Five women fired rounds of 65 to take the first-round lead yesterday at the Evian Championship, the fourth of five LPGA majors on the season.
Americans Jennifer Kupcho and Andrea Lee, Australians Grace Kim and Gabriela Ruffels, and Leona Maguire of Ireland all share the lead at 6-under at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Despite the crowd at the top, Maguire could perhaps nevertheless claim day-one bragging rights after she made a hole-in-one as part of her round, acing the par-3 second hole with her tee shot from 150m.
A stroke back from the leading bunch at 66 is Minjee Lee of Australia, who won the Women's PGA Championship in June.
Two more strokes behind after rounds of 67 sits a group of nine that includes world No 1 Nelly Korda, defending champion Ayake Furue of Japan and another native of Japan, Mao Saigo, who won the season's first major at The Chevron Championship in April.
Bogies blotted the day for New Zealand’s world No 3 Lydia Ko, who shot a two-over 73 to be eight shots behind the leaders and tied in 76th place.
Ko, who won the event in 2015, is now in danger of missing the cut. — Field Level Media / additional reporting APL
