Arpichaya Yubol fired a four-under-par 68 to take a one-shot lead in the first round of the eighth SAT-TWT Open Road to World Ranking at the Rayong Green Valley Country Club yesterday.
She made four birdies to stay one ahead of Trichat Cheenglab, Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, Nanthikarn Raksachat, Chayanit Wangmahaporn, Cholcheva Wongras, Pannarai Meesom-us, Jackie Chulya and Kornkanok Sungpankhao.
Despite the wet condition due to a downpour, the 20-year-old from Saraburi hit a bogey-free round in the 2.5 million baht tournament.
"As the course was soaked, the ball didn't roll at all, making it tougher to hit approach shots. I'm happy to get the score under a condition like this," said Arpichaya, who celebrated her second victory of the year two weeks ago in the Thailand Mixed event in Lamphun.
Arpichaya is seeking her first SAT-TWT Open Road to World Ranking victory, having been runner-up three times in the series.
"I'm quite satisfied with the level that I'm playing these days. I don't set a goal to win this week. I just want to sharpen my skills before the second stage of the LPGA Q-School [in October]," said Arpichaya who is trying to earn an LPGA Tour card.
Pannarai said: "I just play one shot at a time and try not to think too much. I have been working with a mental coach, so I have been playing with less pressure for quite some time."
Kornkanok, 16, fired five birdies against two bogeys.
"My putter really helped me as the wet condition made it tough for us. To be honest, I am a bit surprised by my score," she said.