Brooke Henderson opens with 69 in Carlsbad
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Chella Choi birdied the final three holes for a 7-under 65 and the first-round lead Thursday in the Kia Classic.
Choi had a bogey-free morning round at Aviara Golf Club in the final event before the major ANA Inspiration next week in Rancho Mirage.
“My putter really help me, so I really enjoyed it today,” Choi said.
The South Korean player was in the first group of the day of the first tee.
“I like this golf course,” Choi said. “I have really good memory here. Beautiful weather, course condition, and beautiful flowers. Very positive think and do my best.”
She won the 2015 Marathon Classic for her lone LPGA Tour.
Stephanie Meadow was two strokes back at 67. The former Alabama player from Northern Ireland also had a bogey-free round in the morning.
“Really consistent day,” Meadow said. “Just hit a bunch fairways and a bunch of greens and rolled some putts in, so pretty stress-free golf.”
Nine of the top 10 players in the world are in the field, with only No. 6 Nelly Korda taking the week off. Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park, No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn, No. 3 Minjee Lee, No. 4 Jin Young Ko and No. 8 Inbee Park topped a large group at 68. Sung Hyun Park won last month in Singapore and Ko is coming off a victory Sunday in the Founders Cup in Phoenix.
“Just play now,” Ko said. “Also, I don’t want think about future. Just think about now.”
Defending champion Eun-Hee Ji and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot 69.
Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., all shot 75. Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Quebec City had a 76.
Lexi Thompson opened with a 73 in her first tournament round in a month.
Cristie Kerr had a hole-in-one on the 143-yard 14th in a 74. She won the 2015 tournament.
“I played so bad today and that was like – I don’t know?” Kerr said. “I was trying to just make as many birdies as I could coming in. Finally got a birdie on 10 and 13, and just was trying to somehow bring it back close to par and get out in the morning and have some better greens.”
Henderson ties for 8th at Founders Cup
PHOENIX – Jin Young Ko channeled her inner Dustin Johnson to win for the first time in the United States.
After an even-par 72 left her five strokes back heading into the weekend at the Founders Cup, Ko talked to fellow South Korean player Jennifer Song about the top-ranked PGA Tour star.
“She told me Dustin hit so bad and he didn’t get angry – put clubs in the bag and just walk,” Ko said. “So, I tried like Dustin yesterday and today. I just tried no angry, no happy, just focus. ”
It worked.
The 23-year-old Ko closed with bogey-free rounds of 64 and 65 at Desert Ridge to rally for a one-stroke victory Sunday. She birdied Nos. 14-16 and parred the final two to finish at 22-under 266, then won when third-round leader Yu Liu missed a 15-foot par putt on the par-4 18th.
Liu shot a 70 to tie for second with playing partner Carlota Ciganda and sisters Jessica and Nelly Korda. Ciganda closed with a 69, Jessica Korda eagled the two back-nine par 5s in a 64, and Nelly Korda shot 66.
Choosing to putt with the flagstick in the hole under golf’s new rules, Ko made a 4-footer on the par-3 14th, two-putted for birdie on the par-5 15th and made it three in a row from 3 1/2 feet on the par-4 16th.
“Lots of players thinks if there is a pin in the ball might hit the pin and come out,” Ko said. “I think it’s great to put the pin in because of it makes it easier for me to putt because it is a small target.”
A 10-time winner on Korean tour, Ko won the 2017 LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship in South Korea to earn her LPGA Tour card and took the Women’s Australian Open last year.
She broke through in the U.S. on Sunday in the event that honours the 13 women who founded the LPGA Tour, a goal she said she thought about too much last year.
“But my friends told me, ‘You can do it.’ Also my manager and my parents, my caddie, all people say you can,” Ko said. “I got lots of confidence for this year. Really good for third win in the States.”
Ko has three top-three finishes in four events this year. She was second behind Nelly Korda last month in her Australian title defence and was coming off a third-place tie three weeks ago in Singapore.
The 23-year-old Liu missed a chance to follow Shanshan Feng as the second Chinese winner in tour history.
“It was amazing week for me,” Liu said. “First time being able to play in the final round, first time being in contention. Didn’t handle the way I wanted to, but feel like there is always room for improvements.”
The former Duke player wasn’t sure where she was on the leaderboard playing the 18th.
