Aditi T-36 after first round in LPGA Tour Championships

Team Udayavani, Nov 18, 2017, 11:20 AM IST

Naples: Indian golfer Aditi Ashok made a credible start with one-under 71 on the opening day of the CME Group Tour Championship here.

The 19-year-old, one of the very last entrants into the star-studded field, teed off from the 10th with a birdie and added one more on par-5 14th.But she was then unable to find any more birdies and dropped a shot on second to finish at 71. She was Tied-36th in the 72-player field.

Sarah Jane Smith and Peiyun Chien both returned opening round 6-under 66s to sit atop the leaderboard at the Tiburon Golf Club.

Smith and Chien, both looking for their first LPGA victories, shared a one-stroke lead over Suzann Pettersen, Karine Icher, Lydia Ko, Azahara Munoz and Sung Hyun Park. Smith and Chien both returned bogey-free rounds, with Smith carding the lowest first round of her career.

Park could make history if she wins as she can pull off an unprecedented six-pack of awards: Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, Vare Trophy for Low scoring average, money title, the USD 1 million bonus and No. 1 in Rolex Rankings. She started slowly, then sprinted to five-under-par 67, one stroke off the lead held by Peiyun Chien and Sara Jane Smith and tied with Lydia Ko, Azahara Munoz, Suzann Pettersen and Karine Icher.