A Monmouth County high school student will be among the competitors in the U.S. Women’s Open when it tees off in San Francisco later this week.

Megha Ganne is no stranger when it comes to competing against the world’s best golfers. At just 17 years old, she is already playing in her second consecutive U.S. Women’s Open.

“It’s really exciting. This time around I knew what I wanted. I played it the first year, so the qualifier was so much more pressure. And I knew how badly I wanted to be here again,” Ganne says.

The Holmdel High School junior qualified for the tournament last month by surviving a three-way playoff at the Spring Lake Golf Club.

“My game has grown tremendously. Obviously, a lot of swing changes happen over two years and stuff like that. Maturity and course management. Mentality-wise, the way I handle pressure is different and overall a lot has changed for the better,” Ganne says.

Ganne has committed to Stanford University. In her first U.S. Women’s Open appearance in 2019, she missed the cut.

“It feels a lot more familiar, so I think this time around I’m sort of lined up for a little bit more success than last time,” she says.

As she gets ready to play the Olympic club with more experience and confidence, Ganne says that she is excited to represent New Jersey on one of the biggest stages in women’s golf.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of representation, so I get to have most of the representation to myself. So it’s really nice and I hope I do a good job,” Ganne says.

Marina Alex, of Wayne, is another New Jersey resident who will be playing in the tournament. The U.S. Women’s Open will run Thursday through Sunday.