[Photo: Ryan Lochhead/PGA of America]
No player made more birdies as Minjee Lee conjured some magic with her broomstick putter to sit just one stroke off the lead after the opening round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Texas.
RELATED: Nadene Gole’s grandstand finish earns her an Australian first
As close to a home game as Dallas-based Lee gets, the two-time major champion had seven birdies in her round of 3-under 69 to trail Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul by one at PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch East course.
With temperatures nudging 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) on-course at PGA Frisco, Lee channelled the heat into her long-handled flatstick, requiring just 27 total putts in Round 1 to lead the Aussie charge.
Stephanie Kyriacou hit 12 of 14 fairways to post even-par on day one, Lee poised to take the lead into Round 2 until dropping shots late at the 16th and 18th holes.
“I feel like they were pretty soft bogeys,” conceded Lee, who gained more than 4.5 strokes on the field on the greens in Round 1.
“Obviously there will be bogeys, but I think for me, I just try to stay patient.
“If I make a bogey, I just try it back it up with something better than that.
“Can’t get ahead of yourself, especially in this kind of weather. I think it’s more just the heat that’s draining your focus.”
RELATED: Teaching pro DQ’d from KPMG Women’s PGA for signing incorrect scorecard
After stumbling out of the blocks with a bogey at the par-5 first, Lee made five birdies in the space of eight holes fuelled by a 26-foot birdie putt at the par-5 third.
Out in 3-under, the 29-year-old moved to 4-under by converting a birdie chance at 10 and then became the only player in the field in Round 1 to get to 5-under with back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15.
“I putted really great today,” Lee added.
“I made a lot of birdie putts and a whole bunch of up-and-down par putts as well.
“I can’t really think of a hole that it was like an amazing putt or something like that, but I was clutch under like 14 feet.”
Sydney’s Grace Kim birdied two of her final three holes in a round of 1-over 73 to climb inside the top 30 after Round 1, Hannah Green, Karis Davidson and Robyn Choi all just one stroke further back in a tie for 40th at 2-over.
Round 1 Australasian scores
2 Minjee Lee 69
T16 Stephanie Kyriacou 72
T26 Grace Kim 73
T40 Robyn Choi 74
T40 Karis Davidson 74
T58 Lydia Ko (NZ) 75
T58 Hira Naveed 75
T58 Hannah Green 75
T103 Gabriela Ruffels 77
T119 Cassie Porter 78
Round 2 tee times AEST
10:27pm* Cassie Porter
11pm* Stephanie Kyriacou
11:22pm* Gabriela Ruffels
12:01am Hannah Green
12:06am* Karis Davidson
3:54am Robyn Choi
4:05am Grace Kim
4:55am* Lydia Ko (NZ)
5:11am Hira Naveed
5:17am* Minjee Lee
