SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Ingrid Lindblad decided months previously that she wished to stay in college in its place of turning expert.
That’s prone to be a financial willpower she includes regret.
The 22-year-old Swede shot the underside spherical by an newbie throughout the 77-year historic previous of the U.S. Ladies’s Open, a 6-under 65 that left her a shot behind first-round chief Mina Harigae on Thursday.
Because of she’s an newbie, Lindblad wouldn’t have the flexibility to accumulate the file $1.8 million first-place prize if she wins. She would have wanted to declare as educated sooner than the match began.
When requested if, in hindsight, that was a mistake, the LSU junior recognized to her friends as “Iggy” paused and talked about with a smile, “I’ll preserve in college for like one different yr or so.
“Nonetheless if you happen to say it, yeah … it may need been pleasurable to win a bit bit of money,” she talked about.
She has a 54 holes to navigate, nonetheless Lindblad has a possibility to show into solely the second newbie to win the U.S. Ladies’s Open. The alternative was Catherine Lacoste in 1967.
Lindblad didn’t seem overwhelmed on the choice.
“Yeah, it’s potential,” she talked about.
Three amateurs had beforehand shot 66 – Carol Semple Thompson in 1994, Brittany Lincicome in 2004 and Gina Kim in 2019.
Lindblad tied for thirtieth at 6-over 292 in her solely totally different U.S. Ladies’s Open look in 2020.
She set the tone for a sturdy opening spherical in Southern Pines by profitable the Southeastern Conference specific particular person championship in April after making a 38-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole. She confirmed a number of of that exact same prowess on Thursday, needing solely 26 putts.
“She was fearless,” talked about Lindblad’s collaborating in affiliate, Annika Sorenstam, Sweden’s most well-known female golfer and a three-time U.S. Ladies’s Open champion.
Lindblad should take care of what’s shaping as a lot as be a sturdy leaderboard.
Three-time foremost winner Anna Nordqvist, moreover from Sweden, and 2021 Evian Championship champion Minjee Lee of Australia have been at 67 with American Ryann O’Toole.
Lexi Thompson, who surrendered a five-shot lead throughout the final spherical of ultimate yr throughout the event and misplaced by a stroke, was 4 images once more after a spot spherical 68. Fellow American Ally Ewing moreover shot 68.
“As far as remaining yr, it’s over with, it’s this yr,” Thompson talked about. “I took it, I noticed from it, and I moved on.”
South Korea’s Jin Youthful Ko, the world’s top-ranked participant and possibly essentially the most fixed ball-strikers throughout the match, shot a 69 – hitting 13 of 14 greens in regulation.
“I was merely attempting to get the middle of the inexperienced every shot, every hole,” Ko talked about. “It’s powerful because of the inexperienced appears to be wider nonetheless the landing area is smaller.”
Nelly Korda appeared sturdy in her return from surgical process and appears in a position to contend, as successfully.
Outside of a double bogey on the par-4 eleventh, the world’s No. 2-ranked participant carried out a fairly flawless spherical in her first aggressive match since Feb. 25 after making a blood clot in her arm. She shot 70.
“I undoubtedly had numerous adrenaline on that first hole. I imagine I piped my driver thus far,” Korda talked about. “I like type of felt sick how quite a bit adrenaline I was feeling, after which calmed myself down and carried out pretty successfully. Merely had one unfortunate misplaced ball on I imagine 11, nonetheless other than that I carried out pretty steady.”
Lydia Ko shot 72.
Michelle Wie West accomplished with a 73 in what’s predicted to be her second-to-last foremost sooner than retiring.
Defending champion Yuka Saso from Japan struggled, capturing 77.
The 51-year-old Sorenstam, a 10-time foremost champion, was even par after her first 13 holes nonetheless accomplished with a 74 after qualifying for the event by profitable the U.S. Ladies’s Senior Open remaining yr. She talked about she not will get mad at herself when points don’t go successfully and is simply attempting to profit from the match alongside together with her family. She obtained at Pine Needles in 1996.
Harigae has 19 occupation prime 10s on the LPGA Tour nonetheless that’s the major time she’s led a match.
She shot 30 on the doorway 9 and surged ahead of Lindblad with birdie on the par-3 sixteenth hole on a heat-drenched afternoon that drove some spectators to the exits early.
Harigae, who carried out one yr at Duke sooner than turning skilled, talked about she was thrilled to be once more in North Carolina, joking that she drew inspiration from six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan, who carried out for the Tar Heels.
“Clearly, being an enormous Jordan fan, so merely type of like going off the Jordan vibes,” Harigae talked about. “Must be the footwear, correct?”
