Day one of the Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio served up a bunched leaderboard for the first walk around on Highland Meadows GC.
Stephanie Meadow put in a great shift on day one to card a three-under to sit in good shape, tied 15th heading into Friday, and just four shots back from overnight leader Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi. Choi just pipped the duo of Aditi Ashok and Xiyu Lin to clinch the clubhouse lead on seven-under by one stroke after a charge late on the first afternoon.
A two-time Olympian, and heading to Paris to represent Ireland at a third with Leona Maguire, Meadow was in search of a spark after a run of missed cuts over her past few events, and this was a good platform for the 32-year-old. A good battling round from the University of Alabama alum, as she parred her way through to the sixth before getting her scoring going.
Birdie on the par-5 7th hole was handed back on the ninth to turn on level-par, but she began her back nine with birdie on the 10th and two more followed on her way home with a two on the par-3 14th and another birdie on the par-5 17th to see Meadow finish on 68 and three-under after a great opening salvo from the Jordanstown born woman.
Meadow scrambled well, going four-for-four with sand saves, invaluable experience to take to Paris. Work on the range will be needed though with just half of the 14 fairways hit on day one.
The lead overnight belongs to Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi who, starting on the 10th tee on day one, was consistent with a run of pars on her first six holes, before lighting the touchpaper. Four birdies on-the-bounce propelled the 24-year-old Korean up to the business end of the scoreboard. Three more birdies were to come from the 2017 US Women’s Open runner-up, including back-to-back on her final two, a two-three finish for Choi.
One shot back and leading for most of Thursday evening sit the pair of Aditi Ashok from India, and China’s Xiyu Lin on six-under. Lin could have led with eight birdies today, but clean rounds are necessary to challenge around Highland Meadows. A group of three sit one further back on five-under on T4 including the Thai duet of Wannasaen and Vongtaveelap heading into day two in Ohio level with Paula Reto. Lexi Thompson sits on one-over ahead of her F-16 fly-by on the first tee on Friday lunchtime.
Paula Reto was asked about how her 10th attempt at the Dana Open and how her day went as she shit two off the overnight lead.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously just knowing the course and knowing where to be from the fairway and the greens, and how firm they are demanding if it’s afternoon and morning,” said Reto. “I had a morning round to do ever today so you knew they were not going to be as firm. Those small things help you out when you come here, ten years in a row”
Action was happening all over the course today, no less so than on the 165-yard per-3 14th hole on Highland Meadows. One of those honing their tools for the Olympics was Canadian, Alena Sharp with a 6-iron ace, her third on the LPGA Tour, lighting up her round.
“I hit a 6-iron. I think it hit just on the front and went in the cup,” said Sharp, speaking after her remarkable hole-in-one. “I know that in the past that hole has been a hole-in-one car, so I think I had said the hole before, when Lexi (finished T3) the tournament here, she had a hole-in-one there. It was weird that I actually had one right after saying that, like 20 minutes later,” she added. “It was a good shot, and it was on the pin the whole way. I was happy with it. I haven’t had a hole-in-one in a while.”
Round two will kick off at 7.15 in the Ohio morning dew with Marissa Steen, Lindy Duncan and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc getting round two underway off the first. Stephanie Meadow heads out at 13.37 local time as she tries to make inroads into the lead of Choi who begins her second day at 8.21 around Highland Meadows GC.
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