“I don’t know exactly where I stand, if I needed to make birdie or just save par and get to playoff,” Liu said. “So I wasn’t as focused as I would’ve liked. I think that’s why I made bogey.”
Ciganda played at Arizona State, helping the Sun Devils win the 2009 NCAA title.
“I would’ve loved to win,” the Spaniard said. “Always special here in Phoenix, but I couldn’t today.”
Jessica Korda returned from a left forearm injury to make her first start of the season.
“Obviously, playing pain-free. It shows,” she said.
She parred the last two holes, leaving a 20-footer an inch short on 17 and coming up well short on 18.
“I knew I had to post a low one just to kind of make the girls a little nervous,” she said. “A little disappointed with leaving that last putt short because I knew I needed to make it. I thought it was going to be downhill. Just the difference in the shade with the light I guess just confused me a little bit.”
Brooke Henderson (66) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for eighth at 18 under.
Nelly Korda had her fifth straight top-10 finish to open the season. She also parred the final two holes.
“I’m bummed, but I’m not too bummed because I played well this week and I’m happy with the way my game is trending,” she said. “I gave myself an opportunity on the last couple holes. Seventeen just burned the edge and then I lipped out pretty hard on 18, unfortunately.”
Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park faded after sharing the second-round lead with Liu. The Singapore winner had weekend rounds of 69 and 72 to tie for 14th at 15 under.
Brooke Henderson shares 15th through 54 holes at Founders
PHOENIX – Yu Liu got through a stressful final-group pairing Saturday to take the Founders Cup lead, outplaying top-ranked Sung Hyun Park. She’ll have do it again Sunday, this time alongside Carlota Ciganda, to win her first LPGA Tour title.
Liu shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Ciganda into the final round at low-scoring Desert Ridge, while Park struggled with bogeys and missed birdie chances to drop four shots behind,
“I’m not very comfortable and not very used to playing in the last group,” said Liu, the 23-year-old Chinese player in her second year on the tour, “I’ve had two experiences before and I didn’t do very well. Today was definitely a turnaround.”
Liu played the final four holes in 4 under, making an eagle on the par-5 15th and birdieing the last two to reach 19-under 197 in the event that honours the 13 women who founded the LPGA Tour.
She broke a tie with Ciganda with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th with Founders Marlene Bauer Hagge, Marilynn Smith and Shirley Spork looking on from a stage on the edge of the green.
“Playing golf for a living is definitely not something that I take for granted,” Liu said. “I really appreciate what the Founders have done for us.”
The former Duke player rebounded from a bogey on the par-3 14th with the eagle on 15 – hitting a 5-iron from 190 yards to 20 feet – and made a 5-footer on the par-3 17th.
Ciganda shot a 63 to match the best score of the week, playing the final five in 5 under with an eagle and three birdies. She’s trying to become the second former Arizona State player to win the event, following 2017 champion Anna Nordqvist.
“When you make putts, it’s great,” Ciganda said. “I’ve been playing great, hitting lots of green, so it was a matter of making putts.”
She set up the eagle on the 479-yard 15th with a 7-iron to 12 feet.
“They put the tee up today,” Ciganda said. “I knew if I hit a good driver it was going to be a short iron.”
The Spaniard also made a 15-footer on 18. She won her two LPGA Tour titles in 2016 in South Korea and Mexico.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson (69) was tied for 15th at 12 under.
Angel Yin was 16 under after a 66.
“I’m going to try to do the same I’ve been doing the past three days and just play my game,” the long-hitting American said. “If it works, it works.”
Park, the winner three weeks ago in Singapore in the last tour event, had three bogeys in a 69. The South Korean star began the round tied for the lead with upstart playing partner Liu.
“I was just trying to get myself mentally prepared for the round and just play my own game,” Liu said. “She’s just a player that I’ve been looking up to a lot. I had a couple experiences playing with her, but I did really bad the previous few. Today I was just controlling my emotions and staying in my own game.”
Hyo Joo Kim (64), Jin Young Ko (64), Women’s Australian Open champion Nelly Korda (66) and Lydia Ko (67) matched Park at 15 under. Lydia Ko saved par on 18 with a close shot from the deep left bunker.
“To make an up-and-down from a place where it could have been a lot worse, I’ll take it,” Ko said. “I don’t even want to talk about the second shot. It was probably the worst shot of my whole time here in Phoenix.
