World number one Lilia Vu shot a three-under par 69 to be a stroke off the lead after the first round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore on Thursday.
The surprise leader, in a field featuring 15 of the world’s top 20 in the LPGA Tour’s flagship Asian event, was Sarah Schmelzel from the United States.
The world number 107 found herself a stroke clear at the head of the field after a four-under-par 68 at Sentosa Golf Club .
Vu was in a three-way tie for second with Sweden’s Linn Grant and Germany’s Esther Henseleit.
South Korea’s Ko Jin-young, who is seeking an unprecedented treble of titles after winning the 2022 and 2023 editions, is three shots back from Schmelzel in a 13-way tie for 10th place on a stacked leaderboard.
Starting from the 10th and turning at one-over par, Schmelzel, who joined the LPGA Tour in 2019, carded five birdies on a fabulous closing nine to take an opening-round lead for the first time.
“I have not been in this position before,” Shcmelzel told reporters.
“But I guess there’s a first time for everything. I’m excited. Let’s see what happens next.
“This is my fifth (LPGA) year, so I’m just trying to get into contention more and get a little bit better every day,” said the 29-year-old.
Vu expressed disbelief that no one posted lower than four-under par around the 6,775-yard Tanjong course that hosts the tournament dubbed “Asia’s major”.
“I was surprised that the scores were so high. I always expect at least six-under to be the leader. But that shows you how tough the course is playing and it’s a good challenge,” said Vu.
Vu found it tough to find birdies — she got into red numbers only at the third, sixth and 14th holes — in a bogey-free 69.
“The course is playing way more difficult than last year, and I knew that coming into today,” said Vu, who won two majors in a breakout 2023 season.
“The greens are playing firmer and you can’t hit to tucked pins.
“You have to take your medicine and just have a 20-footer to try and make a birdie,” said Vu.
