Golf

Leona Maguire battles to opening 73 at Women’s PGA

Kelly Tan and Brittany Lincicome hold the first round lead after opening 67s

Leona Maguire of Ireland tees off from the 11th tee during the first round of the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Fri Oct 9 2020 - 07:38

Kelly Tan and Brittany Lincicome battled windy conditions to share the opening round lead at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Pennsylvania while Ireland’s Leona Maguire recovered from a bad start.

Tan and Lincicome shot three-under par rounds of 67 to close out Thursday one shot in front of a six-strong chasing pack in the tournament, the third of this year’s four women’s majors — reduced from five due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Maguire, meanwhile, sits six shots off the lead after a three over par opening round of 73. The Cavan golfer began with a double bogey at the 10th and a bogey at the 11th but did well to fight back and finish the day in a tie for 55th.

Stephanie Meadow sits well back at eight over par after an opening round of 78.

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Tan, who sits top of the leaderboard, teed off on the 10th and made a near-perfect start, making birdies on three of the first four holes and adding another on the 18th.

She then stumbled after the turn with bogeys on the first and fourth but regained her composure to claim another birdie on the seventh to keep pace with American Lincicome, whose only blemish was a bogey on the fifth.

Meanwhile, it was a tough opening round for England’s Mel Reid, who is tied for 73rd after shooting a four-over 74.

Fresh off a victory at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Reid never truly recovered after opening her tournament with a triple-bogey as she went on to pick up another four bogeys.

However, a birdie on the final hole managed to salvage a little momentum for the 33-year-old headed into Friday’s second round.

Latest first round scores in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Aronimink Golf Club, United States of America (USA unless stated, par 70):

Round 1 suspended with 3 players left to finish

67 Brittany Lincicome, Kelly Tan (Mal)

68 Cydney Clanton, Carlota Ciganda (Spa), Gaby Lopez (Mex), Danielle Kang, Lydia Ko (Nzl), Linnea Strom (Swe)

69 Matilda Castren, Anna Nordqvist (Swe), Amy Yang (Kor), Pernilla Lindberg (Swe)

70 Jasmine Suwannapura (Tha), Jeong Eun Lee (Kor), Georgia Hall (Eng), Ashleigh Buhai (Rsa), Lexi Thompson, Inbee Park (Kor), Charley Hull (Eng), Isi Gabsa (Ger), Pajaree Anannarukarn (Tha), Jenny Shin, Sarah Schmelzel, Hinako Shibuno (Jpn), Lauren Stephenson

71 Elizabeth Szokol, Eun-Hee Ji (Kor), Nelly Korda, Sei Young Kim (Kor), Cristie Kerr, Ally McDonald, Robynn Ree, Brooke M. Henderson (Can), Sung Hyun Park (Kor), Amy Olson, Gerina Piller, Caroline Hedwall (Swe), Alena Sharp (Can), Cheyenne Knight

72 Nanna Koerstz Madsen (Den), Patty Tavatanakit (Tha), Madelene Sagstrom (Swe), Morgan Pressel, Jennifer Kupcho, In Gee Chun (Kor), Nasa Hataoka (Jpn), Jennifer Song, Jodi Ewart Shadoff (Eng), Lindy Duncan, Mariah Stackhouse, Yui Kawamoto (Jpn), Moriya Jutanugarn (Tha), Jaye Marie Green, Annie Park

73 Minjee Lee (Aus), Xi Yu Lin (Chn), Su Oh (Aus), Pornanong Phatlum (Tha), Austin Ernst, Jessica Korda, Angela Stanford, Katherine Kirk (Aus), Leona Maguire (Irl), Ariya Jutanugarn (Tha), Christina Kim, Haeji Kang (Kor), Caroline Masson (Ger), Maria Fassi (Mex), Anne Van Dam (Ned), Yu Liu (Chn), Sophia Popov (Ger), Lizette Salas

74 Yealimi Noh, Angel Yin, Azahara Munoz (Spa), Celine Boutier (Fra), Melissa Reid (Eng), Megan Khang, Sandra Gal (Ger), Brittany Lang, Kristen Gillman, Perrine Delacour (Fra), Maria Torres (Pue), Haru Nomura (Jpn), Wichanee Meechai (Tha), Mina Harigae, Klara Spilkova (Cze)

75 Emma Talley, Esther Lee (Kor), Tiffany Joh, Chella Choi (Kor), Alison Curdt, Haley Moore, Albane Valenzuela (Swi), (a) Julia Engstrom (Swe), Laura Davies (Eng), Jing Yan (Chn), Bronte Law (Eng), Stacy Lewis, Alison Lee

76 Dana Finkelstein, Esther Henseleit (Ger), Mi Hyang Lee (Kor), Dottie Ardina (Phl), Ryann O’Toole, Brittany Altomare, Jillian Hollis, Sarah Burnham, Lindsey Weaver, Hee Young Park (Kor)

77 Caroline Inglis, Nicole Broch Larsen (Den), Mirim Lee (Kor), Kendall Dye, Kristy McPherson, Sarah Kemp (Aus), Bianca Pagdanganan (Phl)

78 Stephanie Meadow (NIrl), Stephanie Connelly Eiswerth, Andrea Lee, Sarah-Jane Smith (Aus), Kim Kaufman

79 Hannah Green (Aus), Joanna Coe

80 Jennifer Borocz, Seul Kir Park

81 Gemma Dryburgh (Sco)

82 Ellen Ceresko

83 Jordan Lintz