Paula Reto made seven birdies and three bogeys on Thursday in the opening round of the LPGA Tour’s Drive On Championship in Golf Canyon, Arizona, to take a share of 16th.
Reto’s four-under-par 68 put her three strokes off the lead which was shared by Alison Lee of the United States, Korea’s Jenny Shin and Mexican Gabby Lopez on seven-under-par 65. They led by one from Jodi Ewart Shadoff of England and Taiwan’s Wei-Ling Hsu.
Reto started her round on the 10th, and picked up her first birdie on the 11th. She dropped a shot on the 12th and made her second birdie on the 12th. After picking up another birdie on the 18th, she turned in two-under 34. She bogeyed three and five, and they sandwiched a birdie on four. She made three gains in a row from the fourth.
Ashleigh Buhai had a solid start with her three-under 69, which put her in a share of 33rd. She made five birdies in six holes around the turn from the sixth, but then she dropped three shots in a row from the 15th. However, she arrested that slide as she closed off with her sixth birdie.
