Lydia Ko six strokes off the pace at last major of year
Photo:
Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire / PHOTOSPORT
New Zealand's Dame Lydia Ko is six strokes off the pace after the first round of the Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl in south Wales.
Japan's Eri Okayama and Rio Takeda topped the leaderboard, with rounds of five-under 67, while Ko had a one-over 73 as she failed to take advantage of calm conditions on the coastal course.
Fellow Kiwi Amelia Garvey is a stroke further back, in joint 91st place.
Ko won the event last year at St Andrews, but
it is her first time playing in Wales.
She opened well enough in the final major of the year, with a birdie on the first hole but negated that with a bogey on the par-4 third hole.
She had one more birdie, on the ninth hole, while dropping shots at the par-5 13th and the par-3 15th before finishing in a 17-way tie for 74th place.
Garvey had birdies on the same two holes that Ko birdied, with four bogeys spoiling her round.
Okayama's five-under 67 gave her the lead before she was joined by Takeda after she birdied the 18th, Reuters reported.
Japanese players dominated the opening day with Miyu Yamashita at four-under ahead of a large group on three-under that included Chevron Championship winner Mao Saigo, Shiho Kuwaki and Chisato Iwai.
World number one Nelly Korda finished two-under par.
Okayama, who is world number 139, bogeyed her opening hole but birdied five of the next eight and was rock solid on the way back with another birdie at the 17th moving her ahead.
Takeda recovered from a double-bogey seven at the ninth with four birdies on the back nine, putting her joint first.
By far the largest galleries assembled just after lunchtime to watch England's Lottie Woad in a group alongside Ko and American Lilia Vu.
An astonishing July, which culminated in Woad winning the Scottish Open in her first event as a professional, had made the 21-year-old favourite for the year's final major.
But the former Florida State University player found the going tough as she ground out a level-par round of 72 thanks to a birdie at the last.
- RNZ Sport/Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- RNZ News
Fight to save Takapuna Golf Course's 18 holes continues after Auckland Council voted to convert half if it to wetland
Golfers are not giving up on efforts to save their beloved Takapuna course, as Auckland Council plans to turn a large section of it into a wetland . Head greenkeeper Steve Dowd had poured his heart into maintaining the course at AF Thomas Park for more than 20 years. "The course, as we know it, will be destroyed. My lifetime's work will be gone when it doesn't have to be. It's heartbreaking." In July, the council decided to go ahead with plans to convert half of Takapuna Golf Course - nine holes - into a flood storage and recreational area, to avoid a repeat of the suffering caused by the 2023 Auckland anniversary floods. But those backing an alternative proposal were confident that keeping the course at 18 holes while also safeguarding against flood damage was not only possible - but a better option. Photo: Nick Monro The 'Shoal Bay solution' would redirect stormwater through an underground pipe system from the course to the nearby Shoal Bay. About 200 people attended a recent community meeting, including long-time course user Jane Dent, who hoped the council would listen to them. "It would be an absolute crime if the council didn't look at the alternative plan that has been suggested. "This would be vandalism to dig this place up. A waste of government money when it doesn't need to happen. "This is one of only two golf courses in Auckland where people can just rock up and play. There's a lot of talk about how many golf courses there are. But there's only Takapuna and Chamberlain Park where anybody can just come and play. "I've been coming here for about 10 years with my friends we play every week. It's mental health, it's physical health, it's companionship. It's an incredibly important Auckland facility." As one of only two public golf courses in the city, a pensioner RNZ spoke to said Takapuna - which charged $40 on weekdays an $45 on weekends for 18-holes - was more affordable compared to private golf clubs. "Pensioners like me they can't afford to join a club. It's very expensive to play there." Photo: Nick Monro Dowd said it could cost thousands of dollars a year to join a private golf club. RNZ also spoke to university students who met up at the course weekly. Kyle Harris said it was the most affordable option for golfing in the city. "Takapuna is so good because it's great for beginners. It's not a super pristine place, but it's a place where everyone's welcome and you can come and have fun with friends." Haamid Patel had been going to the course for about four years. "A nine-hole wouldn't be as beneficial to us players. You'd have to treat it as a training course rather than an actual course. It would be a bummer." Photo: Nick Monro The course's proposal was also backed by professional golfer Ryan Fox, who had previously trained there. Golf course manager Eric Kang, who had been a part of the golf course for almost 30 years, said players as old as 93 were there regularly, and in the busy months, they saw as many as 400 people a day. He said about 50 people were involved in coming up with an idea to save the course, with a deadline of less than a month. "Ryan Fox, Lydia Ko, Michael Hendry all used to practice here. It's a part of new Zealand golfing history. Everyone just can't imagine it being anything else." He said the golf course paid the council $300k a year in rent and upwards of $450k a year in maintenance costs. Stormwater consultant Phil Jaggard said delivering lasting flood resilience for Wairau Valley - the area surrounding the golf course - was a priority. "The challenge that we have is that we're looking for a solution to mitigate the effects of climate change, address flooding, but also look after community assets. It's not just about golf." He said an underground pipe would be like a wetland and reduce the risk of neighbouring buildings flooding, including Eventfinda Stadium. Photo: Nick Monro Jaggard said their plan would be less costly to ratepayers than the council's and eliminate the need for a large artificial wetland. He said the total cost of the initial stages of the council's plan totalled $154.6 million dollars, of which the government would pay $36m. The course's proposal was estimated to cost about $38 million. He said they were currently having discussions with the council, and felt hopeful. "We can collaborate to achieve an outcome where everyone wins." Auckland Council director resilience and infrastructure Barry Potter confirmed to RNZ the council had met with golf course representatives. "Last week we met with North Shore Takapuna Golf Ltd's technical advisors, with a brief follow up earlier this week with two of their advisors and we will be meeting with them again on Friday 14 August. We have nothing further to add until we have had these discussions." The council was set to begin construction on the park in 2027. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
21 hours ago
- RNZ News
Sports News for 5 August 2025
India took the last four wickets in under an hour to bowl England out for 367 and win an astonishing fifth test by six runs to draw the series 2-all. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Lions hooker Sheehan handed four-match ban over Lynagh foul
Nic White of Australia and Dan Sheehan of the British and Irish Lions get into a confrontation. Photo: AAP / Photosport British & Irish Lions hooker Dan Sheehan has been handed a four-match suspension, which can be reduced to three by completing a coaching intervention, for a foul on Australia first-five Tom Lynagh in the third Test in Sydney, World Rugby said on Monday. Sheehan is set to be ruled out of his club Leinster's pre-season game with Cardiff and their United Rugby Championship matches against Stormers and Sharks in September and October. He will also miss the game against Munster on 18 October if he fails to successfully complete the coaching intervention. Lynagh had failed a head injury assessment and was unable to continue after an apparent hit from Sheehan's elbow, as the Lions suffered their only loss of the nine-match tour of Australia on Saturday. Sheehan, who had initially denied any foul play, has accepted the suspension given to him by an independent foul play review committee, World Rugby said in a statement. "In determining foul play, the committee found that Sheehan's actions were reckless. The committee found that he made head contact with the Australian player, that his action amounted to a high degree of danger and that no mitigation applied," World Rugby added. -Reuters
