Rohanna off to good start in LPGA event
Rachel Rohanna shot 4-under-par 68 to land in a tie for sixth place, three strokes off the lead in the first round of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. Rohanna, a Waynesburg High School graduate, had seven birdies and three bogeys, shooting 2-under on both nines.
Meanwhile, So Yeon Ryu shot a tournament-record 9-under 63 Thursday to take the early first-round lead.
Playing in the first group of the day off the 10th tee, the South Korean player had seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch on the back nine and added two more on the front nine at Lake Merced.
“I was kind of lucky to tee it off really early,” Ryu said. “I had a really fresh green, no wind. Also San Francisco is really cold in the morning, but this morning it was just perfect temperature.
“I think today just everything was just great. My tee shot was great. I only missed one green today. I shot 17 greens. Putting was really good.”
Japan’s Haru Nomura was second after a 65. China’s Xi Yu Lin and the Netherlands’ Christel Boeljon shot 67, and two-time defending champion Lydia Ko topped the group at 68. Ko already has two victories in California this year, winning the Kia Classic and ANA Inspiration in consecutive weeks.
Steele leads in Texas: Brendan Steele topped the Texas Open leaderboard at 8 under through 13 holes Thursday when the first round was suspended because of darkness.
Steele, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the tournament five years ago, was unable to finish the opening round after play was delayed for 3 1/2 hours because of morning rain.
Among those who did finish, Charley Hoffman had a 6-under 66, a stroke ahead of Stuart Appleby and Peter Malnati.
Defending champion Jimmy Walker opened with a 75. Walker had four rounds under par last year in his hometown event to hold off Jordan Spieth in what was his last PGA Tour victory.
Spieth isn’t in this year’s field, the first time since he turned pro at the end of 2012 that he missed a Texas event.
When Steele returns Friday morning to complete the first round at the TPC Oaks Course, he could make a run at the course record of 63 set by Matt Every in 2012 and matched by Martin Laird in 2012.