Olson’s 63 owns lead at LPGA finale

NAPLES, Fla. — Amy Olson had a simple explanation for her brilliant start at the CME Group Tour Championship.

“I don’t have any bad memories,” she said.

Playing the LPGA’s seasonending event for the first time, Olson was flawless with nine birdies and no dropped shots on her way to a 9-under 63 and a one-shot lead over Brittany Lincicome and Nasa Hataoka after Thursday’s opening round.

Olson had two separate streaks of four consecutive birdies on what became an ideal day for scoring at Tiburon Golf Club. Of the 72 players in the field, 45 were under par following the opening round — and the top four women on the leaderboard combined for only one bogey. Lincicome was short with her approach on the par-4 18th, and dropped a shot to end her day.

“It’s just fun to be playing well,” Olson said. “It’s always a good feeling. I had a lot of like perfect numbers in today. Rolled the ball really well. Always fun to play well.”

Lincicome started with five straight birdies to get her day rolling, and Hataoka enhanced her chances of winning the Race to the CME Globe and $1 million bonus with an eight-birdie outing. Lexi Thompson had five birdies and an eagle to card a 7-under 65, enhancing her bid for what would be her first and only win of 2018.

Lincicome said she played earlier this week with two young girls, and they reminded her how simple the game can be sometimes.