HONOLULU — Former U.S. Girls’s Open champion A Lim Kim opened with an eagle and piled up birdies on her solution to a 6-under 66 on Wednesday to take a one-shot lead after the primary spherical of the Lotte Championship.
It was begin on a few ranges for Kim, whose lone LPGA title stays that 2020 Girls’s Open at Champions Golf Membership performed in December due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is No. 65 within the Race to CME Globe, and has solely two tournaments left to crack the highest 60 and earn a spot within the season finale that pays $4 million to the winner.
“It is a good begin as we speak, so I believe a enjoyable day,” she stated.
So many others proper behind even have lots at stake. The highest 100 gamers after subsequent week’s event in Florida retain full playing cards for 2025. Amongst these at 67 was Bianca Pagdanganan, who began the week at No. 107.
She was tied for the lead till a pair of late bogeys after which made birdie on the par-5 18th at Hoakalei Nation Membership. Pagdanganan prevented the blustery afternoon situations on Oahu that stored anybody from catching Kim.
“I took benefit of all of the birdie putts that I had, gave myself plenty of alternatives,” Pagdanganan stated. “However on the identical time, nonetheless managed to play sensible on the market. Once more, with the situations, it is simple to get impatient.”
Additionally at 67 have been Ruixin Liu, Polly Mack and Perrine Delacour, all of them with lots at stake whether or not it is attempting to complete within the high 60 for the CME Group Tour Championship or the highest 100 to safe a full card for subsequent yr.
The wind was sturdy sufficient to derail a few good rounds. Yuri Yoshida of Japan is at No. 132 in factors. She was tied for the lead with six birdies and no bogeys on her card till she made two bogeys on the again 9 and did not birdie the 2 par 5s. She wound up at 68.
The sector has solely two gamers from the highest 10 within the girls’s world rating. Considered one of them is Ayaka Furue, who has an opportunity to win the Vare Trophy for the bottom scoring common. Furue, who received the Evian Championship this yr for her first main, had a 70.
Additionally at 70 was Jin Younger Ko, the opposite top-10 participant, who’s attempting to increase her streak of profitable a minimum of as soon as on the LPGA Tour for the previous seven years.
Additionally within the discipline is Honorine Nobuta Ferry, a 14-year-old who acquired a sponsor exemption for her LPGA debut. She grew up on Oahu and as soon as attended the Lotte Championship. She was in Japan final week and watched the Toto Japan Traditional, and now could be enjoying alongside them.
The teenager, who now lives within the Dallas space for ease of journey in junior tournaments, opened with 11 pars and shot 74.
“I’ll positively always remember this spherical,” Nobuta Ferry stated.