Wie West, Feng shine in return
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Michelle Wie West was back on a major championship leaderboard Thursday at the ANA Inspiration. So was Shanshan Feng in her first tournament in 14 months.
Playing for the second straight week after a 21-month break, Wie West shot a 2-under 70, leaving her four strokes behind leader Patty Tavatanakit after the morning wave.
“Came into the day like, ‘OK, no stress today, easy golf,’” Wie West said. “And the first couple holes were not easy golf. I’m just happy to see my name on the first page of the leaderboard. That’s really special to me. Been a long time since I’ve seen that.”
Feng birdied three of her last five holes for a bogey-free 67. The Chinese star hadn’t played a competitive round since November 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and a recent visa delay.
“I was kind of nervous last night,” the 10-time LPGA Tour winner said. “But I said to myself, ‘Hey, it’s OK. Think about you’re just an old rookie. Everything is new for you here and just have no expectation. Try your hardest, 100 percent on every shot and enjoy the process.’ That was what I did, actually.”
Tavatanakit, the 21year-old former UCLA player from Thailand, closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th for a bogey-free 66. She reached all the par 5s in two, birdieing three of them.
“It was a pretty calm and relaxing day today,” Tavatanakit said. “I just stuck to my game plan and didn’t get too greedy out there. I know it’s a major, it’s tough, the course is really tough. I was just being really patient and I was waiting for putts to drop, and they did on the back nine.”
Villegas in front after first round
Camilo Villegas chipped in twice to highlight a nine-birdie round that earned him an 8under 64 and the firstround lead at the Valero Texas Open on Thursday.
Sung Kang, a 33-yearold South Korean, is two shots back with Cameron Tringale after each had a 66 at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course. Jordan Spieth, whose struggles the past three years appear to be subsiding after four top-10 finishes the past two months, is three back (67) with Seung-Yul Noh and Hideki Matsuyama.
Phil Mickelson dropped to 15 shots back when he had a 10 on the 18th hole — he took two penalty shots and another three strokes trying to get away from a greenside stream — and ended with a 79.
Villegas won the Tour Championship in 2008 and the Wyndham Championship in 2014. His two top-10 finishes this year include a tie for eighth at the Honda Classic.