Jessica Korda, Stacy Lewis and Azahara Munoz each shot 6-under 66 in the opening round of the LPGA Tour season opener.
All three teed off in windy conditions and finished in chilly temperatures just before dark Wednesday in the Coates Golf Championship.
Korda straightened out an errant driver on the front nine and birdied six of her final 13 holes. Lewis birdied five of her final six holes, including one on an uphill, 6-footer just after the horn blew. Munoz was solid throughout her round and closed with consecutive birdies to make it a three-way tie atop the leaderboard.
Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling shot a two-under 70 to tie for 10th place, while her compatriots Candie Kung and Min Lee shot an even-par 72 and two-over 74 respectively.
Twenty players failed to complete the opening round at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, which boasts eight tribute holes from famed courses around the world. They are to finish up beginning at 7:30am yesterday, just before Korda, Lewis and Munoz tee off in the second round.
Only 26 of 120 players were under-par when play was halted.
American Austin Ernst and Jang Ha-na of South Korea finished at five-under, one stroke ahead of New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and South Korea’s Choi Na-yeon. Nineteen-year-old American Lexi Thompson and Hur Mi-jung of South Korea were three-under.
Top-ranked Inbee Park was 1 under, one shot ahead of reigning US Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie. Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, was four-over through 17 holes.
Ernst was maybe the most surprising name on the leaderboard. She hit 16 of 18 greens in regulation and made just about every putt inside of 10 feet.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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