HSBC Women’s World Championship: unheralded Szokol returns with a bang a year after back injury kept her away
- American Elizabeth Szokol shoots 8-under 64 to grab three-shot lead after first round
- Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan has tough day, carding 3-over 75 at Sentosa Golf Club
A year after missing the HSBC Women’s World Championship with a back injury, Elizabeth Szokol returned with a bang on Thursday, carding a superb eight-under 64 in Singapore.
The unheralded American, who is ranked 153 in the world, outshone the game’s best at Sentosa Golf Club after overcoming a bogey on the 10th, her first hole of the day.
But from there she never looked back, rattling off seven birdies and an eagle to open up a three-shot lead on 2021 US Women’s Open champion, Japan’s Yuka Saso.
Szokol said missing out on ‘Asia’s major’ last year with a herniated disk had been a “really hard” but she was ultimately glad to have made the “tough decision”.
“I didn’t play, didn’t touch a golf club for three or four months,” she said. “I came back after five or six months. But looking back, I’m really glad I did.
“I was really focused on getting better and feeling healthy. So I’m really happy to be back playing, and especially here.”
The bunched leader board saw Nelly Korda, Lee Jeong-eun and Kim Hyo-joo of South Korea also at four-under alongside Japan’s Ayaka Furue, the Thai pair Patty Tavatanakit and Ariya Jutanugarn.
Saso, who was born in the Philippines, started her front nine strongly with four birdies to turn in 32, but could add only one more to finish with 67.
The 21-year-old is still searching for her first LPGA win since her major breakthrough in 2021.
“Winning on the LPGA is not easy,” Saso said. “I just have to keep grinding and give myself chances every week. But it’s tough. I just have to be patient and enjoy the journey.”
World No 1 Lydia Ko was in a share of 14th place after a two-under 70 and defending champion Ko Jin-young of South Korea posted a level-par 72.
It was a tough day for Hong Kong’s Tiffany Chan, who started on the 10th and was one-under through 11 holes having birdied the par-5 13th.
But it all went wrong after the turn, with three bogeys and a double bogey heavily outweighing her second birdie of the day on the 5th hole.
