Melanie Green sets course record at Shannopin CC while qualifying for U.S. Women's Open

Melanie Green has earned a spot in the upcoming U.S. Women's Open and did so while setting a women's course record at Shannopin Country Club.

The club has hosted a qualifier event every year since 2018 and did so again Tuesday, with the top player earning a spot in the 81st playing of the U.S. Women's Open Championship at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California next month. 

Golfers from 13 states and eight different countries competed in the 36-hole event with only the top finisher advancing to next month's championship.

Melanie Green, 24, was the winner of the qualifier with a score of -8 under par and has punched her ticket to Riviera, fueled in part by a second round score of 65, the best 18-hole score ever recorded by a female golfer at Shannopin.

The Western Pennsylvania Golf Association said Green's round of 65, which featured seven birdies and just one bogey, topped the previous course record at Shannopin by two strokes.

Green said she was under the weather a bit the last few days, joking that she was "just trying to survive the day."

"As somebody that wants to keep getting better at this game, you need to remember the really good rounds," Green said. "It'll definitely go in the memory bank as one of the better rounds that I've played, for sure."

Rachel Rohanna, a western Pennsylvania native, was one of the local favorites and found herself tied for the lead after the first round of play, but was unable to hang on, finishing the day tied for fourth place.

"I do think I took advantage of the wind for about 75% of my holes today," Rohanna said. "It just kind of depends on how you look it, how you're hitting it."

Rohanna said she was overall pretty happy with how she played, but said she needs to focus more on her play around the greens with some more short game practice in the near future. 

The U.S. Women's Open is being held from June 4 to June 7.