CALIFORNIA (AFP) — South Korean Kim Hyo-joo and China’s Lin Xiyu shared the first round lead at the US Women’s Open after shooting 4-under-par rounds of 68 at Pebble Beach on Thursday.
Kim, looking for her second major championship title after winning the Evian Championship in 2014, made a fine start to her round with four birdies before she bogeyed the par-4 ninth.
The 29-year-old managed just one more birdie, on the penultimate hole, but was delighted that she avoided bogeys on the back nine.
“I was quite concerned about the front nine, but I was able to do a good job,” she said.
“Then on the back nine I had some risky stretches, but I was able to make par each time, and I’m very satisfied with my overall performance to the end,” she added.
Kim was runner-up in the 2018 US Women’s Open, losing in a playoff to Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn at Shoal Creek, Alabama, but said that contest was far from her mind.
“This is a new tournament, a new golf course, so I had a new mindset,” she said. “My good performance today, I think that gives me confidence,” she said.
Lin is hunting for her first major after picking up seven wins on the China LPGA Tour and two victories on the European Tour.
She made five birdies and a bogey on the ninth, her last hole, but was pleased with the way her short game had ensured she avoided further bogeys.
“I feel like my game wasn’t at the best, especially first couple holes I struggled get on the green, even from the fairway.
“But I saved some really, really good pars, so I think that takes some pressure off my shoulder to have a solid start,” she said.
Lin missed out on the Women’s PGA Championship two weeks ago in Baltusrol, finishing third after having a share of the lead going into the final hole.
She has had three top-three finishes this season as she looks to finally get her first win on the LPGA Tour.
