Jiyai Shin and Yukari Baba share first round lead at Mizuno Classic
Yukari Baba of Japan and Jiyai Shin of South Korea both shot seven-under rounds of 65 in the opening round of the Mizuno Classic in Shima, Japan, on Friday 5 November to enter the weekend
with a one-stroke lead over the field. The $1.2 million event is the LPGA’s only tournament in Japan.
Baba had eight birdies with one bogey on the day at the Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club, carding only one bogey. Shin, ranked number-one on the LPGA money list, had nine birdies in her
round but offset these with a couple of bogeys.
U.S. player Morgan Pressel sits in third-place after firing a six-under 66 in Friday’s opening round. Pressel, who sits in 13th place on the money list, hasn’t won an LPGA event since
2008 but got off to a good start in Japan, carding seven birdies on the day, including five on the back-nine for an inward score of 31.
Na Yeon Choi of South Korea, who won the LPGA Hana Bank Championship last week in her home country, fired a five-under 67 and sits in a tie for fourth-place with Chie Arimura, Meena Lee,
Karine Icher, and Miki Saiki.
Five players – Young Kim, Mika Miyazato, Katherine Hull, Jimin Kang, Sun-Ju Ahn – sit in a tie for ninth-place after shooting four-under rounds of 68.
Ai Miyazato of Japan, who has five wins on tour this season, had one eagle and two bogeys on Friday for an even-par 72, finishing seven strokes behind the leaders.
The Mizuno Classic is the second-last event on the LPGA Tour schedule before the season-ending Tour Championship, set to begin on Thursday 2 December in Orlando, Florida. The tour heads
to Guadalajara, Mexico next week for the Lorena Ochoa Invitational followed by a two-week break for the players before the final event.
What they said
Even though Shin shares the lead after day one, she felt she could have done a little better.
"It looks great if you have a look at my score, but there were a lot of shots and putts that I regret, so I am not satisfied with my golf," she said after the round to reporters.
Pressel, who heated up on the back nine, characterized her day as inconsistent.
"I got off to a little bit of a rough start," she said. "I just felt like I wasn't hitting the ball that well on the front nine. I finally hit some 10-footers for birdie on the back nine."
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