February 14-17
The Grange Golf Club, Grange, South Australia
$1,300,000
After 18 holes at The Grange Golf Club, Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Wei-Ling Hsu sit atop the leaderboard at the 2019 ISPS Handa Womenโs Australian Open. Ewart Shadoff, a two-time European Solheim Cup player from England, returned a bogey-free 7-under 65 in the morning wave. Her round was match by Chinese Taipeiโs Hsu in the afternoon, bouncing back from an early bogey to reel off eight birdies over her final 15 holes.
โObviously to get off to a good start is always nice,โ said Ewart Shadoff, who like Hsu is looking for her first LPGA Tour victory. โI played really steady today. It was perfect conditions this morning. I hit some really close shots and holed some good putts, so it was a good day.โ
A trio of players sit two strokes behind at 5-under 67, led by Australian legend Karrie Webb, a five-time Australian Womenโs Open champion who is gunning for her first LPGA win since 2014. She is joined in a tie for third by a pair of Europeans aiming for breakthrough LPGA Tour wins in Swedenโs Madelene Sagstrom and Englandโs Bronte Law.
We've got a tie at the top of the @WomensAusOpen leaderboard after Round 1. @Jodi_Ewart and @weilinghsu1994 share the lead down under.
โ LPGA (@LPGA) 14 February 2019
Full leaderboard ==> https://t.co/zG49NllETk pic.twitter.com/YI29RELMT9
Thursday was a stress-free day for Jodi Ewart Shadoff, who cruised around The Grange Golf Club for one of the dayโs five bogey-free rounds. The 31-year-old from North Yorkshire, England, who now makes her home in Orlando, Fla., pointed to improvements in her short game as the main factor in her first-round success.
โI holed three or four six footers for birdie and overall I just hit the ball well and I putted well,โ said Ewart Shadoff, who reeled off four consecutive birdies at No. 7-10. โLast week I didn't putt well, especially on my last day, so I worked a little bit this week on my putting and it seems to have paid off.โ
Ewart Shadoff is aiming to become the ninth English player to hoist an LPGA Tour trophy. World Golf Hall of Fame member Laura Davies has the most English wins with 20, while Georgia Hall is the most recent English winner at the 2018 AIG Womenโs British Open.
Itโs not too often that a player refers to any round as โperfect,โ but thatโs exactly the word Wei-Ling Hsu used to describe her first round. The 24-year-old from Chinese Taipei recorded eight birdies on Thursday, offsetting a lone bogey at her third hole en route to the third 65 of her LPGA Tour career.
โEverything today was just perfect,โ said Hsu, who is making her 2019 Tour debut this week. โI played a good driver, good iron shot, especially putting. Inside I would say like maybe 8 feet, I holed out everything. So, I definitely say putting is the key.โ
ICYMI: Round 1 Highlights from @WomensAusOpen pic.twitter.com/HKC6eSBXbX
โ LPGA (@LPGA) 14 February 2019
Player Notes
Rolex Rankings No. 69 Wei-Ling Hsu (65, -7)
โข Hsuโs first-round 65 is tied for the second-lowest round of her LPGA Tour career; she shot a 64 in the fourth round of the 2015 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic and has three times shot a 65, most recently in the first round of the 2017 LPGA Volvik Championship
โข This is the first time since the 2017 LPGA Volvik Championship that Hsu has led after the first round of an LPGA Tour event
โข She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens, with 21 putts
โข Hsu is in her fifth LPGA Tour season; her best career finish is second at the 2018 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic
โข Hsu is playing in her fifth ISPS Handa Womenโs Australian Open; her best finish is T34 at Kooyonga Golf Club in 2018
Rolex Rankings No. 59 Jodi Ewart Shadoff (65, -7)
โข Shadoffโs first-round 65 is her lowest round of her five ISPS Handa Womenโs Australian Opens; her previous best was a third-round 67 at the 2016 tournament also held at The Grange Golf Club
โข Her 65 is tied for the lowest first round of her LPGA Tour career; she previously shot a first-round 65 at the 2017 MCKAYSON New Zealand Womenโs Open and the 2018 Swinging Skirts Taiwan LPGA Championship
โข She hit 11 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, with 24 putts
โข Shadoff is in her ninth LPGA Tour season; her best career finish is second at the 2016 Citi Banamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational and the 2017 Ricoh Womenโs British Open
โข Shadoff is playing in her fifth ISPS Handa Womenโs Australian Open; her best finish is T20 at The Grange Golf Club in 2016, and she has never missed the cut
โข Shadoff was a member of Team England at the 2008 Womenโs World Amateur Team Championship, held at The Grange Golf Club
Rolex Rankings No. 61 Bronte Law (67, -5)
โข Lawโs first-round 67 is tied for the lowest first round in her LPGA Tour career; she previously shot a 6 in the first rounds of the 2017 and 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classics
