Women's PGA Championship: Leona Maguire three behind Lee-Anne Pace
Posted : 23 June 2023
In the opening round of the Women's PGA Championship, Ireland's Leona Maguire finds herself three shots behind the leader. After initially sharing the lead in the morning wave with a two-under 69, she was surpassed by the afternoon starters.
Surprisingly, Lee-Anne Pace of South Africa, ranked 193rd in the world, emerged as the leader at the end of the round with a strong finish, including four birdies in her last eight holes.
Pace expressed her pleasant surprise, stating, "I honestly did not expect to be leading the tournament after day one."
Recognizing the challenging nature of the Baltusrol course in New Jersey, she was delighted with her good score and her position on the leaderboard.
Xiyu Lin and Ruoning Yin of China, along with Canada's Brooke Henderson, share second place at four-under, while Wichanee Meechai of Thailand shot a three-under 68.
Maguire is one shot behind the leaders, tied with Ayaka Furue of Japan and LPGA rookie Celine Borge of Norway. Maguire has been in excellent form recently, securing her second LPGA Tour title with a remarkable closing round of 64 and a back-nine score of 30 at the LPGA Classic.
In contrast, world number one Jin Young Ko of South Korea opened with a one-over 72, while Nelly Korda, ranked second, struggled to a five-over 76 in her first tournament after a month-long break due to back pain.
Among the British players, Melissa Reid was the only one to shoot an even-par 73, while Charley Hull and Georgia Hall face an uphill battle to make the cut, sitting at eight-over. Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland and Charlotte Thomas of England are both at one-over, with Northern Ireland's Stephanie Meadow one shot behind them.
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