Wie in hunt at Women’s PGA
Michelle Wie launched a threewood into swirling gusts and toward the 18th green, wondering whether the shot had enough steam to get there. A shift in the wind took the guesswork out of the equation.
“It died down and I got a little surprise,” Wie said. “I got all the way there.”
The 215-yard shot rolled within 30 feet of the flag to set up a two-putt birdie and a three-under 68 that left Wie two shots off the lead during the opening round Thursday in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Olympia Fields, Ill.
She wasn’t the only long-hitter to benefit from windy conditions and a tough front nine at Olympia Fields Country Club.
Defending champion Brooke Henderson matched the three-under start, which left her two back of leaders Chella Choi and Amy Yang. Choi shot a 66 in the morning, and Yang was on the 18th hole at five under with a chance to grab the outright lead when play was suspended at 7:01 p.m. because of dangerous weather in the area.
Brittany Altomare shot a 67, and Joanna Klatten also was four under with two holes left. Joining Henderson and Wie at 68 were Alison Lee and Su Oh. Kim Kaufman and Emily Pedersen also were three under late in their rounds.
Kirk Triplett shot an eight-under 62 in the first round of the U.S. Senior Open in Peabody, Mass., to match the lowest round in a PGA Tour Champions major. Loren Roberts is the only other player to shoot a 62 in the tournament, setting the record in 2006 at Prairie Dunes in Kansas.
Triplett closed with five pars for a one-stroke lead over Olin Browne.
Doug Garwood was another stroke back at 64. Paul Goydos, who made the turn at five under to take an early lead but bogeyed his final hole, was at 65 along with Tom Lehman, Kenny Perry, Jerry Smith, Barry Lane and Duffy Waldorf.
David Lingmerth, who won a Web.com Tour event on the tight, tricky layout of TPC Potomac in Maryland in 2012, returned to the course Thursday and shot a five-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the Quicken Loans National. Troy Merritt was one stroke back along with Marc Leishman, Johnson Wagner, Sung Kang, Nick Taylor and Daniel Summerhays.
Paul Waring shot a seven-under 64 at the French Open to take a twostroke first-round lead in Guayancourt. Nathan Kimsey, Alexander Bjork and Thomas Pieters were the nearest chasers, at 66.
Pieters kept his focus down the stretch after being witness to a bizarre incident near the 11th hole.
The mother of 21-year-old Chinese player Li Haotong rolled up her white shorts and waded into some muddy water to recover a putter that son had tossed in frustration after a bogey on No. 11 about 20 minutes earlier. She collected the club and slowly returned with it to dry land, only to throw it back into the water because it had been snapped in half by Li.
Tommy Fleetwood carried over his form from the U.S. Open by shooting 67 to lie three shots back.