PORTLAND, ORE. (AP) - Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Lexi Thompson after the first round of the Safeway Classic.
The 23-year-old Phatlum had 10 birdies and two bogeys in her afternoon round at Columbia Edgewater.
The 18-year-old Thompson eagled the par-5 seventh hole and had five birdies in her bogey-free morning round. She won the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic for her lone tour title.
Christie Kerr, the winner in 2008 the last time the event was played at Columbia Edgewater, was at 66 along with Lizette Salas and Germany’s Sandra Gal.
Second-ranked Stacy Lewis, returning to play after withdrawing from the Canadian Women’s Open last week because of illness, opened with a 67. She won the Women’s British Open on Aug. 4 at St. Andrews and had consecutive early season victories in Singapore and Phoenix.
Hall of Famers Juli Inkster and Se Ri Pak also were in the large group at 67 that included Michelle Wie, Yani Tseng and Ai Miyazato. The 53-year-old Inkster won the last of her 31 tour titles in 2006.
Natalie Gulbis had a hole-in-one on the second hole and finished with a 68.
HOTEL FITNESS CHAMPIONSHIP
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) _ Scott McCarron took the first-round lead in the Hotel Fitness Championship, the opening event in the new four-tournament Web.com Tour Finals series.
The 48-year-old McCarron, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, had eight birdies, an eagle and two bogeys for an 8-under 64 at Sycamore Hills. He’s in the field on a special medical exemption because of a thumb injury after finishing 250th in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings.
The bulk of the field is made up of top 75 players from the Web.com Tour money list and Nos. 126-200 in the FedEx Cup standings. The top 25 on the Web.com money list are assured PGA Tour cards for the 2013-14 season, while the other players are fighting for 25 additional cards.
Bud Cauley, Jason Gore, Troy Matteson and Scott Harrington were a stroke back, and Arron Oberholser and Jeff Klauk shot 66. Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman opened with a 67.
WALES OPEN
NEWPORT, Wales (AP) _ Norway’s Espen Kofstad closed with three straight birdies and an eagle for a 7-under 64 and a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Wales Open.
England’s Chris Wood and Australia’s Richard Green shot 66 on Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten Course, the site of Europe’s victory in the 2010 Ryder Cup.
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