South Korea’s Mindy Kim fired a career-low 64 on Thursday to grab a two-shot lead after the first round of the LPGA State Farm Classic.
Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, world No. 1, opened with a bogey her first hole of the day, but bounced back with four birdies and an eagle at the par-five sixth to finish the round tied for fourth with a five-under-par 67.
Taiwan’s Amy Hung had back-to-back bogeys on the 17th and 18th to finish the day at even-par, while compatriot Candie Kung struggled with four bogeys to finish with a two-over 74.
Photo: AFP
South Korean Shin Ji-yai and Australian Sarah Kemp were tied for second on 66, while Brittany Lincicome — the winner last week at the ShopRite Classice — birdied her final hole for a 67 that put her tied for fourth with Tseng and Juli Inkster.
Kim’s round included five birdies in a row from the second hole. After a bogey at the ninth, she birdied four more holes coming in — 11, 12, 14 and 17.
Kim, who has three top-10 finishes this year, has the lead at an LPGA event for the first time and she admitted she was nervous.
Photo: AFP
“I did not expect this at all,” she said. “I hit the ball great today. I hit everything close. I think that’s what made [the round].”
Her lone bogey was a piece of bad luck, with her tee shot plugging in the soft ground in an unplayable lie.
Kemp’s round included seven birdies and a bogey, her birdies tending to come in pairs. She opened with two straight birdies at the first and second, but gave a shot back with a bogey at the fourth, before a birdie at the par-five sixth.
Coming in she made back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13, as well as at 15 and 16 thanks to a hot putter.
“I didn’t hit it spectacularly close, but I holed the putts. Ten-footers, 12-footers, I made a 30-footer. I didn’t have any two footers, but I putted well enough to hole enough 10 to 12-footers for birdies,” she said.
The Aussie’s long bomb was a downhill, left-to-right breaking putt that won her a bet with caddie Danielle Downey.
“My caddie has a really nice watch that I want,” Kemp said. “I said as we were walking up, ‘If I hole this putt you’ve got to give me that watch.’ She said, ‘Yeah, yeah, sure.’ So I holed it and she gave me her watch.”
Shin was ranked No. 1 in the world when she arrived here last year, but missed the tournament as she underwent an appendectomy.
Now ranked third in the world, Shin tied for second in New Jersey last week and said she was buoyed by that performance.
“I have great memories from last week,” Shin said. “When I practiced on this course, I felt really good. I feel ready.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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