Par-3 12th was a beast Thursday at USWO; Mel Reid shows why it was also a ‘beauty’

Nelly Korda, 80.

Lydia Ko, 80.

Brooke Henderson, 80.

Rose Zhang … 79. Might be worth a minor celebration in saving that one stroke.

It was a brutal day at Lancaster Country Club, where 2 under par leads the U.S. Women’s Open and more than half the field shot 75 or higher.

The biggest brute, however, was one of the shortest holes. The par-3 12^th played to 161 yards on Thursday but ranked No. 1 in difficulty. Nelly Korda made a well-documented 10, while only 10 players made birdie. There were also more double bogeys (32) than bogeys (24), along with 13 “others” and 52 penalties assessed in the opening round on the hole.

The field scoring average was 3.8.

If there was one good thing on the 12th Thursday, it was Mel Reid’s “Live From the U.S. Women’s Open” on-site analysis.

The seven-time USWO participant did her best Johnson Wagner impersonation and showed why the hole, in her estimation, was extremely tough, but also fair.