SPRINGFIELD, NJ — Lee-Anne Pace doesn’t play much competitive golf these days and she’s 42 and her coaching habits have slipped. She enjoys the game, and all the while, South Africans really enjoy it.
The first round of the Women’s PGA Championship in historic Baltusrol on Thursday was one of them.
Pace made a two-putt birdie on the last hole in the fading daylight to take a bogey-free one-stroke lead from 5 to 66 and take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the second tournament of the year in women’s golf.
“Honestly, I just came because I like to come in every now and then for an event or two,” Pace said. “I honestly wasn’t expecting to lead the tournament after day one. It’s a very tough golf course. To be in my position, I’m really glad I got a good result.”
At 2:28 p.m., Bess made a seven par to start her round, then finished with a five birdie on the last 11 holes, hitting the 5 for the 18th on two and coming down to two. I also made a parallel key save from the vault on par-3 16th.
I joked about the last bird.
“Yeah, at my age, the dark is not your friend,” said Pace, who turned pro in 2007 and has one win on the LPGA Tour, a Blue Bay event in China in 2014. But like I said, I felt very comfortable on the greens.”
She is playing in her second event in the United States this year. I tied for 30 two weeks ago at the ShopRite Classic near Atlantic City.
Two-time major winner Brooke Henderson of Canada and Rouning Yin and Xie Lin of China shot as Baltusrol’s historic bottom course yielded 16 under-par runs to a field of 156 players.
Henderson, who won the event in 2016 and Evian last year for her major, had a bogey and five birdie, the last from about 35 feet on the ninth hole, her last.
“Everything was working fine,” said Henderson. “I’d like to hit some more fairways tomorrow, but when I needed to, I was able to get up and down a few times and the putter was rolling, and it’s nice to make five birdies on that golf course. I’m just hoping to do something similar over the next few days.”
The 20-year-old Yin, who won this year in Los Angeles, had two birds and an eagle on a bogey ride. Lynn, who finished third last week, had four birdies in search of her first Tour win. The 27-year-old lost in a playoff earlier this year in California.
They are looking to become the second Chinese player to win a major tournament. Shanshan Feng won the LPGA Championship in 2012. The event became the Women’s PGA Championship in 2015.
Yin wasn’t surprised because she and her friend played so well.
“Janet (Xiyu) has a very strong game, and I’m not surprised she can shoot 4-under this course, maybe 5-under,” Yin said.
Wichani Mechier of Thailand was alone at 68. Leona Maguire of Ireland, last week’s winner in Michigan, was 69 with Ayaka Furio and Yuka Saso of Japan, Jenny Shin of South Korea, Celine Borg of Norway and Esther Henselit of Germany.
Rose Chang, a two-time NCAA singles champion at Stanford who became the first player in 72 years to win an LPGA Tour event in her debut this month at the nearby Liberty National, opens with a score of 70.
The 20-year-old Zhang had a bogey on the second and fourth holes, but then played steady and made three birdies the rest of the way, settling for a birdie on the 18th after missing an 8-foot eagle try.
“I knew that when you’re here, it’s going to be very difficult, and you have to try to work your way back when things don’t go your way,” Zhang said.
World number one Jin Yong Koo and Lilia Fu, the only two-time winners on the LPGA Tour this year, shot a 72. No. 5 Minjie Lee also shot a 72.
Defending champion NJ Chun was second on the front nine, but had five bogeys on the back nine and finished on 74th.
No. 2 Nelly Korda and No. 9 Lexi Thompson shot a 76.