“I was a little nervous, for sure, on the first couple of holes”, admitted Lee, who was supposed to be back in class this week at Ohio State University but received permission from her golf coach and professors to play hooky for a learning experience of another sort.
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The top player in the world should be the favourite to win her fourth Canadian women’s golf championship which kicks off at Priddis Greens Golf and Country Club beginning today. Canadian star Brooke Henderson got left behind after a late start.
The top-ranked Ko shot a 5-under 67 at Priddis Greens in the round delayed for almost three hours, leaving her a stroke behind leader Stephanie Meadow.
Richie McCaw, the former captain of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, followed Ko’s group during the first round. “I wish there could be a switch where we could put out the sun or put some overcast”.
Henderson, an 18-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., is ranked No. 3 in the world. She added further wins at the tournament in 2013 and again previous year.
She now sits in a share of second with Koreans Mi Jung Hur, So Yeon Ryu and Stephanie Meadow of Northern Ireland. Karine Icher joined Meadow at 6 under through 14 holes and will also finish Round 1 Friday morning.
Since claiming her first LPGA Tour victory as an amateur in 2012, Ko has dominated the event, winning three of the last four years and teed off on Thursday as the defending champion. The New Zealander won in 2012 at Vancouver Golf Club at 15 years, 4 months to become the LPGA Tour’s youngest victor and fifth amateur champion.
Henderson beat Ko in a playoff in June in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for her first major title, and successfully defended her Cambia Portland Classic title in early July. Previous year back at Vancouver as a pro, she beat Stacy Lewis in a playoff. She was second last week in the Rio Olympics, five strokes behind Inbee Park.
Already a two-time victor of the Alberta Women’s Amateur Championship, Lee missed only one fairway and two greens before the horn sounded Thursday. “Even previous year was great to go back to a course that I’d won at before, and especially because it was the first time – it was my first LPGA win”.
“It was cool, but the end of the day it was just four rounds of golf, regular stroke play individual that we do every single week, playing against the same players we play against every week so nothing that way was any different”.
“It was gray and it looked like it was rain and windy, so that’s pretty much Ireland in a nutshell”, Meadow said. “She’s an inspiration to me and I think everybody that knows her”. “Even this morning, I teed off at 8 in a pro-am, and there were people following me right from the start. But I’ve still done it and scored, so I know I can do it”.
Ko was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. Jutanugarn, who withdrew from the Olympics with a knee injury, seems ready to play this week.
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Suzann Pettersen won the 2009 tournament at Priddis Greens.
