Inbee Park shot a 10-under 62 yesterday to open a three-stroke lead at the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship, her first event since regaining the No. 1 ranking on Monday.
The South Korean star played the first eight holes in six-under — making an eagle, five birdies and a bogey — and birdied four of the first six holes on the back nine. She had an 18-under 126 total at the Miramar Golf and Country Club in New Taipei City.
Park won the LPGA Championship in August for her second victory of the year and fifth major title. Last year, she swept the first three majors and won six times.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
China’s Feng Shanshan was second after a 65, while South Korea’s Mirim Lee also shot a 62 to join third-ranked Lydia Ko, Azahara Munoz and Line Vedel at 10-under.
Lee won the Reignwood LPGA Classic on Oct. 5 in China for her second victory of the year.
Ko had a 65. The 17-year-old New Zealander won the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December last year in New Taipei City.
Munoz of Spain had a 66, while Denmark’s Vedel shot a 68.
World No. 2 Stacy Lewis was nine-under after a 68.
The highest-ranked Taiwanese player was amateur Cheng Ssu-chia, who carded a 70 to be tied for eighth place on eight-under.
Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, the winner the last two years in New Taipei City, was seven-under after a 71.
Michelle Wie followed her opening 68 with a 70 to reach six-under.
Taiwanese players Yu Pei-lin (69), Hsu Wei-ling (70) and Candie Kung (71) were on four-under, while Kuo Ai-chen (69) and Chien Pei-yun (72) were on two-under.
Former world No. 1 Yani Tseng, the winner of the inaugural event in 2011, was one-under after a 71 along with fellow Taiwanese Hsieh Yu-ling (70) and Lin Tzu-chi (73).
Tseng won the last of her 15 LPGA Tour titles in March 2012.
Meanwhile, it was another week, another ace and another car for Danielle Kang, who made her second hole-in-one in eight days yesterday, acing the 158-yard 17th hole with a seven-iron.
She won an Audi A6 T2.0.
“I was actually thinking about a hole-in-one, because I’ve been touching that car,” Kang said. “I really wanted the car. It was right to left. So I wanted to aim a little right of it, but then I caught it OK. It hit the fringe, like the collar, and it just kicked straight in and just rolled, tracked all the way into the hole.”
Last week in the first round of the Blue Bay LPGA in China, the 22-year-old American had a hole-in-one with an eight-iron on the 155-yard 17th hole to win a Buick LaCrosse.
“Everyone was saying: ‘Are you kidding me? Again? Another car?’” Kang said.
Kang has three aces on the LPGA Tour this season to tie the record set by Tracy Kerdyk in 1991 and matched by Charlotta Sorenstam in 2002.
Kang’s other hole-in-one came in the LOTTE Championship in April in Hawaii. She also had one this year in a non-competitive round and has eight aces in her life.
Kang finished the round with a four-under 68 to be four-under after two rounds.
The former Pepperdine player won the US Women’s Amateur Championship in 2010 and 2011.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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