Legendary Australian golfer Karrie Webb has impressed on her return to the LPGA Tour, firing a one-under opening round at the event in Boca Raton, Florida.
Webb's solid 71 at the Boca Rio Golf Club comes in her first LPGA event since November 2020.
The seven-times major winner has been at pains to stress this isn't a comeback, but merely a chance to play a tournament at a course just 30 minutes from her Florida home.
Starting on the back nine with fellow Australian Su Oh in her group, Webb made her only bogey of the day on the 18th but bounced back with birdies on her next two holes to be tied for 47th after round one.
Oh, who earlier this month won the inaugural Australian WPGA Championship to lift the Karrie Webb Cup, carded a three-under 69.
New Zealand's Lydia Ko set a hot pace with a stunning nine-under 63 to take the first-round lead.
She is two shots clear of American Daniel Kang, who is fresh from her Tournament of Champions win last week.
Ko made nine birdies in a blemish-free round as she continues to take steps toward the top of women's golf again.
The Kiwi has been winning on the LPGA Tour for so long -- she won her first title as a 15-year-old -- that it's easy to forget she is only 24.
Ko, a 16-time winner on tour, has seen it all, from winning two majors and becoming No.1 in the world, to watching her ball-striking, her results and her confidence plummet.
She ended a nearly three-year drought by winning in Hawaii last year and is back to No. 3 in the world.
"Hopefully I'll be able to maintain the 'goods' from today the rest of the week," Ko said.
A missed putt from inside five feet on her last hole kept Ko from tying the tournament scoring record set in 2020 by winner Madelene Sagstrom.
Kang, coming off her season-opening victory last week at Lake Nona, had eight birdies while India's Aditi Ashok shot 66 to hold third spot.
with AP
