England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff yesterday shot a sparkling seven-under-par 65 to lead the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan Championship by two shots, raising hopes of her first victory on the tour.
Nelly Korda of the US and South Korea’s Kang Hae-ji were tied for second after the first day at the par-72 Ta Shee Golf and Country Club in Taoyuan.
No players from China are at the tournament after Feng Shanshan and Liu Yu pulled out without explanation.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA
Organizers from the LPGA Taiwan confirmed that the players “withdrew their registration,” but did not say when or why they made the request.
Hsu Wei-ling led Taiwan’s contingent tied for fourth place on four-under 68, followed by Babe Liu in ninth with three-under.
Breaking the top 50 were Hou Yu-chiang in a share of 13th on two-under, Wu Chia-yen in 35th on par and Chien Pei-yun and Huang Ting-hsuan in 42nd on one-over.
The tournament is to continue until Sunday.
HSBC CHAMPIONS
AFP, SHANGHAI
If Patrick Reed felt any concern after stirring Ryder Cup controversy, he showed no trace of it yesterday in posting a superb eight-under-par 64 for the opening-round lead at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
In his first start since last month’s heavy US defeat to Europe, the reigning Masters champ overcame gusting winds en route to an eight-birdie, bogey-free performance at the US$10 million tournament in Shanghai.
Reed, 28, whose competitive attitude is often seen as cocky and abrasive, had raised hackles by criticizing US team captain Jim Furyk’s Ryder Cup pairings.
However, he let his game do the talking at par-72 Sheshan International Golf Course, rolling in lengthy putts for birdie on his second and third holes, and sticking an approach 30cm from the pin for another birdie two holes later.
“It was pumping out there,” Reed said of the swirling winds. “It felt really good. To shoot a round like that in these kinds of conditions, you know you’re going to have confidence when the wind dies down.”
Fellow American Xander Schauffle and Reed’s Ryder Cup teammate Tony Finau finished tied for second, two strokes back at six-under, while last year’s winner Justin Rose was in a pack of golfers at 69.
Taiwan’s C.T. Pan held strong in a share of fifth place on four-under 68.
Reed had said after the Ryder Cup that he was “blindsided” by being grouped with Tiger Woods rather than Jordan Spieth, with whom Reed formed a potent team in the US’ 2016 victory.
Reed had alleged that Spieth refused to play with him, but Furyk rejected that, saying pairings were made known to the team weeks before.
The field in Shanghai features 19 of the world’s top 30 golfers, but newly crowned No. 1 Brooks Koepka could not quite get the momentum going.
Koepka has been hot this year, winning the US Open — his second in a row — the PGA Championship and Player of the Year honors, and victory in the CJ Cup in South Korea last week made him No. 1 for the first time.
However, he was among the golfers unable to master the windy conditions, notching just one birdie and a bogey for an even-par 72.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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