PEBBLE BEACH >> Walking along the 18th fairway with posters of past U.S. Women’s Open champions to her left and right, 5-year-old Rowan Emrey stumbled. Her older sister, 6-year-old Mae, offered her a hand. Rowan got up, and together, they caught up to their dad.

It was almost time to see American frontrunners Allisen Corpuz and Bailey Tardy finish out their third round at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

“I wanted them to see that they can accomplish anything they want,” said Troy Emrey when asked what brought him out to the 78th U.S. Women’s Open. “You can accomplish what you want, how you want it (and) when you want it. Opportunities are available for everyone.”

Troy Emrey and his two daughters made the short trip from Salinas for the championship. The last time he was in Pebble Beach was for the men’s U.S. Open in 2019. But this week was a first for Rowan and May. Emery made a point of coming, to show his daughters that “girls can golf,” he said, “and girls can golf well.”

“I think it’s a lot of fun,” he continued. “I hope to grow their passion for the game of golf, and for athletics and competition. Hopefully, (it) inspires them to become athletes and just to compete and achieve.”

Rowan and Mae tugged at his shirt to keep walking.

Down the fairway, the spirit of competition got to Beckett, Orson, and Calvin Harley.

“I don’t think I want to do too much, I’m just trying to be in the top 200 players or something when I (grow up),” Orson, 9, said.

“Well, I’m just trying to get to the top 15, to beat my brothers,” Calvin, 6, chipped in.

The trio inched toward a grandstand of fans at No. 18. They walked in a line with their dad, Jonah, at the center. From Los Gatos, the family enjoyed their last few moments on Pebble Beach Golf Links Saturday afternoon, before starting their hour-and-a-half drive up north.

“I came to Pebble Beach to watch a men’s tournament maybe a decade or so ago, so I thought they should come down to see a little bit of this,” Jonah Harley said. “Just to see what the best course in the world looks like and some of the best golfers in the world.”

The thrill of seeing the best was contagious, even if the boys went into the tournament more so fans of the sport than followers of the field.

“We’re not really fans. We play golf, though,” Beckett, 10, said. “But I like watching the crowd go crazy when someone makes a shot. Or when they miss it. It’s cool because we’ve always just watched (golf) on TV. We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“I kind of like (seeing) the close-ups of the players … and how far they can hit their shots,” Orson added.

He’s not the only one.

Savannah and Siena Gilbert stood on the third fairway Friday, leaning over the ropes to get a good view of three-time U.S. Women’s Open winner Annika Sorenstam teeing off. Earlier that morning, they saw the World Golf Hall of Famer at the driving range — a luxury for the young girls, but especially for their mom.

“Who did we see on the driving range that was Mom’s idol?” Meggie Gilbert prompted her daughters.

“Annika,” Savannah, 11, replied.

When she heard that Pebble would be hosting the U.S. Women’s Open — and that Sorenstam accepted a special exemption to play in it — Meggie Gilbert said she “needed to make sure my two girls saw history being made.”

Golfing since she was 12, Meggie Gilbert, now 39, said the chance to see — and share — her role model for the past 27 years in the sport was something she couldn’t miss.

“(Annika’s) iconic right? She’s the reason I started golf,” she said. “And (my daughters) got to see her play out here.”

Big names aside, sometimes just relishing a golfer getting their moment is what warranted a closer peek of the greens. David Rice and his daughter, Hannah, spent Friday chasing surprising standouts. Not so much for their pedigree going into the week, but for the chance to see players they’ve never heard of excel.

“I just think it’s so cool to see a group of players who, you don’t know their names, but you can just watch their swing and still be super impressed,” said David Rice, who traveled down from Sacramento for the championship.

Having visited Pebble Beach only a handful of times, Rice recalled one of the most memorable: going to the 1992 U.S. Open with his dad. He rattled off a great or two — Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus — he briefly saw out on the course. But what stuck out more were the large crowds, how intimidating the experience was for a kid and how, three decades later, it was nothing short of “spectacular.”

This week’s Open is shaping up to leave a similar impression.

“It’s been really nice to share a tournament with (Hannah),” he said, “and for (her) to see how the professionals play. … I think this is special, to be able to share this with my daughter. It’s very special.”