China’s Feng on top as LPGA season begins
RUFINO Bayron stumbled with a late bogey and dropped to a four-way tie with three foreign aces that surprisingly held the fort in the early going of the ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic, all carding 68s for a one-stroke lead over six others at the start of the ICTSI Pradera Verde Classic in Lubao, Pampanga on Wednesday.
Bayron, seeking an end to a string Golf Tour Asia, bucked the heat and the wind that bedeviled the games of the pre-tournament favorites but failed to complete a bogey-free card with a missed-green bogey on No. 16 for a pair of 34s.
That enabled Aussies Andrew Campbell and David Gleeson and Lexus Keoninh of the US to make it a crowded leaderboard with Jay Bayron, James Ryan Lam, Orlan Sumcad, Americans John Michael O’Toole and Nicolas Paez and Dutch Guido Van der Valk shooting identical 69s.
Jobim Carlos and Keanu Jahns churned out a pair of 70s in tough condition at the 7315-yard flat to stay in early contention in the $ 100,000 event serving as the seventh leg of the region’s newest circuit sponsored by ICTSI.
Except for Jhonnel Ababa, last week’s winner at Eagle Ridge, and 11, 13 and 16 to gain a piece of the lead.
Keoninh, who missed the cut last week, also rebounded from
World No.1 Feng Shanshan of - mains the woman to beat when the (Friday in Manila).
man or woman, to reach the world number one spot, doing so last November after winning the Japan Classic and Blue Bay LPGA title in China in back-to-back weeks.
the efforts over the past 18 years on golf is worth it,” Feng said. “I really enjoyed the moment and hopefully this could encourage a younger generation in China to go for the sport.”
of top rivals to try and dethrone Feng starting with Thursday’s opening round of the Bahamas LPGA Classic, when the Asian star makes her Bahamas debut alongside fourth-ranked Lexi Thompson and US teen Nelly Korda.
South Korea’s Park Sung-Hyun, the reigning US Women’s Open champion, is ranked second and her compatriot Ryu So-Yeon, the reigning ANA Inspiration champion, is third with Thompson fourth and South Korean Kim In-Kyung, last year’s Women’s British
Thompson lost a playoff to US compatriot Brittany Lincicome to drop last year’s Bahamas season opener, one of three playoffs in which major tournament.
Rule changes have ended the chance for the controversy that derailed Thompson’s bid for a second career major win, when a television viewer saw a violation and a day-later penalty of four strokes was imposed with six holes to play Sunday.
As much as Thompson wants to add another major to her trophy case, this could be the third con different players.
American Danielle Kang won last year’s Women’s PGA Championship and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist captured the Evian Championship.
- pic bronze medalist, seeks her second major crown, the first PGA Championship, then known as the LPGA Championship.
then, including three last year, the US Women’s Open. Feng shared Women’s British Open.