SHANGHAI (AP) — Arpichaya Yubol shot a bogey-free 8-under 64 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA’s Shanghai tournament.
The Thai player, whose career-best round is a 61, had four birdies on each of the front and back nines on the Qizhong Garden Golf Club.
Minjee Lee, who won the Women’s PGA Championship in June for her third major title, was in a group of five, a stroke behind. Jenny Shin, Jenny Bae, Jeeno Thitikul and Ina Yoon also shot 65s.
Lee said she navigated the difficult bumpy greens at Qizhong the best she could with her broomstick-style putter. Most of the greens are brown and patchy due to the extreme heat and humidity of Shanghai.
“I feel like with how the greens are, the conditions, I managed pretty well to make, what, seven birdies, so it was nice day for me,” the Australian said.
Ashleigh Buhai, the 2022 Women’s British Open champion, shot 68. Defending champion Ruoning Yin had a 71.
The Shanghai event is the first of five tournaments in Asia. There’s two weeks in South Korea, including the International Crown team event, and other tournaments in Malaysia and Japan.
Last week, Youmin Hwang extended the incredible streak on the LPGA of having different winners at each of the 25 official tournaments this year. Hwang was the sixth player from South Korea to win on the LPGA this year.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
