H.J. Kim eagles 18th, leads Founders Cup by 2

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Hyo Joo Kim capped off a flawless spherical at Sharon Heights by holing out for eagle on the par-5 18th gap for a 9-under 63 that gave her a two-shot lead within the Fortinet Founders Cup.

The most effective scoring got here within the morning on the course internet hosting an LPGA occasion for the primary time, earlier than the greens started to get agency and quick and made it troublesome to get pictures shut.

Kim was extra impressed with maintaining bogeys off her card on the tree-lined course than she was with the eagle on the ultimate gap.

“I’m simply so happy I had no bogeys,” Kim mentioned. “I had some errors at first, however I used to be in a position to save them. I ended with an eagle, so I ended fairly fortunately.”

As for that eagle?

“I could not see the outlet from the place I used to be, however folks began cheering after which I heard a “Yeah!” So I figured it went in,” Kim mentioned.

LPGA rookie Dongeun Lee additionally had an eagle on the par-5 closing gap, posting a 65. Polly Mack of Germany overcame a double bogey on the par-5 tenth on her technique to a 66, tied with Jim Hee Im.

Mack missed solely two fairways and three greens and let her size and her wedges do the work in making eight birdies to offset the double bogey.

“Hit lots of fairways and greens and left myself with lots of birdie probabilities. Had lots of wedges into greens, and that is what I have been engaged on essentially the most this offseason,” mentioned Mack, who completed her faculty profession at Alabama. “It is good to see that coming into play and actually coming alongside and seeing that progress. Simply had lots of brief birdie putts. Used most of them to my benefit.”

Gaby Lopez, Gemma Dryburgh and Nastasia Nadaud have been within the group at 68, all of them with the bottom rating within the harder afternoon situations.

Nelly Korda, who skipped the Asia swing after profitable the season opener in 54 holes due to chilly climate, had a 70. Jeeno Thitikul, the No. 1 participant in girls’s golf, shot 72.

The event started as a tribute to the 13 founders of the LPGA. It started in Arizona in 2011 and final yr was the second occasion of the season and performed in Florida. It has attracted eight of the highest 10 gamers within the girls’s world rating and kicks off a four-tournament stretch within the West forward of the primary main of the yr.