PORTLAND, Oregon — Samantha Wagner and Jennifer Hahn shot 4-under 68 on Monday in the US Women's Amateur (Tuesday, Manila time) to share the first-round lead in stroke-play qualifying.
The Philippines’ two bets, however, are off to sluggish starts at Portland Golf Club.
Princess Superal shot a 75 to stand seven strokes off the pace.
Last year’s US Girls Junior champion and one of nine USGA winners in the field, Superal hit three birdies but suffered four bogeys and made a double-bogey on the tough par-4 No. 7.
Daniella Uy, on the other hand, opened with a 77.
Superal was in joint 70, while Uy was at 101st and will have a lot of work to do to make the Match Play phase.
The top 64 after the second round Tuesday will advance to match play.
The 18-year-old Wagner, from Windermere, Florida, will be a freshman at Florida. She had four birdies on her final nine.
"I hit 14 greens today and I kept giving myself opportunities," Wagner said. "I think I just kind of got into a rhythm."
The 21-year Hahn, from Henderson, Nevada, will be a senior at Vanderbilt. She birdied six of the final 14 holes.
"I just thought of it as a brand new opportunity, a brand new nine, so I just stuck to my game plan," Hahn said. "My approach shots were better and the putts were dropping."
Cindy Ha of Demarest, New Jersey, opened with a 69. She will be a sophomore at Vanderbilt.
"You don't have to play a perfect game to have a good score," Ha said. "You just need to kind of adjust and adapt to the surroundings and adapt to the circumstances, and that's what I did really well today."
Stanford's Mariah Stackhouse of Riverdale, Georgia, was at 70 along with Canadian Women's Amateur champion Mariel Galdiano of Pearl City, Hawaii; Australia's Soo Jin Lee and France's Mathilda Cappeliez.
"My goal coming in for the week was to play good stroke-play rounds," Stackhouse said. "I've got one round out of the way, so we'll see what my game brings me tomorrow."
Defending champion Kristen Gillman of Austin, Texas, shot 71.
"I tried as hard as I could not to add any pressure," the 17-year-old Gillman said. "(I just wanted to) come out here and have fun and just enjoy being able to have that title on my back."