Women’s PGA Championship: double-bogey costs Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan dear in first round
- Tied for fourth heading into the 17th hole, Chan double-bogeyed on the par three and ended one-over-par
- The Minnesota event is one of five majors on the LPGA calendar
Hong Kong’s leading golfer Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching was on pace to finish as high as fourth right up until the 17th hole of her first round at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship on Friday.
The 25-year-old Chan was heading for a great finish before a double bogey on her second to last hole dropped her 28 spots to finish tied for 34th at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.
As one of the five majors on the LPGA tour, the purse runs to US$3.85 million.
Australian Hannah Green leads the pack as she shot a four-under 68 on the par 72 course. England’s Mel Reid and South Korean Hyo Joo Kim, who both shot 69, are tied for second.
Chan’s first round was up and down as she started the opening hole with a bogey but also collected four birdies until the disastrous par three 17th, a 159-yard hole. Before then she was sitting at two-under, which would have been good enough for a share of fourth place after day one, instead she ended with a one-over-par 73 after following up with another bogey on the 18th. Chan hit 11 of 14 fairways during the round with two saves from bunkers.
