Amy Yang and Seon Hwa Lee share the overnight lead at five-under-par 67. Round one will resume at 7:00am Friday with 27 players still left on the golf course, including Taylor Leon who currently sits in a tie for fourth. Second round play will begin at 7:30am.
Rolex Rankings No. 33 Amy Yang and four-time winner Seon Hwa Lee ended first-round play at the LPGA Tour Championship in Orlando, Fla., sharing the clubhouse lead. Both fired five-under-par 67 at the Grand Cypress Golf Club, where temperatures ranged from the low 50s to the low 60s. Yang started her round with an eagle on her second hole, the par-5 11th, and only allowed for one bogey on the par-4 third. Lee posted six birdies and one bogey in her opening round.
Amy Yang's co-leader status today at the LPGA Tour Championship is a new experience for her. She has never led after any round in an LPGA event. However, it's a place with which she's not totally unfamiliar. She was the youngest winner on the Ladies European Tour, winning the 2006 ANZ Ladies Masters when she was just sixteen. Her career-best on the LPGA is a tie for third at the 2009 CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge, where she carded a career-low 66 in the final round. She has recorded five top-10 finishes so far in 2010, the most top-10 finishes in her LPGA career.
Julieta Granada took home the $1million first-place prize at the LPGA Tour Championship back in 2006 and she currently sits in solo third at this year’s season finale. Granada has been playing and practicing at Grand Cypress and is looking to have her best finish of the 2010 season. “I hope there's some magic in Florida for me,” Granada said.
LPGA veteran Laura Davies donned a microphone and carded a 2-under-par 70 on Thursday. The always-quotable Davies carded six birdies, two bogies and a double bogey in a rollercoaster day. Two points shy of the 27 points needed to qualify for the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame, Davies has the utmost respect for the qualifications necessary to gain entrance. “I've had 23 years out here, and if I'm not good enough to win 22 times, that's my fault, no one else's.”
Davies also considers herself more than equipped to handle the rigors of professional golf at age 47. “You are as old as you are and as long as you're confident and as long as you can -- if you can physically walk around the golf course, you can be a professional golfer. So at this stage, I can still walk.”
LPGA Tour winner Leta Lindley got off to a hot start in round one. She fired a two-under-par 70 and sits in a tie for fourth. Lindley handled the difficult morning conditions by adapting her course management. “I just kept taking one more club and swinging it smooth,” Lindley said. “I think that really made a big difference today.” Lindley’s season-best finish is a tie for 21st at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge. Her last top 10 came won she won the 2008 Corning LPGA Classic.
Lindley likes having the LPGA Tour Championship in her home state. Lindley, who grew up in San Diego, resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with her husband and two children. Lindley will host the annual Leta Lindley Prader-Willi Classic in January 2011. Her charitable event raises funds for research to find a cure and effective treatment for Prader-Willi Syndrome, a life long condition that affects appetite, growth, metabolism, cognitive function and behavior.
Cristie Kerr narrowed the gap on Na Yeon Choi in the Vare Trophy race on Thursday. Kerr shot 71 while Choi, who at one point was 4-under-par for the day, shot 73. Choi entered the week with a 69.77 scoring average, which dropped to 69.82 after the first round. Kerr entered the week with a 69.86 scoring average, which dropped to 69.87 after Thursday.
Cristie Kerr leads a pack of players chasing the Rolex Player of the Year trophy.Looking to become the first American since Beth Daniel in 1984 to claim the award, Kerr recorded a 1-under-par 71 on Thursday. “I made one bad swing and got kind of unlucky on (hole) nine, and I was good, I didn't let it bother me. I knew that if I got in the red today, it would be a good start.”
Rolex Player of the Year. Five players – Yani Tseng, Ai Miyazato, Na Yeon Choi, Cristie Kerr and Jiyai Shin – all have a chance to become the 2010 Rolex Player of the Year this week. After round one here is where they stand.
