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Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Rio Takeda in six-way tie for lead after first round of U.S. Women's Open
Former champion Kim A-lim fired six birdies in a 4-under-par 68 to headline a group of six players tied atop a log-jammed leaderboard after the first round of the 80th U.S. Women's Open on Thursday. Fellow South Korean Im Jin-hee, Rio Takeda, Americans Yealimi Noh and Angel Yin and Spanish LPGA rookie Julia Lopez Ramirez shared the lead, one stroke in front of a group of five players tied at 3-under. Another seven players were two adrift, but Kim said she wouldn't expend her energy worrying about who might be in striking distance. "Honestly, I'm not thinking about (the) leaderboard because my job is process, not result," said Kim, who won the 2020 U.S. Open in her major championship debut. "Next three days, I play the same thing as today: focus on my line, hit it. That's all." With little wind, Erin Hills, the rolling 6,829-yard par-72 layout in Erin, Wisconsin, offered perhaps its most benign face for the first round of the first U.S. Women's Open to be held there. Noh, who holed out for an eagle on the 14th hole and birdied the par-five 18th, called it a "good scoring day." But plenty of marquee names were unable to join the 33 players to shoot under par. World No. 1 Nelly Korda was playing catchup after a bogey on the third hole, finally getting to even par 72 with a birdie on the par-5 18th. Defending champion Yuka Saso's bid for a third U.S. Open title in five seasons got off to a rocky start with a 2-over-par 74. World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand opened with a 3-over 75 while third-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand — whose resume includes three major titles but no U.S. Open — posted a 1-over 73. "I think I'm happy with it," Korda said. "Obviously, I wish the ball found the bottom of the cup a little bit more. "First day of the U.S. Open, it's all about patience. I'm striking it pretty well, so hopefully I can carry that into the next couple days." While Korda struggled to get things going, Kim opened with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. After a bogey on No. 12, she added birdies at Nos. 16 and 17 and took the solo lead at 5-under with birdie bombs on the first and third holes before giving a stroke back on the sixth. Takeda had three birdies and one bogey on each side, while Im opened with nine straight pars and had all four of her birdies in a five-hole span from Nos. 10 to 14. Lopez Ramirez was also bogey-free, an impressive performance for the 22-year-old who came through qualifying to book her first U.S. Open appearance. "Honestly it's been my first bogey-free round since I turned pro, so it's quite exciting," said the Spaniard, whose season was disrupted by an appendectomy in March. Lopez Ramirez and Yin were among the afternoon starters, Yin shaking off an early bogey with five birdies — including three in a row at Nos. 8, 9, and 10 — before a setback at 17. In the right rough off the tee she came up short of the green, then saw her third shot spin off into a collection area, from where she managed to salvage a bogey. "This is what this course can do," said Yin, who regained a share of the lead with a birdie at the last.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- General
- News.com.au
Kim best of Aussies in women's US Open
Golf: Grace Kim (-1) was the best performing Australian in Round 1 of the women's US Open as she finished the day three off the lead.
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
Golf: Cooper Moore wins Asia-Pacific junior champs
Christchurch golfer Cooper Moore competing at the New Zealand Open earlier this year. Photo: Photosport Christchurch golfer Cooper Moore's burgeoning career has reached another height as he claimed the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Junior Championship Boys title in Hong Kong. In a remarkable come-from-behind victory, Moore battled the elements and a strong field to emerge the champion by two strokes two ahead of Vietnam's Nguyen Tuan Anh and three in front of Thai Parin Sarasmut, after birdies on the 53rd and 54th holes of the tournament. Half an hour of a rain delay on the final day was enough for puddles to form on the greens and fairways, with Moore showing fortitude to remain focused in the testing conditions. The 16-year-old, who had relinquished the tournament lead on the 18th green on day two with a double-bogey six after an errant drive went out of bounds, displayed mental as well as physical strength in round three after pushing two early birdie putts wide and scoring a triple-bogey on the fourth hole. Making the turn five shots off the lead, Moore said he reminded himself that anything can happen in golf. "I felt I still had a chance and needed to be patient," he said. His back nine run was faultless, remaining bogey-free with four birdies, including birdies on 17 and 18 that would secure him the title in emphatic fashion as the rain descended on the Hong Kong Golf Club's Old Course. Speaking after his round, Moore said he tried to recall his previous back nine form at the tournament and avoid making high numbers. "I made bogey on 9 and was five back, there was quite a bit there [to make up] but I've played some of my best golf all week on the back nine, found myself in contention on the 18th tee and just went with it. "Didn't really change too much with my game plan just middle of the green most of the time, just trying to avoid trouble hoping that the weather may come in and the other guys may struggle a bit." He said a slight internal battle was required after a shaky start to the final round. "I didn't get off to the best start, missed a few short putts on one and two then made triple on four and I was a bit like 'Ah need to sort of wake up a bit' but then found myself… guess it came down to that back nine." On the final hole of the tournament, Moore had about 130m to the flag with his second shot. He took his pitching wedge, threw a dart to four feet and rolled in the birdie putt to finish at 9-under for the tournament and win by two strokes. "It was dead at the pin; I was a bit blocked out by the trees on the left. I hit a little drawing pitching wedge and yeah, it looked perfect the whole way." Congratulations not only Cooper Moore on his title-winning effort, but fellow Golf New Zealand Academy member Emma Zheng on her commendable performance in placing 16th at the APGC Junior Championships in a highly competitive field and difficult conditions. The experience of teeing it up at an internationally acclaimed course against some of the best junior golfers in the region is invaluable, it will stand her in great stead as she continues her rise as a talented athlete and Zheng can be proud of her efforts representing New Zealand in Hong Kong to help the team take 9th place in the Mixed Teams division. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
