SCORING | GALLERY (to come)
PITTSBURGH — The good times have been rolling of late for Melanie Green.
The 24-year-old professional continued a strong run of play, posting a historic second round Tuesday at Shannopin Country Club and securing a spot in the 81st U.S. Women’s Open.
A University of South Florida grad, Green shot 8-under, including a mark of 65 during her second round, breaking the Shannopin course record for a female by two strokes, and the club’s competition record for a female by three strokes.
“I wouldn't say it was a rollercoaster; it was actually pretty steady all day,” said the Medina, New York native. “It was just a good day, all in all, and I felt like I played pretty good, pretty solid.”
Despite a pair of late bogeys, Green shot a first round score of 71, keeping her two strokes off of the lead, held at the time by Washington County native Rachel Rohanna.
After a brief break, Green surged. She carded eight birdies and one bogey in the second round, doing so through challenging elements, with wind gusts that peaked over 30 miles per hour.
“I actually think playing in the wind is fun,” she said. “I like playing in the elements. I think it just allows me to be more creative and less robotic. You can kind of play with the wind. I’m not really one that likes to fight against it.”
Green, who sits at 133rd in the Rolex Rankings and has made five cuts in six professional starts this year, is coming off a strong weekend in which she finished in the top ten for a second time this season, tying for ninth at the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba. She earned a first round lead in the event, which was eventually won by Nelly Korda, thanks in part to a hole-in-one.
“The hole-in-one was fun, even though I didn’t see it go in,” said Green, who competed Tuesday without her caddy, who she sent ahead to New Jersey for this week’s Mizuho Americas Open. “I’m definitely happy with where my game’s at.”
Green also tied for ninth at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro in April, taking home her largest payday of the year at over $100,000. She finished 45th at The Chevron Championship last month.
Behind Green, a pair of amateurs battled it out for the two alternate positions. In a brief playoff, Canadian Michelle Xing — a 17-year-old high schooler committed to UCLA — edged Texas A&M sophomore Vanessa Borovilos, a fellow Canadian. Both players record 2-under scores on the day, with Xing’s second round score of 68 being the day’s second-best round.
Rohanna, a professional who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open two years ago at Shannopin Country Club, finished 1-over on the day. She shot a score of 69 in the opening round, but 76 in the afternoon.
“I made a lot of putts the first 18 holes,” said Rohanna, who held the previous Shannopin female competition scoring record of 68. “I had some saves at 10 to 15 feet that definitely helped out. But I started the second 18 and just couldn’t get anything going. I couldn’t make the putts that I made in the first 18.
“Every competitor out here knows that you have to putt well in this. It can be a little bit of a crapshoot. You have to be on your game at the right time.”
Several others with Western Pennsylvania ties competed Tuesday. Shady Side Academy’s Alyssa Zhang shot 8-over, Erie’s Anna Swan was 11-over, Elizabeth Forward High School’s Mya Morgan was 16-over and Peters Township High School’s Ellie Benson was 17-over. Carnegie Mellon University sophomore Nikita Jadhav ended at 23-over.
But it was Green who certainly proved to be most on her game, doing so of late at a young age and in big moments. Tuesday, however, was a bit of a different moment, and a memorable one – one that gave her a place in Western Pennsylvania golf history and one that sends her to the 81st U.S. Women’s Open at The Riviera Club in California next month with some massive momentum.
“As somebody that wants to keep getting better at this game, you need to remember the really good rounds,” said Green, who will play in her second U.S. Women’s Open, having appeared in the national championship in 2022 as a 20-year-old. “This will definitely go in the memory bank as one of the better rounds I’ve played, for sure.”
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