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Salas surges to LPGA Indy lead with record-equalling 62
LOS ANGELES, Aug 17, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – American Lizette Salas fired a
course record-equalling 10-under par 62 on Thursday to take a two-shot first-
round lead over Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and Angel Yin in the LPGA Indy
Championship.
Salas birdied the last three holes at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Club
course in Indianapolis, Indiana, two of them after waiting through a weather
delay.
With an eagle and eight birdies total, her career best round put her two
ahead of two 19-year-olds — American Angel Yin and Japan’s Nasa Hataoka.
Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, South Korean Ko Jin-young and Americans Danielle
Kang and Jane Park shared fourth, a further stroke back on 65 and New Zealand
star Lydia Ko headed a group of six players on 66.
Salas got going early with an eagle at the par-five second hole. She
birdied three in a row from the fourth through the sixth and bagged two more
birdies at 12 and 14.
After a birdie at 16, she was on the green and looking at a birdie putt
when play was halted for more than an hour.
“I had about a four-foot putt on 17,” Salas said. “I didn’t even think
about it the entire time during the delay. I was hanging out with Danielle
(Kang) and she was giving me her silly dad jokes, so it definitely kept my
mind off of it.
“I was really excited to be back. And to finish off with birdie on 18 from
off the green, which is icing on the cake, so I’ve just got to keep it going
the next three days.”
Yin exploded out of the gate with eight birdies in her first nine holes,
her eight-under 28 on the front nine one short of the LPGA’s nine-hole
record.
Yin needed just nine putts on her front nine and came home in even par with
one more birdie and a bogey in her eight-under 64.
Hataoka had eight birdies without a bogey for her share of second.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0824 hrs