Lee-Anne Pace shoots 66, leads Women’s PGA Championship

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Lee-Anne Tempo is not taking part in quite a lot of aggressive golf nowadays at 42-years-old and her apply habits have tailed off. She enjoys the sport, and each from time to time, the South African actually enjoys it.

The primary spherical of the Girls’s PGA Championship at historic Baltusrol on Thursday was one in every of them.

Tempo made a two-putt birdie on the ultimate gap in fading daylight to cap a bogey-free 5-under 66 and seize a one-stroke lead after the opening spherical of the second main of the yr in girls’s golf.

“Truthfully, I simply came visiting as a result of I like to return over now and again for one or two occasions,” Tempo mentioned. “I actually didn’t count on to be main the match after day one. It is a very, very tough golf course. To be in my place, I am simply actually blissful that I had rating.”

Teeing off at 2:28 p.m., Tempo made seven pars to begin her spherical, then completed with 5 birdies in her last 11 holes, hitting the par-5 18th in two and getting down in two. She additionally made a key par save from the bunker on the par-3 sixteenth.

She joked in regards to the final birdie.

“Yeah, at my age, the darkness is not your good friend,” mentioned Tempo, who turned professional in 2007 and has one win on the LPGA Tour, the Blue Bay occasion in China in 2014. “However like I mentioned, I felt very comfy on the greens.”

She’s taking part in in her second occasion in the US this yr. She tied for thirtieth two weeks in the past on the ShopRite Basic close to Atlantic Metropolis.

Two-time main winner Brooke Henderson of Canada and Ruoning Yin and Xiyi Lin of China have been a shot again as Baltusrol’s historic Decrease Course yielded 16 under-par rounds to the sector of 156 gamers.

Henderson, who gained this occasion in 2016 and the Evian final yr for her majors, had a bogey and 5 birdies, the final from about 35 toes on the ninth gap, her last one.

“Every part was working fairly effectively,” Henderson mentioned. “I want to hit just a few extra fairways tomorrow, however once I wanted to I used to be capable of get up-and-down just a few occasions and the putter was rolling, and it is good to make 5 birdies out on this golf course. Hopefully simply do one thing related over the following few days.”

The 20-year-old Yin, who gained this yr in Los Angeles, had two birdies and an eagle in a bogeyless spherical. Lin, who completed third final week, had 4 birdies searching for her first win on tour. The 27-year-old misplaced in a playoff earlier this yr in California.

They want to turn into the second Chinese language participant to win a serious. Shanshan Feng gained the LPGA Championship in 2012. That occasion grew to become the Girls’s PGA Championship in 2015.

Yin just isn’t shocked she and her good friend performed so effectively.

“Janet (Xiyu), she has a fairly strong recreation, too, and I am not shocked she will be able to shoot 4 beneath at this course, possibly 5 beneath,” Yin mentioned.

Wichanee Meechair of Thailand was alone at 68. Leona Maguire of Eire, the winner final week in Michigan, was at 69 with Ayaka Furue and Yuka Saso of Japan, Jenny Shin of South Korea, Celine Borge of Norway and Esther Henseleit of Germany.

Rose Zhang, the two-time NCAA particular person champion at Stanford who grew to become the primary participant in 72 years to win an LPGA Tour occasion in her professional debut this month at close by Liberty Nationwide, opened with a 70.

The 20-year-old Zhang had bogeys on the second and fourth holes, however performed regular after that and made three birdies the remainder of method, settling for a birdie on the 18th after lacking an 8-foot eagle try.

“I knew when you are going to be out right here, it’ll be very tough, and you are going to should attempt to claw your method again when issues aren’t going your method,” Zhang mentioned.

World No. 1 Jin Younger Ko and Lilia Vu, the one two-time winners on the LPGA Tour this yr, shot 72. No. 5 Minjee Lee additionally had a 72.

Defending champion In Gee Chun was 2 beneath on the entrance 9, however had 5 bogeys on the again 9 and completed at 74.

Second-ranked Nelly Korda and No. 9 Lexi Thompson every shot 76.