Monet Chun knows she's good. This week, she'll get to see just how good.
The product of Richmond Hill, Ont., is one of four Canadians who will tee off at the U.S. Women's Open, the third major of the women's golf season. World No. 11 Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is the top-ranked Canadian in the field, with Chun, Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., and Celeste Dao from Notre-Dame-de-l'Ile-Perrot, Que., all amateurs.
"It's just an amazing opportunity, really," said Chun after finishing practice at storied Pebble Beach Golf Links, which hosts the event this year. "I get a chance to see where I'm at.
"Obviously, I would love to turn pro but that won't be until after I graduate school. So just a good test."
All three Canadian amateurs are on the golf teams of NCAA schools. Chun plays for Michigan, Kim attends the University of Texas and Dao is at Georgia.
Chun qualified for the U.S. Women's Open as the runner-up to last year's U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. Kim earned her berth at a qualifier at Vancouver Golf Club in Coquitlam, B.C., on May 15, and Dao did likewise at the Duxbury Yacht club in Duxbury, Mass., on June 7.
"I think we're all pretty excited about it and really good opportunities for all three of us," said Chun. "I think we just want to play the best we can out here.
"I think it shows that we're heading in the right direction, that what we're doing is helping a lot."
Chun is currently ranked 95th on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, having won the Lady Buckeye Invitational this year and the 2022 Canadian Women's Amateur Championship. That makes her the highest-ranked Canadian on the women's World Amateur Golf Rankings. Kim is 121st overall and Dao is 1,081st.
Chun said she just wants to focus on her game at the U.S. Open instead of setting any kind of targets for the week.
"I think once I get caught up in score, it's just going to be a lot in my head," she said. "So right now, I'm just playing to the best of my abilities and see where my game is at this point and try to make a goal set on that."
Henderson qualified for the U.S. Women's Open as the reigning Evian Championship winner, but also would have made it to Pebble Beach based on four other qualifications.
She tied for 15th at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship on June 25, six shots back of China's Ruoning Yin. The Women's PGA Championship was the second major of the season and the most recent event on the LPGA Tour's calendar.
PGA TOUR — RBC Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., is No. 10 on the FedEx Cup standings heading into this week's John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. Adam Hadwin (35th), who is also from Abbotsford, joins him in the field with Adam Svensson (37th) of Surrey, B.C., and Michael Gligic (207th) of Burlington, Ont.
DP WORLD TOUR — Aaron Cockerill of Stony Mountain, Man., is in the field at Made in Himmerland at HimmerLand, Farso, Denmark. The only Canadian on the European-based DP World Tour, Cockerill is ranked 40th on the Race to Dubai standings.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2023.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
