July 28, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Minjee Lee tees off on the third gap through the ultimate spherical of the CPKC Girls’s Golf Open. Obligatory Credit score: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports activities Australia’s Minjee Lee shot a bogey-free, 5-under 67 to prime the first-round leaderboard on the ISPS Handa Girls’s Scottish Open in Ayrshire, Scotland on Thursday.
Moist climate brought on a number of delays at Dundonald Hyperlinks, with 42 golfers nonetheless on the course when play was suspended on account of darkness at round 9.10pm native time.
Presently, Lee had surpassed Megan Khang and South Korean participant A Lim Kim and was tied for second with a rating of 4-under 68. Lily Might Humphreys completed 12 holes at 4 underneath.
Two-time main champion Lee missed the match at 2 underneath, then birdied Nos. 10, 13, 14 and 18, the final two of which had been par 5s. She is searching for her first win in 2024.
“I like the creativity of hyperlinks golf,” Lee mentioned. “You realize, clearly it was very windy right this moment, so the sport was like an actual hyperlinks golf course. Generally we do not have that a lot wind, however right this moment it was very windy, and I believe simply imagining what it might be wish to hit the ball, and I believe Having to execute these photographs – I do not suppose it is enjoyable to play and also you’re solely rewarded if you execute these photographs accurately.
Earlier within the day, Kang stood close to a puddle off the inexperienced and made an unlikely chip-in for birdie on the par-5 fifth, her 14th gap of the day, to take the lead. . She made her sixth and ultimate birdie of the day on the seventh gap to set her lead at 4 underneath.
“After that unhealthy second shot, I walked as much as my ball and my heel was sort of within the water and I joked, ‘I actually don’t care the place my foot is.’ I hit a stunning one. Chip, very fortunate to drop it,” mentioned Kang, who has just one win up to now on the LPGA Tour.
Kang mentioned she came upon Thursday morning whereas trailing that the beginning of the race had been delayed by an hour.
“Fortunately, I did not must get moist and are available again,” Kang mentioned. “Clearly, we needed to do it with a mid-round delay, however that is going to occur. However I am glad we had been in a position to get via this spherical and let me get the job completed for the day.”
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, contemporary off her gold medal win in Paris, her third Olympic medal since 2016, opened with a 3-under 69 , together with 5 birdies.
Like many golfers, she sees this week as a helpful tune-up for subsequent week’s Girls’s British Open at St. Andrews.
“That is a part of our job. Now we have to adapt to the climate, the kind of golf course, the kind of grass,” Gao mentioned.
“So we – I believe it is dependent upon who adjusts finest in a brief time period… We have two weeks right here to play links-style golf, so all in all, that is good for subsequent week. Nicely nicely ready, despite the fact that that is after all a unique fashion to St Andrews.
Lauren Coughlin, Japan’s Ayaka Furue and South Africa’s Nicole Garcia additionally shot 69, and Lucy Lee was 3 underneath via 15 holes.
Amongst different notable gamers, Rose Zhang and Eire’s Leona Maguire opened with a 73, one over par.
–Scene-level media
