Controlled Klatten leads Kingsmill
Joanna Klatten has a one stroke lead after the opening round of the LPGA’s Kingsmill Championship on Thursday.
The Frenchwomen carded a six under 65 for a one shot lead over American trio Pat Hurst, Allison Lee and Morgan Pressel.
After opening with two pars, Klatten rolled in birdies on six out of the next eight holes before a solitary bogey on the par four 11th pegged her back. She would one putt one the par three 13th for her final gain of the day.
However, with three of those birdies rolling in from between 30 and 50 feet, Klatten admitted she had the rub of the green during her round.
“I definitely had luck on my side today,” quipped the 30-year-old on lpga.com.
“I had good breaks and it feels really good. Lately, it felt the other way around, but I knew that it always evens out. Today, it definitely did.
“It’s nice because I haven’t had a very good stretch lately. I mean, this is one of my favorite courses all year. I feel very comfortable here. It suits my eye really well.”
Former world number one Michelle Wie withdrew from the event citing a hip injury. The American posted a disappointing seven over 78.
Meanwhile, top ranked Lydia Ko is seven shots off the pace after an even par 71 while Stacy Lewis opened with a two under 69.
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