Jennifer Rosales shot a bogey-free five-under-par 66 to take a one shot lead after the first round of the LPGA Championship, the second women's major of the season, on Thursday.
The 25-year-old from the Philippines holds a slim advantage over South Korea's Gloria Park, Japan's Chiharu Yamaguchi and Britain's Karen Stupples, while defending champion and world number one Annika Sorenstam was in another group of three on 68.
Rosales won her first LPGA tournament in Atlanta in April, a breakthrough that has turned her into a national heroine back home in Manila.
However, she was not committing to thoughts of adding a first major to her resume after her five-birdie effort at the Dupont Country Club.
"It's only the first day so it doesn't really matter that I'm in the lead," she said.
"But it was a pretty good start and it was a really smooth round. I hit a lot of fairways and made some decent putts."
Despite her realistic assessment, she did acknowledge that the round was certain to arouse more attention in the Philippines.
After her win, she received a congratulatory telephone call from the President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and a parade was held in her honor.
"Everything is crazy back home," continued Rosales, who lives in Orange County in Southern California.
"But they are pretty mad with me because I haven't been back since the win. I have to do what I have to do. Hopefully, they're going to have another parade when I do make it."
Rosales' longest birdie putt was from 15 feet at the 12th, although her shot of the day was a chip-in to save par from 20-feet at the short fifth.
Stupples, who also scored her first win on Tour this season, in Tucson in March, would have matched the 66 if she had not dropped a shot at the last, while Gloria Park birdied her final hole, the par five ninth.
confident
Florida-based Stupples admits her win has made her more confident and more relaxed.
"In the past, I would try too hard," she said.
"But now if I hit a poor shot I don't get nearly so mad with myself. It's much less stressful."
The pick of her five birdies was a chip-in from 40-feet at the seventh, while she actually had to get up and down for the bogey at the par four 18th.
Sorenstam, who started at the tenth, birdied the final two holes. She hit a five iron to four feet at the 192-yard eighth and was on the green in two at the long ninth.
"It's always sweet to finish with a birdie," the Swede said.
"And I actually think that 68 is one of my better starts here. I'm very happy. I hit the ball well and putted really well with a few lip-outs."
One of the players tied for fifth with Sorenstam is South Korea's Grace Park, who remains on course for the Grand Slam after her victory at the season's first major, the Kraft Nabisco in March.
The 25-year-old fired six birdies and three bogeys but will be disappointed to have dropped shots on the final two holes to fall out of a tie for the lead.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
RSS