LPGA: Azahara Munoz Grabs First Round Lead At HSBC Women’s Championship In Singapore
By Les Bailey
The third outing of the new 2013 LPGA season got underway on Thursday at The HSBC Women’s Championship on The Sentosa Golf Clubs’s Serapong Course in Singapore. Azahara Munoz fired a bogey free opening round 65 to take a two shot lead over a pack of five ladies including American, Stacy Lewis.
The 25 year old Munoz is from Malaga, Spain, and played her collegiate golf at Arizona State. She turned pro in 2009, and won LPGA Rookie of the year in 2010, her first full year on The LPGA Tour. She has one win on the LPGA, that coming last year at the Sybase Match Play Championships, to go with one win on the Ladies European Tour at the 2009 Ladies Madrid Masters.
Those at five under include Americans, Stacy Lewis, and Lizette Salas, Karin Sjodin from Sweden, Pornanong Phatkum from Thailand, and South Korea’s Sun Young Yoo. Lewis made seven birdies, but gave a couple back on the day, carding a 67 on the day. Paula Creamer is in a group of four players, three back at four under par. Also at -4 under is the number one player in ladies golf, Yani Tseng.
The young Chinese player from Taipei made the turn at two under 34, and other than par through the back, had an eagle 3 at the par five 18th hole.
Creamer was involved in a five car accident on her way to the Bangkok airport with Ai Miyazato, but was in the lineup. Miyazato is currently ranked in 9th place in the Rolex rankings, but has pulled out of the this weeks tournament due to whiplash and stiffness caused by the accident that happened during their efforts to catch flights.
Michelle Wie shot a -1 under 71 in the opening round. Beginning play on the back nine, Wie picked up three birdies and two bogeys before making the turn at 31, making all pars on the front nine. She continues to struggle with the driver, and putter. She only hit 7 of 14 fairways, and needed 31 putts to finish her round. She did hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation.
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