Shanshan Feng, the only Chinese winner in tour history, had a 64 to join 2016 champion Sei Young Kim (67), Bronte Law (65), Jessica Korda (67), Charlotte Thomas (67) and Mi Jung Hur (69) at 13 under.
Azahara Munoz, Ciganda’s teammate at Arizona State, matched her fellow Spaniard with a 63 to reach 12 under.
Brooke Henderson trails by three mid-way through Founders Cup
PHOENIX – Sung Hyun Park isn’t a big fan of birdie-fest golf. She’s still awfully good at it.
“Personally, I like the difficult course better than the easy course,” Park said through a translator.
The top-ranked Park shot her second straight 6-under 66 on Friday at the Founders Cup for a share of the lead with Yu Liu in the event that honours the 13 women who founded the LPGA Tour.
Coming off a victory three weeks ago in Singapore, Park birdied five of the first six holes on her final nine in perfect conditions at Desert Ridge. She lost the outright lead with a closing bogey on the par-4 ninth.
“Overall, I’m really happy with the play today, especially putting was really good,” Park said. “The shots were better than yesterday.”
The 25-year-old South Korean has six victories in her first three years on the tour, winning majors in far more testing conditions at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open and 2018 Women’s PGA Championship.
Liu had 10 birdies in a 64 to match Park at 12-under 132.
“I don’t expect this to happen every day,” Liu said. “When a day like this comes, I just am glad I was able to take advantage of it.”
The 23-year-old Chinese player teed off at 7 a.m. in the first group off the 10th tee.
“Definitely being the first off, the greatest advantage is pure greens and calm conditions,” Liu said.
Former Arizona State player Linnea Strom lost a share of the lead with a closing double bogey. With Arizona State’s players and coaching staff following her, she pulled her approach from the middle of the 18th fairway into a plugged lie in the face of the left bunker. The Swedish rookie took two shots to get out of the bunker, with the second racing through the green and almost into the exit tunnel under the grandstand. She got up-and-down from there for a 65.
“A bit unlucky on the last hole, but overall very happy with my round,” said Strom, a member of the Sun Devils’ 2017 NCAA championship team. “It was so much fun to play out there with my whole team supporting. This is like home for me to be here.”
Lydia Ko (67) also was 10 under with first-round leader Celine Boutier (70), Amy Yang (66), Mi Jung Hur (66), Angel Yin (67), Nanna Koerstz Madsen (69) and Monday qualifier Cheyenne Knight (68).
“Obviously, the golf course is known to have some low scores,” Ko said. “You just have to go out there, try to play your game, and maybe play a little bit more aggressive than any other golfcourse.”
Boutier eagled the par-5 15th – holing out from a greenside bunker after hitting a drive that bounced off a cart path and went 340 yards – to tie Park for the lead at 13 under, but dropped three strokes on the final three holes. The 5-foot Frenchwoman, the Vic Open winner last month in Australia for her first LPGA Tour title, bogeyed the par-4 16th and had a double bogey on the par-4 18th.
“I don’t feel great right now,” Boutier said. “Just not a good finish.”
Boutier teamed with Liu to help Duke win the 2014 NCAA title.
“She’s one of my closest friends out here,” Boutier said. “We played on the Symetra Tour two years ago together, we graduated together and then last year we had a pretty good rookie year on the LPGA Tour together.”
Defending champion Inbee Park topped the group at 9 under with Women’s Australian Open champion Nelly Korda (67) and Brooke Henderson (68) of Smiths Falls, Ont.
Na Yeon Choi followed her opening 65 with a 71 to reach 8 under. She’s playing her first event after an 11-month layoff because of a back injury.
The projected cut line was 2-under par.
Brittany Marchand (73) of Orangeville, Ont., was tied for 86th at even par. Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay (71) and Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (72) were in a group at 2 over and Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee (75) was at 4 over,
Henderson 3 back after first round of LPGA Founders
PHOENIX – Na Yeon Choi feared the worst Thursday in her return from a back injury. She ended up high on the Founders Cup leaderboard.
Choi shot a 7-under 65 at Desert Ridge in her first tournament round in 11 months, leaving her a stroke behind first-round leader Celine Boutier in the event that honours the 13 women who founded the LPGA Tour.
“ Golf is really funny game. I didn’t expect any good score today because this is first day,” said Choi, the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open champion and nine-time tour winner. “I practice hard, of course, but it’s hard to tell how I’m going to shoot. Less expectation, I think, always give you better result.”
