Michelle Wie West was back on a major championship leaderboard Thursday at the ANA Inspiration. So was Shanshan Feng in her first tournament in 16 months.
Playing for the second straight week after a 21-month break, Wie West shot a two-under 70, leaving her four strokes behind leader Patty Tavatanakit after the morning wave.
“Came into the day like, ‘Okay, no stress today, easy golf,’ ” Wie West said. “And the first couple holes were not easy golf. I’m just happy to see my name on the first page of the leaderboard. That’s really special to me. Been a long time since I’ve seen that.”
Feng birdied three of her last five holes for a bogey-free 67 in the morning The Chinese star hadn’t played a competitive round since November 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic and a recent visa delay.
“I was kind of nervous last night,” the 10-time LPGA Tour winner said. “But I said to myself, `Hey, it’s okay. Think about you’re just an old rookie. Everything is new for you here and just have no expectation. Try your hardest, 100 per cent on every shot and enjoy the process.’ That was what I did, actually.”
She got a break on the par-three 17th – her eighth hole of the day – when she hit a chip too hard and it slammed against the flagstick and in for birdie.
“I did have some luck on the course today,” Feng said.
Wie West was in the second group off the 10th tee, opening to little fanfare with no spectators at Mission Hills for the 50th edition of the event.
Tavatanakit, the 21-year-old former UCLA player from Thailand, closed with a birdie on the par-five 18th for a bogey-free 66. She reached all the par fives in two, birdieing three of them.
“It was a pretty calm and relaxing day today,” Tavatanakit said. “I just stuck to my game plan and didn’t get too greedy out there. I know it’s a major, it’s tough, the course is really tough. I was just being really patient and I was waiting for putts to drop, and they did on the back nine.”
Leona Maguire of Ireland matched Feng with a 67 in the afternoon with the temperature in the low 90s. Triple-digit heat was expected the next three days.
Thai sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn were at 68 with fellow afternoon starters Anna Nordqvist and Megan Khang.
Alena Sharp of Hamilton shot a par 72 while Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a three-over 75.
Top-ranked Jin Young Ko, the 2019 winner who was unable to play the event last year, was at 69 with defending champion Mirim Lee, Jessica Korda, Charley Hull, Jennifer Kupcho, Bronte Law, Georgia Hall and Yuka Saso.
Past champions Lexi Thompson, Inbee Park and Lydia Ko joined Wie West in the large group at 70. Park won the Kia Classic on Sunday in her first start of the year.
Villegas has first-round lead at Texas Open
SAN ANTONIO — Camilo Villegas chipped in twice to highlight a nine-birdie round that earned him an eight-under 64 and the first-round lead at the Valero Texas Open on Thursday. Sung Kang, a 33-year-old South Korean, is two shots back with Cameron Tringale after each carded 66 at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course.
Jordan Spieth, whose struggles the past three years appear to be subsiding after four top-10 finishes the past two months, sits three back (67) with Seung-Yul Noh and Hideki Matsuyama. Defending champion Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., fired a 71.
Phil Mickelson dropped to 15 shots back when he had a 10 on the 18th hole – he took two penalty shots and another three strokes trying to get away from a greenside stream – and ended with a 79.
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., is the top Canadian following a two-under 70. Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., opened with a 72, while Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor, Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., all came in with a one-over 73.