MICHELLE WIE, HEE YOUNG PARK SHARE LEAD ON SIX-UNDER 65

BUNCHED LEADERBOARD IN LPGA 

EVENT IN CANADA


FROM THE LPGA TOUR WEBSITE
Hee Young Park’s third-round 61 and 26-under-par winning total in the same event a year ago was fresh on Michelle Wie’s mind as the fifth group teed off Thursday at Manulife Financial LPGA Classic at Grey Silo golf course, Waterloo in Ontario, Canada..
Wie knew the birdies have to come in bunches to win this tournament, and she did, posting a 6-under-par 65. But while Wie’s birdies on three of the last four were enough to put her out of reach of the rest of the field in round one, they weren’t enough to separate her from the defending champ, Hee Young Park, who went off in the breezier afternoon wave and fired a 6-under 65 to match Wie.
“I was early off and I just wanted to make a lot of birdies early on. It’s definitely one of those golf courses where you have to keep making birdies,” Wie said. “My 6 under today, you know, it’s not enough. I need to keep making birdies for the rest of the weekend. Still a lot of work cut out for me.”
Stacy Lewis shot 2-under 69 and is four shots back. No. 2 Inbee Park is tied for 18th with Lewis and fourteen others. Thirty-one players are within four shots of the lead and the stacked leaderboard should provide for plenty of movement amongst the leaders heading into the weekend.
Canadian Brooke Henderson, the world’s No. 3 amateur again, proved she belonged amongst the world’s best. 
Playing in her sixth LPGA event as a 16-year-old, Henderson, whose forefathers emigrated from Scotland to Canada, fired a 1-under-par 70 with birdies on the last two holes to finish under-par for the day.
“It was a rough start, but a good finish really saved my round,” Henderson said. “One-under-par in this wind on the first day, I’ll definitely take it.”
On such a short course with a par of 71, the forecast is for level par or maybe even one under being the cut-off point at the end of 36 holes.
Which means the Brits on the 71 mark at the end of the first round are on the qualifying tightrope.
They are: Catriona Matthew, Becky Morgan, Lydia Ko and Laura Davies.

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