PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. | Making her first appearance in the U.S. Women’s Open since 2017, Epson Tour ambassador Bailey Tardy opened with a 3-under 69 in Thursday’s first round at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Tardy’s card was almost clean as the 26-year-old recorded one bogey, two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole, and she now sits one back of the lead at 3-under.
The 69 is Tardy’s lowest first-round score since she shot a Thursday 69 at the Cognizant Founders Cup in May. It’s also her lowest round in a major championship, besting her previous low score by one shot. The highlight of Tardy’s day came in a two-hole stretch as the Georgia native backed up her eagle on No. 6 with a birdie on the par-3 seventh hole. It was that 3-under run on some of Pebble Beach’s most recognizable holes that propelled her up the leaderboard and into the top five.
“Coming into 6, I had hit some really close approach shots and missed some good birdie putt opportunities,” said Tardy. “Hit a really good 3-wood up onto No. 6 and made maybe a 15, 20-foot putt for eagle. Then usually every time I've played 7 it's been into the wind and today it was just off the right, and you can just play a little draw into the back left pin. I hit it to maybe 10 feet, 8 feet and drained the putt. Super cool to play well on those two holes.”
Tardy is a 2023 LPGA Tour rookie, earning Membership after finishing second at the 2022 LPGA Q-Series last December. It’s been a challenging start to the year for Tardy, with five missed cuts and a withdrawal in her nine starts this season. Her best finish is a tie for 23rd at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei. But despite the struggles, the University of Georgia Bulldog has continued to battle her way through, even grinding her way to this week’s field thanks to a 20-foot birdie putt to win a four-hole playoff at the Minnesota qualifier.
“I didn't really know anything about the golf course but just went up there and played 36 holes,” Tardy said. “The playoff was, I don't know, in the dark. There were mosquitoes. Missed probably a 2-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole, so I felt like I kind of missed my opportunity to make it out here. Stayed patient, stayed in the moment, and I was still in the playoff, so I ended up making a really good birdie on the 18th hole there and that's what punched my ticket here.”
No matter what else comes her way this season, this week will always be special for Tardy. It’s her first U.S. Women’s Open as a professional and she’s in the red through one round at Pebble Beach. And those facts alone are enough to make even the grittiest of bulldogs smile.
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