South Korean Sei Young Kim leads after the first day with 66 strokes. A bit behind are Las Vegas residents Danielle Kang and Rose Zhang who took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in their own beds.
Kang was more interested in talking to her trainer who was walking her dog during the round and thinking about what she was going to have for dinner than the actual competition.
The LPGA Tour
Swedes Frida Kinhult and Maja Stark in shared third place
Maja Stark and Frida Kinhult with hitting position before the last round on the LPGA tour
– Sometimes I don’t even know what type I have Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I am usually aware of that on Sunday. All I can do is stay in the moment and play my game and hit the shots just like I usually do, 31-year-old Kang, who won a major, told the LPGA.
Korda is chasing his fourth straight victory
World number one Nellie Korda had a tough start with 73 shots. She is chasing her fourth straight victory on the LPGA Tour, which no one has accomplished since Lorena Ochoa did it in 2008.
Anna Nordqvist is tied for fourth after the first round, three strokes behind the lead as the best Swede.
It’s a different format, which could potentially do it for Kang, with games over five days for the top performers. It is necessary to be among the eight best after three rounds to be able to play the playoffs over the weekend, where it is match play that applies.
The winner takes home just over SEK 21 million.