New Zealand teen Lydia Ko took a share of the lead in her first start as a US LPGA Tour member, matching Meena Lee with a 5-under 68 in the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic on Thursday.
The 16-year-old Ko turned pro late last year. She won the Canadian Women’s Open in the past two years as an amateur and closed last season with a victory in a non-tour event in Taiwan in her second pro start.
Ranked No. 4 in the world, she had six birdies and a bogey on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course.
Photo: AFP
Lee, from South Korea, eagled the par-4 13th and had four birdies and a bogey.
Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was a stroke back at 69 along with Taiwan’s Candie Kung, Jessica Korda, Brittany Lang, Mirim Lee, Austin Ernst, Danah Bordner, Amelia Lewis and PK Kongkraphan.
Lewis played alongside Ko.
“When she gets some confidence in herself, the rest of this tour better watch out,” Lewis said. “When I saw we were paired together, I was pretty happy. She is just a really likable kid.”
Lewis had five birdies and a bogey.
Ko recently signed an equipment deal with Callaway, changed her swing coach and hired a new caddie.
“Over the last month hearing the word change, it could pretty much be my middle name,” Ko said.
Jaye Marie Green had a 71. The 19-year-old Green won the US LPGA qualifying tournament by 10 strokes last month, finishing the 90-hole event at a record 29 under.
Michelle Wie shot 72.
Defending champion Ilhee Lee opened with a 74.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or