Close friend Jenny Shin waited around for Choi to finish and threw a cup of champagne on her in celebration.
“I’m just happy be on the fairway and walking with friends,” Choi said.
The 31-year-old South Korean tried to play through the back problem before finally shutting it down last April, taking the advice of friends and former tour stars Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon.
“I just kept playing golf and my swing got worse and worse and hitting my ball going left and right,” Choi said. “My mentally is like totally broken, so I just need my body get ready first.”
She took a two-week European vacation to help clear her mind.
“I didn’t think about golf,” Choi said. “I didn’t set alarm every day, you know. I just wake up whenever I want and I just eat whatever I want. It was different life I think. I think I was kind of robot when I was growing up and then playing golf well in LPGA Tour. I think I was like living in the box. I couldn’t do anything besides golf. Only golf, only golf. Like 100 per cent focused ongolf.”
When she got the golf bug again, she took it slow and relaxed.
“I try to drink some beer and get a little tipsy and playing golf,” Choi said. “Because we always play golf in serious mode. I just like to play more fun.”
Boutier closed her late round with a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-4 ninth. The Frenchwoman won the Vic Open last month in Australia for her first LPGA Tour title.
“It’s definitely made me more confident in my game, my ability to win out here,” Boutier said. “I feel like I was kind of lacking that confidence last year.”
Also Thursday, PXG announced it added Boutier to its tour staff.
“It’s super exciting because I’ve been playing their clubs a full year now,” the former Duke player said.
Alana Uriell, Charlotte Thomas, Jin Young Ko and Nanna Koerstz Madsen joined Choi at 65. Uriell won a Symetra Tour event two weeks ago in Florida in her pro debut, making an eagle on the first hole of a playoff.
“It’s given me a lot of confidence coming into the LPGA having a win under my belt,” Uriell said. “Feel a little more at home out here, so I don’t mind letting loose and seeing what I’m capable of.”
Top-ranked Sung Hyun Park, Shin, Carlota Ciganda, Pornanong Phatlum and Monday qualifier Cheyenne Knight shot 66.
Former Phoenix high school star Sarah Schmelzel opened with a 67 in her third tour start. She was the 2011 Arizona high school champion at Xavier Prep.
“It was very comfortable looking over outside the ropes and seeing my boyfriend, my mom, my dad, and my brother and people from my golf club that I grew up at here,” Schmelzel said.
In 2001, her golf-loving father – alerted by a friend that Annika Sorenstam was tearing up their home course of Moon Valley in the Standard Register Ping – pulled her out of elementary school in time to watch the final nine holes of Sorenstam’s tour-record 59.
“I just remember I got called up to the office,” Schmelzel said. “I was like, ‘Oh, no. That’s not good.’ I saw my dad standing at the front desk and he said, ‘All right, we’re going to Moon Valley.”’
Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., also shot 67.
Highlights from @BrookeHenderson’s 5-under 67 Thursday at the @LPGAfounders. She currently sits T12. pic.twitter.com/y3QbFkVQ3v
— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) March 22, 2019
Nelly Korda had a 68. She won the Women’s Australian Open last month for her second LPGA Tour victory and leads the money list.
Defending champion Inbee Park shot 69.
Xiyu Lin had a hole-in-one on the 17th in a 70. She used a 9-iron on the 142-yard hole.
Brittany Marchand (71) of Orangeville, Ont., was tied for 62nd, Calgary’s Jaclyn Lee (73) was tied for 90th, Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (74) was tied for 11th, and Quebec City’s Anne-Catherine Tanguay (75) was tied for 128th.
LPGA launches new “Drive On” brand campaign
The LPGA is unveiling its new brand positioning that embraces its history and pushes toward the future with two simple words: Drive On.
Drive On is clearly rooted in golf, but it’s a bigger idea. It captures the power and potential in each of us and celebrates the hard work, focus, and tenacity that it takes to achieve our goals.
That the LPGA has refined its brand positioning isn’t remarkable. What is remarkable is the process that led us here.
Over the past few years, the LPGA has had more new corporate partners come on board than at any time in its history. The growth of the LPGA and the strength of these partnerships reflects the quality of our Tour, the approachability of our athletes, the expertise of our Teaching and Club Professionals and the relentless dedication of everyone that is connected through our networks and associations.