โข She hit 12 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens, with 29 putts
โข Law is in her third LPGA Tour season; her best career finish is sixth at the 2018 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic and the 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic
โข Law is competing in her second ISPS Handa Womenโs Australian Open; she missed the cut in 2018
Rolex Rankings No. 121 Madelene Sagstrom (67, -5)
โข Sagstromโs first-round 65 is tied for the lowest round in her LPGA Tour career; she previously shot a 65 in the third round of the 2017 ShopRite LPGA Classic and the first and fourth rounds of the 2017 Meijer LPGA Classic
โข She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens, with 26 putts
โข Sagstrom is in her third LPGA Tour season; her best career finish is a tie for third at the 2017 Swinging Skirts Taiwan LPGA Championship
โข Sagstrom is competing in her third ISPS Handa Womenโs Australian Open; she finished T30 in 2018 and missed the cut in 2017
Rolex Rankings No. 211 Karrie Webb (67, -5)
โข Webbโs first-round 65 is her lowest round at the ISPS Handa Womenโs Australian Open since it became an LPGA Tour event in 2012; her previous best was a first-round 67 at the 2016 tournament also held at The Grange Golf Club
โข She hit 10 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens, with 27 putts
โข Webb is in her 24th LPGA Tour season; she has 41 career wins, including seven majors, with her last victory coming at the 2014 JTBC Founders Cup
โข Webb has competed in all eight ISPS Handa Womenโs Australian Opens since it became an LPGA Tour event in 2012; she won in 2012 and 2014 and finished third in 2016, the last time she made the cut
โข She has competed in 23 of the 28 Womenโs Australian Opens since it began in 1974, not missing a tournament since she turned professional in 1994
Of note
Defending champion Jin Young Ko opened her title defense with a 4-under 68 and sits tied for sixth after the first round
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn stumbled to a 4-over 76 on Thursday and is tied for 110th
The Grange Golf Club hosted the 2008 Womenโs World Amateur Team Championship; 14 players in this weekโs field competed in that event, including first-round leader Jodi Ewart Shadoff
Pos. |
Player | To Par |
R1 |
T1 |
Wei-Ling Hsu | -7 |
65 |
T1 |
Jodi Ewart Shadoff | -7 |
65 |
T3 |
Bronte Law | -5 |
67 |
T3 |
Madelene Sagstrom | -5 |
67 |
T3 |
Karrie Webb | -5 |
67 |
T6 |
Hannah Green | -4 |
68 |
T6 |
Kristen Gillman | -4 |
68 |
T6 |
Jackie Stoelting | -4 |
68 |
T6 |
Carlota Ciganda | -4 |
68 |
T6 |
Moriya Jutanugarn | -4 |
68 |
T6 |
Jin Young Ko | -4 |
68 |
T12 |
Jane Park | -3 |
69 |
T12 |
Yu Liu | -3 |
69 |
T12 |
Brittany Altomare | -3 |
69 |
T12 |
Georgia Hall | -3 |
69 |
T12 |
Alena Sharp | -3 |
69 |
T17 |
Amy Olson | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Annie Park | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Lauren Stephenson | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Dana Finkelstein | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Erika Hara | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Haeji Kang | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Haru Nomura | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Amy Yang | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Mel Reid | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Sarah Schmelzel | -2 |
70 |
T17 |
Marissa Steen | -2 |
70 |
T28 |
Karis Davidson | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Kris Tamulis | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Lindy Duncan | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Katherine Kirk | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Mi Hyang Lee | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Lizette Salas | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Lydia Ko | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Nelly Korda | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Caroline Masson | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Felicity Johnson | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Pornanong Phatlum | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Isi Gabsa | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Pei-Ying Tsai | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Pavarisa Yoktuan | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Celine Herbin | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Gaby Lopez | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Celine Boutier | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Minjee Lee | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Maria Torres | -1 |
71 |
T28 |
Elizabeth Szokol | -1 |
71 |
T48 |
Tonje Daffinrud | E |
72 |
T48 |
Mina Harigae | E |
72 |
T48 |
Kim Kaufman | E |
72 |
T48 |
Angel Yin | E |
72 |
T48 |
Sarah Kemp | E |
72 |
T48 |
Brittany Lang | E |
72 |
T48 |
Ashleigh Buhai | E |
72 |
T48 |
Jeongeun Lee6 | E |
72 |
T48 |
Azahara Munoz | E |
72 |
T48 |
