Lee6 again shows her winning form, grabs a share of first-round lead at ShopRite LPGA Classic
Lee6 showed no signs of exhaustion after her pressure-packed win last weekend at the U.S. Women's Open, firing an 8-under-par 63 to tie Pornanong Phatlum for the lead after 18 holes at Seaview.
GALLOWAY, N.J. – It all seemed the same for Jeongeun Lee6.
Nearly a week after dealing with the draining pressure of the U.S. Women’s Open, including the longer golf course and the tougher setup, to win her first career major, the 23-year-old LPGA Tour rookie didn’t miss a beat in Friday’s opening round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
Lee6 carded an eagle and nine birdies, the last coming on her final hole on the Bay Course at Seaview, to shoot an 8-under-par 63 and share first place with Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand.
It wasn’t exactly a smooth day; Lee6 also bogeyed three holes and parred only five. But she remained locked in overall to the form she exhibited last weekend in capturing her first major.
“I did pretty good in last week’s tournament, and so I feel pretty confident,” she said through a translator. “Now I feel like I want to play well in the rest of the tournaments.”
She said the fact that the ShopRite is only a 54-hole tournament helped her get some extra rest after the stress of the Women’s Open.
“This tournament is only three rounds, so I got a couple of days off,” she said. “Then I’ve been balancing myself to make my physical and mental (condition) be stable. So I’ve just been working on that. Then also the weather was better than last week’s weather.”
The weather was ideal in the morning with sunshine and a nice breeze, followed by clouds and cooler in the afternoon. Still, par took a beating with 76 of the 144 players in the field shooting less than 71.
Lexi Thompson, who turned pro at this event in 2010 at the age of 15, fired a 64 to lead a group consisting of rookies Kristen Gillman and Muni He. Japan’s Ayako Uehara fired a 65 and eight players came in at 66 including Angel Yin, who with Thompson tied for second last week in the Women’s Open.
Phatlum, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2009 but has gone 222 events without a victory, carded seven birdies in her round and drained a 12-foot birdie putt on her final hole, the par-5 ninth.
“My putting was so good today, like 25 putts,” she said. “My short game was very, very good for me today. I think in the morning (there was) not much wind, so it made it easier than when the wind came up.”
Thompson, making her first appearance here since 2015, went without a bogey the entire day, seeing success with a claw putting grip that she first used at the Women’s Open.
“I’m starting to feel very comfortable with it,” she said. “I practiced a good amount these last few days just trying to get more comfortable with it and I feel good with it. I started with it Tuesday of last week. My brother convinced me to go to it, and I am sticking with it.”
Around the course
He, who turns 20 on June 16, attracted much attention at the 2015 Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club when she made the cut and tied for 53rd. “There were so many people there,” she said. “I was so nervous. My dad was on my bag and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can stand up straight.’ But I think that was what really motivated me to turn professional.” … Brynn Walker of St Davids, who earned a spot in the field in Monday’s qualifying, played even par for 17 holes but a 10 at the par-4 second led to a 77. “It happens but you’ve just got to keep on going. Don’t let it ruin your day,” said Walker, who just completed her junior year at North Carolina.