PORTLAND, Ore. — Ayako Uehara discovered momentum from par saves on her opening two holes and turned that right into a 7-under 65 for a one-shot lead Thursday within the AmazingCre Portland Basic.
Hannah Inexperienced had a 66 regardless of a bogey on her ultimate gap at Columbia Edgewater Nation Membership, with Nelly Korda within the group one other shot behind.
In a yr during which the LPGA Tour already has had eight first-time winners, Uehara can be a shock. The 38-year-old from has been on tour for a decade, and her solely three victories got here on the Japan LPGA.
Add that to Uehara lacking a lot of the yr with a lung situation that made it troublesome to breathe. She was handled and declared absolutely wholesome, however not till she missed six months, returning two weeks in the past on the Dana Open in Ohio.
“That is my third event. I believe I am very enthusiastic about it after which glad to be out right here,” Uehara mentioned.
Uehara saved par twice to start out the spherical, after which made 5 birdies over the subsequent seven holes. After her lone bogey on the par-3 thirteenth, Uehara birdied three of the final 4 holes to seize the lead.
Korda, the No. 2 participant within the ladies’s world rating, had a colourful entrance 9 of solely two pars. She adopted a birdie with a double bogey on the par-4 sixth gap, after which responded with an eagle-birdie-birdie end.
“Form of up-and-down day, however ended on the great aspect,” Korda mentioned. “General, I performed some strong golf. Perhaps made just a few silly errors, however that is golf.”
Korda remains to be searching for her first LPGA win of the yr. She missed 4 months early within the yr due to a blood clot in her left arm and has received on the Girls European Tour. A victory would assist her return to No. 1 on the earth with Jin Younger Ko, the defending champion in Portland, out for a month to relaxation her left wrist.
And it might assist Korda to keep away from the bushes, a tall order on such a tree-lined course.
“It is such a ravishing golf course. So many large, tall bushes,” Korda mentioned. “However they’re very thick and so they’re very excessive. Additionally they begin very thick, like they’re very low. So if you miss a fairway it is laborious to get by way of the bushes.”
Becoming a member of her at 67 have been former Ladies’s British Open champion Hinako Shibuno and Caroline Inglis.
Brooke Henderson performed within the afternoon and joined the group at 68.
Korda wasn’t the one participant with a colourful card. Hye-Jin Choi of South Korea signed a card that had a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The final one was a double bogey to complete her spherical of 70. She made her ace on the par-3 eighth gap.
