South African veteran Lee-Anne Pace fired 4 of her 5 birdies on the again 9 at Baltusrol on Thursday to seize a one-shot lead within the Women’s PGA Championship.
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Pace’s sturdy end on the demanding structure in Springfield, New Jersey, put her one in entrance of Chinese duo Lin Xiyu and Yin Ruoning and Canadian Brooke Henderson, who shared second place a stroke forward of Thailand’s Wichanee Meechai.
“I played very well today,” mentioned the 42-year-old Pace, who claimed her lone LPGA tour title in 2014.
“Obviously I’m very happy. No bogeys, which is awesome. Putted really well, very happy with the round,” added Pace, whose greatest end in a significant was a tie for sixth within the Evian Championship in 2015.
Pace was concentrating this season on the Ladies European Tour – the place she’s an 11-time winner – earlier than heading stateside for the ShopRite Classic earlier this month.
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She took a conservative method and it paid off on a course the place solely 16 gamers broke par.
“We kept it pretty simple,” she mentioned.
“Most of the greens we went for the middle, didn’t really attack too many pins. The putter worked, which was awesome. Hit my driver pretty straight, as well.”
Darkness was closing in as Pace warmed up. She had back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12, added one other at 15 and at last birdied 18.
“At my age, the darkness isn’t your friend. But, like I said, I felt very comfortable on the greens. I made a really good putt on 15, massive slopey, very quick putt. That was a huge bonus.”
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She obtained up and down from a bunker at 16 then reached the inexperienced on the par-five 18th in two and for an additional birdie.
Henderson, who gained the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016, teed off on 10 and had two birdies and a bogey in her first 9 holes earlier than nabbing three on her inward run.
That included a birdie at her ultimate gap, the ninth, which pulled the two-time main champion stage with Lin and Yin.
“Everything was working pretty well. I would like to hit a few more fairways tomorrow, but when I needed to I was able to get up-and-down a few times and the putter was rolling,” mentioned Henderson – who hit simply 5 of 14 fairways.
“It’s nice to make five birdies out on this golf course. Hopefully just do something similar over the next few days.”
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Lin had two birdies on every 9 and not using a bogey as she goals to enhance on her greatest prior main end, a tie for seventh on the 2021 US Women’s Open.
Yin had two birdies and an eagle with out a bogey, hitting 13 fairways and 17 greens in regulation.
“My ball-striking was right on spot,” she mentioned.
Yin teed off on 10 and after a birdie at 17 eagled 18, the place she “just smashed my three-wood up there and ended up pretty good.”
She drained a six-foot putt to make the flip three-under and added yet one more birdie coming in.
Leading first-round scores within the Women’s PGA Championship (USA except famous, par-71):
66 – Lee-Anne Pace (RSA)
67 – Brooke Henderson (CAN), Lin Xiyu (CHN), Yin Ruoning (CHN)
68 – Wichanee Meechai (THA)
69 – Jenny Shin (KOR), Yuka Saso (JPN), Esther Henseleit (GER), Celine Borge (NOR), Leona Maguire (IRL), Ayaka Furue (JPN)
70 – Grace Kim (AUS), Alexa Pano, Rose Zhang, Celine Boutier (FRA), Allisen Corpuz
71 – Perrine Delacour (FRA), Choi Hye-jin (KOR), Lee6 Jeong-eun (KOR), Ariya Jutanugarn (THA), Daniela Darquea (ECU), Linn Grant (SWE), Jasmine Suwannapura (THA), Samantha Wagner, Ji Eun-hee (KOR), Ally Ewing, Paula Reto (RSA), Nanna Koerstz Madsen (DEN), Marissa Steen, Morgane Metraux (SUI), Mel Reid (ENG), Annie Park
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