New York Times
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Nelly Korda and the weight — and wait — of the U.S. Open
ERIN, Wisc. — She was 9, her sister sneaking her into the U.S. Open locker room to show her the world that would soon be hers. She was 14, playing in her first U.S. Open, walking practice rounds with Michelle Wie West and hitting balls on the range next to Lydia Ko and Inbee Park. This was the dream. It was that week Nelly Korda truly decided this was what she wanted to do with her life, to chase major championships. Advertisement She was 25, on top of the world, a two-time major winner, winning her sixth tournament in seven starts, and one of the first things she said was how badly she wanted to win the big one, this one. 'There has definitely been some heartbreaking times where I just haven't competed well in the U.S. Women's Open, where I feel like I put a little bit more pressure on myself, because I do love the event, and I feel like out of all the events that's, like, the event for me.' Three holes in, the air was sucked out of the balloon that day. She shot a 10 — ten — on Lancaster Country Club's 12th hole at the 2024 U.S. Open to eject with an 80. Korda is the No. 1 player in the world, and she really, really wants to win the U.S. Open. Yet in 10 tries, she's missed three of her last five cuts and finished better than 39th just twice. Often, she is out of it within 18 holes. But Thursday at Erin Hills, she is still in this thing. And she's done it with patience. Nelly Korda didn't have a single birdie on her card… until her last hole! She's 4 off the lead.@Ally — U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) May 29, 2025 On a day when nobody came in lower than 68 and where half the field is at least 2-over par, Korda is right where she needs to be. If anything, she should be higher up the leaderboard, struggling to get much out of a strong round from tee to green. Sixteen pars in a round can sting. 'I was striking it pretty well out there,' she said with a sigh Thursday night, 'just under-read some putts and burned a couple edges too. I think I'm happy with it. Obviously, I wish the ball found the bottom of the cup a little bit more. Overall, I can't complain. 'First day of the U.S. Open, it's all about patience.' She found nearly every one of Erin Hills' tricky, slopey fairways, with one of her only misses rolling from the center of the fairway and down a hill just two yards into the first cut. She consistently found greens, but she missed birdie putts of 11, 10, 17, 18, 14, 13, 13 again, 13 again, 19 and six feet. She had one bogey all day, and that came from a three-putt on the green, too. Advertisement 'I was hitting my putts really good,' Korda said. 'Wherever I was kind of looking, rolling it over my intermediate target, that's where I was hitting it. I have no complaints.' At U.S. Opens, golfers accept those missed opportunities. When you have Korda's track record, you go home thrilled with playing so well off the tee and in approach. U.S. Opens cannot be won on Thursdays, but, my goodness, can they be lost. And Korda still has the fifth-best odds at sportsbooks. You cannot treat these as normal tournaments, neither the golfers nor the audience. These are tricky mental tests where each par is a little victory. They're about course management and discipline, and fairly or not, some critics have questioned whether Korda can win the grind-it-out type tournaments that separate the greats. But more than the test itself, Korda would be the first to admit it's about the pedestal stars put this tournament on. Three-time major winner Lydia Ko, who hasn't won the U.S. Open and admits her next goal is the career grand slam, said on Tuesday: 'I think this would be the one that I'd say, 'Oh, I wish I was a U.S. Women's Open champion.'' And Korda shot that Thursday 80 last year at the absolute apex of her hype and belief. The entire sport rallied around her as its biggest star in a decade. Six wins in seven starts. Two major championships at 25. That was going to be the one, and seemingly every women's golf fan tuned in for her featured group to see if she could maintain history. In minutes, it was over. But it's more than that. Korda shot an 80 on Sunday the year before at Pebble Beach to finish 64th. She had an impressive T8 in 2022, but even that was 11 shots off the lead. Two missed cuts the years before that. The unfortunate reality was Korda might have played herself out of U.S. Opens before they started. Advertisement 'Oh, yeah, lots of ups and downs,' she said earlier this week with a laugh. 'I mean, it's the biggest test in the game of golf — definitely has tested me a lot. I love it. At the end of the day, this is why we do what we do, is to play these golf courses in these conditions, to test our games in every aspect. Not even just our games, our mental, as well.' No, it's not Rory McIlroy at the Masters. Not even close. It would take many more years of torment and attention to reach that sort of level, the kind nobody wishes on a golfer. But it's a cousin of it. Because the thing Korda's 80s and missed cuts do is add a little more tension each year. A little more scar tissue. A little more time in press conferences dedicated to the hurdle. But this is not about whether Korda will win the U.S. Open. It's Thursday. It's early. Golf probabilities say she won't. It's a story about the fact that Korda entered this week carrying all those hopes and dreams, and she kept herself in it. Sure, she says, she started to get frustrated toward the end with all the missed putts, the missed opportunities to get off to a fast start. But before Korda could get too angry, her caddie, Jason McDede, reminded her of something. 'It's all about patience.'
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
Ben Griffin still on a heater after his win on punishing course at Memorial
DUBLIN, Ohio — Ben Griffin resumed the great play that brought him his first individual PGA Tour victory last week, hitting two shots in the water and still posting a 7-under 65 on Thursday in the Memorial on a course with rough as dense as a U.S. Open. Griffin isn't taking victory laps after winning at Colonial. He just kept making birdies, along with an eagle on the par- 5 seventh hole with a 3-wood into 12 feet. He led by two shots over Collin Morikawa, with Max Homa another stroke behind.
