On a day during which the world number one finished 10-over, Casandra Alexander had a dream start to the US Women’s Open Championship with a one-over-par 71 for a share of 15^th place at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Alexander made a par on the par-three 12^th hole where Korda made a 10 after hitting her ball into the water three times. That alone was a success for the South African who had to qualify for the championship just two weeks ago in Germany. She also opened with a bogey on the first hole, and followed it with a double on the fourth. But she held things together with aplomb, and made two birdies on the homeward nine on the 14^th and 17^th.

Alexander was in a seven-way share of 15^th, just three strokes behind the leader, Yuka Saso, the former champion from Japan. Three players were in a share of second on one-under, including French amateur Adela Cernousek. Another former champion, Minjee Lee of Australia, was one of 10 players on level-par in a share of fifth.

Ashleigh Buhai, the only other South African in the field, opened with a four-over-par 74. The former AIG Women’s Open champion was in a share of 51^st.

Korda was on 10-over in a share of 137^th. She began her round on 10 and by the time she finished the par-the 12^th hole in 10 strokes, the hill she had to climb to win her first US Women’s Open had grown significantly higher.

Korda hit the back bunker on the 161-yard, downhill test, playing well past the hole location near the false front. Her shot from the bunker failed to check up, caught the slope and drifted into the creek. After a penalty drop, she failed to clear the false front with her fourth shot, took another drop and made the same mistake again to fall to eight-over-par just three holes into the championship.

“Just honestly, I just didn’t play well today,” Korda said. “Making a 10 on a par-three will definitely not do you any good at a US Open. I started off really poorly but played pretty well on the back nine. Just a bad day in the office. I’m human. I’m going to have bad days.”