Associated Press
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. — Sydnee Michaels and Mika Miyazato shot 7-under 65 on Friday in 100-degree heat to share the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Safeway Classic.
Miyazato and Michaels each had eight birdies and a bogey on Pumpkin Ridge’s Ghost Creek Course.
Michaels, the former UCLA player who won twice last year on the developmental Symetra Tour, had her best round of her rookie season. She’s coming off a career-best 21st-place tie last week in the Toledo Classic.
“It’s been hit or miss,” Michaels said. “I’ll be in contention and I might have a little shaky Sunday, and wind up top 30 or something like that or I’ll miss the cut by one or two. I definitely feel that every week I learn something, and I’m hoping I’ll start to hit my stride here toward the end of the season. Last year, I hit my stride at the end of the season, so I’m kind of hoping I follow that pattern.”
Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park and Pornanong Phatlum were a stroke back. So Yeon Ryu, the Toledo Classic winner last week, was two shots behind at 67 along with Brittany Lincicome, Alison Walshe and Jee Young Lee.
Honolulu’s Michelle Wie opened with a 69, top-ranked Yani Tseng had a 70, defending champion Suzann Pettersen shot 71, and second-ranked Stacy Lewis had a 73.
Wie has missed seven of 10 cuts this season, also struggled in two events without cuts and lost in the first round of the match-play event. She broke par for only the fifth time in 34 rounds this season.
“It’s just one week it seems so easy and another week, or another year, for me everything seems so difficult,” Wie said. “But I’ve got to stay positive. Nothing good will come out of it if you keep beating yourself up. The game is hard enough as it is without me doing that to myself.
“I’m just trying to stay positive after every round, looking at the positives and feeling good about each week and really trying not to doubt my game, because I know I have it.”
Playing in the first group of the day, Michaels took advantage of cooler temperatures by making birdies on the first four holes. Playing the back nine first, she shot a 5-under 30, then finished with birdies on two of her final three holes. The early four-hole birdie spree ended with a chip-in at the 386-yard 13th.
WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP: Jimmy Walker shot an 8-under 62 to top the leaderboard at 12 under in Greensboro, N.C.
Defending champion Webb Simpson was a stroke back after a 63, and first-round leader Carl Pettersson, Tim Clark, Sergio Garcia and rookie Harris English were 10 under. Pettersson had a 68, Clark shot 67, Garcia 63 and English 64.
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS OPEN: Bernhard Langer topped the leaderboard at 7 under when first-round play in Endicott, N.Y., was suspended because of rain.
U.S. AMATEUR: Steven Fox beat top-ranked Chris Williams 4 and 2 in the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals in Cherry Hills Village, Colo
Fox, a senior at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga from Hendersonville, Tenn., will play Brandon Hagy of Westlake Village, Calif., in the semifinals today.
