For the fifth time in her LPGA Tour career, Californian Alison Lee holds a first-round lead on the LPGA Tour after an opening round 65 at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. Taking advantage of the five par-5s at Blythefield Country Club with a bridie or better on each, Lee carded her best 18-hole score of the 2024 season so far. The LPGA Tour veteran has seen a solid stretch of golf since her three consecutive runner-up results to finish out the 2023 Tour season, but she is still hunting to become a Rolex First-Time Winner as she puts herself in prime position in Belmont, MI.
Starting on No. 10, Lee wasted no time carding her first of seven birdies on the day. She added another two birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 before recording her first of two bogeys on No. 15. She quickly recovered with back-to-back birdies to get some momentum heading into her back-nine. After she turned in 33 (-3), she added her second bogey on the par-4 3rd, but made up for it going birdie, par, birdie. The highlight of the round came on No. 8 when she eagled the par-5 to give her a two-stroke lead ahead of the nine players behind her at T2.
“I hit a driver off the tee. A really good drive,” Lee said about the eagle. “8-iron for my second shot. I knew I had to land something short of the green because it was pretty strong downwind. Yeah, like I said, it was one of those things you have swings where I knew I just had to swing confidently. On hole 18, I played that first, played the back side first, I had like I think a short club in -- not a short club, but a short club for a par-5 in. I kind of pulled it left into the bunker. Obviously with hole 8, there is a bunker on the left and right. So I just tried to do the best I can to trust my swing and do the move that I wanted to do and swing smooth. I was able to hit it straight. Hit it to inside probably around 15 feet or inside; I hit a really good putt. So, yeah, I mean, really happy with my putting. I think I had 24 putts today or something like that.”
A solid group of players sit just behind Lee at -5. A mix of Solheim Cup veterans like Jennifer Kupcho, who won this event in 2022, Carlota Ciganda and Lizette Salas are in the mix, as well as two-time Meijer LPGA Classic champion Brooke Henderson. Salas and Henderson shot the best round of the afternoon wave with their 67s. The late wave battled wind gusts and dry greens but Henderson broke away from the pack thanks to eagles on Nos. 8 and 18, joining Isabella Fierro with two eagles on the card through 18 holes.
“With how windy it was and how firm the greens were, being able to get up and down really saved my round a bunch on the front nine,” Henderson said of her first round. “It was playing extremely tough. I was happy to kind of grind it out there when I needed to, and when the birdies were available or eagles were available I was able to capitalize, which was really nice.”
Narin An, Daniela Darquea, Ssu-Chia Cheng and Lauren Hartlage also sit in a tie for second and are all in the hunt to earn their first career victory, along with 2024 LPGA Tour rookie Benedetta Moresco, who is making just her third start on the LPGA Tour this week.
Defending champion Leona Maguire, who has not finished worse than second in three starts at this event, is even-par after the conclusion of her first round (T68). Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 Nelly Korda is T133 at 4-over after never quite recovering from going double-bogey—bogey—bogey in her first three holes. Korda won this event in 2021 and has three top-10 finishes at Blythefield Country Club. Lilia Vu, who is making her first start since the Ford Championship presented by KCC, recorded five birdies and two bogeys, and finished the day T22 at 3-under.
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