KARUIZAWA, Japan (AP) — Teen star Brooke Henderson shot a 6-under 66 on Wednesday to help Canada take the first-round lead in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.
The 16-year-old Henderson, the low amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up, had six birdies in her bogey-free round on Karuizawa 72 Golf East’s Oshitate course.
“It was a great day today,” said Henderson, No. 2 in the world amateur ranking. “I hit the ball really well and had a lot of opportunities to make birdies and I capitalized on a lot of them. It’s good to get a run on the first day and I’m really excited to play the next couple days.”
Augusta James added a 69 to give Canada a 9-under 135 total, the lowest first-round score in the history of the event. Brittany Marchand’s 71 didn’t count in the total.
“I had a bit of a hiccup in the middle with a couple bogeys, but I was happy to come back and finish strong,” said James, a senior at North Carolina State. “I felt like I could get to three or more under, so I was happy that I did that.”
Two-time defending champion South Korea was second at 7 under. So-Young Lee opened with a 67, Hye-Jin Choi shot 70, and Gyeol Park had a 75.
The United States was tied for eighth at 2 under. Alison Lee opened with a 68, U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Kristen Gillman shot 74, and Emma Talley had a 77.
“There is still a lot of golf left,” said Lee, a sophomore at UCLA. “I know the other guys didn’t play as well as they can, so I wasn’t too disappointed. It’s not over yet.”
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