Ko hits form to take first-round lead in Daly City
Lydia Ko is tied for the lead after the first round of the LPGA Mediheal Championships in Daly City, California.
The Kiwi golfer shot an opening round of 68 on the par-72 Lake Merced Golf Club course, to hold a joint lead with In-Kyung Kim from South Korea, Caroline Hedwall from Sweden and America’s Jessica Korda, although some players are still to complete their first round.
Ko got off to a shaky start, beginning her round on the back nine. She bogeyed the par four 10th hole, but bounced back with a birdie on the 11th.
The 21-year-old got another bir- die on the second hole, an eagle on the par-five fifth and another bogey on the ninth.
Ko found the green in regulation on 16 of the holes, for an impressive and consistent round.
‘‘I hit a lot of greens, giving myself lots of opportunities for birdies,’’ she said.
‘‘ It’s a golf course where nobody goes super low so you have to pay attention and play solid and be patient out there and sometimes par is not a bad score.’’
Ko is down to 31 in the LPGA rankings and has only finished in the top 10 once at a tournament this year.
Korda, playing alongside Kim a group ahead of Ko, also eagled the fifth and had four birdies and a bogey.
Korda won in Thailand in February in her return from reconstructive jaw surgery.
‘‘The score says one thing and my hands say another,’’ Korda said. ‘‘It was really cold out there today, so it was good that I stuck to kind of my process. ... Actually, this is still some of the nicer conditions that we’ve played in compared to the past. I’ll take the cold as long as there’s no rain.’’
Hedwall and Kim each had five birdies and a bogey.
‘‘I just love the city. It’s really nice,’’ said Hedwall, from Sweden. ‘‘It’s sort of a European-style city with all the shopping going on downtown and stuff. I love it here. I even like this weather, suits me really well, too.’’
Oh had a bogey-free round. The Australian was the only one of the five players tied for the lead to play in the afternoon.
‘‘It was cold and pretty windy out there and, because it’s got a lot of elevation, it kind of swirls in the low areas, so it was tough,’’ Oh said. ‘‘I hit the ball really solid today. Then the ones I missed, I made really good up-and-downs.’’
Lexi Thompson, Sei Young Kim, Charley Hull and Celine Herbin shot 69.
‘‘This course is very challenging, especially when the wind picks up,’’ the third-ranked Thompson said. ‘‘It’s chilly, so it’s a little longer of a course. Some of the par 5s are reachable, so you try to take advantage of that, but pars were good and just take the birdie chances as you can get them.’’
Moriya Jutanugarn, the winner Sunday in Los Angeles for her first LPGA Tour title, had a 71 playing with former Stanford student Michelle Wie and ANA Inspiration winner Pernilla Lindberg. Wie had a 74, and Lindberg shot 79. Ariya Jutanugarn matched her sister with a 71, playing in the group with Ko.
Top-ranked Inbee Park matched playing partner Brooke Henderson with a 72. The third member of the afternoon group, second-ranked Shanshan Feng, shot 73.
Juli Inkster shot 72. The 57-year-old Hall of Famer grew up in Santz Cruz, starred at San Jose State and lives in Los Altos. She won the last of her 31 LPGA Tour titles in 2006.