Morgan Pressel seized the first-round lead at the ANA Inspiration on Thursday, signalling she isn’t ready to let Lydia Ko usurp her as golf’s youngest major champion without a fight.
Pressel fired a bogey-free five-under par 67 to take the first-round lead in golf’s first major of 2015 — the newly-renamed tournament that was formerly known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Pressel was 18 when she lifted the trophy on the same Dinah Shore Tournament course in 2007 at Mission Hills Country Club.
Ko, the 17-year-old New Zealand sensation who in February became the youngest golfer to reach number one in the world, is trying to add another “youngest to-” achievement to her resume, but has some work to do after a first-round 71.
With her 29th straight round under par on the LPGA tour, Ko matched the record set by Swedish great Annika Sorenstam in 2004.
But she was only tied for 10th, four shots off Pressel’s lead heading into Friday’s second round.
Pressel had a one-shot lead over former world number one and nine-time LPGA tour winner Ai Miyazato of Japan, who is still seeking her first major crown.
Seven-time major winner and two-time champion at this event Juli Inkster headlined a group of four players tied on three-under 69.
She was joined by France’s Gwladys Nocera, South Korea’s Ryu So-Yeon and fellow American Alison Walshe.
It was a further stroke back to South Korea’s Choi Na-Yeon, England’s Charley Hull and American Austin Ernst.
Then came Ko, heading a big group on 71. Defending champion Lexi Thompson was a stroke further back on 72, tied for 26th.
Ko had the disadvantage of playing in gusty early winds, while Pressel played in the afternoon.
“I was watching this morning because it was on TV, and it looked very challenging out there,” Pressel said. “This afternoon there was not much wind at all, a little on the front nine, but not nearly what it was in the morning.”
Pressel birdied two of her first three holes, then picked up three more shots coming in.
That included a chip-in birdie at 13 that tied her for the lead, and she took the outright lead with a five-foot birdie putt at the last.
“I kept the ball in play most of the day. I was never really in terrible position,” Pressel said. “There are a lot of tight tee shots out here, and I was able to hit it where I wanted to.”
– ‘Pretty cool’ Ko –
Ko teed off on 10 and her under par streak appeared to be in jeopardy after a first nine holes that included three birdies and four bogeys.
Another birdie got her back to even par for the day, and she stayed there with a spectacular save from behind a group of trees at the seventh before a birdie at the eighth.
Ko said her scrambling round didn’t leave her much time to think about matching Sorenstam’s record.
“I started off well today, and then I kind of went on a bogey streak,” she said. “So I was really busy trying to make some birdies and recover from some of my bad shots. So I really wasn’t thinking about it, but ended up finishing under par.
“It’s just pretty cool to tie Annika’s record.”