Feng gets in with lead ahead of storm at Women’s Open
Shanshan Feng shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 and held a one- shot lead over Amy Yang on Thursday when the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club was suspended by darkness.
Lightning delayed play for 2 hours, 5 minutes late in the afternoon in Bedminster, New Jersey, and 30 players were still on the course when the horn sounded to stop play for the day at 8:33 p.m. EDT. Play was scheduled to resume at 7 a.m. EDT today.
Lydia Ko played in the same threesome with Feng and finished at 68 along with top-ranked So Yeon Ryu, the only twotime winner this year on the LPGA Tour. Carlota Ciganda also was 4 under with a hole left.
Feng started her round on the 10th hole and played the back side in 5 under, rolling in five birdies. The Chinese star added another at No. 1 and then parred her last eight holes. She won the major LPGA Championship in 2012 for the first of her seven LPGA Tour titles.
Yang has two seconds, a third and a fourth in the event in the last five years. The South Korean player had six birdies and a bo- gey. She took advantage of the back nine, playing it in 4 under.
Former Open winner Cristie Kerr and Megan Khang were the best U. S. finishers, tied at 69. Amateur Rachel Heck, the 15- year- old from Memphis, Tennessee, who is the youngster player in the field, also was at 3 under with five holes to play.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson, ranked No. 8, and In Gee Chun, who won this event two years ago, were in a group at 70. Thirdranked Lexi Thompson was at 71, along with Stacy Lewis.
Defending champion Brittany Lang had a 72 in a round where the players who teed off in the morning had the better conditions. Michelle Wie had a 73. She was bothered by neck issues in the afternoon that required treatment on the course after the delay.
Second-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn shot 79.
Two tied at John Deere Classic
Charles Howell III and Ollie Schniederjans each shot 8-under 63 in perfect morning conditions to share the first-round lead in the John Deere Classic. Howell birdied seven his first nine holes and added a birdie on No. 7 at rain-softened TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. The two-time PGA Tour winner lost a playoff to Kyle Stanley two weeks ago in the Quicken Loans National.
Schniederjans birdied five of his last eight holes in his lowest round of the PGA Tour. He earned a PGA Tour card last year through the Web.com Tour.
Local favorite Zach Johnson was two strokes back at 65 along with Rory Sabbatini, Patrick Rodgers and Chad Campbell. Johnson, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, won the 2012 tournament.
Bubba Watson opened with a 69. Steve Stricker, the winner from 2009-11 at Deere Run, had a 73.
Defending champion Ryan Moore had a 74 in his return from strained tendon in his left shoulder that sidelined him for five weeks.
Fowler tied at Scottish Open
Rickie Fowler picked up where he left off at the Scottish Open, shooting a 5-under 67 to leave the 2015 champion tied for the lead midway through the first round at Dundonald Links in Irvine, Scotland. Fowler, who didn’t defend his title last year because of scheduling issues arising from the Olympics, showed great links course management in making five birdies and not dropping any shots.
Fowler was tied with Andrew Dodt of Australia and Englishmen Ian Poulter and Callum Shinkwin after the morning starters in the warmup event for next week’s British Open at England’s Royal Birkdale.
Mize in the lead at Senior Players
Larry Mize birdied half the holes and shot an 8-under 64 for a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Senior Players Championship. Seeking his second win on the PGA Tour Champions, the 58-yearold Mize was 5 under after the front nine. He made his only bogey on the par- 4 10th hole but rebounded with birdies on 14, 15 and 16. Three- time defending champion Bernhard Langer, Corey Pavin and Steve Flesch were one shot back. Langer enjoyed a bogey-free round on the 7,196yard Caves Valley Golf Course in Owings Mills, Maryland. Langer played in a threesome with Brandt Jobe, who was 8 under before pushing a 7-iron off the tee and into the water on No. 17. That led to a double bogey, and he bogeyed 18 to shoot 66.