Belmont (Michigan): Aditi Ashok carded a bogey-free round that concluded with an eagle, as she was tied-10th after the first round of the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Aditi, who has been playing well this season and is currently in Top-20 of the Order of Merit and in Top-50 of the world, left a few shots out of there at the Blythefield Country Club, here on Friday.
Even while being T-10th, Aditi sits just two shots off the lead held by five players including the defending champion Jennifer Kupcho. The five leaders included Kupcho, Ayaka Furue, Frida Kinhult, Lindsey Weaver-Wright and Cheyenne Knight and they all carded 6-under 66 each.
Aditi opened with four birdies and then found gains on fourth and sixth and then had a string of birdies till she eagled the Par-5 18th. Aditi, however, did well to save some tough pars to keep her card clean.
This year Aditi has had a runner-up finish and two other Top-5 finishes on LPGA and has won once on the Ladies European Tour, where she is leading the Order of Merit, and has two other Top-3 finishes.
Kupcho birdied four of the five par-5 holes in her bogey-free effort. Kupcho is making her second title defence of the year, but the first came in the relocated major Chevron Championship on a new course Texas.
Knight also had a bogey-free round. Ally Ewing was a stroke back at 67 with Amy Yang, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Alison Lee and Eun-Hee Ji in tied sixth place.
Along with Aditi, there was Ashleigh Buhai, the ShopRite LPGA Classic winner last week in New Jersey, and Minjee Lee at 68.
The two time winner of this in 2017 and 2019, Brooke Henderson of Canada, opened with a 69 and Lexi Thompson, the 2015 winner, also shot 69. The major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is next week at Baltusrol in New Jersey.