In a very real sense, our sponsors, players and fans have led us to “Drive On.” More and more companies want to be associated with what the LPGA and its members stand for – on and off the golf course. They see our athletes as positive, visible leaders and role models who represent the important values of diversity, authenticity, a commitment to excellence and fierce determination. And they appreciate our nearly 70-year track record of “driving on” to break barriers and provide opportunities for women.
Drive On isn’t just about golf and it isn’t just about women. For girls and boys, women and men. It’s about the fire that burns inside you when you discover your passion. It’s about the motivating power of big dreams and the resolve to defy convention and stereotypes. It’s about finding the vision to see beyond what has already been done and to believe something greater is possible.
We think the time is right to celebrate that spirit of determination – that drive – within. This is the moment to shine a light on the stories of dedication, resilience and sheer grit that it takes to excel.
For nearly 70 years, the LPGA has been “driving on” to create greater opportunity for women. Standing on the shoulders of our 13 Founders and the other outstanding women who came before them, the members of the LPGA today are fully prepared to carry the future on their shoulders. Crushing it everyday so that today’s youth can crush it for the next generation.
Henderson finishes T15 in Singapore; Park wins 6th LPGA title
SINGAPORE – Sung Hyun Park made sure there were no anxious moments as she closed in on her sixth LPGA Tour victory on Sunday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Four strokes behind No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn at the start of the final round, the world No. 2 birdied five of her first seven holes and added four more birdies on the back nine for an 8-under 64 and a two-stroke victory.
Over the first three rounds, Park was 3-over on the back nine. Park had a four-round total of 15-under 273 at Sentosa Golf Club’s Tanjong course.
Park has traditionally had a slow start to the new season.
“So last year, my shots and like overall thing was pretty unstable in the beginning of the season, and I think my training in the last winter really helped me a lot, and it also helped me to be stronger with my play,” she said.
Congrats to our 2017 champ ?, Sung Hyun Park, who came from 4-shots behind to win the 2019 HSBC Women's World Championship pic.twitter.com/hb0C90EtoH
— CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) March 3, 2019
“I didn’t think I would win this fast … I think I will play really comfortable the rest of my season.”
Canada’s Brooke Henderson finished in a tie for 15th place.
No. 3-ranked Minjee Lee, who led for part of the front nine Sunday, was second after a 69. Lee also finished second last week at the LPGA’s Thailand tournament, one stroke behind winner Amy Yang.
Amy Olson, who led after Friday’s second round, shot 70 and the American finished in a tie for fifth, five strokes behind.
Jutanuguran shot 75 and finished in a tie for eighth, seven strokes behind Park.
“Sung Hyun, she’s such a great golfer; I’m not surprised she shot 8-under because she’s the best to me, so just congrats to her,” said Jutanuguran. “She’s great.”
Hamilton’s Alena Sharp’s new life balance paying dividends on the LPGA Tour
Most golfers look for balance in their swing. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp found it in her life and is now reaping the benefits on the LPGA Tour.
Sharp was named Golf Canada’s player of the week on Feb. 18 after tying for sixth at the Women’s Australian Open and tying for 17th at the Victoria Open to open the LPGA Tour’s season. Sharp credits a more measured approach to training and a better work-life balance to help her stay focused after a frustrating 2018 where she battled with depression.
“It’s not all about golf,” said Sharp. “I was practising too much and really wore out. Then not getting the results. This is a humbling game. It can be tough mentally and bring you down. When it’s going well it’s amazing but when it’s not going well, it’s tough.
“So working with my therapist and having a good work-life balance along with a strong finish last season, it helped me feel like I was coming out of the downward spiral from last season.”
The big change for Sharp in the off-season was to never really stop playing golf. In previous years she would take a few weeks off, then ramp up an intense training regime featuring long days of up to six hours of practise and strength training.
This year, Sharp has aimed for quantity of practice, rather than intensity.
“I didn’t put down the clubs, I did light practice,” said Sharp, who conceived of her new training program with coach Brent Saunders last June. “Just a couple of hours of practice a day, nothing crazy. Get in, do you work, get out, and rest. Got in the gym and got stronger and I’m hitting it further.
“Just mentally I’m really fresh. Just good practice habits have translated into the results I had in Australia.”
Now that the LPGA Tour season has begun, Sharp plans to continue putting an emphasis on working every day, rather than ramping up the intensity of her training to prepare for an event and risk burn out or injury.
