Esther Henseleit opens the CME Group Tour Championship with a strong 68 to finish T7 after the first round in Naples, Florida.
The LPGA Tour season finale teed off on Thursday under ideal conditions at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida. Sixty of the Tour’s top players qualified for the prestigious event, and Germany’s Esther Henseleit made an immediate impact. Her opening round of 68 placed her in a tie for seventh, just four shots behind the leader. South Korea’s Somi Lee leads the field after an impressive 64, two strokes ahead of American Allisen Corpuz, who carded a 66. A group of four players, including Race to CME leader Jeeno Thitikul, trails close behind.
LPGA Tour: Henseleit shines on front nine
Esther Henseleit couldn’t have asked for a better start to the tournament. She birdied the par-5 1st hole and followed it up with another birdie on the 2nd. Additional birdies on holes 6 and 8 put her at four-under through eight holes. A bogey on the 9th slightly dampened the momentum, but she bounced back with another birdie on the 10th. A stretch of five pars followed before she carded a bogey on 16 and a final birdie on 17 to finish with a four-under 68. Her accuracy off the tee was particularly impressive, hitting 12 of 14 fairways, which set her up for numerous birdie opportunities.
Somi Lee leads after near-flawless round
Somi Lee of South Korea delivered a stellar performance on Thursday. She opened with a four-under 32 on the front nine and added three more birdies on the back. Her highlight came on the par-5 17th, where she holed out for eagle. A missed short putt on 18 resulted in her only bogey of the day, but she still signed for an eight-under 64. Lee heads into the weekend with a two-shot lead over the field.