World No. 1 Inbee Park and No. 6 Feng Shanshan basked in yesterday’s sunny, breezy weather to each fire an eight-under 64 for a share of the first-round lead at the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship in New Taipei City.
After an opening three-under 33 on the front nine, South Korea’s Park recorded three consecutive birdies beginning at the 14th and finished the day with eight birdies and no bogeys at the Miramar Golf and Country Club in New Taipei City’s Linkou District.
China’s Feng, who played the Taiwan leg of the LPGA Tour three years ago, also carded a bogey-free round with one eagle and six birdies to take a two-stroke lead over Japanese Haru Nomura, Taiwan’s Cheng Ssu-chia, Ryu So-yeon of South Korea and Denmark’s Line Vedel heading into today’s second round.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“I think, you know, today I started with like three pars, which was kind of like a very smooth start,” Feng said after the first round. “And my long game was just as good as normal, so I had a lot of birdie chances and it was a bogey-free round, so I think I did it really well.”
Of the Taiwanese players on the field, Cheng led with a six-under 66, a first-round performance she said left her “very satisfied.”
The 16-year-old amateur trickled in four of her six birdies on the back nine.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Taiwanese former world No. 1 Yani Tseng shot four bogeys on her first 13 holes, but was able to quickly recover with back-to-back birdies at the 14th, 15th and 16th. She finished the day at three-under-par and tied for 15th place.
“I feel like I just overthink too much about the wind and so my tempo got a little bit too fast on my swing. So I should think slower and play faster,” the struggling 25-year-old said of her bogeys.
Tseng also expressed gratitude for her local fans, who cheered loudly and supported her during the tournament.
Returning to Taiwan for the fourth time, the local LPGA tournament is sponsored by Fubon Financial Holding Co this year and will run through Monday, with 81 players vying for US$2 million in prize money.
World No. 4 Suzann Pettersen of Norway has won the LPGA Taiwan event two years in a row. Local favorite Tseng won the inaugural tournament in 2011, finished third in 2012 and tied for 40th last year.
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