Arpichaya Yubol leads the Shanghai tournament with an outstanding round
SHANGHAI – Thai golfer Arpichaya Yubol shone in the first round of the LPGA tournament in Shanghai, delivering a bogey-free card and an impressive score of 8 under par (64 strokes). Yubol, who holds a personal record of 61 strokes, achieved four birdies in both the first nine holes and the second nine, demonstrating consistent and effective play at the Qizhong Garden Golf Club.Minjee Lee, winner of the Women’s PGA Championship in June, was one stroke behind the leader, being part of a group of five players who achieved a score of 65. This group also included Jenny Shin, Jenny Bae, Jeeno Thitikul, and Ina Yoon.
Ashleigh Buhai, champion of the 2022 Women’s British Open, signed a card of 68 strokes. For her part, the defending champion, Ruoning Yin, completed the round with 71 strokes. The event in Shanghai marks the beginning of a series of five tournaments in Asia. After Shanghai, the circuit will move to South Korea, including the International Crown team event, and then to Malaysia and Japan. Last week, Youmin Hwang extended the streak of having different winners in each of the 25 official tournaments of the LPGA season. Hwang was the sixth South Korean player to win a tournament on the circuit this year.I feel like, given the conditions of the greens, I managed to make, what?, seven birdies, so it was a good day for me.
Minjee Lee
