Three-way tie after first round of Arkansas Championship
Major champion Anna Nordqvist, 2020 Tour rookie Esther Lee and new LPGA mum Jackie Stoelting each turned in matching rounds of seven-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead over a pack of six players, including Rolex Rankings No 6 Sei Young Kim, in the first round of the 2020 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.
Lee is looking to make her first cut as an LPGA Tour Member this week, and said she enjoyed her first competitive round at Pinnacle Country Club.
“It was just a really comfortable round,” Lee said. “On 8, so my 17th hole, I made probably like a 40-footer for birdie downhill. That was probably the longest putt I made today. I definitely left some out there. I was hitting the ball really well. My approach shots were really good today. So feels good."
Anna Nordqvist
Nordqvist hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation on Friday en route to a bogey-free 64, and she said she was pleased with her ball striking during the opening round.
“I feel like I played really solid today,” Nordqvist said. “Got off to a great start with two birdies. Just kept hitting it close, so I had really close calls for birdie. So I think after 10 holes I had six really close birdie putts and I made them all, which was good.”
The reigning CME Group Tour Championship winner Kim is making her return to the LPGA Tour this week after spending the last few months in her home country, South Korea.
On Friday, she said she felt good about her return in Northwest Arkansas as she carded a bogey-free 65.
Former World No 1 Stacy Lewis leads the pack of seven University of Arkansas Razorbacks following the first round after a 5-under 66. While Lewis missed the fans out at Pinnacle Country Club on Friday, she said after her round she was just grateful for another chance to play one of her favourite stops on Tour.
“Just a huge thank you to Walmart and P&G for allowing us to come here, and the state of Arkansas,” Lewis said. “I'm sure there were a lot of people behind the scenes that okayed all this. We're so appreciative of the opportunity. To get women's sports playing and on women's sports on TV right now is what we need to do, so it's just thank you.”
