Lindberg takes ANA first-round lead with sparkling 64
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[March 30, 2018]
(Reuters) - Unheralded Swede Pernilla Lindberg birdied her
final two holes to take a one-stroke lead over Ayako Uehara and
Beatriz Recari after the first round at the ANA Inspiration in
California on Thursday.
Perfect scoring conditions prevailed as the women's major season
started with low scores with more than half the field shooting par
or better at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage.
American Lexi Thompson, who lost a playoff last year after incurring
a four-stroke penalty for replacing her ball in the wrong spot for a
tap-in putt in the third round, made a good start in her quest for
redemption with a 68.
But South Korean Ryu So-yeon, who beat Thompson last year, started
poorly with a 75 that did not include a single birdie.
Lindberg, out in the last group of the day off the 10th tee, stole
the limelight, gathering seven birdies, including a chip-in at her
15th hole, the par-four sixth.
She finished in style moments before the sun dipped below the nearby
San Jacinto mountains, coaxing in an eight-foot birdie at her last.
Her eight-foot putt caught the right edge of the hole before
dropping in, as the 31-year-old pumped her right fist in delight.
"I started off solid and ended even better," said Lindberg, who has
never won in nine seasons on the LPGA Tour.
"The whole day it was pretty steady. I was never in too much
trouble.
"Sure, I was in the rough a few times and had to make a couple of
good up-and-downs around the greens, but I never put myself under
too much stress."
Uehara, one shot back, made what could have been a demoralizing
bogey at her opening hole, but responded well with birdies at the
next two.
"I had a three-putt, and I kind of played tight," she said, adding
that she had not started to relax until making three successive
birdies around the turn.
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Pernilla Lindberg reacts after her putt on the 9th hole during the
first round of the ANA Inspiration women's golf tournament at
Mission Hills CC - Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Mandatory Credit:
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Uehara, ranked 121st in the world, said her experience of contending
at last year's Evian major, where she tied for 10th after a late
double-bogey, had helped her understand how to control her
adrenaline.
Recari also shot 66, thanks to six birdies in the first 12 holes.
"I’ve always felt if I was going to win a major it was going to be
on this course. It really suits my game," said the Spaniard, who has
three LPGA victories, the most recent in 2013.
Jessica Korda started with four straight birdies and finished on 67.
The American, daughter of former tennis world number two Petr, is
playing with verve and serenity this year after surgery to correct a
debilitating jaw problem. She has 27 screws holding her face in
place.
"I didn’t realize how much it affected me until I got the surgery
done," said Korda, who won the Honda LPGA Thailand in February.
"I’m just a happy person now. I wake up, no headaches. I get to wake
up pain free every day and that’s amazing to me."
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Ed
Osmond/Amlan Chakraborty)
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