Messy back nine leaves Ko with work to do
Lydia Ko’s bid to defend her Evian Championship title got off to a rocky start as she finished the opening round seven shots behind the coleaders yesterday.
“It was tricky for me because, on the back nine, I was not hitting fairways,” said Ko, who has 14 career wins on the US LPGA Tour and i s attempting to win her third major at the age of 19. “Hopefully I’ll be able to hit some fairways [ later in the tournament].”
South Koreans In Gee Chun and Sung Hyun Park birdied eight holes each as they carded 8- under rounds of 63 for a share of the lead in the fifth and final major of the year.
While Ko’s play was patchy, with a bogey and only two birdies, her rival Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand had a day to forget with a 2- over 73 featuring a triple bogey.
Ko and Jutanugarn have a good chance at Evian of taking the Annika Major Award, which rewards the major winner with the best combined record at all five majors of the season, and is named after 10- time major winner Annika Sorenstam.
A win here would clinch the award for either Ko or Jutanugarn, but they face an uphill struggle.
Starting the event at Evian- lesBains, France, in muggy afternoon conditions, Ko played in a group with South Korean Hyo Joo Kim, the 2014 champion, and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, the 2013 winner.
When Ko sank her first birdie of the day, a 15m effort on the fifth hole, it drew a rueful smile from Pettersen, who had just missed with her birdie attempt from a similar distance.
Ko bogeyed the eighth hole and she was again in trouble on the 10th when her tee shot landed in the rough between two trees.
She saved par with a good escape shot close to the green.
“It’s a good thing my wood shots and chip shots were good enough,” said Ko, who last year became the youngest man or woman to be ranked No 1.
Women’s PGA champion Brooke Henderson of Canada ended the day one shot ahead of Ko at 2- under. Pettersen had a difficult day, joining Jutanugarn and American Lexi Thompson, last year’s runner- up, at 2 over.
US Open winner Brittany Lang from the US had a nightmare round with two double bogeys and three bogeys in a 5- over 76.