Minjee Lee of Australia carded a bogey-free, 5-under-par 67 to rise to the highest of the first-round leaderboard on the ISPS Handa Girls’s Scottish Open on Thursday in Ayrshire, Scotland.
After moist climate led to a number of delays to the proceedings at Dundonald Hyperlinks, 42 golfers have been nonetheless on the course when play was suspended for darkness at round 9:10 p.m. native time.
By that time, Lee had moved in entrance of Megan Khang and South Korea’s A Lim Kim, tied for second at 4-under 68. England’s Lily Could Humphreys was 4 below via 12 holes.
Lee, a two-time main champion, went out in 2 below earlier than including birdies at Nos. 10, 13, 14 and 18, the latter two on par-5 holes. She’s on the hunt for her first victory of 2024.
“I just like the creativity of hyperlinks golf,” Lee mentioned. “You understand, clearly there was loads of wind right now so it was taking part in like a real hyperlinks form of golf course. Generally we do not get as a lot wind however right now was blowing a gale and I really feel like simply picturing the pictures and simply having to execute these pictures, I feel is — I did not discover it enjoyable to play. Simply while you execute it appropriately, you get rewarded.”
Earlier within the day, Khang stood close to a puddle off the inexperienced and holed an unlikely chip-in birdie on the par-5 fifth gap, her 14th gap of the day, to take the lead. She made her sixth and remaining birdie of the day at No. 7 to set the lead at 4 below.
“I walked as much as my ball after the poor second shot and my heels have been form of in slightly standing water and I used to be joking, like, ‘I do not actually care the place my toes are.’ I hit a stunning chip and really fortunate to have gotten it to drop,” mentioned Khang, who has gained simply as soon as on the LPGA Tour thus far.
Khang mentioned she was operating behind Thursday morning earlier than discovering out the beginning of the spherical was delayed by an hour.
“So fortunately I did not should get moist and are available again in,” Khang mentioned. “Clearly we had to try this with the mid spherical delay however that is going to occur. However I am very comfortable we have been in a position to end the spherical and form of will get me finished for the day.”
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, recent off profitable gold on the Paris Olympics for her third Olympic medal since 2016, opened the event with a 3-under 69 that featured 5 birdies.
Like many golfers, she sees this week as a helpful tune-up for the Girls’s British Open, that are happening subsequent week at St. Andrews.
“It is a part of our job. We’ve to get acclimated to the climate, the kind of golf course, the kind of grass,” Ko mentioned.
“So we simply — I feel it form of relies upon who adjusts the very best in a brief period of time … We’ve two weeks over right here taking part in links-style golf programs, so all in all it is nice preparation for subsequent week, despite the fact that this can be a totally different model in fact to St Andrews.”
Lauren Coughlin, Japan’s Ayaka Furue and South Africa’s Nicole Garcia additionally shot 69, and Lucy Li was at 3 below via 15 holes.
Amongst different notables, Rose Zhang and Eire’s Leona Maguire opened with 1-over 73s.
–Discipline Degree Media
