LPGA : CPKC Women's Open
Japan's Miyu Yamashita shot a season-low -8 62 on the 6,452-yard, par-70 Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton. She is one stroke ahead of her countrywoman Nasa Hataoka -7 63 and two up -6 64 on Kiara Romero of the United States.
The first round was played under mostly cloudy skies, a temperature of 24 C and in occasional clouds of insect repellent. Edmonton’s 56 centimetres of rain since June 1 made the city a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
“I’m getting annihilated,” said one caddie as she sprayed herself down at the turn.
Vancouver’s Anna Huang, 17, and 18-year-old amateur Michelle Xing of Richmond Hill, Ont., were three shots off the lead at -5 65 in a T4 to lead the Canadians, with China’s Ruoning Yin and Japan’s Yuri Yoshida.
The 25-year-old Women's Open Champion, Yamashita, who also won June’s Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Mich., recorded eight birdies.
“It’s been a while since I finished the first round in good position,” she said. “My putting was really nice, so I felt really good.”
Defending champion Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., seeking a third win in her home LPGA tournament, finished with a birdie to go -3 67
“I feel it was very important and it felt great,” Henderson said. “I really wanted it. I hit it really hard. I’m glad I hit the hole, but to see it go in was really nice.
“The scores are very low out here today, the leaders especially, so just trying to go out tomorrow and make a bunch of birdies and try to catch them.”
Henderson birdied her first three holes of the back nine after making the turn at even par. Her tee shot and second shot found rough on the 16th hole, which she bogeyed.
“If you find the rough or you’re not hitting it so well, it can really be penalizing as well, so you’re just trying to stick to the short stuff,” she said. “Every time I made a bogey, I was able to bounce back with a birdie pretty quickly, which is important.
“Three under, definitely going to need a little bit more tomorrow, but a good start.”
Both Huang and Xing were positioned to make the cut Friday for the first time in their careers after two tries apiece.
“Definitely making the cut would be a really big goal for me, and then hopefully some good weekend golf,” said Huang, who won 4 European Tour tournaments in the last 11 months.
“I’m definitely a lot more confident than I was the past few years coming into this event, and then also just all the crowds out there really helped.”
Xing was a late addition to the field with a sponsor’s exemption.
“As an amateur, like that’s one of my biggest goals, is to make the cut at an LPGA event, especially when it’s in Canada,” she said. “It would mean a whole lot.”
OTHER CANADIANS
Clairey Lin, a 16-year-old amateur from Langley, B.C., shot a -2 68 in her tournament debut.
Tour veteran Maude-Aimee Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., joined her at -2.
Vancouver’s Leah John turned in a -1 69 and Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., shot E 70.
Lin’s fellow Canadian amateurs Lauren Kim of Surrey, B.C., Calgary’s Aphrodite Deng and Shauna Liu of Maple, Ont., all shot E70, Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos was +2 72 o and Eileen Park of Red Deer, Alta., carded a +8 78.
Katie Cranston of Oakville, Ont., shot a +4 74, Alena Sharp of Hamilton a +7 77 and Calgary’s Tillie Claggett shot a +8 78.
Donna Spencer (Canadian Press)
Bryan Angus (edit)
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