SAMMAMISH, Wash. — Lexi Thompson knew some kind of question was coming after shooting a 4-under 68 and leading Thursday’s first round at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Could the headline change his plans to retire full-time on the LPGA Tour?
“I’m taking it one day at a time. I’m making my announcement. I’m very satisfied,” Thompson said. “Golf is a crazy game, so I’m not looking too far ahead.”
Thompson made six birdies on her way to the lead over Nelly Korda and Patty Tavatanakit.
Departing in the afternoon as temperatures climbed into the 80s and Sahalee Country Club dried out, Thompson started the heat with three straight birdies to open her round and moved on to last week’s loss in the finals of the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Thompson, 29, who recently announced plans to retire after the season, shot a bogey-free 32 on the front nine, capped by a 6-foot birdie on the par-3 ninth. After a bogey on No. 10, Thompson again birdied Nos. 12 and 14 before another bogey on the 16th.
She won her last of 11 LPGA Tour titles at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June 2019. The 68 is her lowest round in a major since a 67 in the second round of the Women’s PGA Tour two years ago at Congressional.
“My shots felt good,” Thompson said. “They felt really good last week, so I’m just trying to take it easy and get into a rhythm with my swing.”
Korda shot a 69 in the morning, and Tavatanakit matched it in the afternoon with a bogey-free round.
Top-ranked Korda missed the cuts at the US Women’s Open and the Meijer LPGA Classic in her last two appearances after winning six of seven events, a run that began with a record five straight victories.
Korda started on the back nine and made four birdies in his first five holes. But the morning sections were a struggle for Korda as Douglas fir, red cedar and Sahalee hemlock played their part in making it challenging. A double bogey on the par-4 fourth hole dropped him back to 2 under.
“If you try to be aggressive, if you hit it when it’s not there, it will bite you in the butt,” said Korda. “Overall, I think I played really well. I took my chances where I could and played safe for most of the round.”
Korda made a 15-foot putt on the par-3 hole — his final hole — to take an early lead.
There was another group of players 2 years under, including Allisen Corpuz, Celine Boutier, Charley Hull and Leona Maguire. Maguire led the tournament after the third round last year at Baltusrol, but shot 74 on the final day and finished four shots behind the winner, Ruoning Yin.
Playing with Korda, Yin rebounded early and shot a 33 on the second nine to shoot a 71.
“Luckily, he hit it straight today. He hit a lot of fairways and greens. But it felt like a course where once you get off the mark it’s hard to get back on track,” said Corpuz, who has an outside chance of success. Olympics in the United States with a strong finish this week.
The third major of the year on the LPGA Tour returned to Sahalee, which was previously hosted in 2016. And the study included in the medicine showed its difficulties.
Lilia Vu, who won last week coming back from a back injury, shot 75. Yuka Saso, who won the US Open three weeks ago, made four consecutive bogeys on the back nine to finish at 2-over 74. Brooke Henderson, winner. in 2016, he was shot 73 times.
Korda is off to a much better start than her last grandpa, when she shot 80 in the opening round of the US Women’s Open three weeks ago.
Korda’s early birdie run included three straight between Nos. 13-15 and he went 33. He moved to 4 under after a birdie on the third hole — his 12th of the day — but two-shotted the fourth. .
“The whole golf course needs a lot,” Korda said. “I had to make some really good changes.”
Source link
