Yani Tseng, 37, of Taiwan, a former world No. 1 in women's golf, produced a remarkable scene by making a birdie with a barefoot shot on the first day of the major KPMG Women's PGA Championship (total purse $13 million).
The first round was held Thursday Korea time at Hazeltine National Golf Club (par 72) in Chaska, Minnesota.
Tseng, who started at the 10th hole, hit her third shot on the 7th hole (par 5) in the latter part of her round, sending the ball toward a downhill slope to the left of the green. Fortunately, the ball did not fall into the water and stopped in the rough, but it was an awkward situation with no proper stance available. After taking off her shoes and socks and rolling up her trousers, she stepped into the water and took a stance similar to the spirited barefoot shot Pak Se-ri showed at the 1998 U.S. Women's Open. Adjusting to the ball positioned above her feet, Tseng gripped down the club all the way to the metal part of the shaft and struck the ball submerged deep in the grass. The ball floated up slightly, landed on the green, bounced two or three times, hit the flagstick, and disappeared into the hole. Having recorded a picture-perfect birdie, she finished the first day at 1 over par, tied for 70th.
Tseng, who has won five major titles in total, including this championship in 2008 and 2011, fell into a slump due to the yips and injuries after notching her 15th career win on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in 2012. Once holding the No. 1 spot for 109 consecutive weeks, her current world ranking is 181st.
That day, Amanda Doherty of the United States enjoyed the thrill of recording her first hole-in-one of her tour debut. On the 161-yard 17th hole, her tee shot with an 8-iron landed about 3 meters in front of the pin and was sucked into the hole. Doherty, who had been at 2 over par with three birdies and five bogeys through the 16th hole, cut two strokes thanks to the lucky hole-in-one and finished the first round at even par, tied for 45th.
Yoon Ina took a solo lead by one stroke with a 9-under-par 63, tying the tournament's lowest score, while Kim A-rim was tied for 3rd at 5 under par and Choi Hye-jin was tied for 5th at 4 under par. World No. 1 Nelly Korda of the United States, who is challenging for her third straight major win this season, sat at 2 under par, tied for 19th.
