LPGA Championship 2012: Ryann O’Toole stuns fans as she fires 69 to share the lead in the first round
Ryann O’Toole of the United States shot a 69 in the first round of the Wegmans LPGA Championship, sharing an early lead with Spanish Beatriz Recari and Giulia Sergas of Italy.
Although not among the hot favourites of the tournament being played at the prestigious Locust Hill Country Club – Pittsford, New York, O’Toole displayed a stunning performance and reached atop the leaderboard.
The competition headed into a tough situation when most of the favourite contenders played worse than average, giving lesser-known players a chance to surge to the top spots.
The current world number one Yani Tseng was among the underperformers, as she posted a woeful 76 to stand tied for the 80th position on the leaderboard.
O’Toole played a balanced game, hitting right where she was supposed to. Commentators said that the rising star looked in a superb form, as she did not let her rivals surge past her.
They said that the next rounds may see players produce more dramatic results, as the top three positions are seized by those players who were never expected to perform so well.
O’Toole kicked off the opening round with confidence, but could not judge the ball properly and shot a bogey on the very first hole. She regained her composure and offset the impact of her first bogey by recording a birdie on the next hole.
On the back nine, the American star picked up pace and boosted her score by making three birdies.
Analysts said that the pro star could have piled up a big score, but a bogey on the very first hole of the round put a bad impact on her overall game.
Still, the rising star stood firm at the top of the leaderboard. Speaking to the media at the end of the opening day, O’Toole said that she was glad that she kicked off the first round the way she wanted to, and will try to keep the momentum going in the
next rounds.
“I started off the day with a mindset of fairways and greens. I just felt that in the practice round that the rough has just been brutal,” the 25-year-old said.
“For the most part I did well. I only found myself really in severe rough once today and hit lots of greens”.
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