She had an early bogey on Thursday, but that didn’t stop Paula Reto from reeling off seven birdies in the first round of the LPGA Tour’s Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio to finish in a share of fourth at five-under-par 66.
She made another bogey on her final hole, the ninth, and she ended the first day two strokes off the lead. Up front, it was Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi who had a bogey-free seven-under-par 64 to open. She led by one from India’s Aditi Ashok and China’s Xiyu Lin, both on six-under 65.
Reto dropped her first shot on the 12th after teeing off on the 10th, bit she got back to level-par with a birdie on 14. She then went on something of a tear, making four birdies in a row around the turn, on the 17th, 18th, first and second. The were two more gains on five and eight, and then the frustrating drop on nine.
“It was really great day. I started a little weird, like my shot was not really great, so I try just to make the par,” said Choi, who made seven straight pars to open her first round. “Try that until 7, and then I make the birdie on 8, so I think, oh, I can do very better.”
Choi certainly did do better from there, collecting four straight birdies on holes 17, 18, 1 and 2. She added another birdie on five and closed out the round with two on eight and nine, sticking it to within 10 feet on the final hole and knocking her birdie putt into the back of the cup. Choi’s bogey-free round, a great feat at Highland Meadows, was one of just four recorded on Thursday.
Playing in the same group, Ashok and Lin battled for a spot at the top of the leaderboard, each carding first-round 65s to take the clubhouse lead before Choi came in and ultimately ending the day in a tie for second. Both players will be teeing it up in their third Olympic Games next month, with Ashok representing India and Liu playing for the People’s Republic of China, as will Paula Reto, who held the lead after the morning wave. She sits in a tie for fourth along with Thai players Natthakritta Vongtaveelap and Chanettee Wannasaen.
