So Much for Rookie Nerves: Kiara Romero Goes Low in Her Pro Debut

It's only Thursday, and there's still a ton of golf left to be played, with a strong field, but my goodness Kiara Romero came out swinging in Canada.

The 20-year-old has basically been auditioning for the Tour all summer, stacking up her LPGA starts, most of which had been missed cuts, but a shinning top-10 at the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera was enough to show me (and the rest of the golf world) that this budding young talent is ready for this.

Romero became the second player, behind Lottie Woad, to earn her LPGA membership through the LEAP program...and I don't want to jump the gun here, but after Woad secured her card, she went on to win her debut like literally the week after...do with that what you will.

But in all seriousness, what Romero accomplished today is pretty special. Her bogey-free, 6-under round of 64 puts her just two shots back of 18-hole leader Miyu Yamashita, who won the 2025 AIG Women's Open.

Romero hit 9 of 14 fairways, 15 of 18 greens, and took just 27 putts to complete her round.

It's an impressive showing, but I'm really not surprised considering that she made the cut in this event last year, and ended up inside the top-40. Though it's not the same course, as the CPKC rotates venues across the country, this type of course—tree-lined fairways, requiring precise ball-striking—fits the bill for the former University of Oregon star. She's familiar with these types of layouts and I think she'll continue to play solid golf throughout the weekend.

Do I think she'll win? Only time will tell. But the odds are never zero with an elite young player like her.