Shin Sets Pace at Women's PGA Championship


Jenny Shin carded a 7-under 66 to take the 18-hole lead in the KMPG Women's PGA Championship. The South Korean posted five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 15th at Westchester Country Club in New York for a one-stroke lead in the event, a renamed major on the LPGA Tour.

Canadian teenager Brooke Henderson is only a stroke back after five birdies, an eagle on the par-5 12th, and a bogey, while trailing Shin by two are Australia's Karrie Webb, Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn and England's Charley Hull.

France's Karine Icher and China's Simin Feng each shot 69s on the par-73 layout to share sixth, while tied for eighth after 70s are Frenchwoman Joanna Klatten, South Koreans Chella Choi, Hyo Joo Kim and Sei Young Kim, Taiwan's Min Lee and Candie Kung, Germany's Sandra Gal, Spain's Azahara Munoz, and American's Jane Rah, Cristie Kerr, Jessica Korda, Brittany Lincicome, Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis Jennifer Song.

Kerr, a 17-time winner, noted the venue for the former Wegmans LPGA Championship - which last year was held at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, N.Y. - is in outstanding shape. "The greens are just so pure here that even if you have a 30-footer, you have a chance to make it," said the 37-year-old Floridian.

"And it's a hard golf course but it's fair. It's right in front of you, and you know the shots that you can be aggressive with and you know the shots that you can't. So I think the course kind of forces your hand in that respect a little bit. But yeah, I love this course."

No. 1-ranked Lydia Ko opened with a 1-under 72 and No. 2-ranked and defending champion Inbee Park had a 71.

Ko noted her game was just a bit off Thursday. "I was hitting the ball pretty good earlier this week," the 18-year-old New Zealander said. "Today I just really wasn't doing that. Straight off the first tee, I hit it in the left bunker. I was kind of middle of the tee times and I saw nobody had hit in the bunker. Yeah, it kind of shows it was a wayward shot. I hit it down and I got a penalty because my ball moved, too, on the green."

Park said she was pleased with her effort. "I mean, 2-under in the first round of a major championship is always not a bad round," the 26-year-old from Seoul said. "I hit a lot of good shots today. But my putting was a little bit bad today. I had 33 putts. But 2-under and it's been a long week and still three days to play. Yeah, I'm happy with the way I started."

The winner in last week's Manulife LPGA Classic, Suzann Pettersen of Norway, had a 74.

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