Charley Hull overcame considerations about her sport to get inside two strokes of the early lead on the LPGA Tour’s Kroger Queen Metropolis Championship in Ohio.
The three-time LPGA Tour winner, returning as defending champion after final yr’s one-shot victory, sits in a share of seventh after carding an opening-round 68 in chilly and windy circumstances at Maketewah Nation Membership.
Hull, who missed the minimize ultimately week’s Mizuho Americas Open, birdied the par-four fifteenth and cancelled out a bogey on the second with a birdie-eagle run from the sixth to get briefly get inside one of many leaders.
The Englishwoman then did not stand up and down from the sand to save lots of par on the par-three ninth, her ultimate gap of the day, as Chella Choi, Ina Yoon and Rio Takeda set the tempo with opening-round 66s.
“I hit some good photographs,” Hull informed reporters. “I am probably not hitting it very effectively on the minute, so I fully whiffed my five-iron on the final gap within the bunker quick.
“I do not assume the greens workers raked the bunker correctly. There have been a few bunkers like that on the market. It was only a little bit of a fluffy lie in like a footprinty factor. I completed with a bogey, however I used to be fairly glad how I performed contemplating how I am hitting it.”
Takeda blended 5 birdies with a lone bogey throughout her four-under 66, whereas Choi held the solo lead till back-to-back bogeys dropped her again to 4 underneath, with Yoon finishing the trio sharing high spot.
Former majors champions Jin Younger Ko and Lilia Vu sit a shot again in tied-fourth with Amanda Doherty, whereas Lydia Ko matched Hull’s 68 after additionally bogeying her ultimate gap of the day.
Lydia Ko is chasing a primary LPGA Tour win since March 2025
“The back and front 9 really feel like two fully completely different golf programs, so it is actually onerous to check,” Ko defined. “I solely hit like 5 out of 14 fairways, nevertheless it hit it good. It is a kind of golf programs the place in the event you’re marginally off you may find yourself simply within the left or proper tough or by way of.
“All in all, I believed I performed actually strong. Holed a pair putts on the again 9. Apart from that, I actually do not assume there was a lot of a distinction. I simply tried to remain affected person.”
The world’s high two gamers – Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul – are each three off the early lead, as England’s Lottie Woad and Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist began with level-par 70s.
On the Women European Tour, Leonie Hurt fired a bogey-free 65 to carry a one-shot lead over compatriot Esther Henseleit after the opening spherical of the Amundi German Masters.
Hurt posted eight birdies to set the tempo at Inexperienced Eagle Golf Programs, with Denmark’s Sofie Kibsgaard three strokes again in third and England’s Meghan MacLaren 4 off the early lead after a four-under 69.
“I’ve had a splendid ball placing day,” Hurt mentioned. “I do not keep in mind hitting it that near your flag, probably ever. It has been a very long time, and my putter was actually scorching.”
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