By Al Campbell
VANCOUVER, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) — Yuka Saso set the early tempo throughout first spherical play of the CPKC Women’s Open on Thursday because the Japanese veteran carded a six-under 66 for a one-shot lead at Canada’s nationwide championship.
Sweden’s Linn Grant was alone in second after capturing a five-under 67 on the 2.5 million U.S. {dollars} LPGA Tour occasion.
Zhang Weiwei was the highest Chinese because the Hubei native began her spherical with three straight birdies at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club for a three-under 69 to sit down equal third with Canada’s Alena Sharp, South Koreans Kim Sei-young and Ko Jin-young and Americans Rose Zhang and Danielle Kang.
Other Chinese scores noticed World No. 3 Yin Ruoning end on an even-par 72, whereas Lin Xiyu and Yan Jing had been a shot additional again after a 73. Liu Ruixin was two-over 74.
Saso, winner of the 2021 US Women’s Open, began her early morning spherical on the tenth gap and stumbled early in selecting up a bogey 5 on her first gap. After birdies on the eleventh and thirteenth holes, her second and fourth holes, she carded one other bogey on the 18th gap (her ninth gap) to make the flip at even par.
Her again 9, the entrance 9, is the place Saso actually obtained her spherical going because the 22-year-old shot 4 straight birdies from the primary gap. She then picked up extra photographs with birdies on the sixth and seventh holes.
“First nine was pretty stable. Hit it okay. Putted okay. I don’t know what happened on the back nine. I started hitting some good second shots and having short putts for birdies, giving myself a lot of chances,” mentioned Saso who gained the person and crew gold medals for the Philippines on the 2018 Asian Games. Last 12 months, she gave up her Philippines citizenship to compete for Japan, the birthplace of her father.
“I hit some good shots, I guess. But tomorrow is a new day. I just have to be patient and do what I have to do and enjoy it.”
Grant, who obtained her first LPGA Tour win final month on the Dana Open, completed strongly with 4 straight birdies from the twelfth gap after dropping her solely shot of the day on the par-five eleventh gap.
“I did not expect to shoot minus-five today. I didn’t feel very confident with my swing going out, but I managed to kind of find something and, you know, golf is golf; you got to just kind of go with what you have,” mentioned the 24-year-old who has been chosen for the European crew for the upcoming Solheim Cup in Spain.
“Today was a mix of some lucky birdies and some really good ones. I think after 12 I kind of got confidence going and kind of felt more confident hitting the shots and relying on my golf and myself.”
Notable scores included World No. 1 Lilia Vu and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko on even-par 72, whereas France’s Celine Boutier, a three-time winner this season, shot 73.