Feng & Park Share Lead in Taiwan Championship


Shanshan Feng and Inbee Park each fired 8-under 64s to tie for the 18-hole lead in the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship. The $2 million event started Thursday at Miramar Country Club in Taipei.

Feng, a 25-year-old from China with four career victories, including one in Malaysia two weeks ago, recorded six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole. Park, who supplanted American Stacy Lewis as the No. 1-ranked player in women's golf after last week's rain-delayed event in China, was equally hot at the start of the tournament with eight birdies.

"I hit the ball really solid all day and, on the back nine, everything seemed to drop," said Park, a two-time winner this season with 11 titles overall. "I can't remember the last time I putted like this. It's been a really good putting day, so I'm really happy about that.

"I really concentrated on my putting this week and tried to improve a little bit and I practiced a lot on the greens this week. The hard work is paying off, so I'm really happy."

Feng said the field found a different course Thursday compared to the one it played in Wednesday's practice round. "I played yesterday and it was so windy yesterday, and I mean, I think they have shortened maybe the distance for the course a little bit because of the wind," she said. "And then because the wind kind of died down, the course was playing kind of short, so it gave us a lot more birdie chances."

Trailing the co-leaders by two are Japan's Haru Nomura, South Korean So Yeon Ryu, Taiwan amateur Ssu-Chia Cheng and Denmark's Line Vedel.

Back in action after an extended hiatus from the LPGA's Asian Swing, Lewis - now second in the Rolex Rankings - opened with a 67 to tie Koreans Eun-Hee Ji and I.K. Kim in seventh. Other scores included 68s by Americans Laura Diaz and Michelle Wie.

Wie, the reigning U.S. Women's Open champion, got off to a roaring start with five birdies on the front nine to make the turn in 5-under 31. But on the inward half she tripled the par-4 15th and had two birdies for a 37.

No. 3-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand opened with a 69. Defending champion Suzann Pettersen of Norway carded a 70.

For all the scores, visit www.lpga.com.