Shin Ji-yai, who is fresh off a win last week in Arkansas, fired a six-under par 66 on Thursday to grab a share of the lead after the first round of the LPGA Samsung World Championship.
Shin is locked in first place with South Korean compatriot Kim Song-hee who also shot an opening round 66 at the US$1 million tournament at the Torrey Pines golf course near San Diego.
“Actually today my goal was just a couple under par because this is a really tough course for me,” Shin said.
PHOTO: AFP
Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson and two-time winner and world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa both shot five-under 67s and are tied for third place at the South Course. Gustafson won here in 2003.
Japan’s Ai Miyazato and American veteran Juli Inkster are tied for fifth place at minus-four.
Defending champion Paula Creamer shot a three-under par 69. She won last year at Half Moon Bay Golf Links course.
At the par-three third, Shin hit a seven-iron to three feet and tapped in for birdie. Three holes later, it was another tap-in birdie and Shin closed her front nine with a 15-footer for birdie at the par-five ninth.
Shin she knocked an eight-iron just inside 30 feet and rolled it for the birdie on No 10. She made it three birdies in a row at the 205-yard, par-three 11th.
She used a three-wood to reach the green in two at the 18th hole and her ball stopped 17 feet from the pin. She two-putted for a final birdie that got her a share of first place.
Shin is trying to become the first women since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to finish on top of the money list and win the rookie of the year award in the same year. Cristie Kerr, who shot even-par 72 on Thursday, is a close second behind Shin in the money list.
This year’s four major champions and first time winners — Brittany Lincicome (Kraft Nabisco Championship), Anna Nordqvist (LPGA Championship), Ji Eun-hee (US Women’s Open) and Catriona Matthew (Women’s British Open) — are all in the abbreviated field.
Yani Tseng of Taiwan carded 75 on Thursday.
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
Arsenal stormed six points clear at the top of the English Premier League as Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres put Fulham to the sword in a 3-0 win, while West Ham United’s defeat at Brentford offered Tottenham Hotspur a lifeline in the battle for survival. The Gunners have stumbled toward the finish line in their quest for a first league title in 22 years, blowing a sizeable lead over Manchester City in a series of nervous displays. However, the return of Saka, making his first start in six weeks, freed up Mikel Arteta’s men in a dominant performance that shrugged
RSS