Six players are tied at 7-under at the top of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship leaderboard presented by P&G.
Playing partners Megan Khang and Ryann O’Toole of the USA closed with 64s to set the pace early in the day. O’Toole carded six consecutive birdies on the front nine to make the turn in 30.
“It was one of those you just start laughing as the fifth one poured in,” said O’Toole. “The sixth one poured in I’m like, okay, I got it. I’m just going to keep going. There are so many opportunities out there today. To be honest, with six birdies in a row I was just taking them as they came. I felt like the putts weren’t anything crazy. They were pretty simple. So, I just kept it rolling.”
Khang birdied five of her last seven holes to close with her first 18-hole lead or co-lead on the LPGA Tour. Her 64 ties her lowest first-round score last shot at the 2020 ShopRite LPGA Classic. Khang has had a good year so far with five top-10s but is still looking for her first victory.
“I think everyone knows that you have 18 holes less than a typical event, and it makes you want to get out there and shoot a good round just to get the jump,” said Khang. “Having a morning tee time, the greens are going to be a little fresher, and you got to take advantage of that. We’re just trying to keep that mentality, stay slightly more aggressive I guess you would say, more than a standard round, but at the end of the day, keeping the same game plan as well.”
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South Koreans Sei Young Kim and Jeongeun Lee5 also share the lead. Lee5’s 64 marks her lowest round of the year. This is the first time in her eight years on Tour that she holds a share of the 18-hole lead.
“Pretty solid round today, especially last four hole I made a birdie,” said Kim. “I got the booster. I’m very happy with the strong finish today. This week we have three days so we need a lot of birdies. And then my strategy keep push myself and then I make a lot of birdie.”
Japan’s Yuka Saso and American Lauren Coughlin complete the sixsome at the top. Coughlin eagled the 18th to shoot her career-low round on the LPGA Tour. She is currently 94th in the Race to the CME Globe and with six events left on the schedule, she needs two more low results to maintain her Tour status for next season.
“I was pretty anxious and nervous to start the week,” said Coughlin. “Had a really good talk with my husband Monday night. I kind of knew once I got into the week it was more the waiting game, and once the week gets going and I get into the golf, that’s my happy place.”
