. And there were some putts I made that I normally just don’t make and I’m, like, your putting is kind of great right now, so just get it on whenever you can,” she said.
Her putting isn’t just great, it’s unbelievable, as she drained multiple putts within 10 feet to keep her score near par for the day. She is currently sitting at 3 under and four shots back of leader Lexi Thompson.
How is Ganne feeling about the round tomorrow? Her answer is epic.
“I’m already counting down the hours until I tee off again,” she said.