Just days after her career-best finish on Tour at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally, Arpichaya Yubol carried her major momentum into her second appearance at the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer to take a three-shot lead at -10 after day one. Yubol’s 61 is not only her new career-best 18-hole score, but it tied the tournament 18-hole scoring record set by Sei Young Kim and Sakura Yokomine in 2018.
The 22-year-old, who admitted struggling with her confidence heading into the U.S. Women’s Open, made it look easy on the Bay Course at Seaview, A Dolce Hotel. Starting on No. 10, Yubol made her first birdie of the day on No. 14 and continued her streak of birdies until she stepped to the 18th hole. Yubol then chipped in on the scoreable par-5, adding an eagle to the card from 16 yards out.
“On that hole I just talking with my caddie. He wanted me to play short and like landing to the hole and I think like I can land -- I can like land on the green and then the ball like can stop and then roll,” said Yubol. “I just try to hit close and then make birdie, and the ball is in the hole and then I just, okay, today is looking good, so just with keep going and keep playing.”
After the turn, Yubol made four birdies between Nos. 3-7, hitting double digits under par on No. 7 and seeking the Tour’s second-ever 59 and first since Annika Sorenstam (2001) with two holes to play. With a par on No. 8, the Thai native knocked it to 10 feet in her eagle attempt on the par-5 9th, and unfortantely missed the ensuing birdie putt to close with the first post-round lead of her Tour career.
“I feel like I just start to play golf, like happy golf like every hole. Because I feel like my confident is coming back from last week in the U.S. Women. It was the greatest week in my life and then it's make me more confident for this week. I just go to play like happy golf every hole,” said Yubol. “I didn't focus like how much I can do, like how many under today. I just focus like every shot. Like more focus like every time, every shot.”
Jenny Shin tied her career-best round, a 63, to lead the afternoon players and finish the day in solo second (-8). Shin opened with two birdies in her first three holes (Nos. 10 and 13) and carded two more before making the turn on the entertaining 17th and 18th holes. She made three-straight on Nos. 3-5, and closed birdie-bogey-birdie to sign for her best 18-hole score since the 2021 LOTTE Championship.
“The fact that every hole is birdieable, compared to last week, just helped a lot,” said Shin, who is coming off a T19 finish at the U.S. Women’s Open last week. “A little bit easier just kind of going after the pin, which I didn't do at all. So, yeah, it was fun. That was the biggest difference: it was fun.”
Narin An, in her debut at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, shot a bogey-free 64 and sits in third at -7. Six of her seven total birdies came on the last eight holes of the round. Seven players sit in a tie for fourth -6, including 2011 ShopRite LPGA Classic champion Brittany Lincicome and LPGA Tour winners Megan Khang, Wei-Ling Hsu and Nasa Hataoka. Amateur and sponsor invite Rachel Kuehn is among a six-player contingent at -5 (T11), while defending champion Ashleigh Buhai lurks at -4 overall and tied for 17th.
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