Juli Inkster, inspired by a pre-tournament dinner with former US president George W. Bush, surged into a three-way tie for the lead after the opening round of the North Texas Shootout on Thursday.
The 54-year-old compiled six birdies to join fellow Americans Cristie Kerr and Sydnee Michaels at five-under 66 at the Las Colinas Country Club in Irving.
Hsu Wei-ling was a shot further back after a 67, while fellow Taiwanese Yani Tseng was on two-under after carding a 69 and Kaohsiung-born Candie Kung of the US posted an even-par 71.
Photo: AP
It was a dismal day for world No. 1 Lydia Ko, though, a the 18-year-old stumbled to a four-over 75 and was in danger of missing an LPGA cut for the first time.
Ko, who last Sunday posted her seventh LPGA victory, was cruising along at two-under until she dropped six shots in a three-hole stretch, with a triple-bogey — where she lost a ball in a tree — followed by a double-bogey and then a bogey.
The Kiwi plans to donate any prize money accrued this week to the Nepal earthquake relief fund, but will need a strong second round simply to make the cut.
Photo: AP
Taiwan’s Min Lee was also in danger of missing the cut after her own four-over 75.
Inkster, who won the first of her 31 LPGA titles almost 14 years before Ko was born, ran into a bit of form with a tie for 15th last week and stepped it up a gear on Thursday.
Inkster is to captain the US Solheim Cup team that is due to play Europe in September and she did some bonding by taking several of her likely team members to dinner with the former US president earlier this week.
“It was probably one of the top three things I ever did, just listening to him, the stories and how passionate he is about the United States, the respect he has for the people over there fighting for freedom and stuff like that,” Inkster told reporters. “I just had a great time and everybody got on that bus when we were going home, I could see it in their eyes that they also felt that it was a really special occasion, something that you maybe only get to do once in your lifetime.”Additional reporting by staff writer
Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital. There were no such celebrations this year when the defending champions on board LawConnect won the race in the early hours of yesterday morning, as it came about 24 hours after two sailors died on separate boats in sail boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the race. LawConnect, a 100-foot super maxi skippered by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, sailed up the River Derwent at just after 2:30am.
‘BOWLINE’ AND ‘ARCTOS’: Roy Quaden was hit on the head by a boom, while Nick Smith was struck by the main sheet and thrown across the boat amid rough seas Two sailors have been killed in separate incidents in the treacherous Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, officials said yesterday, as a string of yachts retired in powerful winds and high seas. One of the crew members, 55-year-old Roy Quaden on Flying Fish Arctos, was hit on the head by a boom as the fleet raced down the New South Wales coast, race organizers said. The other man, 65-year-old Nick Smith, was struck by the main sheet aboard Bowline and thrown across the boat, said David Jacobs, vice commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. “Unfortunately, he hit his head on the winch, and
Liverpool on Thursday powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favorites survived a scare in their 3-1 win against Leicester City, while Bruno Fernandes was sent off in Manchester United’s dismal 2-0 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Erling Haaland missed a penalty as crisis-torn Manchester City failed to end their dismal run with a 1-1 draw against Everton, but it was United’s travails and Liverpool’s remarkable run that took center-stage. Arne Slot’s side were shocked by Jordan Ayew’s early strike at Anfield, but the leaders recovered their composure to equalize just before the interval through Cody
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
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