Davies takes 1st-round lead at Australian Open
March 11, 2010
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP)—Defending champion Laura Davies shot a 5-under 68 totake a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Women’s Australian Open.
Davies had six birdies and a bogey on the tough, par-73 Commonwealth layoutwhere fewer than 25 golfers in the 150-woman field broke par Thursday.
There was a six-way tie for second: Yang Soo-jin, Giulia Sergas, JenniKuosa, Felicity Johnson, Rebecca Flood and amateur Alison Whitaker all had 70s.
Alexis Thompson, the 15-year-old American amateur who played in the U.S.Open at the age of 12, shot 71 and was in a group tied for eighth.
Karrie Webb, who won last week’s Australian Ladies Masters and is afour-time Open champion, shot 73. Playing the tougher back nine first, Webb hadthree bogeys before making the turn and then made four birdies and another bogeyto remain even on the day.
Former amateur star Amanda Blumenherst, who led the Australian Masters afterthe first two rounds, shot 77 while fellow American Christina Kim had a 78.
Davies bailed herself out by some strong putting.
“Luckily I putted really well today,” Davies said. “Today we had two 8-or 9-footers for par and they both went right in the middle of the hole. That’sthe sort of thing that really keeps you going. Then on nine, hoping to two-puttand you roll a 35-footer in so that was a real bonus.”
Davies has won the Australian Open twice—last year at Metropolitan and in2004 at Concord in New South Wales.
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