Canadian teenagers closed the gap on leader Miyu Yamashita of Japan in the first round of the CPKC Women’s Open on Thursday. Yamashita posted a strong 62 at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club in Edmonton, putting her one stroke ahead of Nasa Hataoka from Japan and two strokes ahead of Kiara Romero from the United States.
Vancouver’s Anna Huang, 17, and 18-year-old amateur Michelle Xing from Richmond Hill, Ont., were tied for fourth place, three shots behind the leader at 5-under-par 65. They were in a tie with Ruoning Yin from China and Yuri Yoshida from Japan.
Yamashita, aged 25, who won the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan in June, recorded eight birdies and expressed satisfaction with her putting performance. Defending champion Brooke Henderson from Smiths Falls, Ont., aiming for her third victory in the LPGA tournament, ended the day with a birdie to finish at 3 under.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda from the United States also finished at 3 under. Both Huang and Xing were in a good position to make the cut on Friday, hoping for a strong performance in their first appearances.
The first round was played under mostly cloudy skies with a temperature of 24°C, and players had to contend with clouds of insect repellent due to Edmonton’s rainy conditions. Many players wore long sleeves and pants to shield themselves from mosquitoes, with Xing regretting wearing short sleeves as she got bitten. Henderson emphasized the importance of hitting fairways due to the challenging rough.
Clairey Lin, a 16-year-old amateur from Langley, B.C., made her tournament debut with a solid 68. Tour veteran Maude-Aimee Leblanc from Sherbrooke, Que., also performed well at 2 under. The Canadian amateurs showed a strong presence, with several players delivering solid performances in the first round.