In the LPGA Tour’s return to Scotland, the blistering winds were no match for Hinako Shibuno, who took advantage of summery sunny skies during the first round of the FREED GROUP Women’s Scottish Open presented by Trust Golf to take the first-round lead at 8-under. Her bogey-free 64 is a new career-best opening round score for the Japanese major champion, who forged a pathway to history after her 2019 AIG Women’s Open victory at Woburn.
Shibuno opened with a birdie on her first hole, No. 10, and went on to card four straight from Nos. 13-16, which tied her career-high for most recorded consecutively. She turned in 31 and carded three more birdies on Nos. 6-8 to record her first bogey-free round since day three of the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain and also tied her career-low 18-hole score in the process.
“The ground is firm, firmer, than a normal course but if you hit low and solid, my finger is not getting hurt,” said Shibuno. “So, I’m just being relaxed and more thinking about sequence, the swing.”
Shibuno, who was nicknamed the Smiling Cinderella back in her debut appearance on the LPGA Tour at the 2019 AIGWO, is playing in her third FGWSO. She missed the cut in both 2021 and 2022, but feels rejuvenated at this year’s event as she recovers from a lingering finger injury that caused her to change her grip of late. Though it was a T59 at last week’s Amundi Evian Championship, it was her first made cut on Tour since the JM Eagle LA Championship and a step in the right direction.
“[My injury is] getting better,” said Shibuno. “It’s healing now, my fingers and my upper body was a little tight, but my sequence is getting better.”
Two strokes back after a 6-under 66 is Madelene Sagström in solo second. Sagström, who earned her career-best FGWSO result last year at Dundonald (14th), opened with three-straight birdies on Nos. 10-12, and carded four more by day’s end to balance out a lone bogey on No. 1 after hitting seven fairways and 15 greens in regulation. Behind the Swede lay three players in a tie for third at -4: Ladies European Tour winners Nicole Broch Estrup and Caroline Hedwall as well as American Caroline Inglis.
Four players are tied for sixth, including last week’s Amundi Evian Champion Céline Boutier, who finished in second at the Women’s Scottish Open in 2022. Defending champion Ayaka Furue struggled on Thursday in the afternoon wave, finishing with a 2-over 74 that included two double bogeys on the par-3 11th and the 15th.
