Sylvania, OH (Sports Network) - Pernilla Lindberg fired a 7-under 64 on
Thursday to grab a 2-stroke lead after one round of the Jamie Farr Owens
Toledo Classic.
Lindberg, who is winless on the LPGA Tour, stands two strokes clear of six
players at Highland Meadows Golf Club.
Angela Stanford carded a 5-under 66 and was joined in second place by Karine
Icher, Meredith Duncan, Mika Miyazato, Chella Choi and Numa Gulyanamitta.
Last year's U.S. Women's Open champion So Yeon Ryu headlines a group of six
players tied for eighth at minus-4.
Lindberg, who was in the second group out off the first tee in the morning,
converted her first birdie on the fourth. That was from just over 20 feet, and
she came right back with a lengthy birdie putt on No. 5.
The Swede knocked her approach to four feet on the ninth and rolled that in to
make the turn at 3-under par. She hit another strong approach at 10 and kicked
in a short birdie effort there.
Lindberg drained a 25-footer at 12, but gave that shot right back at 13. She
drove into the trees and her second came up short of the green. After chipping
to four feet, Lindberg failed to make the par try.
She atoned for that mistake with a birdie on the 14th and made it two in a row
at 15 as her 10-footer found the bottom of the cup.
Lindberg closed with a birdie on the 18th from just inside 25 feet to end two
clear of the field.
"I had a great day on the greens. It was really my putting that was the key
today," Lindberg stated. "I obviously put myself in good positions to make
those putts. But it felt like every putt I hit all day had a chance to go in.
So even the pars I made out there, they were still good birdie chances."
Stanford was among the afternoon starters and she began on No. 10. After four
straight pars, Stanford birdied three of the next four holes. She parred the
next six holes before converting a birdie chance on the sixth. A birdie at No.
8 got Stanford within two of the lead.
Icher traded a bogey for a birdie from the 10th. She drained three consecutive
birdie chances from the 16th. Icher birdied the third and eighth to move to 5-
under.
Duncan also had six birdies and a bogey in her round of 66.
Miyazato had a bogey-free round with five birdies. She capped her round with
birdies on 16 and 17.
"I had a good round today, bogey-free round and a fine round today," Miyazato
said. "I hit very good second shots. Number 16, I hit a 5-iron to like a foot.
Then on 17, I made another one foot for birdie putt."
Chella had six birdies and a bogey in her round with a birdie on the par-3
eighth giving her a share of second.
Gulyanamitta traded a bogey for a birdie from the second and again from the
seventh. She birdied the ninth to turn at minus-1. She birdied four of the
last six holes to soar into a share of second.
NOTES: Na Yeon Choi is considered the defending champion as this event was
last played in 2010. She opened with a 1-under 70 and is tied for
55th...Women's world No. 1 Yani Tseng had three birdies, two bogeys and a
double-bogey in a round of 1-over 73.
The Sports Network