A year after turning pro, Rose Zhang shot the lowest round of her young career with a nine-under 63 giving her the first-round lead at the Cognizant Founders Cup – where Nelly Korda is going for six in a row.
Zhang hit nine birdies and did not drop a shot in her sparkling round, which included four birdies in a row at the end of the front nine.
The round was six shots better than World No.1 Korda, who started her bid for a record sixth win in a row with a solid if unspectacular round of 69.
Korda, who took the week off and attended the prestigious Met Gala in New York, mixed four birdies with one bogey to leave her in T18 after round one.
It was former amateur superstar Zhang who leads the way though – after she tied the tournament course record at Upper Montclair Country Club as one of just six players to go bogey-free in the opening round.
“It was almost just auto-command kind of golf,” Zhang said. “I feel like in the last couple weeks it’s been a little bit difficult.
“I’ve been struggling a little bit with the golf swing and gaining confidence in my preparation. But going into this week I kind of let it all go; let the expectations go a little bit more.
“I was able to free myself up a little bit, which was really nice to see some shots go in, especially on the greens. I was able to get some putting momentum in, so it was really nice.”
Swede Madelene Sagstrom is Zhang’s closest challenger as her seven-under 65 put her two shots behind in solo second.
“This golf course first of all suits my eye really well,” said Sagstrom. “I’ve been playing around with the ball flight a little bit. My coach, Hans, is in town. This is the third year he’s here, too.
“We love the golf course. It’s tough off the tee which normally tends to work out well for me if I hit it straight. Putting is a big thing. You have to make putts. For some reason I just really see the reads on these greens.
“You don’t know, some places you go you can’t see anything, and here it’s kind of good momentum. And obviously having good memories, good experiences here is key. You want to go back to a place where you really enjoy it.”
Leona Maguire is part of a trio a further shot back on six under alongside Narin An and Stephanie Kyriacou.
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