“I think I might have a little bit more quantity on certain days but I’m not really going to change much,” said Sharp. “What I’ve been doing obviously is working and it’s a long season and there’s a lot of travel.
“I know last year that I was pretty tired in August. I ran around too much, practising five or six hours every day. It really wore me out.”
Alena Sharp of Canada speaks to the media following her final round at the CP Womens Open at the Wascana Country Club on August 26, 2018 in Regina, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Sharp has another week off with Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., the only Canadian competing at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore starting on Thursday.
Instead, Sharp is using the downtime to focus on her next two events, the Bank of Hope Founders Cup in Phoenix (March 21) and the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., (March 28).
“I just feel like I have a really good recipe for success,” said Sharp. “Really trying to stay away from results-focused thinking this year and being into the process.”
Henderson finishes 6th in Thailand
CHONBURI, Thailand – Amy Yang won the LPGA Thailand for the third time after holding off Minjee Lee by one stroke on Sunday.
Yang, from South Korea, carded a final-round 65 and a 22-under-par 266 at Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course for her fourth overall LPGA Tour win.
Despite lightning stopping play for 50 minutes and a rain delay later in the round, Yang emerged from a three-way tie with Lee and Carlota Ciganda with a birdie from the fringe of the green on the par-3 16th to regain the lead at 21 under.
“I was honestly very nervous, especially last three holes,” said Yang, who also won the event in 2015 and 2017. “It was (a) tough hole to finish. I was really telling myself just (to) be patient, do (my) best at the time.
“I tried to stay calm and stayed patient out there. I just enjoy coming here. I love the golf course, which is why I always play well here.”
Brooke Henderson (68) of Smiths Falls, Ont., was sixth at 15-under 273.
With Ciganda already signing off at 20 under, Lee, on the 18th, had the chance force a playoff if she made a 14-foot eagle putt. She didn’t, and she had to settle for a birdie to finish with a 66 at 21 under.
“I really fought out there,” said Lee, who was looking for her fifth LPGA Tour win. “Just tried to make as many birdies as I could. Probably didn’t play probably 15 and 16 the way I wanted to, but I think overall, I had a pretty solid performance.”
Ciganda finished at 20 under after having eagled the par-5 first and the par-4 15th. She shot a 63 on Sunday, matching Eun-Hee Ji’s score from Thursday as the lowest of the event.
“I hit lots of greens, (was) hitting great shots, great numbers, and then today, the putting was hot,” Ciganda said.
Yang, who earned $240,000 of the $1.6 million purse, is expected to move from No. 37 to No. 2 in the Race to the CME Globe following the win.
Brooke Henderson three back after opening round of LPGA Thailand
CHONBURI, Thailand – Canada’s Brooke Henderson is three shots behind leader Eun-Hee Ji of South Korea after shooting a 6-under 66 in the opening round of Honda LPGA Thailand on Thursday.
The bogey-free day marked Henderson’s first competitive round since the season-opening Tournament of Champions in Florida ended on Jan. 20. The 21-year-old native of Smiths Falls, Ont., sat out the last two events because of illness.
“You know, I felt look I did a lot of things really well today,” Henderson said. “Maybe just adjust the game plan a little bit going into tomorrow. But I’m just going to rest and hopefully come out tomorrow and get a couple birdies early.”
Henderson is in a four-way tie for fifth. Ji has a two-shot lead on Minjee Lee of Australia, Danielle Kang of the United States and Jenny Shin of South Korea.
Henderson tied for seventh at this tournament last year.
#CPWO champ @BrookeHenderson is 3 back after 18 holes @hondalpgath ?? pic.twitter.com/khc5h4ClTm
— CP Women's Open (@cpwomensopen) February 21, 2019
Ji won her fifth U.S. LPGA Tour title in her previous event last month, the Tournament of Champions.
She picked up right where she left off, in Chonburi.
After an opening birdie and a bogey on the third hole, Ji birdied nine out of the following 14 holes on the Siam Country Club Pattaya’s Old Course.
“I felt really great. I didn’t miss any fairways and missed just two greens,” Ji said. “I have a lot of confidence.
Lee was bogey free as she eagled the 15th and birdied five holes on a humid day.
“I was little bit slow starting out. I finished with three birdies on the last three holes at the front nine, and got a little bit better momentum,” Lee said.
World No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn, the 2013 runner-up, carded a 4-under 68, mixing an eagle and six birdies with two bogeys and a double bogey.