Las vegas: Jenny Coleman pulled off the upset of the day at the LPGA Match-Play on Wednesday, knocking off world No.5 Brooke Henderson 1-up to open round-robin play at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Canada's Henderson, a 10-time winner on the LPGA tour, got off to a hot start, taking a 3-up lead with birdies at the first three holes.
But Coleman pulled a hole back with a birdie at the fifth, won the 10th with a bogey and squared the match with a birdie to take the 11th hole.
She kept her nerve after Henderson again edged ahead at 13 -- where the Canadian's bogey beat Coleman's double bogey -- nabbing birdies at the par-five 14th and 16th to take the lead.
"Yeah, started off the first hole just fairway, green, 30-footer -- almost went in. Picked up whatever for par," Coleman said. "And then she comes over, drains a 30-footer. I was like, 'All right.'
"Then the next two just slapped it around, got a little quick and missed them right and a quick 3-down.
"Then fourth I was like, 'All right, it's time to regroup and just catch my stride,"' said Coleman, who matched Henderson's birdie at the fourth to get herself back on track.
When she squared the match at 11, Coleman said, she wasn't really keeping track of how the match stood.
But, she said, "I felt the tides kind of turn. I was catching my stride, hitting some good shots, making some birdies, some good up and downs, and just trying to keep to my game plan."
World No.1 Ko Jin-Young cruised through her opening match, beating Natalie Gulbis -- playing on a sponsor's invitation -- 4 & 2.
Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn was a 5 & 3 winner over Cheyenne Knight while kid sister Ariya was tied with Lauren Stephenson.
ANA Inspiration champion Patty Tavatanakit was tied with Sarah Kemp while fellow Thai, Jasmine Suwannapura, a runner-up at the Women's British Open last year, beat Hur Mi-Jung of South Korea 2 up.
Round robin play continues tonight and tomorrow before knockout rounds at the weekend in the five-day tournament. The round robin field is divided into 16 groups, and the winner of each group will advance to the weekend -- with any ties to be decided by a sudden-death play-off. afp/bangkok post