Marina Alex | E |
72 |
T48 |
Jaclyn Lee | E |
72 |
T48 |
Munchin Keh | E |
72 |
T48 |
Lindsey Weaver | E |
72 |
T61 |
Stephanie Na | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Lee-Anne Pace | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Beatriz Recari | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Meghan MacLaren | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Catriona Matthew | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Anne-Catherine Tanguay | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Hina Arakaki | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Jaye Marie Green | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Nicole Broch Larsen | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Daniela Darquea | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Mirim Lee | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Christine Wolf | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Muni He | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Stephanie Meadow | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Benyapa Niphatsophon | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Paula Creamer | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Sarah Jane Smith | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Ayako Uehara | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Christina Kim | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Brittany Marchand | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Luna Sobron | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Amy Walsh | 1 |
73 |
T61 |
Doey Choi (a) | 1 |
73 |
T84 |
Laura Gonzalez Escallon | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Cathryn Bristow | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Chella Choi | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Nanna Koerstz Madsen | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Thidapa Suwannapura | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Rebecca Artis | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Jacqui Concolino | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Xiyu Lin | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Morgan Pressel | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Laura Davies | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Charlotte Thomas | 2 |
74 |
T84 |
Joanna Klatten | 2 |
74 |
T96 |
Jenny Haglund | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Alison Lee | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Ally McDonald | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Charley Hull | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Marianne Skarpnord | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Mariah Stackhouse | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Yae Eun Hong (a) | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Becca Huffer | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Ruixin Liu | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Suzuka Yamaguchi | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Aditi Ashok | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Amy Boulden | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Hira Naveed (a) | 3 |
75 |
T96 |
Mayu Wakui (a) | 3 |
75 |
T110 |
Kylie Henry | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Kendall Dye | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Miki Sakai | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Emma Talley | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Ryann O'Toole | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Ariya Jutanugarn | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Megan Khang | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Sakura Yokomine | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Yuri Yoshida (a) | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Mariajo Uribe | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Mo Martin | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Peiyun Chien | 4 |
76 |
T110 |
Michele Thomson | 4 |
76 |
T124 |
Hee Jung Lim | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Teresa Lu | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Klara Spilkova | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Prima Thammaraks | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Brianna Do | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Su Oh | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Holly Clyburn | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Whitney Hillier | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Wichanee Meechai | 5 |
77 |
T124 |
Hanee Song | 5 |
77 |
T135 |
Cheyenne Woods | 6 |
78 |
T135 |
Linnea Strom | 6 |
78 |
T135 |
Yani Tseng | 6 |
78 |
T138 |
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (a) | 7 |
79 |
T135 |
Pernilla Lindberg | 6 |
78 |
T138 |
Dani Holmqvist | 7 |
79 |
T138 |
Beth Allen | 7 |
79 |
142 |
Olivia Cowan | 8 |
80 |
T143 |
Dottie Ardina | 12 |
84 |
T143 |
Candie Kung | 12 |
84 |