American Ally McDonald leads after the first round at the ANA Inspiration. With a birdie at the last, she signed for a 4-under par 68, one shot ahead of Lexi Thompson.
American Ally McDonald leads after the first round at the ANA Inspiration. With a birdie at the last, she signed for a 4-under par 68, one shot ahead of Lexi Thompson and a huddle of players vying for the top spot.
The first major of the year started as one of the toughest in championship history. No player managed to shoot lower than 3-under par until MacDonald, who was playing in the last group, canned her birdie putt at the last. It’s one of the highest opening-round scores ever recorded at the ANA Inspiration, beaten only twice when Rosie Jones, Mi Hyun Kim and Karen Stupples led with a 69.
Why was the course playing so tough? In February, Palm Springs recorded almost 4 inches of rain in one day – Valentine’s Day no less. Those downpours definitely bought the gift of love as the rough is the longest and thickest it’s ever been this weekend. Combine that with the slick green and an additional 60 yards that have been added to the course this year and you’re left with a true (albeit challenging) test of championship golf.
Just behind McDonald, Lexi Thompson, Jin Young Ko, Hyo Joo Kim and Linnea Strom are all sitting steady after scores of 69.
England’s Charley Hull had a steady round of level par, with 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey. Call it boring golf, but it’s put her in a good position for Friday’s round.
Last year’s victor, Pernilla Lindberg will have been left disappointed with her opening round. She carded early bogeys at the 2nd and 4th which she wasn’t able to rectify until later on the back nine. She eventually signed for a score of 1-over alongside a huddle of players including Minjee Lee, Inbee Park and England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff. Georgia Hall sits just behind at 2-over after a disappointing double at the last.
With hardly anything in it at the moment, the rest of the weekend looks wide open for someone to take a charge – but who will it be? We’ll have to wait and see …
Image credit: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images
