GOLD CANYON AZ — Alison Lee and Jenny Shin both made four straight birdies during their rounds. Gaby Lopez was at 7-under 65 on Thursday to share a one stroke lead after the first round.
Lee, a 28 year-old American looking to win her first tour title, birdied four of her five first holes and then made a bogey at No. 16 was her seventh hole. She managed to score four consecutive birdies and five on the next six holes to reach 8-under at Superstition Mountain Golf Club. A bogey on the final hole put her in a tie for first place in a crowded leaderboard.
Shin, a South Korea-born 30-year-old who is looking for her first victory since 2016, made seven birdies at Nos. 8 through 18 were able to share the lead in this first full-field event of season.
Lopez shot a round without bogeys. Lopez, a 29 year-old Mexican man, started on the back nine and turned at 4-under-par before adding three birdies to the front side to tie the lead.
After opening 66s, WeiLing Hsu from Taiwan and JodiEwart Shadoff of England were tied for fourth. Ten players are tied at sixth place at 5 over, while 114 golfers in this 142-player field recorded scores of even par or higher.
No. No. Jin Young Ko, who is third in the rankings, opened with a score of 2-under 70s. Ko was a winner in Singapore two week ago, where she defeated Korda by 2 strokes.
The LPGA’s new cutting policy will be unveiled at the event. The top 65 players will be cut after 36 holes. Tie-breakers will advance to the weekend. The final rounds were previously played by the top 70 players and tied players.
Notes for games
The event will not feature Lydia Ko, who is the top-ranked competitor. … Leona Maguire, the defending champion, was caught in a logjam at 2-under 70. After 14 holes Danielle Kang withdrew her from the event. She was 2 over at the time. Kang’s sudden withdrawal was not explained immediately.
