(Sanya) Minjee Lee shot a 65 (under 7) in the first round to build a one-shot lead at the top of the LPGA tournament taking place on the Chinese island of Hainan on Thursday.
Sarah Schmelzel, Miranda Wang and Ruixin Liu tied for second after negotiating the Jian Lake Blue Bay course in 66 strokes.
Lee, an Australian golfer, made seven birdies without making a single bogey on a course she knows well.
Lee, fifth in the LPGA world rankings, triumphed there in 2016 and covets her 11e career victory. She admitted to remembering this victory on Chinese soil very well.
“Some of the holes were different back then,” she said. I remember it was my second season (on the LPGA Tour), and I knew absolutely nothing. It was a new tournament, I showed up here with no expectations, and I had fun all week. »
Canadian Savannah Grewal of Mississauga, Ont., is tied for 13the rank after handing over a card of 69 (minus-3).
For her part, Quebecer Maude-Aimée Leblanc, from Sherbrooke, settled for a score of 73 (plus-1) to reach 55e step.