Taiwan’s Min Lee squandered a chance to lead the field alongside American Morgan Pressel after the opening round of the Shoprite LPGA Classic on Friday, missing a birdie putt on the 18th hole to leave her tied for second on four-under 67.
The 19-year-old got off to a good start, hitting an eagle on the third and birdies on the fourth, eighth and ninth, but the par-four 13th proved unlucky, giving Lee her only bogey of the day among an otherwise even-par back nine, including the elusive par-five 18th.
Pressel hit two bogies, but made up for them with five birdies and an eagle for a five-under-par 66.
Photo: AP
One stroke back alongside Lee were Canada’s Alena Sharp, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist and American Ryann O’Toole.
Pressel, second at last month’s LPGA Swinging Skirts Classic and seeking her third LPGA title, finished with an eagle at the par-five ninth to catapult her into the lead at the close of the round.
“I didn’t honestly know where [the ball] was,” Pressel said. “I thought it might be short of the green. I couldn’t see it and nobody clapped, so I had no idea where this ball is, and kind of came up just far enough over the hill to where we could see it and I was like, it’s right next to the hole. OK. I’ll take it.”
“I really didn’t put myself in a whole lot of trouble,” she added. “I wouldn’t say that I certainly had the best game out there. I felt like I made a few mistakes ... but then I came down birdie at eight and eagling the last hole. That definitely helps.”
Pressel, who was third at the ANA Inspiration in the year’s first major, has found her form after struggling in early season events in Asia.
“I feel better about my game, even to not have really my best game, but still manage to get the ball in the hole and shoot five-under. I don’t know that I could have done that a couple of months ago, and that’s also a mental thing as well, mental toughness,” she said.
A pack of 10 players shared sixth on 67, including South Koreans Jenny Shin and Park Hee-young, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, Swede Pernilla Lindberg, Dutchwoman Christel Boeljon, Thailand’s Thidapa Suwannapura, Canada’s Brooke Henderson and Americans Gerina Piller and Sydnee Michaels.
Taiwanese former world No. 1 Yani Tseng finished tied for 27th with one-under 70, while compatriot Hsu Wei-ling hit one-over 72 to be tied for 56th.
Kaohsiung-born US player Candie Kung had a rough day, hitting two bogies and a double bogey to finish down the field, tied for 117th with a four-over 75.
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