Ashleigh Buhai carded a two-under-par 70 on Thursday in the opening round of the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon to be in a share of 44th.
Buhai made four birdies and two bogeys in rainy weather, and she was seven shots off the lead which was held by Perrine Delacour of France. Delacour’s 63 was bogey-free, and she led by one from Gina Kim of the United States. Nelly Korda, Linn Grant of Sweden and Oliva Cowan of Germany were in a share of third on seven-under.
Winless on the LPGA Tour, Delacour opened with a birdie and ran off five straight on from the third to the sevent in a front-nine 30. The 29-year-old Frenchwoman added birdies on 14, 15 and 17 in the bogey-free round on the tree-lined layout.
“Well, the goal today was to be dry.” Delacour said. “We knew it was going to be wet, so my main goal was to try to get my club as dry as we can, which we did pretty good with my caddie.”
Paula Reto, the other South African in the field, battled the effects of a double-bogey seven on the 12th hole, as well as two other bogeys. She made one birdie on her way to a three-over-par 75 and a share of 130th.
