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ORLANDO, Fla. — Brooke Henderson loved the opening day of a recent LPGA Tour season a complete lot greater than the robust, waning days of final season.
Her balky again feeling stronger and swinging a membership extra freely than she’d been in a position to since October, Henderson attacked Lake Nona on Thursday with six birdies for a 5-under 67 to take a 1-shot lead on the Hilton Grand Holidays Match of Champions.
Henderson, who completed third within the Race to the CME Globe final 12 months, began quick with birdies on three of her first eight holes. She added three extra in opposition to one bogey on her inward 9 to take a 1-shot lead over Nelly Korda, who at No. 2 is the highest-ranked participant on this week’s winners-only discipline.
“It does really feel actually good, to get off to a scorching begin, that is all the time a terrific feeling,” stated Henderson, who gained twice final season, together with her second profession main, on the Evian Championship. “Hopefully I can proceed it the subsequent three days, numerous momentum, and many birdies. You actually need to go low right here if the circumstances are going to remain as good as they’re.”
A 12 months in the past, gamers had been in wool caps and layers in unseasonably cool Florida climate. Thursday was kinder, a sunny day with temperatures climbing into the 80s.
Regardless of most gamers popping out of a quick offseason, few exhibited rust. Seventeen gamers broke par from the 29-player discipline of LPGA winners in 2021 and 2022.
Korda, who gained the Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona in early 2021, almost matched Henderson, making 5 birdies in opposition to a lone bogey in a gap 68.
She performed alongside former MLB pitcher Derek Lowe, the defending champion from the celebrity-athlete division within the blended discipline. There’s a division for LPGA execs and one for the celebrities, every with its personal prize fund. She and Lowe, paired collectively for 3 rounds on this occasion a 12 months in the past, spent the day spurring one another on to maintain making birdies.
“I am extra rooting for her,” Lowe stated. “It is such a blessing to play along with her. I hope she wins.”
England’s Charley Hull and first-time winners Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland) and Ashleigh Buhai (South Africa) opened with 69s. Defending champion Danielle Kang performed her means onto the leaderboard early, however bogeys at 12 and 13 left her at 1-under 71, tied for ninth.
Henderson’s 2022 marketing campaign ended with a whimper: She withdrew from her second-to-last begin in November and gutted out a tie for seventh on the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, the place she lives. After that, it was time for some wanted relaxation, then rehab for the again.
Henderson had a bag full of latest golf equipment Thursday (so did Korda), and swung aggressively. Her lone blemish was a bogey on the par-3 seventeenth, the place she fanned an 8-iron quick and didn’t stand up and down, however she received that shot again instantly with a birdie on the 388-yard 18th. She piped a drive into the golf green (she missed solely two fairways), then hit pitching wedge to fifteen ft, changing the putt for one final birdie.
As for the again? No ache.
“In the present day it was good, yeah, nothing, not even desirous about it,” she stated. “I simply ensure that I do the best issues tonight (getting remedy) and tomorrow and hopefully the identical transferring ahead.
“It is nice to be aggressive and have the ability to go after photographs once more.”
Main the celeb division was a well-recognized identify to all — 72-time LPGA champion Annika Sorenstam, a Lake Nona resident. A runner-up in 2022, Sorenstam amassed 39 factors within the Modified Stableford scoring system, two factors higher than 2021 champion Mardy Fish, a former tennis standout.
Her husband and caddie, Mike McGee, instructed her when the spherical ended that it was her first bogey-free spherical in a while.
“Which wasn’t on my thoughts, however I’m clearly more than happy to play right here and not using a bogey,” Sorenstam stated.
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