Ko off to Good Start at Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic


Defending champion Lydia Ko got off to a solid start in making it two victories in a row at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. The 72-hole LPGA Tour event began Thursday at Lake Merced Golf Club Daly City, Calif.

The defending champion and current top-ranked female player in the world carded six birdies and a bogey for a one-stroke lead over 54-year-old Juli Inkster, South Korea's Ha Na Jang, China's Yueer Cindy Feng and Thailand's P.K. Kongkraphan.

Ko had a chance to go lower, but her chip-in for eagle at the par-5 14th bounced off the pin and she settled for a tap-in birdie, which gave the New Zealander the outright lead after Day 1.

"This is a very tough golf course. You need to position yourself well," said Ko, who turns 18 Friday. "I hit the ball pretty good where I wasn't in too much trouble. If I did miss it a little bit, I did get away with it, too. It's a really good start but I know I've got three long days to go."

Hall of Fame member Inkster, a 31-time LPGA winner and one of the game's greats, joked later that the players she's competing against are younger than her two daughters.

"Yeah, they're a lot younger than my daughters," she told reporters. "They're 25 and 21. Out here that's a seasoned veteran. You know what, that's the beauty about golf. I mean, age matters in a lot of things as far as how your body feels and how far you hit the ball and how much time you can put into it. You can still go out there and compete at 54."

Ko, 36 years her junior, is a big fan of Inkster's. "Juli's a legend, a Hall of Famer. It's so cool she still plays well at her age," Ko said. "What she's done for the tour is pretty amazing."

No. 3-ranked Stacy Lewis was among several players opening with 69s. The 11-time Tour winner experienced a wild round, one that included six birdies, an eagle and five bogeys.

"It was probably one of the craziest rounds of golf I've ever played," said Lewis. "It was all over the place."

Other scores included a 74 by the winner at last week's Lotte Championship, Sei Young Kim, and a 75 by Michelle Wie. Bay Area native, Paula Creamer, carded four bogeys and a pair of double-bogeys en route to a 10-over 82.

For all the scores, visit http://www.lpga.com/leaderboard.