Bet on this tournament & other sports here

Hurst takes two shot lead

Pat Hurst posted a five-under 67 on Thursday and grabbed a two-shot lead after the first round of the Office Depot.

Marnie McGuire, Dina Ammaccapane, Michelle McGann and Kristi Albers share second at minus-three, while five golfers are three shots off the pace at two-under par.

Hurst opened with a birdie at the first when she wedged her approach to 20 feet. She added another at number-four, the 185-yard, par-three hole, when she roped a four iron to 15 feet.

Hurst carded back-to-back birdies at six and seven when she drained a four-footer and a six-footer, respectively. She had her first bit of trouble at the 11th when she hit a nine iron to the back fringe and three-putted for her first bogey of the round.

She rebounded at 13 when she hit a wedge into the green with her third shot and converted the four-footer for birdie. Hurst holed a 20-foot birdie putt at the next to get to five-under.

At the 16th, Hurst hit another wedge shot to four feet and the result was the same as 13, a birdie. She did not finish strong as she hit a five-iron shot right and failed to get up and down for par at 17. Hurst used an eight iron at the closing hole and pushed it right, but this time ran home a 10-footer to save par.

"With a three-day event, it's definitely important to play well the first two days because you're only going to have one more round after the cut," said Hurst, who finished as a runner-up to Grace Park here last year. "I tend to be more aggressive in a three-day tournament. Today, I felt like that was going on."

McGuire, one of the players in early with a 69, two-putted from six feet for bogey at seven, but then cruised with four birdies, with all of those putts longer than 10 feet.

"I feel like things are starting to come together now," said McGuire, who has one top-10 finish in six starts this season. "It seemed like the last three or four tournaments, it was like I was so close, but still so far. Today, it finally felt like I was getting a little bit closer with where I want to be in my game."

Anne Marie Palli, Vickie Odegard, Penny Hammel, Mi Hyun Kim and Liselotte Neumann comprise the group at two-under 70.

Annika Sorenstam, who is looking for her fourth win in as many starts this week, double-bogeyed the first hole when she drove left and then three-putted. She rebounded with four birdies and a bogey the rest of the way for a one-under 71.

Joining Sorenstam in a group of 10 golfers at minus-one are: her sister Charlotta, Dottie Pepper, Brandie Burton, Alicia Dibos and Wendy Doolan.

Defending champion Grace Park struggled to a four-over 76 on Thursday.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page