Late slip puts Kim in tie at LPGA tournament
Hyo Joo Kim bogeyed her final hole Thursday for a 5-under 66 and a share of the Marathon Classic lead with fellow South Korean player Mirim Lee and Japan’s Haru Nomura.
Celebrating her 21st birthday, Kim had four birdies in a six-hole stretch on her second nine at rain-softened Highland Meadows.
“(Wednesday) night, it was raining, so it’s a little bit more softer green,” Kim said through a translator. “I hit (some) good shots, a lot of good shots, good drives, good putts, but on the last hole I missed a putt. … The best part of the game was my tee shot, which is a driver shot and iron shot. I’m not complaining about any shot today.”
She won the season-opening event in the Bahamas for her third career title.
“It was a long time ago, so I forgot, kind of, what it felt like,” Kim said.
Nomura won the Women’s Australian Open in February for her first LPGA Tour title and took the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in April in California.
Ko won in consecutive weeks in Southern California this year, the second the major ANA Inspiration. The 19-year-old New Zealander tied for third last week in the U.S. Women’s Open in California.
Henderson is making her first appearance in the event.
Locally, Rachel Rohanna shot a 2-under-par 69 and stood tied for 16th place.
Two share lead at Barbasol event: Angel Cabrera and Jhonattan Vegas dominated the par-5 holes in steamy conditions Thursday to share the Barbasol Championship.
The 46-year-old Cabrera, from Argentina, eagled the par-5 13th on Grand National’s Lake Course, holing a 60-footer from the fringe, and birdied the two other par 5s in a bogey-free 6-under 65.
Cabrera left the course after his morning round without speaking to the media. The 2007 U.S. Open champion and 2009 Masters winner, he’s one of two major champions in the field at the PGA Tour event played opposite the British Open.
Vegas, from Venezuela, also eagled the 13th making a 20-footer and birdied the other par 5s in a bogey-free round. He won the 2011 Bob Hope Classic for his lone tour title.
Locally, Steve Wheatcroft and Brendon Todd each shot a 2-under-par 69 and were tied for 40th place.