Women's PGA Championship 2015: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and LPGA Highlights
The last two seasons have been rough for Jenny Shin. The two-time British Open winner hasn't come out on top since February 2013, a period that's seen her take a tumble down the world rankings during what should be her prime.
If Thursday's first round is any indication, Shin may be on the precipice of a comeback.
Shin shot a near-flawless first 18 holes at the 2015 Women's PGA Championship, carding five birdies and an eagle without a bogey on her way to a seven-under 66. She holds a one-stroke lead over Brooke Henderson, who sits alone in second place. Three golfers (Karrie Webb, Moriya Jutanugarn and Charley Hull) are tied for third place after shooting five-under 68s.
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Nearly every part of Shin's game was working from the opening tee. She averaged nearly 270 yards on drives, hit all but one fairway and needed only 27 putts to make it through the round. Shin also hit 15 of her 18 fairways in regulation.
The 27-year-old was once one of the tour's rising stars, winning her first tournament at the 2008 British Open and then adding 10 more tournaments over the next five years.
In 2014, Shin left the LPGA to move back to Korea to be closer to her family and has largely only appeared at majors since. She was present for only two of the year's five majors last season, though she's continued her on-course success against lesser competition in Korea.
Henderson, a 17-year-old Canadian in the field on a sponsor's exemption, is an equally eye-raising story. The former top-ranked amateur had five birdies and an eagle, bogeying only the par-five ninth (her 18th). Bogeying the day's last hole was Henderson's only disappointing result, as she navigated the course like a seasoned pro.
| Place | Player | Score |
| 1 | Jenny Shin | -7 |
| 2 | Brooke Mackenzie Henderson | -6 |
| T3 | Karrie Webb | -5 |
| T3 | Moriya Jutanugarn | -5 |
| T3 | Charley Hull | -5 |
| T6 | Karine Icher | -4 |
| T6 | Simin Feng | -4 |
The women's PGA Championship underwent massive changes for the 2015 season, including a shift in venue. Most golfers on tour have complimented the Westchester Country Club, which is seen as a more difficult course in line with a true major. The 2014 event was held at the Monroe Golf Club, which was its fifth straight year in the Pittsford, New York, area.
“For our tour, we get the most media, we get the most eyeballs, five weeks out of the year,” Stacy Lewis told Brendan Prunty of the New York Times, “so those five weeks need to be our biggest and our best. They all talk about, when we are on network TV, it needs to look like a big event. So that’s why we need it to be the way it is this week.”
Helping the big-tournament feel is Webb, a Hall of Famer looking for her second career PGA win. The first came in 2001, when Webb was in the midst of a dominant run that would see her win five majors in a four-year stretch. Here, she's merely hoping to stay in contention. The 41-time winner carded six birdies against a single bogey, hitting all but three of her fairways and greens in a steady round.
Lydia Ko, the world's top-ranked golfer, is six strokes off the lead following a disappointing 72. She had five birdies against four bogeys, including a wild back nine that saw her only par two holes. Back-to-back birdies on No. 17 and No. 18 were the only thing that saved her from being near the cut line heading into Round 2.
"I think it's really important," Ko said of her strong finish, per T.J. Auclair of PGA.com. "I personally love courses where you can finish on a par five. I feel like it makes it very interesting. And especially if the leaders are close, you just never know what the score is going to be like. I love that we are finishing on a par five, and two birdies in a row, I hit some solid shots. So yeah, just got to take that out tomorrow."
Also well off the lead is Michelle Wie, who had five bogeys on her way to a two-over day. Wie putted 32 times and hit only 11 fairways.
World No. 2 Inbee Park fared a little better, shooting a two-under round to put herself in a deluge of players five strokes off the lead. Park could move ahead of Ko for the world's top spot with a strong showing this weekend.
Other notables near the front of the field include Lewis (minus-three), Hyo Joo Kim (minus-three) and Cristie Kerr (minus-three).
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