Singapore: Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit fired a bogey-free, five-under-par 67 to take the lead after the first round of the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore yesterday.
The 22-year-old carded three birdies on holes three, seven, nine for an outward 33 before adding a pair of birdies on the 13th and 16th holes.
She holds a one-shot advantage over Danielle Kang of the United States, South Korea's Kim A-Lim and two-time tournament champion Park In-Bee.
It was a further boost for Patty after a stellar 2021, which saw her named LPGA rookie of the year and also capture her maiden major championship.
"I'm feeling pretty confident about my game right now," said the Thai player, who finished tied third at last year's tournament.
"I played very solid today, and I would give myself seven out of 10 for my ball striking. It's a fresh year, and I'm looking forward to what's to come."
Kang could have headed into the second round with a share of the lead with Patty but made a costly mistake at the last, dropping a shot.
"The finish was very frustrating," said Kang, who carded three bogeys in her last four closing holes.
"I just misjudged the wind and the lie. Towards the end, I really couldn't focus. It was just that I don't know what I was doing out there sometimes."
Thai duo Pajaree Anannarukarn and Atthaya Thitikul shot matching 69s for a share of fifth place with a group of players including world No.1 Ko Jin-Young of South Korea.
Ko has had a stellar season and the 26-year-old has recorded nine top-10 finishes in her last 10 starts that include five victories.
Defending champion Kim Hyo-Joo of South Korea posted a 72 to trail five shots off the lead in tied 37th place as did Ariya Jutanugarn and Jasmine Suwannapura of Thailand.
In a lighter moment during the day's play, South Korea's Park looked startled when she spotted a large monitor lizard -- a common sight in tropical Singapore -- on the course at the Sentosa Golf Club. agencies/bangkok post