Suzann Pettersen of Norway fired a bogey-free 5-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Christina Kim, Cydney Clanton, Dori Carter and Caroline Masson of Germany after the first round of the North Texas LPGA Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas.
Pettersen, playing in her second event after missing more than a month because of a back injury, grabbed the lead with birdies on the seventh and eighth holes while finishing on the front nine.
”I feel good, I mean very patient,” said Pettersen, ranked No. 4 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, who tied for 28th in the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic last week in San Francisco. “Just really just trying to enjoy being back.
”I’ve got to kind of pace myself a little bit. I can’t do too much early in the week. So I have a lot of spare time to fool around with. … I really can’t go hit balls on the range. I play whatever I need to play and then just try to give my body a little bit of break.”
Kerr, who has won 16 times on the LPGA Tour, eagled the second hole and carded her only bogey at No. 17 in her 67.
Wie, the Stanford graduate who won two weeks ago in the LPGA Lotte Championship at home in Hawaii, had an eagle 10th hole and added four birdies in her 67.
Masson, who won the 2012 South African Women’s Open on the Ladies European Tour but has never won on the LPGA Tour, had three birdies in a span of five holes through No. 7 to earn a tie for second.
Kim who has won twice on the LPGA Tour, recorded a bogey-free 67, while Clanton had three birdies on each nine, and Carter birdied the first three holes on the back nine and added another birdie on No. 18 to close out her 67.
