Ashleigh Buhai was in a share of 36th after the first round of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington State after her opening round of one-over-par 73.
Buhai started well on the 10th with a birdie there and another on the 12th, but she dropped a shot on the 15th to turn on one-under-par. Her homeward nine was a little tougher, with drops on the first, sixth and seventh, and just a single birdie on the second.
She was five strokes off the lead, which was set by veteran Lexi Thompson, who is stepping away from the game at the end of the season.
Would a major title change Thompson’s plans about retiring from playing full-time on the LPGA Tour? “I’m just taking it one day at a time. I made my announcement. I’m very content with it,” Thompson said. “Golf is a crazy game, so I’m not going to look too far ahead.”
Thompson made six birdies on her way to a one-shot lead over Nelly Korda and Patty Tavatanakit.
She won the last of her 11 LPGA Tour titles at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June 2019. The 68 is her lowest round in a major since a 67 in the second round of the Women’s PGA two years ago at Congressional.
“My approach shots felt great,” Thompson said. “They felt really good last week, so just trying to simplify things and get in a rhythm with my swing.”
Korda shot 69 in the morning, and Tavatanakit matched it in the afternoon with a bogey-free round.
The top-ranked Korda missed the cuts in the US Women’s Open and the Meijer LPGA Classic in her last two starts after winning six of seven events, a run that started with a record-tying five straight victories.
Paula Reto is the other South African in the field, and she opened with a five-over-par 77.
